I have two coaches. And they are not for different sports. They are for different disciplines.
As I continue in the sport of triathlon, I want to continue to progress as an athlete and push myself to achieve more. I have a traditional triathlon coach who specializes in making sure my workouts are designed with precision and progression. She writes me the worlds best swim, bike and run workouts so that I purposefully follow the commonly known training equation: stress + recovery = adaptation. Shout out to Haley Chura because I’m a better athlete because of her! She is the expert and I trust that she has my best interest in mind when writing workouts. Plus, it’s an added bonus that I don’t have to make up any workouts on my own (because more often than not I’d probably just to the same thing day in and day out!). The accountability that comes with an extra set of eyes on my Training Peaks is a positive by product as well.
What I’ve discovered over the last year is that wanting to continue to progress as an athlete requires that I include an additional coach in my life. Not only do I have a triathlon coach, but I have a life coach too.
Both play an equally important role in who I am as a triathlete and BOTH were a part of my Kona qualification.
My life coach is like the coach for my brain. She doesn't look at Training Peaks, she looks at my mind. She asks me questions to help me understand the underlying cause of my current results and teaches me how to create the results that I want. She offers tools, support and guidance to help me get the most out of myself. Each and every week I have a coaching session for my mind and after every session, I always leave with a clearer head space because I took the opportunity to work through what was holding me back. It doesn’t look the same, but this work still offers adaptation that progresses my athletic mindset. This second layer of accountability also reminds me each week to take responsibility to what I think, feel, say and do. If I want to get the most out of my physical training, I must train my mind to know what to do with it.
In todays world with so many sensory inputs, I find it incredible worthwhile to have the safe space to open up, question what’s possible and get to the root of it all.
Now that I’ve had the opportunity to have both in my life, there’s no going back! I will ALWAYS have both.
As I look forward to the next decade, I can’t help but feel an enormous sense of gratitude for these rockstar guides in my life. I have BIG goals for 2020 and I’m going after them full force! I am so passionate about the role a coach can play in one’s life and I’m a lucky girl to have TWO that are part of my journey to be an example that nothing it too good to be true.
