Tough Love

Something which I have noticed lately, is the way I react when I am asked to step out of my comfort zone with regards to training. The challenges with training for a triathlon is not only physical but it is also mental. The way one reacts to training demands depend on one's mentalility and ability to process the thought and translate it into action (or not).

3 or so years ago, all my training was done as part of the beginners group. It was done lightly and this was my mind setting the boundaries so I could just get through the session. That was my comfort zone.

For my swims, not only was I in the beginner's lane, I was also at the back of the group, trying my little heart out to just keep up. Mind you, back in those days I had no technique so whilst I only had to get through 1.5km or so I would be absolutely buggered by the end. Today, it would take a pretty intense swim session for me to feel that tired again - either sets which consisted of  swims at T5 or a tempo swim of 2-3km or so.

Being more at ease with swimming didnt happen overnight - it actually took several years of consistent swim sessions to finally understand the techniques - to feel the water and to use that resistance to push the body forward. Back in those days, I rarely reacted well when (some of) the coaches pushed me beyond my comfort zone and they often told  me off for stopping at the ends of the pool to recover. In my mind, I was exhausted (is anyone ever in a good mood when they are tired?), I also questioned their understanding of what it is like to not know how to swim.

Today, I accept the commands of any of the swim coaches as I see the benefits of being pushed beyond the comfort zone and how much more comfortable I would be, come race day.

Another mental change with swimming is that previously, I would be lazy if I was to swim on my own. I relied on the (coached) swim session to actually swim. Without a coach, a specific set to do or even other athletes in the lane with me, I would be lazy - I would cut my warm up short (if I ever do one), I wouldn't complete all the sessions and I most likely would not even do a cool down. The intensity of these sessions would also be low as I had no one to chase. Today, I am able to do a swim session outside of the schedule and actually complete it from start to finish. In my mind, it is no longer about taking short cuts where I could but actually getting into the (swim) zone, concentrate on technique and keep breathing and before long, I have done 1-2-3 kms.

Rides are no longer scarey and windtrainer session are no longer an hour of lets just get through this sweat session. Long rides are now done with purpose - either riding 100km+ in distance on the flats or riding hard in the hills to build strength all within a reasonable time. Windtrainer sessions are now about pushing myrself on the bike, holding the core and working on the stroke technique. As I am now a coach, I also have to lead my example. Being in the group taught by Coach Greg is also a plus. He is very stringent on our posture and reminds us (with a boastful voice) that we need to always hold our core - suck the gut in.

Runs are now a whole different ball game. Years ago, getting through the Thursday night run sessions would be an achievement in itself and I would have only ran 6-8km or so. I hardly did the Sunday run sessions  (I would have only done about 2/year) as I struggled to keep up with the group and never reacted well when asked to push faster.

Mentally, I would think of it as a waste of time to drive 30km just to run by myself. On the days when I did do my own runs along the beach, the intensity would be absent as all I could think about was which house would have a tap at the front where I could drink some water. This year, I have turned up to the Tuesday morning run sessions, Thursday evening sessions as well as the long endurance sessions with Coach Greg at Fairfield (not the MSAC group). Not only have I started to enjoy these run sessions, the strength of my legs have improved (no injuries so far this year - fingers crossed) and I am no longer struggling or feel more comfortable about not being part of the faster group. I am also not offended if Greg starts to remind (almost a yell) at me to run faster, hold my core or land on my forefoot. I am starting to train to be a better (at competition) triathlete rather than just getting through all of my sessions.

In summary:

• No longer training (just to get fit) but rather training to improve performance
• Want (and invite) to be pushed beyond comfort zone - don't mind a bit of tough love!
• No longer holding myself back in training (whilst still training smart) - Don't want to suffer during competition