Growing Confidence

A very satisfying session of coaching today, quite fulfilling.

The session today was a brick, but not just any old brick. Today's brick was all about transition. As such it was a session that I like to think of as a multi-brick.

With the multi-brick the idea is to go through the ride and the run numerous times. By doing lots of short rides and runs it maximises the number of times that the athlete goes through transition, maximising the amount of practice they get. It is a good way of really drilling the transition while still getting in a very solid workout.

The session can still be very hard, but it also a great technical workout too.

The multi-brick for the group today was made up of a 3.5km bike and a 1km run, done as many times as possible in 70 minutes. Using these distance kept the proportions roughly the same as an ITU triathlon. The distances were also short enough that most people got though it 6 or 7 times, but also long enough that people could really get their teeth into each leg.

Some really got their teeth into it too, with at a couple of the younger guys really pushing each other to the limit.

Watching the group work hard was satisfying, but it wasn't what made the session so fulfilling. The fulfilment came from watching the team learn.

Heading into the session only a couple of the 13 participants felt comfortable mounting their bike with their shoes already clipped into the pedals. For me this is a basic skill of triathlon. Whilst there are some races where you don't want your shoes already mounted to your bike, they are few and far between. In general having your shoes on your bike and putting them on as you ride is going to be quicker. Nearly every time. To me it is a must learn skill.

The thing is that it is also quite a daunting skill to learn. People are unsure how to learn to do it and are also scared of falling over as they mount. I know these fears because I remember feeling them myself. However, I also remember finally learning to mount my bike properly and being amazed at how simple it was. In the end it wasn't hard I just needed to have the confidence to try. That is what today was all about.

Mounting and dismounting a bike properly in T1 and T2 is a skill that lots of people simply assume they can't do. However, when you walk somebody though the skill and gently push them into trying, they come to realise that they can in fact do it. From that realisation grows confidence and then with repetition that confidence grows.

By the end of the session today all 13 of the participants were quite confidently mounting and dismounting their bikes with the shoes still clipped in. Watching that growing confidence and the looks of satisfaction on their faces was a truly great coaching experience.