Saturday, December 28, 2019

Coach Kiprunning 2.0 Nearly Complete

The major SEO update to the Coach Kiprunning website is nearly complete.  The work has been painstaking and long, but in the end, it should be worth it.  Our new SEO settings should result in better search rankings and, we hope, increased web traffic.  We will also be enhancing the site navigation via a fresh breadcrumb installation, and we will also ensure that the appropriate meta images are in place for all manner of social sharing.

This whole project came about due to some unexpected compatibility problems with a move to a new hosting platform.  Once the website was upgraded, it basically crashed (of course), and we had to reset all of the search engine optimization settings just to get it running again.  Once we did that, well, we had to start all over again.

And so here we are.  We're shooting to complete this project in about a week, which means that the new site will be fully functional just after the new year.  Once everything is in place, we will start sharing links to important parts of the site on my Twitter feed and on the official Coach Kiprunning Twitter feed.  Follow us there now and always!

In the meantime, enjoy the last few days of 2019.  I can't believe that we are on the verge of the four-year anniversary of this blog.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Brief Race Recap: Jingle All the Way 5K

It went okay.  Better than okay, by many measures.  This was my first race of any kind--my first workout, truly--in about 18 months.  And even though I would have liked to have run a little faster--I always want to run faster--that pacing was much better than I would have expected.

Things remain tentative, but I do feel like I am, in a manner of speaking, back.

In other Kiprunning news, Wilson Komen has spent a few weeks at his home in Kenya.  He has been chronicling the trip with gorgeous pictures on Instagram.  Check them out.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Coach Kiprunning at Jingle All the Way 5K

There will be more about this soon, but for now, the brief announcement: I will be representing Coach Kiprunning at this coming Sunday's Jingle All the Way 5K.  This will be my first race (of sorts) since my ankle surgery in November 2018.

I suppose a disclaimer is in order for any and all of my medical professionals who might be reading this post: I am not racing this race.  I've merely reached the point in my rehab where it is a good idea to get out and to be around other running enthusiasts.  I'm merely trying to see if I can hold down a pace that's about ten to twenty seconds faster on average than what I have been running during my training.

This is a low-stakes just-for-fun kind of thing, and I am looking forward to it.

More to come!

Friday, November 29, 2019

Coach Kiprunning SEO Update

We're in the process of completing a major SEO upgrade for the Coach Kiprunning website, as the following tweet indicates:
This upgrade is a little overdue, and we are hoping that when it is finished, we'll be able to offer a greatly enhanced user experience.

In the meantime, pardon our dust, as the expression goes.  Lots of things will look uneven, and we know that the various meta things that exist behind the scenes are currently empty.  Do not worry.  We will be filling them in.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Congratulations to Babak Jahromi, Grandma's Half Finisher

Babak Jahromi competed in the 2019 Grandma's Half Marathon, setting a new PR in the process.

Babak Jahromi standing at the finish of the 2019 Grandma's Half Marathon

Babak continues to push himself toward faster and faster finishing times, but for now, he is happy with this one, and we are happy for him.

Congratulations to Babak and to all of the Grandma's Race Weekend finishers!

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Good Luck, Grandma's Race Weekend Racers

The annual Grandma's Weekend Running Festival (I sort of improvised that name) is happening this weekend.  Coach Kiprunning will be participating at the half marathon level, and we wish our participant--and every participant, in every race--the best of luck.  We hope, and we know, that you will do well.

Coach Kiprunners have participated in a variety of the race events held during this weekend over the years.  The last time that the group was represented in Duluth was in 2013, which, incredibly, was six whole years ago.

Most notably, way back in 2009 when Wilson Komen was beginning his coaching career, one of his running partners, Christopher Raabe, won the marathon.  (There's more on that victory on RunWashington, and we encourage you to read the article in its entirety.)

We know this weekend well, and again, we wish every participant much success.

Also, one piece of advice: bring warm clothes for before and after the race.  It can get quite cold up there!

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Another Year, Another Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

Wilson Komen competed once again in the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler.  This particular race--April of 2019--was his first race as a US citizen, about which he is very proud.

Wilson Komen standing in the finisher's area of the 2019 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler
Thumbs up to all the finishers!
Wilson finished in 57:27 for sixth place in his age group.  Coach Komen runs the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler almost on an annual basis.  Feel very invited to read his reflections on the race and his 2016 race recap.

Monday, March 18, 2019

Race Photos: 2019 Four Courts Four Miler

This past weekend saw Pacers Running host three different events in Washington, DC and Arlington, VA.  Though Coach Kiprunning was not an official participant in any of these events (this time out), we did attend the Four Courts Four Miler to take some sunny Saturday pictures.

a small black dog with an orange scarf standing on the street
This dog is a very good dog.
Our full photo album, which not only contains pictures of some great runners but also some very, very good dogs, is available on the Coach Kiprunning Facebook page.  Give it a look!

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Coach Kiprunning Webforms Are Working

Well, we have another, less exciting reason to celebrate.  We have completed the installation of new webforms on the Coach Kiprunning website, so they are now all working.

Contact Wilson Komen if you are interested in training with him.

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Congratulations to Wilson Komen

On March 12, 2019, Wilson Komen took the oath of US citizenship in Washington, DC.  Coach Komen is now a US citizen.

Wilson Komen holding a small US flag at DC Federal Court

Wilson came to the United States fifteen years ago to further his professional running career.  In that time, he has become a fixture in the Washington, DC running community, which he has helped support, in part, through his long-term position at Georgetown Running Company.

Tuesday's ceremony was, in the words of the presiding judge, an august event.  I was honored to be there with Wilson, and I feel fully confident in saying that America--the citizenry--is stronger and better for having him in it.

Congratulations again, Wilson.

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Spring 2019 Coach Kiprunning Website Updates

Right now, spring 2019, Coach Kiprunning is in the process of updating some backend website settings to bring you an improved user experience. As a result, many of our webforms are experiencing intermittent outages and are not consistently being sent through the site.

If you are a first-time trainee, or if you are inquiring about the Kiprunning Sports Club, please send Coach Komen a follow-up notification through his Contact page to let him know that you submitted the appropriate questionnaire form through his site. This separate notification will prompt Wilson to retrieve your form from inside of his website just in case it does not come through automatically.

We apologize for this inconvenience, and we hope to complete our updates very soon.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Kiprunning Profiles: Babak Jahromi

One of our somewhat regular features is the Current Trainee Profile.

Today's installment of that feature is about Babak Jahromi, a new addition to the Coach Kiprunning Roster.

Babak Jahromi mid-stride running in a road race

As of February 2019, Babak has been running for right around eighteen months, and he is pushing for a very competitive half marathon time beneath 1:10:00.  He has trained in various locations throughout the United States and most enjoys the Hellyer Trail in San Jose, as well as the Chicago 606 Trail and Washington, DC's Mount Vernon Trail.

To stay motivated, he maintains focus on the larger picture of training in all its components, and he pushes himself to dream big and to train seriously.

We're looking forward to seeing Babak set some new PR's in the coming year.

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Congratulations to Tanya Senanayake, Monumental Runner

Kiprunner Tanya Senanayake was featured as the January 18, 2019 RunWashington Monumental Runner.  We couldn't be happier for her.

Read the whole feature, and while you're at it, check out her race recap of the 2018 Vermont City Marathon.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

New Year, New Training Plans

I am pleased to announce that I have designed some additional ready-made training plans specifically for the Washington, DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.

These training plans are available on my TrainingPeaks profile.

I have designed three separate tiers of training for each plan: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.  Both the Rock 'n' Roll and the Cherry Blossom are perfectly timed for experienced runners and for novices alike, and I always welcome the opportunity to work with both kinds of athletes.

If you have any questions about the training plans, or if you are interested in a more personalized coaching experience, you can feel free to contact me.  I will be happy to receive your inquiries.

In the meantime, it's a new year.  Get out there, and chase down those goals!

Keep it steady.

Coach Wilson