COACHING RUNNERS 
Hometown: Northfield, NJ
Email: steph@paceofme.com
Instagram: @southjersey_motherrunner
Certifications: RRCA, VDOT02, ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
Coaching at Pace of Me since: 2023 (coaching runners since 2019)
PR: 3:07 marathon (down from 3:21)
Steph started running at 14, while trying out for her high school field hockey team — and fell in love with it immediately. She kept building on that in college, running longer distances before completing her first marathon in 2010 and her first Boston Marathon in 2014. Since then, she’s raced everything from the 5k to the marathon, all while having her four kids in the span of six years. Her favorite runs are along the boardwalk, right alongside the ocean.
Steph’s running journey took off in high school with her sights set on field hockey, and she raced a handful of 5ks before college. Her first big race came in 2008 with the Broad Street Run — and she was hooked from there. While the half marathon has become her favorite distance to race (challenging, without the long recovery of a full marathon), she also loves the 5k and hit a longtime goal last year by going sub-19. Since her first marathon in 2010, she’s brought her time down from 3:21 to a current PR of 3:07. Her goal race for 2026 is the Philadelphia Distance Run, after which she’ll shift focus to a winter marathon.
Steph has been coaching runners from entry-level to advanced since 2019 and is a certified running coach through both RRCA and VDOT02, as well as an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer. She joined Pace of Me in 2023 after stepping away from a full-time teaching career — a decision she describes as one of the best of her life.
Steph describes her coaching style as centered on flexibility and trust. She believes achieving success means adjusting to the schedule changes that come with life’s challenges and opportunities, and she encourages her athletes to embrace their lives beyond running while still trusting the training process. She’s also a firm believer that fuel is cool — one of her favorite parts of coaching is helping athletes learn to fuel properly before, during, and after runs, both to feel better in the moment and recover faster afterward.
Favorite workout: A long run with marathon- or half-marathon-specific pace work — she loves the challenge of pacing correctly to finish strong
Favorite place to run: Locally, Ocean City, NJ; away from home, New Orleans, LA
Bucket list race: Rome Marathon
Favorite shoe: Puma Fast-R 3s for racing
Can’t-live-without gear: Nathan handheld, a Noxgear light vest, and a fun pair of Goodr sunglasses
Runner’s Round Table with Stephanie Diaz, Season 6 – Episode 10
