Coaching

When I was in the 8th grade the cross-country coach saw something in me. He believed I could be a great runner one day and insisted that my mom let me run. In high school, I had many coaches who advised me over the years but the fundamentals taught to me by Coach Gilliatt were the very foundation upon which my running form was built and has helped me to get to where I am today. In college, Coach Lafreniere gave me a chance as a walk-on. That chance & subsequent financial aid/scholarship allowed me to better my life. Post collegiately, I ran my best times. Coach Sev figured out exactly what I needed and brought out the best in me. As a masters athlete, I’ve been fortunate to have several coaches help me reach my best times and goal of FASTER AS A MASTER.

I want to give back what was given to me. I feel that I have this duty to repay or pay it forward and help other women reach their goals. Having goals no matter what they are is a worthy endeavor. If you think we might be a right fit, then please reach out to me. I have a degree in exercise science and have been a runner for 33 years. I’ve gone through the highs and lows of the sport & training. Whether it is post collegiate trying to make breakthroughs or running on my lunch break while working 60 hour weeks…I’ve been there. I want to help you find balance in your life and help you stay passionate about your running goals. I was a heptathlete in high school and I’ve run everything up to and including the marathon. More recently I helped one of my athletes debut in ultra running with success & happiness through the finish line.

Certifications / Education

BS Exercise Science - UMass Amherst 1996

USATF Level 1 & Level 2 Coach, Cross Country Specialist (NCACE accredited curriculum in all track and field events)

Red Cross First Aid, CPR & AED (Current 8/20)

AAU Coach

Safe Sport Trained

Positive Coaching Alliance - Double-Goal Coach: Developing Competitors

Personal Recommendations

Abby S. (Connecticut)

Jennifer is the type of person who will put all of her time and effort into the well being of other people. She will treat your goals, both running and otherwise, as goals of her own. She is also not the type of person to negate any small accomplishments, the smallest accomplishments are sometimes those worth cheering for the most in her eyes. She lives a life of constant activity and has dedicated it to training and helping those around her train. Through this, she constantly brings other people up with her, and never puts them down. As a coach, she dedicates unbelievable amounts of time to creating a personalized training plan and takes everything about the person into consideration. She is a coach who also understands a person’s limits and what each person needs to do to be the best they can be, and what goals are reasonable for each individual person. She will guide you through your workouts and training, and be there along the way as a support system that would never stop helping.

Anica W. (Colorado)

While I leaned on Jen to create workouts for me throughout the buildup to my first 50K, I truly cherished her insight into how running really *fits* into life. Jen reminded me that while I’m a runner who wants to work hard toward my goals, I also am in a relationship, have a job and live a full life that sometimes gets in the way of tempo runs. Jen kept me grounded, happy and wanting more. Her workouts pushed me and gave me the confidence to tackle something extra big; together, we crushed it!

Stephanie O. (Canada)

Working with Coach Jen was one of the best things I ever did for my running! Not only did she coach me but more importantly she empowered me. She taught me when to push and when to pull back and aim for moderation not only from the workouts she prescribed but from the example she set. She always respected the feedback I gave her and she helped me learn to listen to my own body. Her training plans kept things fresh for me and even when she gave me workouts that made me question her sanity (& sobriety 😉), unbeknownst to me she was quietly teaching me I could do hard things. I couldn’t have asked for a better coach than Coach Jen, and better than any gains I made in my running with her, I gained a friend. (200m, 400m, 800m, 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon)

Lindsey R. (Massachusetts)

Jen ‘gets’ both running and life like no one else does. Whether you are balancing school, work, or family responsibilities, Jen takes the time and interest to talk about any factors that an athlete is willing to share that may impact training. Because Jen has such a strong background in exercise physiology combined with personal experience of running at the highest level, she understands how training cycles can be impacted by busy months, changes in nutrition, working multiple jobs, schoolwork, transitioning to a new living situation, etc. One of the best things that Jen taught me has to do with finding joy in life and running: when traveling for an important race, find 1 or 2 non-running things to do in the area to make it a fun experience. That way, if you don’t reach your goal, you’ve still made a great memory. And, if you do reach your running goal, then you’ve had a doubly positive experience! Working with Jen St. Jean as a coach has allowed me to reach my goal of running for an elite XC/track club while balancing a PhD program in epidemiology at the same time. I am not sure of too many coaches that can do that…