It's been almost two months since I've posted. Between the Christmas season, work meetings, training and the kids commitments I unfortunately put a few things on hold. However, I recently saw something in an article through Facebook that pushed me to get back on track. It was an article about the 10 Truths of No-Bullshit Triathlon Training. Here is the link.
There are 9 of the 10 Truths that I pretty much agree with. Let me address a few. As a swimmer, watching those trying to be swimmers, I agree you need to learn to swim. You don't need to be Katy Ledecky, however being comfortable and confident in an open body of water, navigating within 1500 other swimmers, certainly helps. It also makes transition between the swim and bike a lot easier when you aren't gasping for air and crawling from the water. Many swimmers will also agree, lose the gadgets. Yes, know your speed, learn cadence, but learn feel, not just in the water, on the bike and run too. Know your body, learn what it feels like to hold 35km/hr vs 30km/hr on the bike, or what a 4:30km vs a 5:30km on the run feels like. Don't rely on all your gadgets to tell you what your body should be doing. They are nice to have, however they can also fail when you feel you need them the most.....then what do you do?
Same goes with the bike. There are many riders on the course, some great, some not so much. Learn how to clip in and out easily, be competent at riding in the aero position, make sure you can control your bike, and be aware of where you are and others are, on the road. Although it is extremely uncomfortable riding in the city, I get nervous, it teaches you bike handling skills and general awareness of what's around you, both really good things to know.
So what is the 1 Truth I had trouble with? The very first one. The one that says Fire your Coach.
The very first statement was "you don't need them, and they probably aren't qualified."
I agree that there are many coaches, that say they are coaches, that most likely have no qualifications in any way, shape or form. Perhaps they completed a couple triathlons and now call themselves an expert, make sure you check out the coach, the team, and results of their athletes before writing out the cheques. The part I vehemently disagree with is the first part of that statement; You do need a coach!!!The United Kingdom Coaching Strategy is he/she “enables the athlete to achieve levels of performance to a degree that may not have been possible if left to his/her own endeavours.
According to Forbes.com, coaches help you to identify and focus on what's important, which will accelerate your success. Coaches also provide the following:
- Create a safe environment in which people see themselves more clearly;
- Identify gaps between where you are and where you wants to be
- Ask for more intentional thought, action and behaviour changes than what you would have asked of yourself
- Provide the structure, accountability, and support necessary to ensure sustained commitment
Certainly you can finish a triathlon, training on your own; I'm not denying that. However there are many aspects that you will be missing that are important if you forgo the opportunity to work with a coach.
1. Riding a bike. Although we are not supposed to ride draft legal, it is a good skill to learn. Those who have completed a triathlon have all seen how closely riders can group together on the course. Bike handling skills are very important, although we will all crash at some point, learning how to handle the bike confidently will lower the number of times you end up scraping your skin off along the pavement. A good coach will teach you how to ride safely in a pack, although you may never need this in a race, you certainly will benefit during training when you are out with a group, especially if there are new riders that are out with you who are not as comfortable.
2. Swim instruction. There are more triathletes that are mediocre to poor swimmers than there are those that are good swimmers. Proper technique in the water can help you hold on to your much needed energy stores for the bike and run instead of leaving them at the bottom of the lake. Having a watchful eye, and swim instruction that is more than " swim 2000m", will make a noticeable difference in the outcome of your event.
3. Learn to Run. After a challenging swim and a long bike, running 10 km to 42.2 km is not an easy undertaking. When I would run on my own, getting myself ready for the local 5km race, I'd just go out and run, I thought that was enough. All my running was done at the same speed and I had no one to tell me what was wrong with my technique. Yes, as with swimming, there is a fair bit of technique involved in running. With the aide of my coach I've been able to take my run from a 5:15 per km pace down to a 4 minute per km pace. He has changed my running style and continues to tweak and improve it, pushes me outside my comfort zone, and helps me to achieve beyond what I originally thought I could do.
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| Coach Lee Hart, Tri-Hart Triathlon, www.tri-hart.com and me. |
4. Training Plan. How busy are you? I am incredibly busy. Three children, a full time job, a household to run, and now training for triathlon. Yes, I am learning about this sport, I read on line, and ask questions of other triathletes, however my time is limited. I don't want to make up a training plan for myself and try to stick to it. I'm not an expert, at swimming, maybe, triathlon not quite yet. My coach, Lee Hart at Tri-Hart Triathlon, www.tri-hart.com, has been doing this for 12 years. He has produced National ITU champions, put athletes on the National Team and has had athletes compete on the ITU World Championships stage. He has had athletes make it to Kona, and he himself has raced, and still races, competing at many Ironman 70.3 World Championships. I trust his judgement as it pertains to my training, and how far he can push me. Without my coach I know for sure I would not have performed as well as I did this previous season.
Getting a coach is worth the investment. You may think that you are good on your own, however regardless of your skill level, you are limiting your potential by excluding the resource of a "good" coach.
