I’ll admit that I was skeptical about coaching as a 50+ runner. Especially as someone who had returned to the roads and trails only during the pandemic, since the gyms were closed, thinking I’d never run the kind of volume that I once did. I’d stopped serious running in my late 30s after a really bad ankle sprain in an on-campus intramural soccer match.

When I signed up for the mythic Leadville 100 trail run in late 2021, I’d never done an ultra-marathon distance of any kind and had no idea what I was doing during the 2022 race. I’d gotten through Hope Pass inbound, but bonked psychologically, and quit on myself.

That’s when I knew I needed help.

So, when I found Coach Jay Friedman’s profile on the Boundless Coach list, I knew instinctively I’d found the right coach. He is an MD, on top of run coaching, and I wanted that experience for someone who might need more guidance in physiology than my 30-something self.

That DNF in 2022 was the spark to searching and finding a great coach. Coach Jay’s careful structures, plan, listening, and feedback were all invaluable for finishing my first Leadville, and my first hundred miler ever, in 2024.

Nearing my mid-fifties, I’m also in the best shape of my life. I am a little over a week out from having finished Leadville 2024, and my body feels great, I’ve completely recovered. I cannot speak highly enough about the experiences with Coach Jay and with Boundless in general.

I attended their Boundless 2023 Run Camp in Scottsdale, Arizona and that was a great group experience to socialize the whole experience and to get to know other Boundless athletes from all over the country.

If you’re hesitant, or don’t think you need a coach, it’s all worth it. It’s the relationships, the accumulated knowledge on what and how training works; it’s not just a coaching “package.” Their insights matter. The lessons are boundless!

-Eric, 53, 2024 LT100 finisher.