"The best support you can give an athlete is the confidence that you are there for them for the duration, the confidence that your support of them does not depend on their times or marks but on their dedication to doing their best.  This is Part 2 of an extraordinary interview with the Yoder Begleys about Amy's career, the transition from athlete to coach, their coaching philosophy, and working together. And what it is like to be the first female full-time coach of the 21,000 strong Atlanta T.C! This remarkable woman has so much to say about coaching and life. The WRCC is honored to bring to you this interview with Olympic Distance Runner Amy Yoder Begley about her journey from runner to coach. Along with her coaching partner and husband, Andrew Begley, Amy has gracefully made the transition from being coached to coaching. Her resume is stunning--a Midwest girl holding numerous Indiana HS records and titles, an All-American 15 times, and a two time NCAA Champion at University of Arkansas. In 2008 she became an Olympic Team qualifier with an inspired and courageous finish in the 10,000 meter race in Eugene, Oregon. She struggled and overcame a diagnosis of celiac disease. She trained and competed as a member of the prestigious Nike Oregon Project, competing against the best in the world. In 2013 she was named the Head Cross Country Coach and Women's Assistant Track and Field Coach at the University of Connecticut. In 2016 she became the first full time coach of the Atlantic Track Club along with her husband Andrew. I have read you were diagnosed in 2006 with celiac disease. Has living with this disease helped you to be a more intuitive and sympathetic coach? Many of our readers deal with athletes who have serious medical conditions, such as celiac. Could you give any advice on how to support and coach an athlete with a serious condition? I think that having celiac and the issues that came with it helps me to notice things in others. The best support you can give an athlete is the confidence that you are there for them for the duration, the confidence that your support of them does not depend on their times or marks but on their dedication to doing their best. You can help them find the best support system to deal with the condition. You can help them navigate the information when it becomes hard to make decisions. Andrew and I want to help the athletes become great athletes and people. We want to give them more than just athletic experiences. How have the coaches you have had over the years influenced how you coach today? What do you remember about your high school, college, and professional coaches that motivated and inspired you to reach such a high level of achievement in running? A local female runner inspired me to start running. I would see her running around the park when we walked the dogs. I have had all male coaches during my career. In middle school, they only had a boys team, and I loved racing with the boys. In high school, my coach was a former football coach who really tried hard to give us direction. I had an AAU club coach, Jim Mills, who really taught me a lot about running. Andrew (Begley) coached me during my senior year in high school. I was 2nd at Foot Locker and qualified for Junior Worlds in Sydney Australia in the 5,000m. Lance Harter was my college coach who introduced me to a great network in the running world. I loved my college years and career at Arkansas. Andrew (Begley) coached me the first 6 years of my pro career. Alberto Salazar coached me from 2007 to 2011. He taught me how to work hard. I thought I knew how to work hard until I joined the Oregon Project. I think it would be hard on a marriage to have your spouse work you that hard. I tried to run for another year after that, but the body was done. Coaching is an intense career. The stress and hours are hard on coaches and their families. What do you do to alleviate those stresses and time commitments? What advice do you have for coaches to help balance out their lives? Finding a partner and support network is key. If you don’t have people in your corner to help you or encourage you to keep going, it is very easy to leave the sport. Coaching with Andrew allows us to divide things up or take on more or less if needed. I am very lucky to be able to coach with my spouse. When Andrew and I need a break, we try to stay 1-2 days after a track meet or road race to see the city or see a National Park. We have stopped at layovers for a day to see a National Park or visit family. That is doable for pro coaches, but college coaches don’t have that opportunity due to traveling with the team. At home, we have the dogs. My advice for college coaches is to come up with a compromise on a schedule that will keep you sane. For example, you can work from home half a day to take care of the dog and things like laundry.  "Alberto Salazar coached me from 2007 to 2011. He taught me how to work hard. I thought I knew how to work hard until I joined the Oregon Project. I think it would be hard on a marriage to have your spouse work you that hard." What advice can you give to a young woman who wants to become a running coach? What is important to you as a coach that you could pass on to another female coach? If you are a college athlete or professional athlete, start networking at meets. Ask your coach to introduce you to race directors and other college coaches. My college coach, Lance Harter, did that for me. At the time, I didn’t even realize what a gift it was that he introduced me to other coaches and meet directors. Getting involved with USATF will also introduce you to people and the inner workings of your sport. Learn about the physiology and biomechanics of the sport. If you want to be more valuable as a coach, learn other events so that you are not just a distance coach or jumps coach. You can also read the books of many of the current and former great coaches. There are also coaching classes and certifications, like USATF and RRCA. What makes you still passionate about our sport of running? I enjoy helping people of all abilities work toward their goals. I enjoy helping a new runner develop a love for the sport, as much as I like helping elite runners chase their Olympic dreams. Our sport has a lot to offer to both of these groups, and everyone in between. I also enjoy watching the sport evolve. We have learned so much over the years. Technology has allowed people to share information and helps us to further the sport. It is rewarding to help young athletes to avoid some of the mistakes that we have made over the years. Finally, it has been rewarding to watch women take a more prominent role in our sport. After college, there were very few options for professional women. In today’s world, there are many options. After college, a reporter interviewed Andrew and me about our goals as professional athletes. I was asked when I was getting a “real job” and when I wanted to have kids. Andrew didn’t get any similar questions. It was eye-opening. We have made good progress in accepting that it is okay for women to chase their dreams, but we still have a long way to go. It is easier to recruit talented men because more men stick around after college. One of my goals is to continue to help more women stay in the sport. It is also inspirational to see more women coaching. I want to do everything that I can to perpetuate this trend.  "If you are a college athlete or professional athlete, start networking at meets. Ask your coach to introduce you to race directors and other college coaches. My college coach, Lance Harter, did that for me. At the time, I didn’t even realize what a gift it was that he introduced me to other coaches and meet directors." You ARE the Women's Running Coaches Collective. This is your journey too! Melissa Hill Nikki Rafie Helene Hutchinson Charlotte Lettis Richardson Laura Caldwell PLEASE contact us at womensrunningcoachescollective@gmail.com Tell us what you think, what you know, and what you would like to learn.
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 Mission Statement The Women's Running Coaches Collective exists to support, unite, inform, inspire, encourage, and empower women coaches at all levels of our sport Amy Yoder Begley - Journey from Olympian to Coach "It was a hard decision to leave college coaching. There were not many women coaching, and I hated to leave it. However, I was also entering a coaching world that had even fewer women in it. There are only a handful of women who coach post-collegiate groups." - Amy Yoder Begley  The WRCC is honored to bring to you an interview with Olympic Distance Runner Amy Yoder Begley about her journey from runner to coach. Along with her coaching partner and husband, Andrew Begley, Amy has gracefully made the transition from being coached to coaching. Her resume is stunning--a Midwest girl holding numerous Indiana HS records and titles, an All-American 15 times, and a two time NCAA Champion at University of Arkansas. In 2008 she became an Olympic Team qualifier with an inspired and courageous finish in the 10,000 meter race in Eugene, Oregon. She struggled and overcame a diagnosis of celiac disease. She trained and competed as a member of the prestigious Nike Oregon Project, competing against the best in the world. In 2013 she was named the Head Cross Country Coach and Women's Assistant Track and Field Coach at the University of Connecticut. In 2016 she became the first full time coach of the Atlantic Track Club along with her husband Andrew. This is Part 1 of an extraordinary interview with the Yoder Begleys about Amy's career, the transition from athlete to coach, their coaching philosophy, and working together. And what it is like to be the first female full-time coach of the 21,000 strong Atlanta T.C! This remarkable woman has so much to say about coaching and life. Amy, we know you as an Olympian, an All American, a National Champion, a Record Holder and inspirational athlete. We’d like to hear about your transition from elite distance runner to coach. Was it a hard transition to make? It was a hard transition because it was not on my terms. I had an injury that would not heal. At this point I was almost 34 years old. I had been running “professionally” for 12 years. I say that because I had a lot of part-time jobs when I was training and racing. I had an Exercise Science/Biomechanics degree from Arkansas. My plan had been to go to Physical Therapy School. My science classes were too old, and they wanted me to retake Physics and Organic Chemistry. I didn’t like those classes the first time, and I didn’t want to take them again. I started applying to coaching jobs and other wellness-type jobs. In 2012, all of my job applications were turned down. Andrew and I had a plan to coach together in college. We thought it would take 10+ years to get to a position that we could do that. The USOC had a great program to help athletes transition to the working world. They helped with resumes, networking and online classes. During that time, there was a lot of buzz about the first women who competed in marathons, road races and track & field. I was networking with all my contacts for job opportunities. The RRCA was in the process of doing an Oral History Project on the Women Pioneers of Running. They hired me to interview as many of these women as we could find. This job ended up being just what I needed at the right time. I was able to talk to all these women who fought for the right to compete and paved the way for the rest of us. It was the best therapy for me at the time. In 2013, I was contacted about the Head XC and Assistant Track Job at the University of Connecticut (UConn). I was hired in August, with very little time to move from Oregon to Connecticut. It was a very steep learning curve that year, but it was a great start into college coaching. In 2014, Jack Wickens sent me the link to the job opening at the Atlanta Track Club. He said I should apply and thought I would be a great fit for the job. I can’t thank him enough for leading me to the Atlanta Track Club. When I read the job description, I knew there were very few coaches who could or would want to do the job. It entailed working with kids, beginner runners and elite athletes. The job covered everything I had worked on and wanted to continue working on. It was a hard decision to leave college coaching. There were not many women coaching, and I hated to leave it. However, I was also entering a coaching world that had even fewer women in it. There are only a handful of women who coach post-collegiate groups. In 2014 you were appointed as the first full time coach of the Atlanta Track Club along with your husband Andrew Begley. How have the past 4 years been? What is it like to be a coach of 21,000 plus runners? What are your other responsibilities, both for you and Andrew? The interview process was long for this job. The job was a brand new position for Atlanta Track Club that Rich Kenah put into place. When Rich called to offer me the job, he said that all the applicants had told him this was more than a one person job. He wanted to hire me, but he also wanted to hire Andrew. Our 10-year plan came to be in just 18 months. In December, I moved down to Atlanta with a few post-collegiate athletes who Andrew and I were coaching. Andrew moved down in January after he finished teaching that semester in Connecticut. Andrew has been coaching longer. He is a year older than I am and coached me during my senior year in high school. He also coached me for the first 6 years of my professional career before I joined the Oregon Project. We agree on 90% of the coaching decisions. We each have our strengths and have learned to divide and conquer. That took a couple years to settle out. He is the physiology guy. I am the biomechanics person. He does the budget and apparel. I work with our medical support to make sure the athletes are seeing the massage therapists and physical therapists when needed. I work on mental prep for races. We both work on travel and race plans. He travels more with the team due to my other job responsibilities. Andrew and I both coach Atlanta Track Club Elite. We also have other duties with the club. Andrew started the Youth Team and the Cross Country Camp. I am in charge of the In-Training programs for Atlanta Track Club. We have three seasons of training. The fall is Half Marathon and Marathon training. The summer is In-Training for Peachtree. The winter/spring is Publix Atlanta Marathon and Half Marathon training. We have also done beginner 5K and Women’s 5K training programs. We are going to start an online version of the training programs as well. I have In-Training practices every Saturday for these programs. I also have mid-week speed workouts for the programs. On top of those coaching duties, we also help with the events. AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4th is our biggest race. It is the largest 10K in the world with 60,000 participants. We have 30+ events a year from mile races to the Publix Atlanta Marathon. Our favorite event is Wingfoot XC. Andrew and I measure and oversee the course setup. The club also hosts free Kilometer Kids Mile races and school programs. The elite athletes on the team help with every aspect of the club including setting up events, cleaning up events, attending school programs and pacing the kids’ races. We both oversee the Masters Team with the help of Andy Carr. The Masters team has been around for over 40 years. Atlanta Track Club is known for its Masters team. We want to continue that tradition and add the Elite Team to that reputation. We won our first Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championship in 2017. We are looking to win a Masters Indoor Championship soon. How did being an elite athlete help or distract from your role as coach? What strengths from your career as a premier distance runner help you as a coach? Is there any downside to having been at the very top level of your sport, and now being on the other side, as coach? Rich Kenah is the Executive Director. He is an Olympian and a 1:43 800 meter runner who medaled at Indoor Worlds during his career. Afterward, he was an agent. He knows the sport. During my interview, he asked me about being an athlete and now a coach. He wanted to know if any jobs were beneath me. I told him that I didn’t have assistants or GAs at UConn. I made my own Gatorade and carried our team tent. He laughed. Going from athlete to coach or any job is hard. As an athlete, I had a daily to-do list. I had a set workout, mileage, lifting routine, stretching routine, nap, etc. I could check it off and be done at the end of the day. In the working and coaching world, however, the to-do list is never done. That is the hardest part for me. Being an elite athlete helps me to understand what the athletes are going through and what they want to accomplish. I also got to see and know what the other coaches and clubs were doing. I am able to use my experience to help them along the way. I like to say that I want to help them avoid the mistakes I made as an athlete so that they can accomplish their goals faster than I did. Andrew has been a part of my life and career since 1995. He has coached me and watched me achieve big goals. He also knows first hand what it is like to train hard.  "We agree on 90% of the coaching decisions. We each have our strengths and have learned to divide and conquer. That took a couple years to settle out. He is the physiology guy. I am the biomechanics person. He does the budget and apparel. I work with our medical support to make sure the athletes are seeing the massage therapists and physical therapists when needed. I work on mental prep for races. We both work on travel and race plans. He travels more with the team due to my other job responsibilities." - Amy Yoder Begley You took the Atlanta job with your husband Andrew as coaching partners. You must bring different skills and experiences to your partnership? Could both of you describe the co-coaching relationship you have, and how it works? I answered some of these questions above. I am the extrovert, and he is the introvert. We work well with different athletes and situations. We are opposites who complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Andrew’s thoughts: You have to believe in your assistant or co-coaches. There is a fine line between adding input and second-guessing what the other coach is doing. It works best when you truly divide the tasks. Amy manages our strength training and form training. I will give her advice or input, but in the end she always makes the call. I will never second guess what she is doing. The other piece is to give new ideas or new strategies a chance to play out. If you over-analyze what you are doing, you might change things up before there is a chance for success. We always let things play out for a season, and then evaluate the season and overall team progress. We talk to the athletes and do a hard self-assessment at the end of each season. Working with your spouse and doing an honest post-season evaluation sometimes requires thick skin. We are a team, and we both want to help our athletes reach their goals. When you start off the conversation with this in mind, it helps you to understand that both people are working toward the same result. Amy and Andrew, what are your individual coaching philosophies? How do you work together to highlight each of your strengths and experiences? How do you differ as coaches? Our coaching philosophies match up pretty well. The guiding principle is that everyone is an individual. There is no “right way” to coach every workout. Being a successful collegiate and professional coach is as much about recruiting athletes who respond well to your coaching style as it is getting talented athletes. It works better to get athletes who respond to your style of training than it does to find a style of training that fits your athletes. We approach middle distance coaching from a strength perspective. Our athletes run from 50 miles up to 85 miles per week. During the fall, we focus on strength. This is when the athletes will hit their highest mileage and do their longest session. They all get up to 12-16 miles for their long run. Workouts are focused on strength (longer repeats and tempos). We do want to maintain their pop and turnover. In the fall, we do short sprints or a few fast repeats at the end of workouts. During track, we try to limit the volume of speed that they have to do. We will do some aerobic work first and then work on speed. It is common to do 800s or miles, and then a few all-out repeats at the end. During the track season, their mileage will get a little lower. They typically hit the lower end of the range (50-70). For early season races, they will do workouts after their races and also take less time between workouts so that they are prepared for racing through the rounds. Our marathon runners go through three phases. In the first phase, they build their mileage. The second phase is a preparation phase, where we do some faster work (5k and 10k pace). We do this to make sure that the marathon pace feels comfortable. Finally, they do the marathon block. In this phase, they do a lot more volume, but we focus on half marathon and marathon paces. We try to get through two of these build-ups each year with our marathon group. If time permits, we like to do a short track season with them, so they can work on their speed a little bit. They typically enjoy running the shorter distances, and it gives them a break from the long grind of marathon training. As this is a newsletter for women coaches, what has your experience been as a woman in a predominately male profession? Any advice you could give to our readers that would help them be better prepared to navigate the coaching profession? I would ask that women be more open to helping other women. I have been disappointed in the women I have reached out to for advice. In my experience, the male coaches and athletes have been more supportive. I think that this is changing as more women are becoming head coaches. I would also suggest doing your research when networking or talking with coaches. There are some amazing coaches who don’t tell you all they have accomplished. Some of their accomplishments might have been before you were born. The history of our sport is not passed down. My biggest piece of advice would be to not waiver on your beliefs and morals. It may not be easy to stand up for what is right, but in the end you will be glad you did. Part 2 will be published in the October 25th Newsletter. Stay Tuned!  "I would ask that women be more open to helping other women. I have been disappointed in the women I have reached out to for advice. In my experience, the male coaches and athletes have been more supportive. I think that this is changing as more women are becoming head coaches." |
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