Trust & Execution

As a year of coaching comes to an end (the reality is, next “season” has started for many) I find myself taking time to reflect on my coaching. That is, the impact I’ve had on my athletes, and the impact they have made on me in terms what I will change, and what I won’t, as I move in to the future.

Most athletes come to me, or stay with me, because they realize I will ask them to do things or guide them in a way they won’t do themselves. I have had athletes choose other coaches because those coaches don’t hold them accountable for their actions or simply give them sessions or plans that they want, not what they NEED. Though it can be frustrating for me on the front end because I always speculate to what I did wrong or what I could have said differently to make them choose me over someone else, or sometimes over choosing nothing. In the end I want athletes that buy in to what we are doing and why we are doing it. The ones that do that have the most success, and continue to have that success. Some buy in slowly because they are effected by too much noise around them and it takes time to shut that old noise out. Quite often that noise is simply based on what they did before … and what THAT is, is a distraction. Some are immediately invested and realize what the process is and what it takes. When I look deeper it is common that these people have had good coaches in the past, be it in a single sport or team sport. Bottom line is it takes trust! Trust in the relationship, trust in the process, and trust in the investment you are making into your sport to get the most out of what you put in.

As the back end of this season was closing out for me it seemed to be a roller coaster of performances and coinciding results: Podium or a DNF, AG / Race Win or an Execution Disaster, State or World Champion or a Head Scratching Result … not always the pattern of results you look for as a coach but it is the reality when athletes are reaching for their best (If coaches tell you they don’t have set backs with their athlete’s …. HA!)  

Some of these lesser (not always poor) performances left me looking for something more positive to hang my hat on transitioning into 2016. (NOTE: one of my shortcomings is that I put pressure on myself when athletes have “poor” performances, yet I rarely give myself a chance to get excited about the good performances) The form of this “hat-hanging” came with a newer athlete for me in 2015. A hard working police officer who often gets called in on special duty so sometimes we needed to be incredibly selective with which workouts to keep / eliminate. This situation created a demand for trust in what we were doing, and he managed to value that trust throughout the entire process. I often find this extended value in trusting a program is where athletes start to diverge from the plan because THEY think it should be done different or how they did it in the past. ( I could go into examples but I had athletes who ended up injured or “smoked” by race day because of their divergence from the proper process.) The second part of the process into this athletes key race to end 2016 was having the belief that our race day plan was going to work … and the plan was simple:

Swim: Conservative, steady, let the clock read what it does when you exit the water and move on

Bike: Broken in 1/3’s … no power / pace fade, focus on an effort that allows you to fuel well / consistently

Run: Broken into 4 non-equal pieces with a goal for each … put a high value in focus on miles 13-20 … limit pace fade across the run

…. looks pretty simple, but if you screw up hours 2-5 your plan is out the window.  As race day moved along I kept checking in almost expecting speed to drop, pace to fall off, finish time to keep creeping outwards. (it often does, right?) On the contrary it was one of the most flawlessly executed races I have seen, and it was done based out of 100% TRUST in the relationship, the process, and the plan. The text message the came across to me not long after his finish: “Coach, BEST Damn race of my life – stuck to the plan and reaped the rewards - couldn’t be happier”

I hope as you start shaping up your upcoming seasons you find a coach, a plan, a team, a process that you can trust in and execute with limited questioning. (Hey, some questions are good!) Without trust you’ll never have the right process, and without the right process you won’t have the results that are possible. Speaking of trust, I need to remember to trust myself and what I am doing is correct (for the most part ;-) and that I will have valleys with my athletes before we get to the peak. The realization is, it’s my job to question myself to make me AND my athletes better so they can do their job … Trust & Execute.

Best,

DL   

Ironman 70.3 Vineman - Part 3 - Bike

56 Miles / Approx 1750 Feet of Climbing

The Vineman bike course is one I describe as challenging, but fair, and those that are well rounded cyclists, on all types of terrain, will be rewarded nicely.

The first 5+ miles of the course is 100% flat before turning off River Rd with a technical turn on to Sunset followed by a right hand turn on to Westside.

Mile 6 - 18 (Westside Rd & Kinley-- aid station on Kinley Rd)) is a mix of everything but the majority of Westside Rd. contains a series of sweeping turns (especially early) and continuous rollers. If you have never seen the course it is a good idea to drive Westside Rd and hav a strategy for riding that terrain. There are no big climbs but it is a very dynamic section of the course that can make or break your race

Mile 18-28 is predominantly flat finishing with a two mile very gradual uphill on Canyon Rd. Once you crest Canyon Rd you will have very fast descent into the Alexander Valley followed by a 90 degree right hand turn on to hwy 128  (aid station 1 mile after the turn)

Mile 29-40 ... this will be predominantly flat, and fast but depending on time of day you could face a light headwind out of the southwest. Near the end of 128 approaching Chalk Hill Rd you will have a series of three rollers hat will slow your pace.

Miles 40 - 48 (Chalk Hill Rd & Faught Rd) ... up until this point you have been on good to very good pavement. Unfortunately Chalk Hill Rd & Faught Rd is a mix of everything form good to very bad pavement so ride safe and be aware. The terrain is also a mix of everything but it is constantly changing ... up, down, right. left and of course it will have the one signature climb on the bike that isn't overly hard on its own, its just comes when your legs are already beat down. (Those with proper gearing and pacing don't find this climb daunting)

The remainder of the course is flat and fast (and good pavement) as you roll through the outskirts of Santa Rosa before heading back into Windsor.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of some construction at Windsor High School, the the run form bike dismount to T2 will be a long one so be sure to scope it out the day before and decide the best way to tackle it.

Overall this bike course is beautiful, dynamic and it goes by very quickly. Be sure to not get sucked in to riding this course too hard (like many have before) as the run will kick your ass if you do!

Cheers,
DL

Ironman 70.3 Vineman - Part 2 - Swim

VINEMAN - T1 & LOGISTICS

I have always believed the swim at the Vineman events is one of the most uniuqe and easiest to navigate anywhere on the circuit. It was (and is) one of the things I love most about the race. BUT, before we talk swim we should talk sorting out your T1.

T1 is located in the parking lot at Johnson.s Beach on very hard pack dirt, which is a massive upgrade to the way it was up until about 3 or 4 years ago. You will have carpet up from the swim and on either side of the bike racks (entrance from swim & exit to bike). For some finer points:

1) Since this is a split transition you'll only be bringing your swim and bike gear. It's advisable that if you are coming solo to the race to bring as little as possible to T1 with you as all your gear (including wetsuit) has to go in a plastic gear transfer bag that the staff brings back to T2 for you. If you have family / friends with you I'd strongly advise passing off all your gear to them so that all you  have to do is put your wetsuit, cap, and goggles into the plastic bag. Remember rack your bike by your saddle!

2) Be sure you are aware of time in the morning. Vineman always starts on time and you'll want to be lined up and and ready to process trough the swim corral with the rest of your swim wave.

3) Warm up ... if you want more than 3-4 minutes of warm up time you would need to do so BELOW the dam at the Johnson's Beach. Please don't warm up up behind the start line unless your swim wave is in the water

NOTE: T1 is set up appropriately so that late starting waves can arrive late AND still get into the area for set up without disrupting early starting athletes.

THE SWIM
- For the start you can line up anywhere behind the flagging across the river but you must keep the buoys on your left after swimming as you are not allowed to swim in the small neutral channel, It is a deep water start unless you choose to start way off to the side

- River depth varies from start to finish and yes there are spots where you can stand. That said the entire course is 100% swim-able despite what some may say. It is very shallow at the turn and its tempting to walk for some. (After the turn if you get too far off to the right you will have to walk) The shallowest area is no more than 50 meters, it is legal to dolphin dive and for those skilled at it, it can be advantageous.

NOTE: If you do feel the need to stand please move off to the right side as far as possible as to not disrupt those behind you trying to swim. In the end swimming is faster than walking ;-)

- Because of the drought, water temperatures are trending slightly higher and water clarity less than usual. At the time of writing this race week air temperatures appear to be very cool so we are looking at race morning water temperatures in the low 70's

- Overall the course is very easy to site because of the large redwoods on either side of the river AND the multitude of buoys Vineman Inc. uses for their set up.

- One final note ... you are able to mount your bike once crossing the timing mat and hitting the pavement BUT you will encounter a short, sharp hill to start. Therefore you'll need to be properly geared, and skilled at clipping in to your pedals smoothly.

Part 3, the bike, is next ...

Ironman 70.3 Vineman - Part 1 Logisitics

Just a little under two weeks to the Ironman 70.3 Vineman I figured it was time to spread some wisdom to help make everyone's race experience smoother. In this post. for those that aren't as familiar with the event, I figured I'd start with some key logistical points.

After spending every year since 1997 around the event (racing, working, coaching, announcing) I think this information will help many!

LOGISTICS
1) Travel ... always give yourself extra time to travel in to / out of Sonoma County. Travel from the south through Marin County can have have its share of slow traffic moments. (if you are flying in FRI late afternoon expect heavy traffic on 101 North at some point.

2) Remember you need to attend a pre race meeting (it's short and painless) before you register. Once you register you can enter T2 and drop run gear.

3) On the note above, remember this is a split transition area race. Be sure to bring your run gear on Saturday to set out in the transition area so you don't need to make two trips. Of note, all athletes have to travel the same distance through T2 so there is no single spot that is faster than another.

4) WEATHER ... mornings are cool (often with marine layer) and days are warm to very hot. The forecast currently is for warmer than normal conditions BUT our forecasts don't always hold 10 days out. OH, and the sun is strong & UV index high.

5) On race morning if you do not have a sherpa with you, you will need to park your car in Guerneville (use Vinemans instructions for parking) for the swim start. After the race you'll take a shuttle back, If you have a Sherpa it is much easier as they will have the car back in Windsor already. Be aware that you will not be able to get dropped off near the swim start so it's advisable to simply park OR if one wanted to get dropped off you can do so in the Safeway parking lot. BUT - DO NOT park in that lot if you want to see see your car when you return ;-)

6) A segway to my next post regarding the swim .... water levels are fine, but the river is flowing at a slower release rate. Therefore water temperatures are trending higher and of the air temps stay warm the water will be far from chilly. Be prepared for temps over 70 degrees and if we have a number of hot days up to the mid 70's

NEXT UP .... The Swim!  

Creating Priorities

This time of year can be challenging for a lot of age group athletes when it comes to time management of all the holiday commitments or just simply dealing with the balancing act of off season training. Whether athletes have next seasons races in stone or they are still attempting to finalize those decisions, this period can leave them “all over the place” with their training and focus.

If this becomes the case I advise athletes to create a list of what activities they want to prioritize based on key race(s) next year, motivation levels and relative time until the most recent racing season, all with an evaluation of current strengths, weaknesses and seasonal weather.

The following is an example from a current athlete consultation I did last week. By looking at the list you can use your own judgement about the profile of the athlete. We use this list for six weeks and then re-evaluate if the athlete has been consistent with managing the list.

1) Strength and muscle work mostly as related to rehabbing hamstring injury that at times limited training in 2014 (this includes bike fit evaluation)

2) Body composition (maintain and improve)

3) Swim stroke correction and swimming consistency

4) Low run volume but high frequency as it relates to the first point above

5) Cycling inserted as it fits in relation to the first four points 1-4 </ol>

The idea for using a priority list is to help the athlete spend less energy and time worrying about what training to put the focus on if time, daylight or motivation are limiting. As well, it’s not uncommon for any athlete to get dragged into doing someone else’s workouts or training. If your body and life have specific demands don’t give it another person’s training. Focus on what your needs are and simplify the decision making process by referring to your list.