The questions I get asked often:

When should you start training for half or full marathon?

A short answer is: "It depends". And it does truly depend on many factors. It depends where you are right now in your journey and where you want to go, what is your base, if you coming off the injury etc. The main objective is to build up safely, to avoid getting injured by pushing too hard, too fast, too soon.

I found through my coaching and personal training experience that counting back at least 18-24 weeks from your A race of the season is a good start. I will help you to incorporate B and C races into the schedule in those training week to better prep you for your A race.

Additional Guidance:

• If you have maintained a base of at least 15 miles weekly (consistently over the last few weeks), I will ask for at least 18 weeks out from the race.
• If you have not maintained the base and need to build it SAFELY back up to avoid injury, I will ask for at least 24 weeks.
• If you are coming off the injury, to SAFELY build your mileage back, consider longer that 24 weeks plan.

Do I need a coach?

The short answer is: "No, but you might benefit". If you can consistently stay motivated, disciplined, patient, know your body, know when to push and when back off, don"t need workouts/plan to be adjusted to your needs/schedule, if you are not getting stale in your training and continue to improve then you don"t need a coach. But if not, you might benefit from working with a coach. Even in one training cycle with a good coach you can learn a lot that you can apply to your training in the future and can get to the next level.

A good coach is not only there to give you a plan, it is also a mentor, an ear, a shoulder. Sometimes we can all benefit from somebody taking a look from outside and offer a perspective. Somebody you can share with your anxieties, worries (our family can take only so much of running talk), somebody who will not judge and can be a voice of reason when you need the most.

There are a ton of coaches out there, and it can be overwhelming. When I was looking for a coach, I wrote down what are you looking to get from a coach. That really helped to narrow down the options.

What to look for when looking for a coach: Experience, Testimonials, Style, Personality, Access, Cost.

How do I know if that is a right coach for me?

For me it all comes down to compatibility and trust. Ask yourself what are you looking in a coach from their personality and philosophy perspective, what role you want your coach to play. Write it down. Schedule a call with a coach you are interested in (it is okay to shop around), interview the coach, ask questions, share your expectations.

Once you start working with a coach, if something is not working be honest and have honest conversations, nobody can read the minds, this is a two way street.

I had athletes say, hey back off for a second here, as well as, I need more, I want more. And I listen and adjust. We have different needs, and even throughout the cycle the needs change. Unless I know what you need, I cannot adjust to your needs.

But at the end, if it is not a good match, it is not a good match. Talk to the coach and go your separate ways, it is okay.

What other questions you have? Send them my way to olgastarcoaching@imasphere.com and I will answer