Monday, May 31, 2010

Coaching Update

With six weeks of coaching under my belt, I am happy to report that coaching is going extremely well. It is such a relief to not be second guessing myself all of the time -- Am I doing too much? Am I doing enough? -- and to know that each workout Coach Carole gives me has a specific purpose.

Intervals - check. Long workouts - check. Recovery - check.

The absolute best part about having a coach is being able to ask questions, to get suggestions and most importantly, to be challenged.

Carole and I have been spending a lot of time talking about nutrition lately and her latest advice was a major eye opener for me. You see, as a woman, I still struggle with the idea that I need to take in a lot of calories when I exercise. I say as a woman because I think many women struggle with this concept.

Don't get me wrong, I am very focused on nutrition when I train and race because I know how important it is to be able to achieve my desired results, but I was still thinking about it all wrong. Until recently, my thought process was, "what is the least amount of calories I can consume and perform?" What I realize now, thanks to Coach Carole, is that I need to figure out not how little I can consume but how MUCH I can consume and still perform. The better fueled I am, the better I will perform.

Think about it -- if I can get by with 200 calories an hour, but my body can handle 300 calories an hour, that extra 100 calories may be the difference between performance and peak performance.

I am still perfecting my nutrition plan, but I am doing so with a totally different mindset and I think my performance will be all the better for it!

6 comments:

XTB-XAVI said...

Coach?? May be too early for me...but, who knows!

Cheers from HK,

¨XTB¨Xavi.

Jamie said...

That is great advice, but also very typical Carole. :-)

That girl loves to eat. Haha

Unknown said...

I agree that nutrition and training calories are hard for women...for so long I was in the mindset of "watching" my caloric intake so it wouldn't be too high. Tricky stuff!!

ONEHOURIRONMAN said...

Kind of like keeping the fuel tank in your car topped off without overfilling it and making a mess.... Too little fuel and you may not get where you are going.

Aimee said...

I'm glad to hear that your coaching is going well!

Nutrition is always tricky. And, like you, I think it's harder for women to figure out then men. It's great that you're getting one step closer to figuring out what's best for your body!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I really believe coaching will take you to another level, its a great tool everyone one should have