What do you want from me

For you and I to have the most productive relationship we have to be working in the same direction.

Of all the athletes who I have coached over the years, about 75% were truly working with me. I feel I have been lucky to have that many who have connected. Because with any squad there are folks who come along for a while because their mates do. And they really don’t know what they’re searching for, I guess they think they might find it here.

When I was a young landscape contractor, I did whatever job came along. I needed the work to keep the guys going and to keep the bills paid. As my reputation for doing nice creative landscapes grew, I had lots of enquiries. Rather than build a massive business which did everything that came through the front door (most of it crap) I chose to become more selective. I worked as a landscaper because I loved it. I love doing really nice jobs for people who love them and look after their gardens. There is a piece of me in every one of them.

I made the decision, I would only do what I liked doing for people I liked. After making that decision, I was still busy all the time and as a bonus, I loved going to work. I loved everything I did.

I have reached the same point with my coaching. Most of my athletes, those in the squad and those who work with me online, are truly working with me.

To work together we have to both believe in the plan. The plan I work with is one of “the right ways”. There are many right ways and many wrong ways. The hundreds of athletes who have had enjoyable, satisfying experiences in their target races are evidence of that. The number of podiums finishes of both Elite and Age Group  athletes is further evidence.

Having faith in the plan when your mates are doing something else quite different will be a test.

Communication is so important. After every squad session I have several athletes with a question for me. If you work on-line these can be put in an e-mail, I answer them every day. The type of questions you ask helps me build a psychological profile/picture of you. If you send me a photo, I can picture you when I answer the questions. It can also help me recognise you when we meet at a race. If you have questions, ask them.

Be honest with me. When I write a program, it’s written to suit the perfect world. That’s a world where athletes get 8hrs sleep every night and a nap on Sunday afternoon. Where athletes refuel religiously after every session. Where relationships run smoothly all the time. Where bosses understand that you’re training for something really important and they don’t ask you to do any extra work. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world. If you have to miss something, don’t stress, let me know in your weekly feedback report. I understand.

Give me feedback that I can understand. I’m a simple man with limited skills. It’s really difficult to adjust my “understanding skills” to all sorts of different diary styles and excessive details. The best way for me to instantly understand the message is to return the program which I have sent to you with your comments written in a different colour in each square for each day. My brain/eyes are conditioned to read and understand the info presented in this format. If you can’t fit it into the little square, it’s probably too much info. I just want the basic idea, not every detail, I’m a big picture person. If you love details and wish to keep a really involved diary, go for it, but just share the bare bones with me.

When you record in your diary, only record “what went right”. I don’t want to read through your diary and see “what went wrong” on every page. A huge part of improved performance is psychological. Every entry in your diary will either build your self esteem/confidence or lower it. If you learn to search for “what was good” in every workout, this is a skill which will serve you well in every aspect of your life. Too many people, athletes and others are too skilled at finding “what went wrong” with their day. I don’t want negatives recorded in your diary. If you record them, you give them too much value. If you refuse to record the negatives, they’ll slip away forever, to wherever negatives go. 

Train for benifit. Very often athletes are unsure what a workout is supposed to do for them. If you’re in doubt, ask. If you’re in doubt about the general direction we’re going in, ask. If you know what we’re aiming to achieve in a workout, you can focus on that aspect of the workout, I guarantee you’ll get more gains if you understand why we do something.

My overall plan is to get you fitter than you’ve ever been, by practicing perfect technique. Never, never, never do something sloppy. We can’t ever afford to practice poor technique. All I want your body to know is excellence in technique. Trust me, when you’re very tired or even exhausted and still have an hour to go. If you have any bad technique stored in your brain, this is when it’ll come up. Every rider I have ever passed in the final 40km of the Hawaii Ironman bike leg, has been pedalling incorrectly. Stand at the sideline of an Ironman race and watch the running technique gradually get worse from the leaders back through the field to the stragglers. Watch the runners who are passing everybody else, examine their technique compared to those they are running down.