Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Getz.
Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been a runner for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of running goes back to when I was about five years old in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. One deer season, while we were waiting for the rest of our hunting party, my grandfather began timing me as I ran up a small hill on the trail. Each time I reached the top, I asked for my time—and each time, I told him I could go faster. Then I would turn around and do it all over again.
Years later, in ninth grade, I overheard a couple of friends talking about an adventure they had experienced on the cross country team. I was so drawn to their story that I signed up the next day. A few days after that, I finished 10th in my very first race. From that moment on, I was hooked.
I continued running cross country throughout high school. During my senior year, I finished fifth at our county cross country meet, and our team went on to place eighth at the state meet.
In college, I ran both cross country and track and was fortunate to compete at the national meet twice. That experience taught me what it truly meant to train, race, and compete at a higher level.
After college, I competed in numerous 5K and 10K road races and enjoyed a great deal of success. Over the years, running has taken me across the country, including races in Hilton Head, South Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; Boston, Massachusetts; St. Cloud, Minnesota; and Leadville, Colorado.
In 2011, I overheard a couple of runners talking about trail races in the mountains. Once again, I was captivated by their stories and knew I wanted to be part of that new adventure. I immediately began reading trail running books and online articles to learn as much as I could. Since then, I have raced distances ranging from 10K to 100 miles.
A year or so before I retired, I began looking for a running coach to help me prepare for upcoming races. Unfortunately, there were no coaches in my area. That experience inspired me to become a coach myself after retirement. I studied for and passed the UESCA ultramarathon certification exam, and I now hold UESCA certifications in running, sports endurance nutrition, strength and conditioning, and physical adaptations to running. As a retired elementary principal, I wanted my coaching business to reflect both my background in education and my lifelong passion for running. With help from my wife and daughter, Principal of Running became the perfect name.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My transition into becoming a running coach has been fairly smooth. As a former teacher and principal, coaching felt like a natural and meaningful progression into retirement.
Starting my own business, however, brought a different set of challenges. I had to learn how to build and manage my website, use Instagram and Facebook, advertise my services, and make smart decisions about where to spend money.
Over the past three years, I have learned how to use Instagram, Facebook, and A.I. to strengthen my online presence and create no-cost marketing opportunities. One of my runners also helped with my early marketing efforts, which opened doors and helped my coaching business reach runners across the country.
As you know, we’re big fans of Principal of Running. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I became a coach and started Principal of Running because I have always had a passion for both running and teaching. Now that I am retired, I have the opportunity to share that passion with others in a meaningful way.
I bring more than 40 years of running experience, along with research-based knowledge, to help runners avoid many of the pitfalls I encountered throughout my own running journey. My teaching and administrative background also helps me coach runners to become more reflective, informed, and confident in their training. But most importantly, I understand what each runner is experiencing when they hire me as their coach. I’m on their side. I want them to achieve their running goals. And I share that through our weekly phone calls or text messages.
Through an online coaching format, I am able to work with runners from across the country and provide them with individualized training programs designed around their unique goals, experience level, and needs.
Here’s a list of the services I provide my runners
• Provide feedback through text messaging and weekly phone calls
• Use strength and conditioning expertise alongside gait analysis to help runners improve form and reduce injury risk
• Apply sports endurance nutrition knowledge to teach runners how to fuel and hydrate for daily runs, long runs, and races
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Whatever you have a passion for in your life…go for it. You’ll never know how it could enrich your life and those around you.
Pricing:
- Monthly coaching price is $70
- Gait analysis in $45
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.principal-or-running.com
- Instagram: principal.of.running
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/principal.of.running
