May 7, 2014
I've been referring to my coach as "my coach monster" based on the name that Meredith Atwood calls her coach in her book, Triathlon for the Everyday Woman. However, that name in no way matches the personality and approach of my coach. He is the kindest person and has a quirky, silly sense of humor that makes me laugh. He inspires me through his compassion rather than through fear.
A good coach understands technique and theory. A great coach understands those two things and has the ability to teach those things to his or her athletes. A truly amazing coach is technically sound and is a gifted teacher, but also has sincere compassion. Because of that compassion, he or she is able to inspire – to bring things out of others that they didn’t know existed.
When I first emailed my coach (after finding him via a Google search), I warned him that I was an old, overweight woman – and gave him every opportunity to say, “no thanks.” Instead, he wrote back, “I was born to coach.” I believe he was. At age 27, he was willing to take on a 60-year-old athlete-want-to-be in addition to the many elite triathletes that he coaches - and has put just as much time and energy into me as the elites. He is not coaching for the glamor, he is coaching because he loves helping people reach their dreams. That's pretty cool.
Here's an example of his compassion: When I had my atrial flutter in January, my coach wrote, "Just tell me what you need and I will do it." That touched me deeply. And when I was frustrated because I didn't know why he was having me do things that seemed crazy (like run slow in order to be fast), he would agree to do a "sit down" with me and patiently let me ask all my questions. Truly, he is a saint.
When I first emailed my coach (after finding him via a Google search), I warned him that I was an old, overweight woman – and gave him every opportunity to say, “no thanks.” Instead, he wrote back, “I was born to coach.” I believe he was. At age 27, he was willing to take on a 60-year-old athlete-want-to-be in addition to the many elite triathletes that he coaches - and has put just as much time and energy into me as the elites. He is not coaching for the glamor, he is coaching because he loves helping people reach their dreams. That's pretty cool.
Here's an example of his compassion: When I had my atrial flutter in January, my coach wrote, "Just tell me what you need and I will do it." That touched me deeply. And when I was frustrated because I didn't know why he was having me do things that seemed crazy (like run slow in order to be fast), he would agree to do a "sit down" with me and patiently let me ask all my questions. Truly, he is a saint.
The moment I stepped over the finish line in the half marathon, I sent my coach a text -- even before they put the medal over my head. I could not wait to tell him that we did it - his plan, his inspiration, my execution. I simply texted, "Finished!!!!" Then I wrote, "We did it!!!! Followed the plan the whole way. Feel great! You are the BEST coach!!"
He wrote back, "I am the proudest coach in town!
I can't even begin to tell you how those words made me feel. I could not have been happier to have made him proud. I wanted him to be proud - not of me, but of his accomplishment. He took an obese, sixty-year old woman and turned her into a sprint triathlete and a half marathoner. What an amazing accomplishment for him!
Here's the rest of our text conversation:
Me: It was absolutely wonderful. I felt so prepared. My last mile was as strong as my first.
Coach: You earned every bit of it.
Me: WE earned every bit of it. This is your victory as much as mine. What a great job you did with me! :-)
Later, my coach posted this on his Facebook page:
I want to give a very specially shout out to Sue. I can't say enough about this specially lady. This race finish was a huge step in a journey in her quest for a healthier life. To date, Sue has lost over 140 lbs. She has worked so hard to get where she is, and we aren't done yet! She will tell you I was a big part of her success, but a coach is nothing without an athlete that is willing to learn and listen. And then follow it up with detection and hard work. One very proud coach today!
It is so easy to understand why this young man earned mental attitude awards in high school. What a nice guy.
He wrote back, "I am the proudest coach in town!
I can't even begin to tell you how those words made me feel. I could not have been happier to have made him proud. I wanted him to be proud - not of me, but of his accomplishment. He took an obese, sixty-year old woman and turned her into a sprint triathlete and a half marathoner. What an amazing accomplishment for him!
Here's the rest of our text conversation:
Me: It was absolutely wonderful. I felt so prepared. My last mile was as strong as my first.
Coach: You earned every bit of it.
Me: WE earned every bit of it. This is your victory as much as mine. What a great job you did with me! :-)
Later, my coach posted this on his Facebook page:
I want to give a very specially shout out to Sue. I can't say enough about this specially lady. This race finish was a huge step in a journey in her quest for a healthier life. To date, Sue has lost over 140 lbs. She has worked so hard to get where she is, and we aren't done yet! She will tell you I was a big part of her success, but a coach is nothing without an athlete that is willing to learn and listen. And then follow it up with detection and hard work. One very proud coach today!
It is so easy to understand why this young man earned mental attitude awards in high school. What a nice guy.
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