The Runner’s Clinic

Ryan Smith, founder of The Runner’s Clinic

If your morning run is a pain the neck – literally and figuratively – maybe it’s time to call The Runner’s Clinic.

Running coach Ryan Smith launched The Runner’s Clinic in March 2013 to help clients reach their goals by promoting a healthy lifestyle, embracing a balanced nutrition, practicing proper fitness, and improving athletic performance.

Prior to launching The Runner’s Clinic, Smith founded Personal Impact Fitness. It was through his experience as a personal trainer that he realized there were plenty of personal trainers but few – if any – specializing in running. “There was no one who did what I did, so I decided to brand more for my niche,” Smith says, “I’m here to make runners better.” The Runner’s Clinic provides clients with expertise in running, injury prevention, performance, and ways to enhance their training, bodies, and mind.

With more than 25 years of experience as a personal trainer, Smith is certified through USA Track & Field, Newton Running, Training Peaks, American College of Sports Medicine, TRX Training, International Foot and Gait Education Council, and most recently he became the Wellness Consultant for the Flying Pig Marathon. Throughout his career Smith explains how he has witnessed injuries and mistakes being repeated. “There is so much misinformation that approximately 70% of runner’s will be injured every year,” he says.

Focusing both on clients who have been injured and helping new clients avoid injuries, Smith completes a screening called Functional Movement Screening on each client. This allows him to rank and grade how the body moves together and where improvements need to be made. “The results provide [me with] a way to develop programs specific to each client that will synchronize the whole body to work together,” he explains. He also implements unique tools such as the Gravity+ Suit training, which uses patented muscle resistance to strength train runners and triathletes.

Smith’s niche goes beyond the area of running and performance training, though. He is also a Human Performance Coach and Food Psychology Coach. As a High Performance Coach, he educates his clients how eating, sleeping, and stress can affect performance. “The purpose is to educate them to understand their body and listen to it,” Smith says. As a Food Psychology Coach, he takes a more holistic approach by educating clients about nutrition from a marketing perspective. He goes on to explain, “We tend to eat what we want and not what we need.”

As the company grows, Smith plans to offer his skills and knowledge through online platforms as part of virtual coaching where he will coach athletes around the country. This will include training plans and coaching for how to be a better athlete and will offer participants the ability to track their results. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced athlete, Smith says The Runner’s Clinic is open to anyone who is ready to take their fitness to a next level.

Costs for a training session vary. A two session Functional Movement Screening can be scheduled for as low as $125. For more information, contact Smith via email at runnersclinic@gmail.com, visit his website at www.coachryansmith.com, or attend his free clinic on Saturday, June 28 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in Mason, OH with the Buckeye Running Company.