Proud Coach

Another, 'proud coach' day today.

Today I had a couple of my athletes competing up at the Ironman 70.3 in Vietnam. This is a race that I never actually managed to do as it always clashed with Busso 70.3, but I know it by reputation. It is hot, humid and pretty darn tough. Nice part of the world, very hard race, particularly the run leg which is open and particularly hot. Just a little bit brutal.

However, despite those conditions my athletes, Hayley and Owen did exceptionally well. They both raced up there last year and this year they took significant amounts of time off their 2017 times. This year saw a 25 minute improvement for Owen and a whopping 40 minute improvement for Hayley. They both saw decent gains on the swim, not much change on the bike and large improvements in run leg. These times got Owen 12th in the 30-34 AG and Hayley 6th in the same age group for the women. Nice solid results all around.

For me the improvements seen by Hayley and Owen are testament to the value that be gained by having a coach. If you compare their performances in 2017 and 2018 the main differences were in their preparation. Last year they were largely self coached (they are married) and went about their training in a bit of an ad-hoc way, as many triathletes do. They did some running training with a local group, a bit of bike training, but didn't necessarily have a clear idea of the bigger picture. They were certainly fit enough to make it through race day, but perhaps not firing at their full potential.

The situation in 2018 was significantly different to that of 2017. I have been working with Hayley and Owen since the beginning of the year and coming into the race this time they both said they were feeling the most prepared they ever had. That preparation was due to a combination of factors. First thing is that they had a plan and the second thing is they followed it.

The thing I always liked best about having a coach is that I always knew what I had to do. I didn't have to think about it, it was laid out in front of me. All I had to do was go out and execute. I knew that if I followed the plan things would go well, simple as that. That is hopefully what we were able to do for Hayley and Owen this year at Vietnam. Through the collective Front Runner coaching experience we were able to give them a plan which would allow them to improve and all they had to do was follow it (which they did). The plan was based on solid sports science principals and was fairly well thought through. We provided the path and all they had to do was execute. Perfect.

That combination of a scientific approach and consistent training is a powerful mix and for most athletes it is one of the key benefits that a coach can provide. This weekend was yet another great demonstration of that fact.