Catching up with Kelsey Quinn, RCTC speed coach
What’s your earliest running memory?
My intermediate school (4th/5th grade) did an end of year track meet. My first race was a 400 in that 4th grade meet - I absolutely smoked everyone (much to the chagrin of some of my male classmates) and fell in love with the sport. I could not WAIT for that same meet the next year!
When did you decide to get involved in coaching?
My last year of college, my coach asked me if I was considering coaching. I said definitely not. He was surprised, and said he could certainly see me doing so. Two years later, I was trying to decide what to do with my life in my last year of grad school. My dad strongly suggested I reach out to a few of the local colleges where I was living to see if they needed help and test the coaching waters. He's never strongly suggested I do anything, so I was baffled but agreed to send a few emails.
I interviewed and got a job at a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school in Des Moines, and couldn't believe how much I loved it from day one. I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life! Eight years years later, here I am.
What’s your coaching philosophy?
My coaching philosophy is based on a strong belief that every person is different. There are basic training concepts that of course have a similar physiological effect on everyone, but the best path to success in running is going to look different for each person. You have to take someone's unique history, day to day stresses, and headspace into account beyond writing the perfect technical workout for them. We all have different limitations AND different strengths when it comes to running!
What physical or mental cues do you try to instill in your athletes?
Above all, I try to instill belief into my athletes. Lacking self confidence affects even the absolute best in our sport, and you can be 100% physically prepared to run well but still not run well if you don't believe in yourself and what you're doing. I certainly struggled with this, especially as a younger runner, and recall feeling so uplifted by having a coach who said out loud that his goals and expectations for me were really high reaching, far beyond what I would ever think for myself. Having someone else remind you of how capable you are can make a world of difference, and I try to be that reminder for my athletes.
How did you get connected with RCTC?
Jake Stout connected me with RCTC. We have a mutual friend he runs with weekly, and our friend mentioned I was moving back to Portland. Jake knew that RCTC was looking for a coach, and connected me with Lauren Ross. When we spoke it seemed like a great fit for everyone, and it has been! I love what RCTC is doing in the running community, and believe it is clubs like this that make Portland running so special.
What’s your advice to new runners?
My advice to new runners is to stick with it! Take heart, there have been so. many. runners. who started off eons away from where they wanted to be, but they stuck with it and made their way to their goals! Running is unique in that the consistency week after week, year after year, really adds up and pays off. There will always be people with talent who start running and have immediate success, but for every 1 story like that, there are 10 stories of those people who stuck with it and gave their body time and things clicked later on!
Any goals for this year?
My personal goals are centered around my career in a different way than usual. I have goals to continue growing my coaching business, Equilibrium Running, as I just officially launched at the end of April this year. But when I stepped away from collegiate coaching at the end of 2021, my big goal was to find some balance between loving my career and also having time for other aspects of life. This has been my battle since I began coaching, but I am making progress and will continue to seek that elusive fine line that is work-life balance. :)
