Vivian Vassall – Seattle Running Coach

5.00 out of 5
(4 customer reviews)

$149.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee

A coach committed to new runners and those looking to breakthrough a plateau, while preventing injury, achieving goals and having fun.

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Description

Seattle running coach Vivian Vassall is excited to work with not only beginners looking to either complete their first 5k or their first marathon, but also runners who have hit a plateau and are looking at stepping up in distance or aiming for a new PR. Have a goal in mind? Reach out to Vivian and she’ll help make it happen.

Contact Vivian

LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate
TYPES: Road
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon
TRAINING PLATFORM: Final Surge
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited text, unlimited phone
RESPONSE TIME: Within 48 hours
LOCATION: Seattle, WA
IN-PERSON SESSIONS: No, online coaching only

SPECIALTIES

I look forward to working with athletes who are new to running, runners new to a specific distance, or those looking to break through a plateau. I also enjoy working with anyone who is brand new to fitness and would like to complete a “couch to 5k” training program.

I recognize that there are many ways to bring your running to the next level. It could be as big as a PR in a marathon, or it could be as small as running without stopping for the first time.

PHILOSOPHY

My philosophy is centered around consistency, injury prevention, incremental progress, and most
importantly, having fun!

I believe in challenging ourselves without being hard on ourselves.

The advice I would give a new distance runner is: Start where you are. Own it. Take pride in your hard work and your progress, no matter how great or small. Acknowledge and express gratitude when you can.

I believe in sustainable fitness. It’s important to adopt healthy habits to keep long after race day – mindful nutrition, stress management, quality sleep, and ample rest and recovery, for which I am a huge advocate.

I believe in “resting into” and resting “out of” hard work, i.e., bookending challenging workouts with stretching and mobility exercises, and other low-impact activity.

Finally, I believe it is important to approach race training holistically, i.e., maintaining our relationships, balancing our vices, and not neglecting our important commitments outside of running to continue to live happy, healthy, optimistic lives.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

I’ve been coaching formally since 2019, but have informally coached many friends and family members. I am also a pacer with Beast Pacing.

ABOUT ME

I love running because it’s a fun way to stay active, get outside, and socialize with friends at the same time. I like to cross train with group fitness classes, especially barre, HIIT, and indoor cycling. I’ve recently been exploring yoga, pilates, and meditation as well, and am a big fan of recovery techniques such as cold plunges, cryotherapy, and compression boots.

I’m a very active person with a relatively large network in the Seattle fitness community. I am fortunate to know people of all walks of life who are athletes, brand ambassadors, nutritionists, and other wellness practitioners. I bounce ideas off of and get inspiration from my friends.

I am also an attorney, a former board member of the Seattle Public Library, and volunteer with several youth empowerment programs. I am committed to adding value to the lives of others, and helping others shine.

BIG INFLUENCES

My dad is my biggest influence; I did my first running event with him (Dad ‘n Me, 1988). He also
encouraged me to become a ski instructor for children with disabilities when I was in high school, which was my first official coaching experience. I have done a lot of hiking, skiing, kayaking, bike touring, and adventuring outdoors with my dad. He takes great interest in getting to know people and in building them up to be the best person they can be. He has unrelenting patience and forgiveness, and is always learning a new skill and sharing his knowledge. I aspire to bring these traits to my coaching.

My other influences are:

  • My team, Club Seattle Runners Division (CSRD), which is open and encouraging to all
  • My fellow Team RunRun coaches
  • All of my past and present coaches
  • My friends Meredith, Katy, Xana, Andrea, Morgan, Ives, Nance, Ashley, Mia, and Maryn, who are some of the greatest athletes I know
  • David Goggins, Rich Roll, Robin Arzon, Marilyn Bevans

RACING HISTORY

I have run seven marathons, including Berlin in 2022 and Chicago in 2019 and 2021. I’ve additionally run the Virtual New York City Marathon in 2022, and aspire to run all of the World Major Marathons someday.

I’m also a novice triathlete. I’m always learning!

CERTIFICATIONS

  • Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Level I
  • American Heart Association CPR/AED/First Aid

PRs

  • Marathon: 03:42.27 – 2019 Jack and Jill’s Downhill (WA)
  • Half Marathon: 01:41.22 – 2019 Cascade Super Fast Half (WA)
  • 10k: 00:46.36 – 2018 Greenlake Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em Valentine’s Day Dash (WA)

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

  • 2018 Ironman 70.3 Canada Relay (Run leg) – 1st relay team
  • 2018 Magnuson Series (WA) MLK Weekend 15k – 2nd in age group
  • 2018 Magnuson Series (WA) Earth Day 10k – 1st overall female
  • 2017 Magnuson Series (WA) Earth Day Half Marathon – 1st overall female
  • 2016 Santa Runs Tacoma Half Marathon (WA) – 4th in age group

CONTACT VIVIAN

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.

Give us a brief history of your running, and this can include what distances and/or races you’ve run, how long you’ve been running, any past or present injuries, if you’ve worked with a coach or a specific training program before, etc.
Any short term or long term goals?
Describe your ideal coach/athlete relationship.
Any questions/comments for Team RunRun or the Coach in general?

PUBLICATIONS

2Legit Podcast – Episode 8, Rules of Law as a Marathon

SOCIAL

4 reviews for Vivian Vassall – Seattle Running Coach

  1. 5 out of 5

    clarebear

    Vivian has been a wonderful coach so far! This is my first time training for a race (my first marathon!) with a coach and she’s been extremely supportive in helping me succeed in reaching my goals and becoming a better runner. I was looking for a coach who could help me personalize my training to fit my schedule and the travelling I do and Vivian has done a great job helping me set up workouts in advance and make the training schedule flexible. She also shares a lot of helpful resources about running, stretching, etc with each workout. I appreciate her energy and encouragement to push me past my comfort zone while keeping me motivated! She’s super responsive in her communication and responds to all my questions in a timely manner. I’m so happy to have her as my coach and I’m really excited to continue working with Vivian for the rest of my marathon training cycle!

  2. 5 out of 5

    Erika C

    Despite being a runner for over 2 decades, I decided to tackle a new distance recently and will be running my first full marathon this spring. Being a busy working mom who is now in her late 30s, I felt it would be wise to hire a coach to help me train efficiently and in a way that would be safe so that I could prevent any injuries along the way. Vivian has been the perfect coach and support as I work towards this new goal. She’s very organized and always ready with next week’s plan based on what we’ve accomplished the week prior. I always appreciate her thoughtful advice and her ability to push me past my comfort zones in my workouts. I’m only a couple of months into training with her, but I look forward to seeing how much more we can accomplish over the next few months. Would highly recommend Vivian as a run coach!

  3. 5 out of 5

    Abby

    I had never worked with a running coach before, and am so glad I chose Vivian to be my first coach! She asked great questions to kick us off and was mindful of my personal circumstances throughout training (I was coming off of a long season of chronic pain and injuries). I wanted to work with a coach who was big on injury prevention, and Vivian was great at designing a plan that worked for my body and made me feel better than I’ve felt in years. I appreciated how communicative she was — always sending a plan for the following week the Friday before (I’m someone who loves a plan and wants to know it well in advance!), commenting on my workouts in Final Surge, and always being available via text/phone to adjust plans as needed. She went above and beyond to help me succeed… one time even driving to my house to drop off some Normatec boots when I overdid it on a strength workout and needed a fast recovery to complete my run the next day! Would highly recommend Vivian!

  4. 5 out of 5

    Melanie Valentini

    I CAN’T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT COACH VIVIAN! SHE IS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE ! She has been there for me in every way! She is an amazing coach! It is incredible how well it has worked virtually! I was in a real pandemic slump and had fallen off of my running and overall exercise routine. For someone who has been very active for many years I did not know what to do. I felt lost on how to get motivated again, with my gym closed, races cancelled and the stress of my job in a virtual world. She met me right where I was and has been creating plans that worked just perfectly for me every week. She goes above and beyond a plan too, she communicates with me all the time, shares with me so many resources to help me with my training and keep me motivated and happy!!!! I went from barely getting out for a run once a week to completed a race, running and strength training 4-5 days a week and I on my way to doing a virtual 1/2 marathon in March! I’m beyond grateful to have her as my coach!

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