Gary Barber
Gary Barber (R)
Gary Barber is a retired physical education teacher with more than 40 years of experience. He has authored three books on running, including Different Needs, Different Speeds: Teaching Sport to Every Child, which is sold worldwide and written for parents of children with learning challenges. He also operates the Islanders Running Club, providing opportunities for children with diverse learning abilities to experience the benefits of running.
An elite-level middle-distance runner, Barber represented Canada at the Commonwealth Games and held the British high school mile record for decades.
Lucy has over 30 years of experience coaching distance running and triathlon. With an extensive background as a coach, educator, professional 
athlete and mentor, she supports all levels of athletes in their pursuit of individual excellence.
Coaching services include scheduling smart and progressive customized training plans that help people make the most of their time and energy, and that allow them to reach their goals. She also offers support in life balance and sport psychology to help optimize potential.
As a coach, Lucy can provide solid and useful technical and practical advice and constructive feedback about skills, equipment, racing and training that supports holistic development.
Method:
Based on the work of Arthur Lydiard and the coaches who followed, this approach is built on one fundamental principle: patience and the right training, in the right order, prepare you to perform at your best on race day.
It starts with a strong aerobic foundation, followed by specific training phases that progressively prepare the athlete for racing. Every phase matters, but the aerobic foundation is what enables the athlete to handle the demands of faster training and arrive on race day ready to perform.
This is a proven, sequential approach used by runners at every level — from beginners and age-group competitors to sub-elite and world-class athletes.
I am a seasoned runner who has competed in endurance events for a number of years. I have well over a hundred events under my belt and have completed track, cross country, road, and trail races from 3 kilometres to the marathon distance. I didn’t get serious about running until my late 20’s, but I believe this has worked to my advantage as it has kept me fresh and excited to keep striving for new challenges and better results. I would like to share the knowledge I have gained with other runners to help them achieve their potential.
I provide coaching programs for runners wanting to improve their performance in distances from 5k to 50 Miles on road or on trail. However, I specialize in trail and mountain running so I can help you improve your off-road prowess. Victoria boasts a number of very good running coaches, but I stand out as one of the few who concentrates on running off the pavement.
I provide full programs which includes an initial assessment of your current running and goals, unique weekly training plan, weekly coach led workout, ongoing assessment, tips and techniques for race strategies, phone and e-mail for consultation as required.
