I’ve been training these past few weeks, and here’s what I’ve learnt about what happens when you get a coach to help you train.
1. You are capable of more than you think.
One of my goals in training right now is to develop the strength to be able to jump at an 8 foot wall, grab the top of it and climb over. My coach has raised the roman rings in the studio to a height of just 8ft and a week ago encouraged me to do it. I was successful, not once, but 3 times. Training alone I doubt I would have found the courage to do this. Now I have the confidence to continue building this skill and transferring it to the 8 foot wall jump that inevitably rears its head in obstacle course racing.
2. The stuff that changes you will make you cry.
A long term goal of my training has been to run ‘into’ everything. I don’t mean smash into it carelessly, but rather maintain energy and momentum as I run towards the finish line, or reach the top of a hill, or head into any obstacle. About 3 weeks ago my coach asked me to run up multiple flights of stairs with 2 heavy sand bags on my shoulders. At the ‘almost’ end of the task I was set I was in tears and struggling to find the energy to finish. On unloading the bags I felt changed. I was strong enough to do what had been asked. More interesting though was the thoughts in my head were external to the physical challenge I was in. What I let go of when I calmly put my sand bags down was much more of the mental and emotional obstacles that block my path to success than the physical ones. I also learned that it’s OK to cry.
3. Improvements are gradual and constant.
My coach has gradually increased the workload of my training, as he told me yesterday, to build resilience and to equip me for the goal that I have set for myself. I wanted to argue the merits of a particular task to which he simply responded - Did you do it? How did you feel? Complete or incomplete the tasks that I take on in my training allow me to experience my improvements. By going harder this time I can physically feel how much stronger I am than previously. My body has adapted slowly but consistently and the post workout aches of training are significantly less than at the beginning of my 14 week program. What is undeniable though is that whether my personal goal is achieved or not at the end of the 14 week program I have experience improvements every week, gradual improvements that constantly remind me to stay on the path and keep going.
4. Rest is good.
That’s all I need to say about that. Whether you push your own limits or have them pushed for you by a coach, rest must be an essential piece of the program to ensure that the body has time to make the adaptations expected from the training. Always when I have my rest day my energy is restored, and I feel ready to move stronger and work harder than before. There is no guilt in resting, rather a knowledge that hard work has been done, and rest will set me up well to complete hard work yet to come. Rest, dare I say it, helps me look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
5. Only YOU can do this.
Regardless of the fact that my coach is writing the program, and many times working me through it, the bottom line is that only I can complete the workout. Earlier in the program I looked to my coach to help me through the tough spots - whether it was to provide some vocal encouragement or modify an exercise that I wasn’t that excited about. My coach obliged as he saw fit, but always let me experience the success or failure of the level of my efforts in training. Over the past 2 weeks my coach has been committed elsewhere and as a consequence I have had to train myself. On my own I have had to dig deep to find the magic that gets me through to the end of my gruelling training. I have learned enough to be able to keep myself on track and I have grown enough to know that to unlock my full potential I must take myself into the pain cave occasionally and face whatever is inside. I still want my coach’s input and debrief every training session, but what we both realise now is that this is my goal, my race, and ultimately my responsibility.
In summary:
You don’t have to take on obstacle racing or a 100km race to have a challenge. For some the challenge will start with clocking 5,000 steps a day for a week and growing from there. The learning I have had from training however, applies to us all.
Be it weight loss, athletic performance or physical health and wellness remind yourself daily:
- I am capable of more than I know
- It’s ok to cry
- Change happens gradually
- Rest is good
- Only I can do this
Lastly, my training has taught me that it feels totally awesome to achieve what previously you thought you could not. Have patience with yourself, release expectation and put the effort in every day to achieve the things that matter most to you in life.
