“Six years ago, I ran my first marathon without any knowledge of endurance running. I showed up the morning of race day undertrained, and having only had a kale salad the evening before. I arbitrarily took some gels along the course, but it still didn’t prevent me from what felt like dying a slow death step by step towards the finish line—before eventually collapsing. My idea of training at the time was to run every single run at tempo pace. My times were getting worse and I wasn’t even enjoying the sport anymore, which ultimately lead to a 3-year hiatus due to illness/injury. I began working with Sandra in spring 2019, feeling like I was starting from scratch and with no self-confidence. What I appreciated the most about working with Sandra was her technical knowledge and understanding of an athlete’s individual fitness and tolerance in loading. Gradually, through consistent training and communication, I started to understand where my fitness stood physically, which helped moderate expectations and mitigate my self-doubt.

Through Sandra’s coaching, I was able to improve my time across all distances. My marathon time was improved by 30 minutes and I was able to qualify for Boston 2021, but my biggest breakthrough moment was when I ran 39:30 in a 10k TT. Most importantly, my confidence has grown immensely through working with Sandra. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such an incredibly supportive and grounded community of athletes.
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“I have been running with Sandra for 4+ years now (since March 2007). I started as I was nearing 50. I had been using an internet-based program and guessing what my paces should be. Running a marathon was something on my bucket list. How hard could it be? I seemed to manage the shorter distances ok. It is just a few extra miles in training, right! It took a few failed 30+km long training runs to realize that I needed some advice. Water? Nutrition? Pacing? I was lost on what was the correct approach.

When I contacted Sandra, we discussed why I wanted a coach? What was I expecting? What was I looking to accomplish? What my time commitment going to be? Frankly, it made me a little nervous about what I was committing to. The goal was to try and qualify for Boston. Under Sandra’s guidance, I was able to do that on my first attempt and had an amazing experience in Boston the following year.

That success encouraged me to see what else I could accomplish. My running ability and knowledge has vastly increased under Sandra’s direction. I have set lifetime personal bests in my mid 50s! It has been a great journey.

The start of each cycle she spends time going over your plans for the year. How did you feel about the previous year? What do you think you need to work on? Where should your focus be this next cycle? What races are you looking to compete in? Do you want a strength program? What is your goal race(s) for the year?

Sandra then takes that information and builds a program towards your goal race. Over the journey, advice and recommendations are given. It can be positive and encouraging. Sometimes you may not like to hear, but there is a reason why you shouldn’t be doing it! Listen and adapt. It will help you.

Unfortunately, injuries can and do happen. This last cycle my goal race was the Berlin Marathon. Four months out I was dealing with an unknown ailment. I could not maintain any tempo run paces or complete speed work. Part of me just wanted to stop and plan for the next year. I saw no positive result happening. Sandra reworked the program and gradually my running form returned to the level I wanted to be at for the race. Knowing her objective is to get you to the starting line with a chance, allows you to focus on recovery and mentally prepare. The result was a 3+ minute PB and, for me, a better understanding of what is possible.
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“A truly thoughtful and caring coach who gets the best out of her athletes(myself included). Highly recommend.”

“You willingness to show up literally everyday for us and to work so diligently with our individual needs is above and beyond.”

“I have been training with Sandra since February 2020 and I’ve come a long way in a year and a half. Being relatively new to the sport, I needed guidance and a structured plan. Sandra showed me to trust the process and start with fundamentals such as technique, form, and speed work. She also helped me realize that not rushing into a big event such as an ultra-marathon will pay dividends later and that when you have a solid base built up you have a much better chance of avoiding injury and enhancing recovery. After recently completing my first triple digit ultra I was able to finish strong, without injury, and felt great just a couple days later.

Group runs on Thursdays have been a great way to get to know Sandra along with other runners in the city. These workouts helped me become a better all-around runner along with allowing Sandra to evaluate my form and provide immediate feedback. From nutrition advice, muscle specific strength training plans, and a diverse running schedule, Sandra provides an all-encompassing program that will surely improve your running whether it be on pavement, or on the trails. ”

“I started working with Sandra in January 2021 for help with training for longer distance trail running events. Being relatively new to running and training myself, my performance had really leveled off and I was looking for expertise and experience to help me become a better runner.

I appreciate Sandra’s personal attention to my fitness level and race goals. She is very detailed when explaining my training program as a whole and the specific purpose of each workout. She’s also very patient with all the questions I have. Attending her weekly group sessions provides camaraderie, helps my confidence and has given me the opportunity to learn from more experienced runners.

One of the biggest misconceptions I had with training for endurance events was about the importance of volume. Although my plan still included tough long runs, my volume was less than in prior years and I got to the start line of my goal race without the burn out and nagging injuries I have experienced in the past. I was certainly more confident and never worried about not doing enough. Looking back on my year now, I can see that the increase in my performance had more to do with patience and consistency than fast workouts and volume.

Thanks Sandra! I’m looking forward to the next steps in the journey!

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“I have been coached by Sandra since 2011. Over that time I have developed my running far beyond anything I dreamed possible. I ran my first marathon in 2012 in 3:37 and in 2015 lowered my marathon PB to 3:07 in challenging conditions in Boston. She has also worked with me to lower my 10k PB by over 10 minutes! Sandra’s belief in me has built my confidence as a runner. She is an effective coach due to a combination of challenging, intelligent & innovative workouts with a long term focus while motivating her athletes to do their very best.”

“Obviously- best race ever. Can’t begin to express how happy I am with the program and the results speak for themselves. (Chicago Marathon)”

“I can’t say enough about her approach to coaching and training athletes. It works.”

“Thanks for all your help this year! It is nice to get large half marathon and 10 mile PR’s this year after running for 25 years.

Faster at 40! well 41 actually... When I ran my first half-marathon at 16 and finished last I never thought I would have my personal best result at 41.

Had a great time running the L’arche half in Calgary today. Ran 1:21:42, a 2.5 min PR! Pretty good for a none tapered training run in my Boston prep. Still some work to do but things are looking up.

Thanks to my coach Sandra Yaworski”

“I wanted to let you know that our GC trip was a success. We managed to do the trip in 15 hours: 74km and 6000m of vertical. We left at 4am and got back at 7pm.

I’ve got to say that your advice and training plan were excellent: my physical ability to handle the distance and elevation ‎surprised me. I had no problem on the down hills, could run the flat parts, and my legs/lungs were strong on the climbs.

I couldn’t have done it without your other advice as well: everything from the shoe recommendation, backpack type, nutrition, hydration, downhill running technique, pace: I couldn’t believe how well it all came together.

I want to thank you again for your help with this undertaking. I honestly can’t think of an event that I’ve trained for where the program that I followed delivered such outstanding results. It’s a testament to you and your skills that it turned out so well for me. (Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim)”

“I am very proud of the progression I have made. I started working with you on 4-Jun-2010.Here are the marathon results since we started. Top of Utah marathon 18-Sep-2010 3:46:25 Salt Lake City marathon 16-Apr-2011 3:22:21 Mesa falls marathon 27-Aug-2011 3:48:36 Windermere Marathon 19-May-2012 3:13:50 St George marathon 06-Oct-2012 3:05:36 Boston marathon 15-Apr-2013 3:10:51

I almost improved one hour since the 2010 race. Today, I improved my personal best by 13 min and 4 seconds and ran 2:52:32! That is fantastic. I am also extremely pleased that I finished strong, and felt ok at the end. That is a real progression for me. I am so proud to have run a sub 3 hour marathon. I have been very diligent in following your program you laid out, and the results are amazing.
Thanks coach.”

“I am delighted with my time....it is the fastest marathon I have run since B.C. ( before children) and years before that!! 18 years u think!? It is a pb BC!! So your magic is working! I will be 50 in 2014 so I am still gunnin’ to run another sub 3:00....,just 25 years later! So many thanks for your brilliant coaching, planning and patience!”