Miles Bennett-Smith – San Francisco Running Coach
From: $90.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee
Coaching intermediate and advanced runners from 1500m to 26.2 on trail, track or road. Return to competition or finally nail that BQ!
Description
San Francisco running coach Miles Bennett-Smith specializes in working with competitive runners looking to improve in the 5k up to the marathon, as well as older runners coming back from a layoff, or those with previous high-level experience in non-running sports. Reach out to Miles below to get started!
***Miles offers alternative pricing for collegiate athletes that have graduated in the past three years, runners experiencing financial hardships, and for any high school and collegiate athletes looking for coaching in the summer. Contact Miles (below) for more details***
LEVELS: Intermediate, Advanced
TYPES: Road, Track, Trail
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon
TRAINING PLATFORM: VDOT
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited text
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: San Francisco, CA
YES: Meet within 50 miles of San Francisco. Miles can lead you through a variety of running sessions — long runs, detailed track workouts, focus on form, balance, cadence, breathing, race prep and tactics, or nutrition. Reach out to Miles if you’re interested!
SPECIALTIES
I focus on helping all athletes improve against the clock, themselves, and the sub-elite race pack. Coaching a diverse range of athletes is a source of great pride for me, and I have always held the belief that it is important not to restrict myself to working with any particular group, as there is immense value in guiding individuals at various stages of their athletic journey. Each runner presents a unique opportunity for me to continuously learn and develop as a coach.
I have lots of fun with competitive runners looking for balance, older runners coming back from a substantial layoff, or those with previous high-level experience in non-running sports (soccer, basketball, crew, cycling, lacrosse) trying to turn that athleticism into speed.
In addition to using V.02 for athlete training plans and communication, I also deliver strength training and mobility exercises from a variety of resources, aiming to help train athletes with multiple tools.
PHILOSOPHY
I embrace a holistic approach to running — let’s build your stride from the literal ground up…we’ll be talking shoe fit (stack height, cushion, spring and weight), foot strike, lower-leg swing, arm swing pattern, and of course everything in between the ears! But above all, we’ll be guided by open communication that allows us to set (and modify) specific goals, which I have seen over the years as perhaps the biggest differentiator in those who have felt the greatest success.
Training with a coach has to be an ongoing conversation, informed by data, knowledge, expertise and RESULTS. How does your body respond to an 80/20 approach? What happens when we introduce speed work in the Fall? How many healthy miles can you maintain with your work/life balance? Whether you’re trying to go from couch to 5k in old trainers, or qualify for Boston in carbon-plated Vaporflys, we’ll customize a plan and approach that is effective and sustainable for your entire body and mind.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
I am currently the Head Coach for Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country, and Track and Field at Summit Prep in Redwood City, where we have had numerous All-League and CCS competitors since I was hired in 2019. I’ve been working with individual runners as a passion project since 2013, am an Assistant Director at the Bowerman Track Club Summer Running Camp, and am now joining Team RunRun to tap into an even wider running community and network.
ABOUT ME
Hi! I’m a 32-year old AP Government and Politics teacher and coach at a public school system in Redwood City, CA. But in previous lives I was a high school journalist, a violinist, a walk-on soccer player at Stanford, a nanny, and a venture capitalist. I live in beautiful San Francisco right next to Golden Gate Park, where my fiance and I walk (NOT run) our wonderful 5-year old pup Oliver.
I read a lot (too much), watch Below Deck on Bravo, listen to a lot of podcasts during long runs, play a bit of golf, basketball, and pickleball, and care deeply about public education and policy in America.
I have some experience and interest in global affairs as well — my high school senior project helped to establish a foundation that has built basketball courts, libraries, classrooms, a medical clinic, and promotes educational enrichment at a series of schools in Rwanda. I’ve had the privilege of running in those beautiful hills, where the altitude, heat and humidity are absolutely brutal, but the shouts of surprise and excitement from hundreds of children watching you jog past more than make up for it.
BIG INFLUENCES
The biggest influences on my running and coaching career have been three great friends that I’ve been unbelievably lucky to also call my personal coaches — Elliott Heath, Chris Derrick, and Rick Fullum. Elliott and Chris both were All-Americans and classmates of mine at Stanford, then ran professionally for Nike with the Bowerman Track Club, and somehow still found time to help write workouts for me and gas me up before big races over the last 10 years.
RACING HISTORY
As someone who missed out on the chance to specialize as a runner in high school, I was later to develop in the sport. And in fact, I haven’t always “loved” running at all…but I might have been born to race. I’ve always been up for a fun run, a turkey trot, a trail race, even a beer mile or two. I really hope for my runners to understand that belief and at times even irrational confidence is a SKILL, and can be trained for peak performance right alongside the muscles, tendons and ligaments.
CERTIFICATIONS
- NFHS Accredited Interscholastic Coach (Additional Cross Country Specialization)
- SafeSport Trained
- First Aid/CPR Certified
PRs
- Marathon: 2:44:52 – Boston Marathon – April 17, 2023
- Half-Marathon: 1:20:03 – Kaiser Permanente Half – Feb 5, 2023
- 5k: 16:14 – Credit Union SACTOWN – April 2, 2017
- 1600: 4:32 – SMAL Championships April 4, 2008
CONTACT MILES
Finding a coach who is a great fit for you is really important. We encourage you to email your coach prior to signing up so you can connect, communicate, and ensure a good athlete/coach fit.
PUBLICATIONS
- Should I Buy Super Shoes?
- The 5 Best Daily Running Shoes
- How to Choose your first pair of Running Shoes
SOCIAL
Greg –
Miles applies just enough encouraging pressure to keep me consistently running, which is something I haven’t done since I was in college. I particularly appreciate his adaptation to my running progress and quick feedback on any running-related questions I have from pre-run to post-workout. I think he’s on his way to becoming the Gjert Ingebrigtsen of the Bay.
Morgan –
I’ve been working with Miles all summer and it’s been excellent. Lots of valuable feedback, including some super tough speed sessions to really push me. Somehow, running is fun again – as a former college soccer player, that’s about as high of praise as I could give.
Gary Smith –
Miles has been a game-changer as my running coach. He designed a program that accommodates my work schedule and other constraints on my time. He has been able to put together a blend of strength and speed training that has me clocking times–at age 68–that I haven’t reached in years. I’m even considering running a marathon again! Looking forward to many more years of steady progress.