Warm Fuzzy

Good bit of riding this morning, inclusive of powermeter and all. More on that in a moment.

I have had a couple of warm fuzzy coaching moments recently. As we get closer to Busso race day we are seeing more and more athletes start to realise the gains they have made over the past few months of furious training. There are still a few weeks to go and people haven't tapered yet, but people are starting to see their gains. Always encouraging.

The warm fuzzy came because a couple of people have given me call outs for helping them recently. I have to say I am not entirely sure I warrant the thanks as in all the cases I don't directly coach the athletes, but rather I just coach sessions that they attend, but it is really appreciated all the same. Happy to be included in the feel good party.

I mostly coach because I enjoy it. I have been coaching properly for a bit over a year now and have sort of settled into the rhythm of it now. As you normalise what you are doing you can lose sight of the impact that it has on people. It is always nice to be reminded that on the whole that impact is positive.

One of the positive comments came from a woman who rides with us every Tuesday, including this morning (hence the comment at the top of the page). Her feedback was based on the fact that over the months that she has been riding with us she has incrementally and consistently seen improvements in her performance. I have so say, watching her ride, I have noticed them too, like a lot of the squad, there have been definite gains. When those gains occur it always gives you a great boost both in confidence and motivation. Really that gain is down to her persistence and hard work, but it is nice for her to include us in the lift she has just received.

Thanks and recognition doesn't really feature on my list of reasons why I coach, in fact it isn't something I ever think of. I have to say though, when the thanks are forthcoming it is always a nice feeling. Warm fuzzies.