Leaving a Stable Career to Coach Running Full-Time

In this entry: why I left 20 years in the federal government to coach running full-time, what it cost my family, and what a year in has taught me.

The Rebuild, Entry 04

Welcome back to my weekly blog series, The Rebuild, Entry 04! Let's talk about this week. Also, if you want to check out the beginning, go here: Entry 01!

In this entry, we'll take a look at my running coaching journey, taking the leap to leave a stable career and go all in on running, and what that's taught me over the last year, in Behind the Desk.

The Number

This week's number is 20, as in the 20 years I worked for the federal government, basically from when I graduated Monmouth University until last year. I got a 9-to-5 office job the second I got out of school. I never really looked for another job or thought about leaving, and figured I'd just retire from this job when I got older. I never took a risk in my career, and it never even crossed my mind to, as I watched friends change jobs and chase their dreams.

The Week

So let's talk about this, and a little bit about my past week, because so much of the reason I got to take this risk is my wife. She started working for a company 2.5 years ago and secured health benefits and stability for the family, which became an opportunity for me to chase my goals. My wife taking this job turned out to be an amazing thing for her too. This week she was recognized as one of the top 5% at her company, which meant a trip to Cancun at a very fancy resort for a work trip, and I got to be a passenger princess along for the ride. Her having this job, these benefits, and this stability was one of the big reasons I decided to leave the federal government in 2025, along with some other things I'll discuss below.

For me, this week was an amazing adventure to Cancun, a lovely chance for some adult alone time with my wife, and getting to see her honored at her company was so cool. For my own personal running journey, I spent the week nursing a lingering injury and only ran 12 miles, as we're closing in on my marathon on November 7. But as I leave Cancun on Sunday, my injury feels a lot better, but I then caught the flu and have been bed ridden ever since. So if I can just get healthy for the last couple of days and into race day, I think it can still be ok!

The Thread

This journey to take a risk and take a chance on myself was one of the toughest decisions I made in my life. As someone who had a stable job and was usually the one providing for the family in that department, it felt almost selfish for me to ask my family to take a chance with me as I tried to take over Running Explained, expand this business, and convince Elisabeth's incredible audience to trust me with her business, her podcast, and everything else. But there were some major factors that went into this.

As I've talked about before, I grew up with a very absentee father, one who lived in the same town but always chose spending time with his friends over spending time with his children. He didn't live with us growing up, and my mom had to beg him to spend time with us. Whenever he did, it always felt like I was a burden to his life. I vowed I would never do that to my kids. But while I was a very active father, working 50+ hours a week with commute, plus another 15 to 20 hours a week on training logs and athlete calls, as my kids got older I started to realize I was becoming an absentee dad by drowning myself in work. Men sometimes have this feeling that they need to do that to provide for their family, but I know from firsthand experience I would rather my mom and dad just want to spend time with me. It all came to a head when my daughters started playing softball and soccer, and I had to miss practices and games. I kept apologizing, and they kept saying, “It's okay,” but I knew it wasn't.

Chloe after winning MVP in the teams Championship Softball Game

I knew I had to decide, but again, it felt selfish to take the coaching job since it paid significantly less than my government job. Even though I loved it and felt good at it, I kept asking myself: did I deserve to try this as a 43-year-old who shouldn't be taking risks? I talked it over with my family, and we decided if I was ever going to take a risk, this was the time. When I told my kids I was going to be around more, for school drop-off, there when they got home, at all their sports and parties, my oldest daughter thanked me with a tear in her eye. It made me realize that yes, doing this was risky, and I knew I would grind and work hard. But I also knew being able to spend more time with my kids during these important years would be so helpful for my girls. I remember so many female friends reaching out to me with stories of their dads making decisions like this in their own childhoods, and how much it helped them.

A year later, it's been hard. I'm constantly reminded on social media that I'm not Elisabeth, and it's often asked why would Elisabeth leave this business to me, and when is she coming back? I know my running mind goes to different topics, and much of my online journey is one of sharing my life and experience along with my knowledge. I also know that in many ways, I just need to be myself, and this business needs to grow with me and who I am. That's been my promise to all of you. I will listen to feedback and try to bring that to you, but bring it as Nick Klastava. That's all I can be. I know deep down I am so blessed that I got to take this chance to chase a passion of mine, and I know I made the right decision because of how my girls have loved having me around for all the things. And lastly, it's been lovely to take on more things around the house, so my wife can also excel at her job, become the amazing therapist she is, and be recognized. I have no clue where the next 10 months will lead, but I've learned so much about myself in this journey, and I took the first big risk of my life.

Next Week

That's some of the background of the risk I took chasing a passion in my life, and how I'm still learning every day and becoming a better version of myself. Next week we'll continue chatting more about my family behind the scenes and their impact on my running and journey with running, in Home Base. Thanks again for reading this chapter. I hope you're enjoying the way I want to creatively tell my current running story, in four different ways that all impact my life.

Also, if you're looking for a 1:1 coach, I have openings this fall, so hit me up at this link and let's see if we're a good fit.

About the author: Nick Klastava is the CEO and head coach of Running Explained. He is a USATF and RRCA certified run coach and a masters runner with a 2:30 marathon PR and a Boston Marathon finish.