Of course! Run For Good training program is for everyone 18 or above. Either you are a beginner runner with a little bit of running experience or never ran a single mile in your life or an experienced runner who may be running some miles per week/month for last several years.

It does not matter at all! This is a no barrier program and we welcome participants with all kinds of background and all kinds of running experience (or none :)

Whether you’re building up to 13.1 miles for the first time, or planning to smash your PR, we’ve got EVERYTHING you’ll need to get you to the finish line in style.

• Help you discover the joy of running: We want to work with you to enhance your running experience and help you become a fitter, stronger and happier runner. You don’t necessarily have to sign-up for a race, but races can be fun to connect with other runners, understand how much progress you are making and feel accomplished.

• Run For Good- As you find the joy of running, you will also contribute to a great cause– by helping Amrita-Seattle build pathways out of generational poverty for vulnerable children in utmost rural isolated parts of India.

• Have Fun – Most importantly, running/training should be fun. We will help you to discover the joy of running and improve your mental and physical wellness through running.

• Individualized - Everyone is different and at a different spot in their journey. So we believe that you should have your own individualized training plan that can help you to get better, without getting injured or pushing you too hard.

• Start slow/gradually progress – It does not matter whether you are experienced or a beginner, you can start with low volume and gradually progress.

• Train + Rest/Recover – Training is essentially putting physical stressor on your body, so that the body can over-compensate to make you stronger and fitter. But to make it happen, you need to have enough rest and recovery. We tailor our plans to help your achieve this.

• Work towards your big goal with smaller goals in-between-There is no need to get intimidated by taking a big goal like running a marathon or ultra. If you are starting out, we will help you take smaller achievable goals, that you can get to by spending reasonable amount of time and effort training for them.

• Running is a Journey – We want you to enjoy the journey. It will make you physically fit and mentally a lot stronger and relaxed and energetic. So see it as a journey – every year or season or month, you make some progress and keep building the fitness.

• Personal one-to-one session with the coach - We will ask you to fill up a questionnaire and then have a hour-long one-on-one zoom conversation with the coach. The coach will help you setting your goals and expectations and learn about your running and fitness history to build a plan that is right for you.

• Receive a training plan – The coach will build your own individualized plan. The plan will have details about type and volume of running and other workouts that you want to do during the week. Don’t worry – it’s not a stringent plan, but will have enough flexibility. You will receive only a few weeks of plan in advance, as the coach will refine the plan based on how you are progressing.

• Share your training – By using an app like Strava, you can easily share your training with the coach and get his feedback.

• Weekly Training Progress group calls – You can join these calls and ask any questions that you may have.

• Access via email/chat – You can also send email to ask any other questions

• Group runs – We will try to group people of similar abilities to run together – at least once or twice in a week, depending on where you are located. It’s always more fun to train together, but you are welcome to train alone too in your own schedule.

• Pre-arranged runs – Sometimes we will arrange a run in a scenic route on a Saturday or Sunday, where everyone can come and run together. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn from others and the coach.

• Sign up for races – We will also work with you to recommend which races (5K, 10K, half or full marathons or trail races) that you may want to sign up for. Often we will run these races as a team – more fun! Generally in a year, you may want to run a few small/tune-up races, but one target A-race (which can be a marathon of half-marathon or whatever you dream for)

• Season-end conference – At the end of the plan/season, to discuss progress and next steps.

Trail running, though a relatively newcomer compared to road running, is growing exponentially as a sport. Fortunately, Seattle and the surrounding areas is a trail running mecca – with miles of world-class trails and many great events/races. We can help you start running on trails as well if that’s what you want to learn and do. Main differences are:

• Trail running often requires more navigation skills in the mountains or forests and ability to self support (carry water, food, survival equipment, etc.)

• Road running is probably more accessible as you can simply go out and start running. No need to drive to a trail head. Less planning, less time consuming.

• Trail running often easier on your body – with uphill/downhill and softer surface, it won’t impact your joints and muscles the way asphalt/concrete of the road does.

• Fun Factor – Trail running events are also laid back. You get to run in beautiful natural places, worry less about finish time and can enjoy the day.

• Different Skills – You will need to learn how to run on rugged and uneven surfaces, how to control paces on up and down hills, how to manage yourself in wilderness, etc. So trail running is definitely something that demands you to learn/improve skills that you may or may not have.