Ashley R French-Running Coaching & Race Training

I never had run with a training group before, and now a year and a half later I’m hooked! I’ve run 3 training groups with Ashley, and had a personal record every race. Not only that, but I’ve made some fantastic friends and consistently look forward to the workouts, even in the post-​season. Thanks, Ashley!

Oh my God, this lady is good at what she does! I met Ashley as I signed up to train for the 2015 Nike Women’s Half Marathon, and do not let her small stature fool you: she is a lean, mean machine. She planned a program including boot camp, sprint runs, and long runs, and while at times I thought I was going to die, it made me so much stronger and ready for the race. I ran my best race under her, and look forward to continue training with her. In other words, she is awesome!!!

I trained for the Nike Women’s Half with Ashley these past few months and it was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had all year. Through Ashley’s coaching and guidance, I began to love running (not something I could have easily said before) and felt like a smarter runner.
Ashley brings a lot of knowledge, energy, and encouragement to training sessions. I can’t say enough good things about her!

Ashley is an amazing coach! I joined the running group for a couple reasons. 1) I was new to city and figured this would be a cool way to meet new people, and 2) I wanted to run another half marathon and had never ran hills like the ones SF has. Let’s just say that both of these reasons were met! On my first day she came right up to me and introduced herself and made me feel comfortable. All the coaches were so friendly and helpful from running tips, getting new running shoes, and being encouraging yet challenging and pushing me. Ashley was very knowledgeable and you could tell she loved running. The workouts were far from easy! But they definitely paid off! After training with Ashley, I PR’d in the SF half marathon (my 2^nd half marathon ever and I hadn’t done much running since my first half marathon 2 years prior which was a much flatter/​easier course and I ran it after finishing college athletics). Without hesitation I signed up for the training group to train for the Nike Women’s half marathon. This group was much bigger but amazingly you still got the same amount of attention from Ashley and the other coaches. She knew we would hate her after some of the hills we had to run, but everyone thanked her for it after the race! I definitely won’t be training with any other group or coach and would highly recommend Ashley for any level runner (beginning to avid).

I cannot say enough great things about Ashley! After having signed up for half marathons in the past but giving up on my training half way through due to excruciating shin splints, I finally joined this training group and was amazed by the passion about running and the attention given to each person who participated. I won’t say it was easy. But it was worth it and I have been able to run two halves since I started training with Ashley injury free.

Ashley is the bomb diggity. You may ask, what is a running goddess doing dragging an out-​of-​shape beer-​lover up soul-​crushing San Francisco hills? Apparently, she loves it.
Prior to training with her, I could hardly run 3 miles without cursing anyone who ran for fun. Then 7 weeks later, I couldn’t believe I knocked out 13.1 miles in the mud and rain with a giant smile on my face. Even when I hurt my foot a few weeks later, she knew exactly what to do and advised me how to take care of myself until I could run again.
Technically she is extremely knowledgable. Personally she oozes good vibes and badassery. Running takes physical ability and the heart to push through the pain, Ashley makes sure you get a healthy dose of get both.

Coach Ashley is the best! There is simply NO way I could have made it through a ½ marathon without her training program. Not only were the workouts challenging in the right way, but Ashely created an encouraging and fun atmosphere. Each workout was progressively more challenging than the last.
I hadn’t run in years, literally not even a mile. Here I am 10 weeks later and I finished the Nike Women’s half — hitting my goal of not walking, even up the steep a@@ hills!

After the birth of my son, I was looking for something/​someone to get me back into running shape — Coach Ashley was the answer. Ashley is the perfect running coach for all levels, from beginner to experienced.
She was motivating and inspiring, yet tough (in a good way). She pushed us when we needed it, while never pushing us too hard or beyond our abilities. Her training runs were challenging, yet fun and interesting (intervals, hills, different scenic routes, etc.). She also helped runners adjust through life’s circumstances whether injury or travel/​schedules including humoring me when I ran with a jogger stroller on a long run (she even offered to push!). And, the support didn’t end with the last training run — Ashley seemed to be EVERYWHERE cheering and checking-​in throughout the course of our goal race (the Nike Women’s Half Marathon)!
Thanks to Coach Ashley, I ran 15 minutes faster than a half marathon 3 months prior, reached my goal finish time, and finally feel like I can run again. Thanks, Ashley — can’t wait for the next training program!

I have never written a review and I probably never will again but Ashley is such a good coach that I’m going to make an exception. I trained with Ashley for the Nike Womens Half Marathon in October after not running since high school track. At the beginning of the training my only goal was to finish the race without getting hurt but with Ashley’s training regimen and support I was able to surpass my expectations. Throughout the training I could feel myself getting stronger and faster and even lost some weight without even really trying. Ashley was always available for advice and tips and more importantly to make the training process fun. I never felt intimidated and am happy to say that I made some lasting friends from the group that I am able to continue to run with at the events that Ashley hosts frequently. I never thought I would say this, but I can’t wait for the next training group to start!

Ashley is an incredible coach. Even in a group setting, she’s great about checking in with each individual to ensure they’re hitting their individual goals, making improvements from week to week, properly treating injuries, etc. I’ve trained for two half marathons with Ashley now. The first time, I followed the training regimen, but didn’t strictly adhere to the dietary recommendations she gave. I managed to improve my performance from my first half marathon, but it was the second race I trained with Ashley for that I saw the real strides. It was my third half marathon but between physical training regimens and monitoring my dietary habits for the three months leading up to the race I managed to lose some weight, increase my strength, and achieve a race time I wasn’t sure I’d be capable of. I look forward to another training session with a Coach Ashley soon!

I am 43 years old, and I have never run anything in my entire life – even in high school. I signed up to run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon through Fleet Feet, where Ashley was one of the coaches. I thought I would just walk it and see how it went. I told Ashley that I would probably be the last person to finish every week during training, but that didn’t matter to her. The same encouragement and support was shown to me as everyone else in the program. Never once did I feel that I wasn’t good enough to train with the rest of the team.
After several weeks of walking and «scooting» as I called it, I began to run. In October, I completed the NWHM in a time that I never thought possible – all with the support of everyone I trained with. I never, EVER would have completed the race if it wasn’t for the support of Ashley and her fellow teammates.
Even though the race was in October, I continue to receive support from Ashley though our various Social Media venues as I continue to run and improve my physical fitness. I am encouraged by her positive attitude and her accomplishments. I will never be the athlete that she is, but never have I been intimidated by that – her support and welcoming spirit only makes me be more secure with my own accomplishments and to strive for goals that are appropriate for my own self. And that is a very rare find in a coach.
I give the highest praise, the greatest thanks, and the foremost recommendation to Ashley for anyone looking to improve his or her own training goals.