Running Evolution

Beth is AMAZING. She is an authentically inspiring coach… always caring, supportive and respectful. (Which means a lot to me, as I’ve been heavy my entire life and historically avoid sports like the plague.)
I find her relaxed, friendly, often goofball style to be a breath of fresh air. Beth makes working out feel fun. FUN!
I enjoyed Beth’s Couch-​to-​5k class and Rock: It, and now am absolutely in love with her morning boot camps at Greenlake. Unlike other bootcamps, there is zero yelling or intimidation. It’s a smart, funny group of women. It feels great to workout outside. And with Beth’s help, I keep getting better and better. (And smaller and smaller!)

Almost everyone can run. Beth is kind and funny. She can be challenging but is mostly optimistic and empathetic. Is you want to add running to your life– contact beth at running evolution– you will not regret it.

Beth got me running in no time flat. She was always positive and friendly. I ran a 5K with her and even did a 10K. It was the perfect group of ladies to go running with.

Depending on who you are this could be a great group for you– I was a bit heartbroken by my experience in the marathon training group. I think this group is better for ladies 40+ or brand new athletes. I was initially so excited to run with a group of people and learn about technique. I think Beth is great, but am very skeptical of some of her affiliate coaches. I’ve been on many swim teams in my past and this is the only time I’ve ever had a problem with a coach.
I had a bit of experience as an endurance athlete already– I’d run a marathon, did the STP and was a former collegiate swimmer prior to joining this group. I suffered from a major foot surgery and had just been given the clear to run distances again. The coach in the marathon group was making small comments towards me that made me feel like she thought I was a bad athlete or out of shape. Part of my lack of speed was due to my foot and not being out of shape, so as I learned what shoes worked for me/​more about my new foot I made leaps in speed. Many ladies were doing a run walk combo, and from listening to my body it was better for me to only run, but I kept getting this pressure to run-​walk. I didn’t like being pressured to go against what my body was telling me. Other ladies in the group were exercising quite a bit outside of the prescribed marathon plan, but I felt like I was the only one getting flack about exercising too much or having signed up for too many events. I had a conversation with her where she laughed after I told her my marathon goal time (that I created with my triathlon coach) and that completely shattered my confidence and mental game for the race. Who does that? Based on my interactions with this coach I felt like I couldn’t show up to any of the pre-​marathon activities with the group, and didn’t even get the group t-​shirt I paid for. I am really sad about how this turned out :(

What is there NOT good to say about Running Evolution? She gets new runners running, helps seasoned runners along their running journey and is there for everybody even if they haven’t joined in on her classes. Her love for what she does is evident in everything. So thankful to have Running Evolution as everybody’s cheerleader.

Just finished Coach Beth’s Couch to 5K Greenlake class. It was really great. You get to run outside in the sun! Sun=Yay! And you end up meeting a nice group of non runners (who end up runners in the end)! Coach Beth makes running non-​threatening and on top of that, she’s just really nice and funny.

I just finished 6 weeks of Beth’s Bootcamp, and I’m truly sad it’s over. All of us can’t wait for it to start up again, and that’s saying a LOT!
At the beginning, I was dismayed that the classes required so much running, but by the end I could do the loops without stopping — and I’m totally a non-​runner. Scratch that — I WAS a non-​runner, but now I might almost sorta kinda becoming a runner. :)
Beth is clear, understanding, and 100% positively motivating. She makes exercise fun yet challenging for major results. By the end of 6 weeks, I couldn’t believe that I was doing moves that I could barely pull off the first week. Totally worth it, a game-​changer.

I’m such a couch potato I decided ten years ago to go Pro. Unfortunately, there aren’t many pro events. Something needed to get me off the couch — that something was Running Evolution’s Couch to 5K.
And then the miracle happened: I became a runner. Yes peeps, after FIVE years of living across the street from Green Lake, I began to run around it. Regularly! With tiny moments of enjoyment! And so can you!
The longest journey begins with a single step Grasshopper, and the first mile will always be the hardest. But the satisfaction you’ll get from completing the length of a 5K is immeasurable. Beth is a local treasure. She WILL change your life if you stay with it. Take it from this little spud.

A year ago, I signed up for Beth’s Couch to 5k class. Looking back, I realize that it benefited me in several ways — first, I started running again, but more important, I got to be part of the running evolution mailing list! Late in December, I found out about Coach Beth’s upcoming Boot Camp — 6 weeks, 4 times a week of getting into shape (well timed after the holidays!) The class was awesome — I feel like I’m as fit as I have ever been, and ready to keep going! Coach Beth is a great instructor/​mentor/​advocate/​confidence builder — she comes across as extremely real, and very interested in everyone’s success. If you’re looking for a boot camp where the instructor yells at you and calls you names, this isnt the coach for you! I recommend any classes that Running Evolution puts on — you will have fun, and get into shape!

I’ve just finished Beth’s 6 week Couch to 5K program. In the past I’ve tried to take up running at least 8 times, but never successfully. I’d gotten to where I can run for 10 or 15 minutes, but never anymore than that. I have the Couch to 5K iPhone app, and I had been stuck on week 7 for about 3 months before I gave up.
This was going to be my last attempt at becoming a runner. And honestly, I didn’t hold out much hope.
I’d read good things about Beth before the first class, but I was still dreading it. And guess what Beth explained on the first day of class? Why women have a different physiological response to the stress of running than men do. She told us what happens in your body, what your natural reaction is, and how to overcome it. Then she took us on a short run (that none of us thought we could do), and we all made it.
There is a really great homework schedule that helps you build up stamina between sessions. For me it was great, because there was very little running on it, and if there was, it was always less than we’d just done in class. So you’re not trying to set new records by yourself. You’re just doing what you already know you can do.
And I have to say, Beth is encouraging in a really real way. She doesn’t babble in cliches and platitudes. She connects with each person and figures out what sort of encouragement they need. Sometimes it’s cheerleading, and sometimes it’s a quiet word of encouragement.
I can’t really find the words to explain how much I hated running, and how much I’m now looking forward to continuing on with it. I’m not yet to the level where I like it, but I can see that light at the end of the tunnel.
If you’re having trouble getting to the level where you can call yourself a runner, consider giving Running Evolution a try. I think a coach is the key, and the right coach makes all of the difference. And Beth is awesome.

Beth is a rockstar! This is my second time around with her Couch to 5k class. The first class I took was about 3 years ago. I took her stroller class (back when my little one actually sat in a stroller!) when she was first getting started as a running coach. From that class I became a runner, ran some races and made some awesome friends, some of whom I’m still friends with today. After getting off track a bit I knew that Beth could get me back to where I wanted to be. I’m a few weeks into her Greenlake class and I’m loving it! I’m confident that in just a few weeks I’ll be ready for a 5k and can’t wait to run my first race. Beth is funny, motivating and an overall great coach. Plus, she snorts when she laughs, what’s better than that?! I would recommend any of her classes and do so at every chance I get.

I am in my late twenties and feeling the effects of lots of hours sitting at my desk job. Tummy flopping over jeans –eww. Luckily, I heard about a «Couch to 5k» running class. Bought it, signed up, and then chickened out. «I can’t run», I thought. «Much too hard, too intimidating…» I emailed and let Coach Beth know I wouldn’t be attending the class after all. She encouraged me to sign up again in the future. So I did, months later.
Coach Beth said I would have a good time — and I was really skeptical. Now, I’m a believer. After 6 weeks, I ran my first 5k. Two weeks later, I ran another one. I now have 4 races under my belt, with plans for more.
One of the best benefits are the other ladies in the classes. I still keep in touch with them and we go running around Greenlake together. Something about running together and reaching goals together is a real bonding experience.
I NEVER thought I’d be able to run a full 5k without stopping. But I can! And it is awesome. Thanks Coach Beth! Will be back for more running classes to keep me going, for sure!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Coach Beth and her awesome team. After I was diagnosed with asthma in 2001, I never thought I would run again. Today, thanks to Running Evolution I’m not only back to running, but just completed my first half marathon!
I started running with Coach Beth in 2009. I hadn’t ran in eight years, and a friend of mine signed me up for her «Couch to 5K» class as a gift. When I started, I couldn’t even run a mile. I had just as many emotional barriers as physical barriers, but Coach Beth helped me power through them and before I knew it I was running three miles, then six miles, then 10 miles, and now a half marathon!
It’s been amazing to watch Running Evolution grow. I love all the coaches. Every single one of them is so supportive, funny, and just all around great people. Same goes for all the wonderful ladies (and the gentleman) who take her classes. I’ve developed so many great friendships through Running Evolution it’s unbelievable.
So, if you’re sitting there on your couch right now hemming or hawing about signing up for a class — do it! Your body and social life will thank you 100 percent.

Who knew you could learn to run at age 40?
One year ago, I took my first Couch Potato to 5K class from Running Evolution. Just six weeks of time with Beth got me off to an amazing start. I completed my first half-​marathon last weekend!
I couldn’t have done it without her encouragement, support, and the best laugh in all of Seattle!
If you have the opportunity to train with Beth, don’t let it pass you by!

I’d been tossing around the Couch to 5k idea for a long time, but I was always intimidated when I heard all of my runner friends talk about how they had great 10 mile runs, the runner’s high, etc. and here I was, not even being able to run 1 mile and feeling miserable the whole time. I finally made the commitment and signed up when I saw a deal on Beth’s class. I was jogging more than 1 mile in no time, and by the end of the class, I could do 3 miles. I had the standard Couch to 5k experience that Beth offers through Running Evolution, and that standard experience is a little miracle.
The class experience is great. Beth is friendly, encouraging, and personable. She’s full of great advice about everything running-​related, which is incredibly useful for a beginner when you start feeling some aches in muscles that don’t normally get used or don’t know when your running shoes aren’t cutting it anymore. And she’s there at a bunch of the area 5ks and other events, congratulating her students at the finish line!
When you go through any of the classes offered through Running Evolution, you’ll probably meet other runners that stick around in the «Running Evolution community,» which is a great thing to be a part of. Lots of great running buddies to encourage each other with their next goal. Several people I met through classes did the half marathon class this summer and were successful — really inspiring for me to finally get off my lazy butt and keep going with my running.
I’d also highly recommend Ben’s speed class. He’s great about showing proper form, and the class is very personally tailored. He’ll record your running and show you what you can do to be more efficient.
I highly recommend the Couch to 5k classes to anyone who says, «I’d like to run, but I’m just not a runner.»

Beth is a great coach. She is motivating and supportive. She has taken me from being a non runner to someone who runs half marathons. If you are looking for someone to help you get started running she is a great pick.

Beth is a fabulous coach. I did her Couch to 5k class in Fall 2009 and am looking to go back as I train for my first half marathon in October 2010. Beth makes running fun and always has a smile on her face. I’m honestly a bit terrified about running a half marathon but I know with Beth training me and supporting me that I’ll be able to make it.

Aside from the fact that Beth Baker is just plain fun and all smiles to be around, she’s managed to make running a completely realistic goal, especially for anyone who is new to it or just plain shy about it.
Before Beth I never ran before and she managed to coach, encourage me, and make running so fun that I not only finished my first half marathon a couple years ago but have gone on to run three full marathons. Beth has helped with everything from basic tips to improving my form to improving my speed.
Beth’s got great classes and you can meet other people just like you. I recommend her all the time.

i was one of beth’s first clients years and years ago. new years eve i resolved to run as many miles as i was old– 26. having never really run a mile (after the presidential fitness challenge in the 7^th grade) it was a difficult undertaking at best. but beth was up to the task.
she helped me set realistic goals (and yes, a marathon was one of them). she helped me tackle the voices in my head telling me i was too tired or that my knees hurt. she was really good at the alphabet game. she ran with me until she was 7 months pregnant (2 months before the marathon) and gave me the tools and tips to finish strong. and she was there at the finish line (coincidentally her due date) to cheer me on.
she is, by far, the most supportive, involved, caring and funny coach i have ever known. run with her. youll find the same– i guarantee it.

What can be said about Beth except she is fantastic! She is very motivational, nonjudgmental and kind. She helps you to realize that anyone can run. But best of all she is a «real» person like most of us. She knows what it is like to have a family, to be super busy and to work in a work out! Not always an easy task but Beth can help you to do just that.