Part Two: Coaches and Teammates
Teammates, but I thought we were talking about individual sports?
Some of the member of the 2010 PT Performance team
For many people training on their own works for them, they enjoy the solitude of long bikes or the tranquility of early morning runs. Some people even argue that because they are alone on race day they should be alone during training. I used to be a big supporter of individual training. I loved the freedom of setting my own schedule and choosing my own routes. That is, until I discovered the wonderful world of team training.
Don’t get me wrong, I still do a lot of solo efforts and there are few better feelings than running solo around the lakes in the morning just as the sun is coming over the horizon and the mist is still hanging in the air. I have been lucky enough though, to become associated with a number of fantastic athletes in Victoria, and we work together to help each other meet our goals.
My conversion to the team style of training can be attributed to one person, our coach Noa. I first met Noa just over a year ago, when I really had no idea where I wanted to go in this sport, or what was even possible. I was simply looking for a coach to help me design a program that would take me to my first Ironman. She immediately saw a potential in me that I had no idea existed (partly because the goal time I had set for myself just happened to be TriCan’s international standard…little did I know).
As my relationship with Noa grew and I committed myself to working towards some pretty lofty goals, she invited me to be part of the founding members of the PT performance training high performance team. Quite simply, a group of like-minded people who are prepared to work as hard as they can to reach their goals.
The benefits of training with a team are endless. By committing to a program there is a buy in, not only from the athlete, but also from the coach. This creates a bond that transcends a simple working relationship and has the potential to accomplish great things. When that relationship is extended to a group of people all with similar goal and a strong work ethic, that potential becomes a driving force with the power of a freight train.
When you are training with a team they learn what you are capable of and what they can ask of you, sometimes even better than you know yourself. They are the ones that will push you to the top of the hill when your legs are screaming for you to stop, and they will force you to negative split that last 100m of the 5km swim workout.
PT Campers celebrate a good workout
But how is that different than any training partner? Everyone has a masters club for swimming, or the Saturday group ride with a local shop, and these are great for breaking up the normal training week. It becomes a team when you are invested in how those other people are doing. I feel almost as much pride and accomplishment from my teammates successes as my own, and hurt with them when they fail. We go to each other’s races as a team because we have all had a hand in preparing for that race.
I have spent this season struggling with injuries, and have failed to meet every single goal that I had originally set out for myself. Despite that I can still look back on 2010 with a feeling of accomplishment because my coach and my teammates helped me to find new goals that worked around my injuries. So to Noa and all of my friends, thank you for a great season!
