Hi there!

I'm Kaitlin Goodman - coach and former pro distance runner.

Welcome to Running Joyfully!

 

I'm the runner who finds the joy in every mile. I’m a 4-time Olympic Trials Qualifier (5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and marathon x 2) and a former Team USA member, and I spent over a decade competing as a professional distance runner. Today, my elite running days may be behind me, but I still run and race for the love of it - and I share this love with the many athletes who I coach. I have been coaching runners online since 2015 and have supported hundreds of runners over the years, helping athletes run their first marathon, qualify for Boston, compete at the Olympic Trials, and thrive in running and beyond.

 
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I’ve been a runner since I was teenager, and running gave me the opportunity to compete in college, travel, and train and race across the globe. I ran collegiately for the University of California, Davis, just down the road from my high school in the city where I grew up. After competing in XC and track at UCD and qualifying for the NCAA Division 1 championships, I wasn't quite ready to hang up my spikes - I wanted to chase a dream of competing at the Olympic Trials. So after graduation, I packed my bags, said goodbye to my hometown, and made the move to San Francisco to give professional running a shot!

For two years I ran joyfully in San Francisco, training with my eye on the 2012 Olympic Trials. It was an incredible journey that I had the pleasure of sharing with my dad, Bill Gregg, who coaches XC and track at Davis Senior High School and coached me during my high school days. In 2012 I achieved the Olympic Trials "B" Standard in the 10,000 meters, running 33:01. But unfortunately, I came up just short of the "A" Standard and narrowly missed a shot at competing in the Trials.

Four years later, I was back with a vengeance, more determined than ever to not just qualify for the Olympic Trials, but to be a serious contender at them. In 2015 I ran the Olympic Games Standard in the 10,000 meters, running 32:09 and in 2016, I made my first national team, representing Team USA in cross country. At the 2016 US Olympic Trials, I finished 11th in the 10,000 meters and was one of only two women to compete in all three distance events (5k, 10k, and marathon).

While the track will always remain my first running love, I eventually grew to love the marathon too. In 2017 I finished 5th at the USA Marathon Championships in a PR of 2:32:08, and shortly thereafter I signed a professional contract to represent Adidas as a member of the Boston Athletic Association’s High Performance Team. I’ve competed in the professional fields at the NYC Marathon and Boston Marathon and the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Trials Marathons.

 

Marathoning went on hold for me with the onset of the pandemic, and my husband and I decided to start our family. In 2022, I became a mom to a beautiful baby boy, and much of that year was spent navigating the at-times humbling process of returning to run postpartum. In 2023, I returned to racing with the goal of qualifying for a 5th Olympic Trials. I came up short at the 2023 California International Marathon, but was proud to run a postpartum PR of 2:43. While I didn’t compete at the 2024 Trials, I was honored to be there as a coach, supporting two of our Running Joyfully athletes.

Since founding Running Joyfully Coaching in 2015, I’ve worked with hundreds of runners, from first-time marathoners to those aiming to qualify for Boston to elites with Olympic Trials aspirations similar to mine. Coaching is a deep passion of mine and I love supporting runners at every age and stage, helping individuals run joyfully toward their goals. As a new-ish mom, I especially enjoy working with other mother runners, guiding their running journey through pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood.

Coaching our Running Joyfully team at the 2023 California International Marathon

Outside of coaching, I consult in public health: I hold a Masters degree in Public Health from Brown University and have over a decade of experience working across nonprofits, startups, and state agencies to improve population health. I volunteer my time with Safe on the Road, a nonprofit organization promoting pedestrian safety that I founded in the wake of a close call with a distracted driver.


Running joyfully is my mantra -- I believe that you can reach your potential when you run with gratitude and with a happy heart. I've learned that in running, as in life, there will be good miles and bad miles -- but through the challenges and hurdles you encounter along the way, you can learn to smile every mile, choose joy, and find the positives amidst the trials.

 
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