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!
Showing posts with label Coaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coaching. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Meet My Coach
I did it - after 2 years of being a self-coached age-group athlete, I have turned over my training plan to a coach! I have been wanting to do this for quite a while but the control freak in me was hesitant.
What if I needed to make last minute changes to the plan and move things around?
Also, until now, I have been accountable to myself and no one else - what would a coach think of my training to date? What if the coach thinks I am an impostor? What if I disappoint my coach?
Those were a few of the things that made me nervous, but they were offset by my desire to improve and to get the one thing I was missing from my training -- FEEDBACK!
Once I decided I was ready for a coach, I had to find one, and luckily for me, I didn't have to look too far.
I met my coach, Carole Sharpless, through Team Trakkers. Carole is a professional triathlete and all around extraordinary person. Her blog regularly makes me laugh in hysterics or cry and it is definitely worth a read.
So, why did I choose Carole? First and foremost, when I approached her to ask questions about coaching we were immediately on the same page, plus, personality wise, we are two peas in a pod. She loves to laugh and to be silly but she is passionate about what she does, she is fiercely loyal and absolutely knows her stuff.
She realizes that coaching is dynamic and that those of us who do not do this professionally have other obligations that come up and our schedules change -- so we have agreed that when that happens, we will just modify the schedule to make things work. This was my biggest concern and it turns out, it really wasn't an issue at all.
She is already teaching me so much about nutrition and being an expert about every single thing I put in my body ... and best of all, I immediately felt like part of her family and that my success is her success.
With the first race of the season behind me (race report to follow soon) and Cedar Point just 4.5 months away, I am excited to see how far and how hard Carole can push me!
What if I needed to make last minute changes to the plan and move things around?
Also, until now, I have been accountable to myself and no one else - what would a coach think of my training to date? What if the coach thinks I am an impostor? What if I disappoint my coach?
Those were a few of the things that made me nervous, but they were offset by my desire to improve and to get the one thing I was missing from my training -- FEEDBACK!
Once I decided I was ready for a coach, I had to find one, and luckily for me, I didn't have to look too far.
I met my coach, Carole Sharpless, through Team Trakkers. Carole is a professional triathlete and all around extraordinary person. Her blog regularly makes me laugh in hysterics or cry and it is definitely worth a read.
So, why did I choose Carole? First and foremost, when I approached her to ask questions about coaching we were immediately on the same page, plus, personality wise, we are two peas in a pod. She loves to laugh and to be silly but she is passionate about what she does, she is fiercely loyal and absolutely knows her stuff.
She realizes that coaching is dynamic and that those of us who do not do this professionally have other obligations that come up and our schedules change -- so we have agreed that when that happens, we will just modify the schedule to make things work. This was my biggest concern and it turns out, it really wasn't an issue at all.
She is already teaching me so much about nutrition and being an expert about every single thing I put in my body ... and best of all, I immediately felt like part of her family and that my success is her success.
With the first race of the season behind me (race report to follow soon) and Cedar Point just 4.5 months away, I am excited to see how far and how hard Carole can push me!
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