Oct 11
18
Dont listen to your coach. Dont follow your program
Dont listen to your coach. Dont follow your program
Strange thing to say on a site with a coaching focus?
The best coach of you is YOU. What do we mean? Ditch all outside help? Sack your coach? No way
what we mean is only you have the full awareness of how you body is adapting to training
when we set out schedules and programs they are not unlike bus timetables or meeting rosters- unexpected events happen or meetings run overtime
a good program is consistent and has a clear direction but it is also adaptable
when we put 20×1km repeats on a program does that mean you attempt 20×1km? absolutely
do you do slightly more or slightly less? perhaps and this is why……….
the most important thing is not to understand the program content but the PURPOSE of the session
if the purpose of a session is to build muscular endurance then if you feel ok at 20×1 you might do a few more
if you are absolutely cooked and starting to strain then you’d consider cutting it shorter
especially if this means we get half arsed efforts out of you for the next 10 days
this is where smart athletes separate themselves- they dont dodge training/make excuses but they are also highly tuned in when its the right time to push it or not
we call this self coaching- its the hardest to learn but its so so important
no genius of a coach can protect an athlete from their own stupidity. no smart coach expects an athlete to act like a dog and bark on command
You have to be committed to the program but its also your responsibility to look after your own needs
Unless you see the coach daily they cant always see if you are slacking off or pushing when you should be backing off
So start tuning into what your own feedback is saying- be honest with it
on those days you have more to give then give it, your rate of progress will be markedly improved
on those days you are spent- act smart get some sleep and reschedule
this is the art of self coaching- master that and you are a long way along the path
this is why its so important to not get hung up on fixed paces for every session and worrying about “X” km. When we give you a 2hr moderate aerobic run it means run as fast as you can whilst staying in the middle of your aerobic range. This can vary widely from day to day and terrain to terrain. It certainly doesnt mean dawdle around at the bottom of your aerobic range “just to comply” with the program- we want max adaption but without disruption to the rest of the program. We also dont want dawdle for 1hr 30mins and then nailing yourself on the “cattle dog” home straight of 30 mins. When you send the coach the “average” HR he hasnt got the time to look through every segment of everyones run to see if this sort of stuff is going on- you have to help out if you want results. Dont be a victim of a program -own the thing
so get into self coaching you’ll get much better results
