I came to Triathlon rather late in life (in my 40's) having been a competitive pool swimmer, team games player and "recreational runner" at all distances from 5k to Marathon. My age group experience was in Sprint Triathlon but I also raced Olympic and 70.3 distance and a couple of years ago I went out to New Zealand to try my hand at Ironman distance, predominently because I was coaching Ironman athletes and needed to experience and understand first hand what this race felt like!
Whilst my results at Age Group were relatively impressive I was never the fittest or the fastest, but I did understand how to work hard, train at exactly the right intensity within my available time, develop a strong mindset and get my pacing and technique the very best they could be. These are exactly the skills I try to bring into my coaching on a day to day basis.
Not everyone can win the race (I'm sorry - let's get that out there now!) but everyone CAN be a "winner" because winning is so much more than coming first - although that's nice and I've been lucky to know how it feels. It's about putting your hand on your heart and knowing you tried your hardest in your training, in your racing and in your preparation. And it's also about involving your family on the journey and having fun and being happy in what you do.
Triathlon, and expecially longer distance racing, will be full of highs and lows and the job of the coach doesn't really start or stop at a plan on the piece of paper - to be honest, that's the easy bit! It's about being a mentor, a friend, a researcher, a good influence (I hope!) and someone who knows what it's like and can steady the ship from time to time when you most need it.
I now spend my coaching time as a mentor, helping athletes who want to devise their own programmes to understand how to put a plan together and then providing a watchful eye to ensure that you maintain motivation. And I'm priviledged to work with a great supporting team that, if you choose, can give you all round support alongside your coaching.
I can't promise you will always win, but if we work together I can promise to impart as much knowledge and motivation that I can for you be a true "winner" in your personal triathlon journey.
