Ken
’
s corner
In the summer of 2009, Dave approached me with the idea of completing
an Ironman in 2010. I have known Dave for a while and knew him primarily
as a runner. While I appreciated the energy and excitement with which Dave
presented his idea, the coach in me had doubts. Could an athlete go from
triathlon newbie, to Ironman finisher in one season?
Dave continued to talk about it and even signed up for Ironman Lake Placid
in 2010. Ok, now I’m convinced that Dave will see it through and I liked the
idea of the challenge. Dave assured me that he would utilize all of my coaching
knowledge and make this thing happen. But wait! We have one more critical
piece of information that will be crucial to the completion of this monumental
goal and time commitment… is his wife on board? She is! Now we can pull
the trigger.
Dave and I began working together in late fall 2009 to prepare him for Lake
Placid. While Dave is a newbie to the triathlon world, it wouldn’t be fair to
imply that he didn’t have an athletic background. Dave participated in a variety
of sports, but excelled in both soccer and running. He has continued running off
and on since college, completing a number of ultra distance running events. As
you might suspect, this is a good thing with regard to endurance conditioning.
However, the lack of cycling and swimming experience presents a number of
challenges as he enters the world of long distance triathlon. Regardless, Dave
is full steam ahead and hungry to take on the challenge.
The past few months have been busy to say the least. Dave is taking full
advantage of the opportunities a coach can provide for him. Along with a
training program, we have completed a number of one-on-one coaching
sessions. This allows us to work on Dave’s technique in all disciplines, which is
critical to ensure his success. We also have performed a variety of tests, such
as:
• Initial consultation – sit-down meeting to determine Dave’s goals,
background, medical history, limiters, likes, dislikes, etc.
• Initial testing – general testing for strengths and weaknesses in the
realm of cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, medical health, and
muscular endurance
• Run Test – provides baseline data for running fitness along with
video technique analysis to help improve his running efficiency
• Strength Training Session – coaching session in the gym with the
goal of improving power, muscular endurance and injury prevention
• Bike Power Test – provides baseline data for current cycling fitness
• Swim Coaching Session –performed a “marker set” (aka time trial),
also working on technique to help improve Dave’s efficiency in the water
• Second consultation – met to lay out an annual training plan, including
the races he will complete next season
• Run Marker Set – time trial used to mark Dave’s current fitness so we
can track his progress
• Bike Marker Set – time trial performed on the Computrainer to mark
Dave’s current fitness on the bike
After working together for a few months, Dave and I have determined his two
biggest challenges:
1. Lack of Structured Training – while Dave has been running for some time
now, he has never followed a structured training plan. Late into the second
month, Dave began getting the hang of things. He started to really follow
the plan I provided on training peaks and, he began to understand this
would be critical to his success next season.
2. Over-eagerness – While Dave’s energy and excitement is great, coming
out of the gate too quickly can easily lead to burnout months down the
road. While this adventure is new and exciting, Ironman Lake Placid is
still six months away. We have found that Dave often goes well above the
allotted workout time assigned for the day. I decided this was okay for him
as long he was not doing it out of obligation or a compulsive need to train.
So now we are three months into Dave’s training, and I am very happy with
the progress. We have covered a lot of ground in a very short time. Dave has a
great head start going into his 2010 season. I’m convinced that Dave will fully
embrace this challenge and not only complete an Ironman, but excel.
USATTriWinter10pgs50-90.indd 81 12/9/09 3:45:19 PM
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