The calm after

Here we are, the calm after the storm that is Busso. Lots of athletes basking in that sweet post race glow while also having to force themselves back into normal life. Always a bit of a painful process.

While the Busso train may be finished for 2018, the triathlon season waits for no man and so from a coaching point of view our attention is now shifting to the first of the season's big Sprint Distance races, which is in a couple of weeks time. That means lots of short sharp efforts, quick runs and runs off the bike.

This variety, switching from coaching athletes for Ironman to coaching athletes for a Sprint Distance is actually one of the things I quite like about coaching. No two athletes are the same, they all have different abilities, different limitations and different goals. It can be nice to switch from the rather intense world of Ironman, to the slightly lower pressure world of Sprint Distance. Not to say that people take Sprint Distance racing any less seriously, but more that the level of preparation required for the average athlete is less. It can take a lot of the stress out of it for people, which means the events are often a bit more fun for everyone.

As well as the lower pressure, when it comes to the Sprint Distance race in a couple of weeks time, a lot of my athletes will be either lining up for their first races, or their first races in quite some time, which is always pretty cool. It can be very fulfilling to take that part of a journey with people, watching them take their first steps into the world of triathlon.

It is certainly a different world to that of Ironman, but one that I enjoy no less. Looking forward to getting on with it.