Celia Westbrook, RRCA Running Coach USA Track Field, VDOT O2

As I read Eliud Kipchoge's quote, "I don't know where the limits are, but I would like to go there," I could resonate with what I felt when I first ran a marathon, the 2010 Disney Marathon. Was I capable of finishing it? 

Back then, I knew nothing about running, other than a marathon distance is 26.2 miles; my longest training run was an eight-miler, and there was a medal at the finish line. 

Fast-forward, 6hrs 46min 39seconds later—chip time—I got the medal. I was not physically fit or ready, according to any running coach's philosophy, but I had a fit mind - (please get proper training). I discovered parts of my mind that I didn't know existed. My mental resilience and strength were enough to maintain a positive mindset while building a transformative rapport of mind and body connection. 

I became curious about my mind's power and dreamt beyond the sky's limit—I dreamt of a unicorn. I knew the three options to get into Boston and the work ahead. I kept running, learning, and showing up. The physical work is hard, but the mental work intrigued me the most—the resilience, strength, and belief—required me to step up to the next level repeatedly, especially when faced with setbacks. I started applying meditation and hypnosis as mental ammunition.

I learned that positive affirmations without action are wishful thinking. My PR at the 2019 Baystate Marathon was 4:09:01 - a long shot from a 3:40:00 BQ, counting the spare time. My mindset was celebratory, and I kept showing up and aligning my actions with my desired outcome. 

Two years later, my husband connected with an extraordinary person who offered me sponsorship to run the 2022 Boston Marathon for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation (JAF) as a charity runner to help cancer patients in the New England area. The collaboration resulted in $15,826.00, my dream came true, and a PR of 4:08:02. My drive has stayed the same. I keep showing up for a BQ soon.

The power of the subconscious mind is more efficient and resourceful than working mainly with the conscious mind. In the context of running coaching, hypnosis is a state of extreme relaxation and heightened suggestibility that can be used to enhance your running performance. It gives you the ability to stop self-sabotaging and act in your own best interest. It can also cultivate positive traits like confidence and self-esteem to improve performance.

One can't quantify mental strength, discipline, and resilience. As a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, I lead you into a hypnotic state, also known as a trance state. Once you're in a hypnotic state, hypnotherapy techniques like suggestion, visualization, modeling, and anchoring can be used to help you reprogram limiting beliefs and mental blocks in your

subconscious, creating positive changes in your everyday life.

My goal as certified RRCA running coach is to provide personal running coach with personalized training plans and guide other runners in discovering their inner potential, designing a congruent training plan that meets life's challenges and current fitness, and that they have fun running —no matter their experience level, age, or ability. 

1:1 in-person coaching is available for athletes in the Winter Garden, Ocoee, and Orlando area.

Running is life. All the lessons that running teaches are templates to apply in real-time events. 

My philosophy of running is an exchange of energy by integrating intentional and intuitive holistic modalities with a commitment to action to foster inner growth, joy, and determination aligned with a clear vision and mindful intent to learn, inspire, and appreciate the process.

Holistic | ho·​lis·​tic hō-ˈlis-tik./: relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the individual parts.

It all starts with intent. What's your why? What's your intention?

I intend to run until I can no longer, not because of injuries but because of old age. To place running and oneself in a box full of numbers, statistics, and bragging is to devalue what running is. One can't read the box label from inside the box. Running encompasses the whole, not just a part of the puzzle.

Commitment |  /kəˈmitm(ə)nt/: the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action.

What are you committed to? What do you want? And what are you willing to do to get it? 

These are fundamental questions that only a runner can answer —a personal running coach can only show you the way. Nothing works without commitment. The moment you sign up for a marathon, it is ON. It's you vs. you. Having a certified RRCA running coach design personalized training plans is half the battle.

I'm here to encourage, coach, and guide you to approach each run and the start line with confidence, resilience, and enthusiasm —no matter your experience level, age, or ability. The only requisite is Commitment.

Determination | /dəˌtərməˈnāSH(ə)n/: firmness of purpose; resoluteness.

Why do you run? The answer to this question defines how determined you are. 

Determination will reveal a higher level of intrinsic motivation that is unknown to you. It's a battle between the superficial conscious mind and the subconscious mind—willpower vs. imagination. 

By integrating Hypnotherapy into my coaching, I can help runners dig deeper into their internal resources to explore the mind-body connection beyond perceived effort. It is not about "making it happen" but "Letting it happen"!

"Long-distance running is 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical." – Rich Davis.