Welcome to SciRun.com.

We are an online coaching service specializing in helping people of all abilities reach for their athletic dreams, whether it be a walking program for weight loss, qualifying for the Boston Marathon, or completing a 50 mile ultra.  Our coaching staff has been running competitively for over 30 years, and has run marathons on four continents, including Boston, New York, Chicago, Marine Corps, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Singapore and Sao Paolo.

Our experience ranges from helping runners prepare for their first marathons to qualifying for Boston. We have helped some runners complete their first 5K, and others break 15 minutes. We have trained runners to complete 50 mile ultra’s, while helping other individuals begin walking programs for weight loss.

All of our coaches are certified by both the Road Runners Club of America and USA Track and Field.  We are also members of the American College of Sports Medicine.

We at SciRun realize that each person has unique needs in terms of their training requirements. We work with you to develop a personalized training program taking into account your current level of fitness, your goal, and those pesky life constraints we all must deal with like work, family and friends. We also offer strength training and nutritional advice. For the serious competitor, we will work with you on the mental aspect of training and racing to ensure you are ready for peak performance on race day.

Your training should compliment your life, not dominate it. We don't just develop a plan, give it to you and wish you good luck. We monitor your progress and adjust the program as necessary to maximize your workout benefit.

Until recently, runners had to join a running club and get group interaction, or hire a personal coach that they could meet with during a set time each week. Both had advantages and disadvantages, but online coaching has come along and combined many of the strengths of both and made it an increasingly popular option for runners.

Most runners have never heard of online coaching, or "Virtual Coaching" as it is also called. Online coaching allows a real-life coach to interact with their athletes via the World Wide Web and electronic mail. Online coaches will often use phone calls as a way to add a more personalized aspect to the coach-athlete relationship. Unlike a running club, which usually involves one or two coaches and dozens of athletes, online coaching allows the coach to work with each of their athletes in a one-on-one environment. And unlike a private coach that meets personally with an athlete, an online coach can interact with each athlete more often and at a time that is more flexible. Email allows coaches to respond to the changing needs of each athlete much more rapidly and easily than meeting personally. The cost is much lower as well, because it is more efficient for an online coach to read an email from home and respond to it than try to reach them on the phone or wait until their regularly scheduled meeting.

The biggest apprehension that most runners have about using an online coach is that they feel that it is not personal enough for them. They think that without actually seeing a coach, they won't have the personal interaction that will motivate them and provide them with the best quality training advice. Quite the contrary. While a coach that you meet with in person only gets to see you once or twice a week at most, you can interact with an online coach every day if you wish. By using a combination of phone calls and emails, you can create a constant dialog that permits you to spend more time with your coach than you would in person.

Success stories are numerous and varied. For many runners, the goal is to run a race faster than they have previously. Most people who use an online coach see results, often dramatic. However, success is not always measured in minutes or hours, but sometimes in making it to the finish line. Many people who have never run more than a few miles were able to train and complete a marathon in their first event thanks to the guidance, motivation, and general support of an online coach. Finally, there are many people who have experimented with an online coach with the goal of personal weight loss. Helping people drop weight and decrease body fat has been widely successful for online coaches. The best stories are when someone manages to accomplish multiple successes at the same time thanks to their personal online coach.

One of the great aspects of online coaching is that it breaks down geographic boundaries, as well as time boundaries. Many people do not live near an area where a running club meets for workouts. Other people work jobs or have personal lives that do not permit them to meet with a club or a coach in person. Still others could meet with a running club (or even if they already do) but realize that they want more personalized attention. If any of these apply to you, and you want to get the most out of your running, then it is worth your while to give online coaching a try.

All walking and running programs are structured in the following way.

We ask each athlete to complete an online profile for us, detailing your current level of fitness and ability, as well as outlining your training goals. Within 24 hours, your personal coach will call you to discuss your profile, and gather more information to help us develop a training program tailored to your needs.

The next step is a self administered maximum heart rate test. We use the data from this test, in combination with your measured resting heart rate, to develop personalized training zones for you to ensure that you get the maximum benefit from each training session.

At this point, a draft training program is presented to you for your feedback. Your coach will discuss it with you, explain all the aspects of the training, and make any changes necessary to fit your lifestyle choices.

Every two weeks, you will receive a detailed training schedule including running workouts, as well as advice on stretching and strength training. Dietary advice is included if requested.

You can communicate with your coach via e-mail as often as you wish. Monthly conference calls are also available, if you desire, at no additional cost.

Each week, we ask you to submit a brief on-line training diary, so that your coach can monitor your progress versus the program and suggest modifications, if necessary. The stretching, strength and diet advice are integrated with the running program, to ensure that you reach peak performance levels to achieve your goals.

Through e-mails and phone conferences, you and your coach will monitor your training progress, stress levels, and diet, to balance the demands of the program with the rest of your life.

Our goal is to work with you to get you to the starting line 100% healthy and in peak condition.

Let us help you get the most out of your training experience. Be one of our success stories.  Begin the journey today by completing and submitting our easy to use profile.