Running Apps vs Personalised Coaching
Running App vs Running Coach: Which Is Right for You?
Running apps and training plans can be useful, but there may come a point when you want something more individual. So what does a running coach actually add, and when might coaching be worth considering?
A Common Question
I'm Using a Running App, but Would a Coach Give Me Something More?
It's a reasonable question. There are now plenty of apps capable of generating running plans, tracking sessions and presenting large amounts of training data.
For some runners, that's all they need. They enjoy following a plan, their training is progressing well and they are confident making their own decisions.
But there can also come a point where following a plan starts to feel limiting. Perhaps your progress has stalled, you're unsure how hard your sessions should be, you're preparing for a more ambitious goal or you simply want your training to reflect you rather than the average runner a programme was designed for.
A Coach's Perspective
Why I'm Not Against Running Apps
I'm Stuart Sahan, an England Athletics Event Group Endurance Coach and Clinical Sports Therapist. I've used running apps myself and know first-hand that they can provide an affordable, structured training plan with basic periodisation. In fact, I completed the 2024 Manchester Marathon following an app-based training plan, although I have to admit some of its predicted finish times did raise an eyebrow.
So I know where running apps can work well. I also know where their limitations start to show.
Where Apps Work Well
Running Apps Can Be Very Good
A good running app can provide useful structure. It can help you organise your week, introduce different types of training and give you something to work towards.
For a runner who is healthy, progressing well and comfortable managing their own training, that may be enough.
Structure
A plan can remove some of the guesswork by giving your running a weekly structure and progression.
Convenience
Your sessions are readily available and can often integrate with the watch or platform you already use.
Data
Apps can make it easier to record pace, distance, heart rate and other useful training information.
The Important Difference
A Running Plan and Running Coaching Are Not Quite the Same Thing
A training plan provides structure. It can organise different types of sessions into a progression towards a particular goal, and for many runners that structure can be extremely useful.
Coaching goes further because the athlete is part of an ongoing process. Training can be planned around where you are now, what you want to achieve, your training history, strengths, areas for development and the time you realistically have available.
As that process continues, your progress can be reviewed and training developed appropriately. That may mean progressing a particular aspect of fitness, introducing more specific work as a race approaches, integrating strength training, managing overall training load or adapting the programme when circumstances change.
Training plans are built around a goal.
Coaching is built around the person trying to achieve it.
That's the difference.
Good coaching is therefore about much more than changing a session when something doesn't go to plan. It is about overseeing the bigger picture, making informed decisions about how your training develops and helping you understand the purpose behind what you are doing.
Side by Side
Running App vs Running Coach
Both can play a useful role in training, but they offer different levels of individualisation and support.
| Running App or Plan | Personalised Running Coaching |
|---|---|
| Provides a training structure | Builds training around the individual athlete |
| Usually works from predetermined inputs | Considers training history, goals, strengths, weaknesses and available time |
| Records training data | Reviews training data alongside athlete feedback and context |
| May automatically adjust sessions | Uses coaching judgement to guide how training develops |
| Provides the session | Can explain the purpose behind the session and how it fits into the wider programme |
| Often focused mainly on running | Can integrate running, strength, recovery and race preparation |
Do You Need a Coach?
When a Running App May Be All You Need
Not every runner needs a coach. If your current approach is working well, there may be no reason to change it.
An app or standalone plan may suit you if you're progressing consistently, understand your training, can judge your own effort appropriately and feel confident making adjustments when necessary.
It can also be a perfectly sensible option if your main goal is simply to add some structure to your running.
When You Want More
Signs You Might Have Outgrown Your Running App
The point at which coaching becomes useful will be different for every runner. But there are some common reasons people start looking for more individual support.
Your progress has stalled
You're training consistently but no longer seeing the improvements you expected.
You're not sure whether you're training at the right intensity
Easy runs become too hard, harder sessions lack purpose or you're unsure what your training paces should actually feel like.
Some sessions leave you questioning the purpose
You head out for what should be an easy run, only to find a questionable number of pace changes. You're left wondering what the session is actually trying to achieve and whether it needs to be that complicated. Every session should have a purpose.
Your goals have become more ambitious
Perhaps you're moving from completing races to improving performance, targeting a PB or stepping up to a new distance.
You want training built around your life
Work, family, other sports and recovery all affect how much training you can realistically absorb.
You want to understand your training
Rather than simply being told what session to complete, you want to know why you're doing it and what you're trying to develop.
More Than Numbers
Your Running Data Is Useful. Context Matters Too.
Modern running watches can provide an enormous amount of information. Pace, heart rate, cadence, training load and estimated fitness metrics can all help build a picture of your training.
But numbers rarely tell the whole story on their own.
How a session felt, how well you've recovered, your recent training history, the purpose of the session and where you are within the wider programme all provide important context.
Coaching brings those pieces together. Data can inform decisions, but it shouldn't replace coaching judgement or communication with the athlete.
Run Fit Coach
What Personalised Online Running Coaching Looks Like
My online coaching is built around the individual runner rather than a generic template.
Your training is delivered through TrainingPeaks and developed around your goals, current ability, training history and the time you realistically have available.
Your coaching can include:
Personalised running sessions and progression, runner-specific strength training, weekly training review and appropriate adjustments, analysis of pace, heart rate and RPE where useful, WhatsApp support, monthly consultation, race planning and tapering, and guidance around running technique where appropriate.
The purpose isn't simply to fill your calendar with workouts. Each part of the programme should contribute towards what we're trying to develop and ultimately where you want your running to go.
Your Coach
Who Is Behind Your Training?
I'm Stuart Sahan, an England Athletics Event Group Endurance Coach and Clinical Sports Therapist with a First Class BSc (Hons) in Sport & Exercise Therapy.
My coaching brings together endurance training, strength and conditioning, running biomechanics and an understanding of how the body responds to progressive training. That means looking beyond individual sessions to the bigger picture: where you are now, where you want to get to and what we need to develop along the way.
My aim is to help you become the best runner you can be. Whether that means completing your first 5K, improving your parkrun time, chasing a 10K PB or preparing for a marathon, your training should have a clear purpose and be built around you.
I want you to understand your training too. I'll explain why we're doing what we're doing, review how you're responding and make appropriate adjustments as you develop.
Built Around You
Personalised Doesn't Just Mean Changing Your Paces
Two runners preparing for the same race may need very different training.
One may need to build aerobic endurance. Another may already have a strong endurance base but need more work around running economy, strength or race-specific pace.
Their available training time may be different. Their injury history may be different. Their experience, recovery and confidence may be different too.
Personalised coaching means taking those differences seriously and using them to guide how the programme is built and progressed.
Ways to Work With Me
Running Coaching and Biomechanics
If you've decided you want more individual support, there are several ways we can work together.
Online Running Coaching
Ongoing personalised coaching with training delivered through TrainingPeaks, weekly review, support and progression towards your goals.
Explore Online Coaching →One-to-One Running Coaching
Individual coaching sessions for runners who want practical support with their running, training or technique.
Explore One-to-One Coaching →Running Biomechanics Assessment
A detailed look at your running movement, supported by video analysis, practical coaching cues, drills and relevant strength work.
Explore Running Biomechanics →Is Coaching Worth Paying For?
What Are You Actually Paying for With a Running Coach?
A training plan can be downloaded cheaply or even for free, so it's reasonable to ask why you would pay for coaching.
The value isn't simply access to a list of workouts. You're paying for the thinking behind the programme, ongoing review, individual decision-making, communication and the experience used to guide how your training develops.
I've covered this in more detail in my guide, Why Pay for a Running Coach?
Which Is Right for You?
Running App or Running Coach?
There isn't one answer that applies to every runner.
Stick With Your App If...
You're progressing well, enjoy managing your own training, understand what you're doing and simply want a structured plan to follow.
Consider Coaching If...
You want your training built around you, want to understand the purpose behind it, have a specific goal you want to work towards or feel you've reached the limits of following a generic programme.
The Bottom Line
Running apps can be useful tools and, for many runners, they may provide everything that's needed.
But if you want somebody looking at the whole picture, making informed decisions about how your training develops and helping you work towards becoming the best runner you can be, that's where personalised coaching comes in.
Not Sure Which Route Is Right for You?
Let's Talk About Your Running
If you're considering coaching but aren't sure whether it's the right next step, book a free 20-minute consultation. We can talk about your current training, what you'd like to achieve and whether coaching would be a good fit.
Book a Free 20-Minute ConsultationNo obligation. Just an opportunity to talk about your running and ask questions.