Great opportunity for local runners: Scott Arnald joins Runners’ Choice this spring to coach the spring 10 KM clinic!
The clinic starts April 17th at 7 p.m., but don’t worry – you can join in at any point. Head over to Runners’ Choice tonight to see what it’s all about.
Scott is a decorated Canadian University Championship medalist with the University of Waterloo track and field and cross country teams (2001-2006). In his Boston Marathon debut in 2016, he was the TOP Canadian finisher in a time of 2:33. He has 4 years of coaching experience with the University of Guelph in track and cross country and has coached marathon runners to Boston Marathon qualifying times!
We caught up with Scott this month. Here’s our q&a.
Run Waterloo: Tell us about yourself.
Scott Arnald: I live in Waterloo with my wife and our one and half year old wheaten terrier Tucker. As a family we enjoy road trips and weekends with family at the cottage.
RW: Tell us about your running background.
SA: My favourite distance on the track was definitely the 1500m but I also really enjoyed 10k cross country. I had some good results at the CIS Championships (now USports) in both track and cross country while running for the University of Waterloo. I also competed for a few years after university with the Speed River Track and Field club in Guelph and competed in 1500m at the Canadian track and field championships. I’ve run 2 marathons the past fews years as a new fun challenge.
RW: Are you still racing?
Scott’s only RW result is Oktoberfest 2000 – where he finished 3rd overall as a teenager behind local legends Nate Brannen and Zeljko Sabol!
SA: I don’t race very often anymore. Most of my running now is for overall wellness and the social aspect of it. It’s a great way to make new friends and stay in touch with people. It’s not often in today’s world you get to connect with people with no distractions. Running is one of those.
RW: How long have you been coaching/what level of athletes have you coached?
SA: I coached with the University of Guelph cross country and track teams for four seasons between 2013 and 2016. While I worked with many of the varsity athletes I was also coaching alongside Dave Scott-Thomas who coaches a number of Canadian national team members. This made for really dynamic practices with athletes ranging for 1st year university student to veteran Olympians. Since 2016 my coaching has mostly involved helping friends on the roads with various distances up to the marathon and helping them quality for Boston.
RW: What do you enjoy about coaching?
SA: I find the most rewarding part of coaching is helping people push themselves beyond their comfort zone to achieve things they are really proud of. The beauty of running is that great performances are all relative to the individual whether it’s a sub 15 minute 5k, Boston qualifying time, or completing your first 10k. It’s really exciting as a coach when you work with someone who sets a goal and really commits themselves to achieving it and you get to play a role in it.
RW: What brings you to coaching at Runners’ Choice in Waterloo?
SA: Waterloo is my hometown so my history with Runners’ Choice goes way back. I remember attending some group runs as a high schooler, and I worked for Geoff for a couple years toward the end of university. I know a number of the staff through the community and when I heard the idea of rebooting the 10k clinic I was excited to jump at the opportunity.
RW: What are your goals for the Runners’ Choice 10km Clinic? Who should consider joining?
SA: My primary goal is to make the clinic a really inclusive and welcoming environment for a range of abilities. Running is very much a team sport and I’d like this clinic reflect this. Though everyone will be coming in with their own motives and goals, I’d like to create an environment where people feel like they are a part of something bigger where everyone is motivated and inspired to reach their goals and to support others in achieving theirs.
I would encourage anyone who has even the slightest inkling that they want to run/race a 10k this spring or summer and would like a bit of coaching support and the support of a group to come out and give it a try. Some folks are intimidated by the group setting and I’d really encourage people to get past that. We can (will) adapt the sessions for a wide range of abilities. Of course there should some past experience with shorter distances and if you’re not sure, send me a message directly and we can chat.
RW: You gained local attention in 2016 from your performance as the top Canadian at the Boston Marathon. What was your experience there like?
Boston is obviously a world class event and you hear a lot about it but still the experience exceeded my expectations. Being top Canadian was just a bonus as it wasn’t really something I thought about. It’s just one of those things that depends on who’s there on the day and I just happened to be the quickest. The most memorable part of the experience was the level of energy and crowds all along the course. If you’re running it for the first time this year, don’t get too carried away early on with the energy and downhills at the start. It is really downhill the first couple miles!
RW: Will you be running the Waterloo 10KM Classic this year?
Given that we’ll have a contingent of athletes from the 10k clinic running that day my energy will be focused on them so I won’t be running myself. I’ll jump in another Run Waterloo event later in the year.
More about the clinic from Runners’ Choice
We are excited to announce the return of our 10km Clinic and even more excited to announce a new coach to Runners’ Choice – Scott Arnald!
If you are looking for valuable coaching and guidance in achieving your 10km goals, this clinic is for you! It is programmed perfectly for you to run the optional goal race at the 41st Annual Waterloo 10km Classic!
Where: Runners’ Choice – 55 Erb Street East Waterloo
When: Every Tuesday @ 6:30PM starting April 17th – June 12th
Cost: $29.99 – Payments made in store
