Today’s technological landscape has made it more possible than ever for runners to unleash their inner Kipchoge or Dauwalter. And it’s not adopting the latest footwear technology. If there’s one surefire way to milk your potential for all its worth, it’s through coaching.

Working with a coach isn’t a luxury reserved for the pros anymore. Runners of all levels chasing any goal can benefit from the objective perspective that a seasoned coach can offer. And you don’t have to move to TrackTown, USA, to make it happen either. Thanks to all the gadgets in a modern runner’s toolbox, like smart watches and training apps, coaches can harvest all the data they need about your running conduct at any given time, wherever and whenever you get it done.

Coaching from afar is nothing new in and of itself. It’s the scope of available data that makes the modern coaching experience so drastically different compared to a mere handful of years ago. Before GPS watches became commonplace, virtual coaches only knew what their athletes told them. Each data point came to them through a filter. A runner could easily let their own biases get in the way, intentionally or otherwise. Shame from coming up short or going overboard could tempt even the most diligent among us to fudge some numbers here and there for appearance’s sake. 

As a recovering exercise addict, I’ll be the first to raise my hand here. I’ve dumbed down the mileage reported on my training log more times than I can count.

But such secrets are a thing of the past. The second you stop the clock, every single snippet of your run travels through the cloud and onto your coach’s radar. The wealth of information goes far deeper than basic pace or distance, too. Heart rate, cadence, stride length, power output, terrain changes, environmental factors, total time versus actual activity time, and more are all on immediate display. A runner’s response to training and compliance with the prescribed plan are laid completely bare. No stone goes unturned.

But once you get past the initial “Big Brother” vibe, the potential for next-level performance shines through.

Data makes personalization possible. Cookie-cutter plans can only get you so far because they don’t take the individual into account. What works for your friend might not work for you, and that’s OK. I’d go so far as to say it’s a good thing. Achievement in this sport — no matter how you define it for yourself — depends on how well a runner can harness their strengths and bolster their weaknesses. Figuring out just how to do that ultimately comes down to trial and error. The more feedback along the winding way, the better.

Metrics aside, virtual coaching makes unconditional support accessible for runners of all levels and means. Coaches do more than interpret data and create training plans. Maybe even more importantly, they foster confidence in their athletes via an unbiased outside perspective that transcends harsh — and often inaccurate — personal judgments.

They can also connect runners with a wider network of their peers. In an individual sport like running, athletes often miss out on the camaraderie that team sports inherently provide. The empathy and enthusiasm of other runners in the same boat goes a long way toward keeping each of us in the game for the long haul.

Virtual coaching makes these resources much easier to come by. Running and strength coach Kelly Lutz shares that her pool of athletes has skyrocketed since the technological boom of the COVID-19 pandemic, which ushered in a whole host of new digital resources that make it easier for athletes and coaches to connect.

“The pool of athletes that I can work with is so much bigger than if I were limited to in-person coaching,” she remarks. “I think it also allows athletes to find a coach that they resonate with, since they have more options available to them. An athlete is more likely to succeed if they really trust the person who’s helping them get there.”

TJ David of Microcosm Coaching agrees.

“Connecting with a coach online isn’t just convenient,” he says. “It opens doors to supportive communities that a lot of athletes didn’t even know existed.”

The one piece that’s still lacking from the information that coaches can collect virtually is the subjective side. Numbers don’t always tell the whole story. Detractors like fatigue, stress, illness, and hormonal imbalances can hide in plain sight as they escalate, until it’s too late to reverse course without repercussions. The body can only bend so far before it breaks. The only way to make sure that training helps more than it hurts is to combine objective data (how you perform) with subjective data (how you feel).

But coaches can’t read minds. It’s up to the athlete to disclose their subjective response to training. When your watch automatically uploads each run, though, complacency sneaks in. Details on the kinds of metrics that a watch can’t necessarily capture — energy, mood, schedule, sleep, and mental health status, to name a few — all too often go unreported.

No amount of objective data can make up for these missing links. But Lutz believes that change in this arena comes down to the coaching relationship.

“It’s on me to foster expectations around what I need from athletes in order to help them best,” she explains.

It also requires that a runner see themselves as more than just a set of numbers. The sheer depth of data that bombard athletes after each and every run can make them feel out of touch with their humanity. The fact of the matter is that we’re not machines, and can’t expect ourselves to perform as such. Nuance is in our design. A coach who emphasizes and celebrates this will likely have an easier time getting their athletes to supplement metrics with insight into their lived experience.

As technology continues to advance, coaches will have to work even harder to help their athletes find the balance between objective and subjective data. There is such a thing as too much information, and the sport of running could very well be on the precipice of that point. Coaches and runners alike would do well to remind themselves that there’s more to peak performance than what shows up on the screen from day to day.

Soak in the support, appreciate the accountability, and learn from the data — but take it all in stride.

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Lucie Hanes is an avid writer and adventurer on rock and trail with a passion for sharing her outdoor enthusiasms through journalism and mental strength consultation.