Coaching week continues

My week of busy coaching continued today with another morning spent down at Claremont Pool with the Swim Smooth squad. 

I have said it before and I will say it again, there is something very fun about these sessions. Between the two sessions this morning we had 80 people in the pool and while it can be quite busy, helping run the sessions is always a real buzz. This morning was no different. 

This morning was a bit of a classic session in terms of swimming, the good old pyramid set. 

This morning's particular pyramid was made up of 100s, 200s and 300s. Start with the 100s, build to the 300 and back down again. As with all good pyramid sets, this one got quicker as people got closer to the top, with the 300 being done at threshold pace (or as close as people could get). It was a real tough one. 

The thing with pyramid sets is that mentally you think the peak will be the hardest bit. After all the peak is the longest and fastest effort, so of course it will be hardest. However, how it often works out is that as you come back down the pyramid the amount of effort doesn't decrease. You may be getting more rest and the efforts may be shorter, but the accumulated fatigue makes swimming quick just that bit harder. Certainly with the squads this morning, when the wheels started falling off, they started falling off on the 200s and 100s, rather than on the 300. The 300 did the damage, but the 200s and 100s were where pain was lurking in wait. A simple, but but very effective way of doing a threshold workout. 

Coaching week continues tomorrow with a mega brick done with the Front Runner Tri Team tomorrow. I say mega brick because there will be two different brick running, one a 70.3 simulation and one aimed at sprint distance athletes. The brick start times are an hour apart to give me a bit of time in between, but I still think it will be a real juggle. 

I think I have the session figured out. At least I have done all the preparation that I think I can, but still there are going to be a number of things I am simply going to have to see on the day. I am pretty confident that the swim will work fine, and I have a course marked out, but I have never swum at this location before and so I am a bit unsure there. I am not sure whether all the athletes will complete the course in the time we have available, I am not entirely sure what I will do if they don't. Similarly I found out today that there is some major roadwork on one of the cycling loops I usually use. I checked it out today and I think we will simply cut the bike short a little (a few hundred metres) and avoid the road work all together, but I will have to wait and see whether that actually works. 

In the end I have done all the planning that I think I can and the rest will just have to come down to doing it on the day. It is funny with these coaching sessions, there are some things that you build up to be a potentially big deal in your mind, but end up being non events. I find the more important thing is to prepare as much as possible but then be relaxed and flexible enough to adapt when the unexpected occurs (which it will). 

Still, I am really looking forward to the session, I think it should be a lot of fun. Hopefully.