The Runaround: Smart Training and Virtual Coaching

SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. - If you know anything about the local running scene here in northern Westchester, you probably know the name Max Goodman.

Max was a 2022 graduate from John Jay High School, where he still holds various school running records, including the 3-mile and 3000-meter marks. In case you’re worried his best days are behind him, I’m happy to report Max was also the winner of his hometown race, the South Salem Memorial Day 5K, just a few weeks ago.

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Max is now working his way through a summer training plan designed to get him in top shape for his junior year of fall racing at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. From past mistakes, Max learned the hard way how NOT to train over the summer. “I arrived at college [thinking I was] in great shape,” Max said in our recent conversation, “but quickly found out that I had developed a stress fracture from my summer workouts, so my freshman year was rough because I was on crutches and couldn’t return to running until late spring.”

From this setback, Max picked up valuable lessons that we older, slower runners should all bear in mind as we try to ready ourselves for marathons and other fall racing challenges.

“One thing I learned was to be sure to mix up surfaces with my training runs,” Max said. “Now I try to make sure I am running on soft surfaces on a lot of runs during the week instead of only road surfaces like I did that summer.”

Max also discovered the value of rest, recuperation, and patience. “Taking days off is very important. You need to give your legs a rest.” And as frustrating as not running at all and then running with newfound fatigue and discomfort was during his long recovery, he just had to endure it. “It takes time,” he said of his comeback.

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This summer, Max is in good form and training smart, about fifty miles a week. When asked his favorite workout, he said his go-to is “pretty simple.” It’s also a workout that adds some valuable soft surface to his routine. “It’s a 2x(4x 400 meter) on the track with 90 seconds rest between reps and a 3-minute jog between sets.” In English, this means 2 sets of 4 one-lap loops of a standard track at a pretty hard pace, with 90-second rests between each of the four loops and a 3-minute very slow jog between the two sets. Pace should be about 70 percent of all-out, enough to enable you to keep going for 8 hard intervals and have a little left in the tank at the end.

Max’s summer running follows a schedule designed by his coaches. Max is routine-oriented and appreciates having a schedule to follow. And he also appreciates having had a variety of coaches over the years to guide and inspire him. From different coaches he gained different things. One coach, for instance, was memorable for making him laugh. Another for teaching him meditation and visualization techniques to counteract pre-race anxiety.

Although they’ve never met, I think Max would appreciate the personalized virtual coaching services offered to us everyday runners from Jeanine Encizo, a.k.a. Coach J.

I got to know Jeanine a few years ago at grueling 6:30 a.m. Thursday-morning track workouts with North Brooklyn Runners in McCarren Park. Whatever devious workout had been designed for us that week, I could always trust that if I followed Jeanine’s lead and pace, I could probably survive the workout okay.

I recently discovered that Jeanine has taken up virtual coaching. How come? “I wanted to offer runners guidance from all the things I learned from my experiences running, and from coaches I’ve had along the way,” she said. “The good and the not-so-good experiences, the mistakes and the successful leaps. I wanted to help others not just achieve their quantitative running goals but show them the fun of it all, too.”

She works through an app that allows her to add workouts to an athlete’s calendar each day and personalize them with their specific paces. Athletes can link their smart watch or Strava feed, which then allows her to see how a workout went in real time. There is also a messaging interface on the app, as well the ability to comment on each workout for both coach and athlete. “It keeps things clean and organized, and allows for us to connect seamlessly,” she said.

Are there particular types of runners who best benefit from her coaching?

“I would say all runners, but I think I work best with runners who value compassion, understanding, and flexibility. My training plans for athletes are never set in stone. They evolve as the athlete evolves and are modified as needed if the athlete has a hectic schedule or is in need of an extra recovery day. I’m encouraging and expect my athletes to put in the work, but I always remind them that one workout never dictates your end success. Bad workouts, bad days happen and we adapt to find alternate paths to their goals as needed.”

Like Max Goodman this summer, Jeanine is all about making smart choices tailor-made for individual needs when it comes to training. For more information about her personalized virtual running service, sprint over to coachjrunning.com .

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