Choosing a coach...

Stepping up from a recreational athlete whose goal is merely to finish, to a competitive athlete who has either a time goal or qualification place at stake is a big step. It requires a conscious decision to up both your game and your training commitment. The first step should be to join a club. I'm a member of Ful-on Tri and regularly swim with the guys there. Ful-on Tri is a great Club based in West London, well organised and well run. The club Head Coach - Alan Hanley sets the weeks training schedule. Members can dip in and out of these sessions, but the general idea is that these sessions provide the base for development and improvement. This should be the first step for many athletes looking to make faster improvements. The structure of a club offers a number of benefits from having training partners to a social network. For many athletes the club structure offers them every thing that their level of commitment and time constraints allow, but for a few willing to devote further free time, hard work and perspiration there lies an alternative or complimentary path..... the personal coach

A great coach is not easy to find and requires a very unique set of talents and skills. Choosing the right coach is a difficult decision. The coach has to understand you, the way you think, what drives and motivates you and on the flip side, what turns you off and de motivates you. They need to be able to push the right buttons to help you achieve your goals, being able to communicate their ideas and strategy. Its really important that the athlete believes in their coach. There needs to be complete trust and respect. Often coaches have had a historical background in the sport and this respect stems from their historical achievements, but this is not always necessary.

I met Richard Hobson in 2005 I went on the Volcano Triathon camp in the early season with a view to kick starting my fitness. I struck a great friendship with Richard on the camp and I really bought into the Tri-living philosophy

'Everyone can always improve, no matter what age and what ability. I always believe this and as long as the athletes I coach believe this then they will improve'

It was shortly after that he began coaching me. Since then we have worked together to help achieve my goals. My advice is to take your time in selecting a coach, there are many that will farm out a generic program dependant on the distance that you're racing, but there are others who will take the time to listen, who lead by example, and are prepared to motivate and innovate....

A coach like this will inspire and empower the athlete to realize and develop their potential. This is the coach that will help you reach your goal......

Building the right training group....

Triathlon isn't just a sport its a community of athletes. We train within the BTA club structure, but we all have different goals. Each athlete is training to peak for individual races and their training is tailored to suit these goals. I've chosen to specialise in Ironman or Long distance racing, whilst some of my peers and contemporaries at Ful-on Tri or Tri- Living race the faster short distance, Olympic races. This means that as much as like spending time with them on rides and runs or in pool, it unlikely that their sessions will fit in with my training program.
Over the last 9 months or so, we have formed an adhoc training group which includes Tim Bishop from Optima racing - 2 xHawaii Ironman finisher, Declan Doyle from Optima a 2 x Ironman Hawaii finisher, Dion Harrison from Thames Turbo ( 1 xHawaii Finisher) who has Just turned Pro and moved out to Boulder -Colorado and me, also a 2 times Hawaii finisher.
Now although we all may be training to peak at different times, we each have an understanding of the level we need to train at to achieve faster results in Kona in the future. Despite the camaraderie and the banter there is a respect of each others talent and for the duration of the session, ego's are parked. With the odd exception where Dec gets too excited and rides off the front 'Jens Voigt 'style, but that's just Dec!!

I love training with these guys, its not just a training group, but a support network and when your sessions are hard, having friends to bounce your ideas off and keep you in check is priceless..... regardless of which club they are members of!!