This past year, the self-coached plan didn't work out so well. I realized that alone I can be pretty disciplined, but underneath the guidance of a coach, the added accountability motivates me to work twice as hard.
And I love to learn. As the years go by, I have witnessed my own growth and can see my own potential as an athlete. At first I thought as I got older, I'd get slower. But I'm seeing splits in the pool now that I would have never been able to pull off in high school. I want to learn from the best, from those who have experienced this journey themselves and who have a rich treasure of knowledge and understand me and my kind of crazy.
Within the triathlon community and even amongst friends, the name Greg Lynch kept coming up. Then I met him on a bike ride, and after riding with me for a few minutes, he was able to provide me with feedback on how to improve my pedal efficiency. I was immediately drawn to his coaching style, his cheeky humor (gotta love those Australians!) and his genuine love for this sport. I knew I wanted to be coached by him. I wanted to be one of his athletes; to soak up his knowledge and to learn from his program that is so differently designed from the typical triathlon programs common in the US. It's time to ditch the heartrate monitor and get to know my own body, my own limits, my own mind.
Tonight I was introduced to his coaching methodology and was given a sneak-peek at the basic training plan layout from April to September. I was trying to absorb it all and contain my excitement of how privileged I feel to train underneath him. Some of the big training weekends were a lot to wrap my head around (I spotted a 10-hour training day and a 21 miler), but when it's good butterflies in my stomach, it's a good thing.
After our meeting, I told Coach Greg, "I will work hard for you and hard for myself." Immediately he corrected me. "No, I don't want you to work hard, I want you to work smart." Lesson 1 is already in the books.
For some, after completing their first Ironman, they're done. It's out of their system and they can hang up their wetsuit and retire their bike to the storage. For me, I'm not done yet- there's so much more to learn, to question, to discover not only about this fabulous sport of triathlon, but about myself.
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| 2.4 mile swim |
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| 112 mile bike |
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| 26.2 mile run |
The distance remains the same- 140.6 miles. But this time around, the terrain of the Ironman course and my support team are different. And most certainly, I am different.
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| Let's do this, mate! |
Grateful for the hat tip Julianne. Truth is, I learned as much from you in that journey as you did from us. The best way to gain the confidence to change your own life is to change someone else's. I realized this fact after finishing the Ironman. I no longer measured myself solely by how far or how fast I could go. What mattered more to me is who could I take with me in the process. While my PR's felt great, they all ended with me. I realized that every person whose life I can help improve creates a ripple in the universe that can become a tidal wave. I still pursue personal goals, but I try to find ways to channel the results in a way that can benefit others around me. Thanks for having the courage to hire me. It helped me learn one of the most valuable lessons. -Coach Marv
ReplyDeleteCoach Marv: It is amazing to witness the tidal waves that both you and Jo are creating across the world. I'll work on continuing your legacy on this side of the world, taking those nuggets of wisdom you taught me and passing them on to others, both in sport and in life. Whether you are "paid" or not, you both continue to be role models and coaches to many...keep using your amazing ability to teach and inspire. Forever grateful, J. :)
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