So, I was lucky to hear about Ray from Qwik Kiwi Coaching – well from Ray’s generous sponsorship of our annual school event, the Kaikoura Whale Run.
The biggest thing that would have stopped me from joining Qwik Kiwi, would have been my weight, and my general lack of fitness to date. Everything’s just so hard. My body doesn’t want to do it, and I knew all too well from the past.
But everything happens for a reason and turns out even though Ray seems a bit scary, he’s actually not, haha. He just knows his stuff, and he knows how to get you to where you need to be! He can be understanding of your (my) moaning, yet doesn’t give into it, and keeps a stern watch on where you’re at.
My biggest success, was to go from having done nothing in a VERY long time, to achieving my goal of running the Kaikoura Whale Run, 10km, in approx four months of starting training. It was huge for me, and one I still didn’t think I’d achieve until right close to the time.
Qwik Kiwi Coaching taught me to actually believe in myself, and when I put my mind to it, I could achieve things I didn’t think I could. Regular feedback on your progress is also great, as a beginner sometimes you just feel like you’re flailing along. It’s great to have a professional actually analyse where you’re at, and tell you how you’re doing and what the next steps are – literally!
A trainer is a personal thing, much like a Masseur, acupuncturist or even your favourite coffee house, because you invest in them and they are there for you in your times of need, you need to feel comfortable with them.
I would highly recommend Ray from Qwik Kiwi Coaching to anyone wanting not just a running coach, because of his vast experience he doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk so to speak (well, he runs it). He has a firm demeanour, which for me was what I needed – someone who wasn’t going to go ‘oh you don’t feel like doing it today, okay then, you go have a wee rest’, plus he’s not put off by procrastinators excuses (so I found out).
Your goal could be it as simple as mine – just getting started. I did have that 10km weighing heavy on my mind, but I think you definitely need an event or goal to push toward. Ray is very approachable and even though he has a busy schedule, he’s never too far away for questions. (And I bugged him a lot)!
I did/have hit a wall at the end of the year, and because of various reasons of which I will disclose in my blog, have taken an extended break (whoops), but Ray is pretty understanding, and patient. For that I owe him better dedication. – well I owe it to myself. I worked my butt off (well a bit of it, and I can’t stop now)!!
But don’t take my word for it, if you’ve been thinking you really should do something, or you ate too much over the festive season and wanna just kick start 2019 and get back on track, Ray’s ya man!! He even has me writing a blog! Another ‘who would have thought’ for me. But I agreed to write it, because when you’re struggling, it’s nice to sometimes hear you are certainly not alone!
Here’s to 2019, new shoes and more events!
– Lisa Harris
Now that Lisa has completed the 10km Kaikoura Whale Run, she has agreed to continue writing to continue to inspire other people out there to get started and make a positive change. Check in next Tuesday for her next article.
Read Lisa’s last article here:
And all her previous articles are stored here:
http://www.coachray.nz/category/client-stories/lisas-journey/