Working with Mat as my coach for Javelina Jundred was the best coaching experience I’ve had since I started running 100 Mile ultras. I sought Mat’s coaching services to help me meet my goal for the year; to complete my first 100 Mile race since overcoming health issues and running injuries these past four years. 

 

From the time I first reached out to him in May to the day after I finished Javelina in October, Mat was enthusiastic and engaging. His welcome letter was the most comprehensive and thorough I have received from any coach I’ve worked with before.  As a planner, I appreciate that he gave me the big picture, where every stage is explained so that I could “see” the progression and understand the rationale behind the training process. 

 

But what I really appreciate most about Mat is that he genuinely cared about my progress, a quality of a truly gifted coach. He was generous in sharing his wealth of experience and knowledge as they were relevant to my training. He kept our line of communication open and accessible. He stayed on top of his weekly emails. He checked in with me (by phone) every few weeks (even though he is in France!) and especially before and after my training races (Skyline 50K, Dick Collins 50M) and my goal race (Javelina Jundred 100M) to chat about strategy, gear recommendations, pro-tips, how I was feeling, what my concerns were, etc. He was always one or two steps ahead of me, knew exactly when to introduce specific components to training (heat training, for example).  He encouraged me to have “process goals”, goals which I learned went beyond my number goals (i.e. finish time) and gave more meaning to my training which ultimately lead to my growth as a runner and person. Lastly, and most importantly, I felt that I could trust him completely.  And I believe that this is why I resolved to commit to the training plan he created for me – I truly felt I was in good hands.