Get a Brain!

After four weeks under Paulo’s regimen here are few comments about some early noticeable benefits of being coached. As a reminder, after few years in the sport this "coach thing" is totally new to me. It is obviously too early to comment on the training itself and the impact on performances but already some changes are very obvious.

The main one is the fact that you pay your coach to think for you and that is very comfortable! You outsource your brain (okay just the “triathlon lobe” of it) for a more effective one. The idea of course is to get better results because the brain you use is (hopefully) better at coaching than yours. But you also get a short term side benefit: you save a lot of energy and time not thinking about your training, not second-guessing your program and each workout. Should I run this morning? Or swim? Fast, slow? Oh I think I should have ridden! This recovery ride feels too easy should I do some intervals at the end? Should I try these 237.5 repeat sessions this anonymous guy mentioned on Slowtwitch last night? And what about squats?

The energy you save not asking all these questions to yourself is huge. Each workout is done in a much more efficient manner because you know it is what you are supposed to do. The ability to solely focus on doing the work is increased a lot. Just do the work stupid! When it hurts, well it is supposed to hurt; so enjoy the pain fully. When it‘s easy, don’t feel guilty.

Also in between workouts you can stop thinking about your training. Somebody did that for you, so you can take care of the rest of your life. Obviously, all that works if you trust your coach, understand and accept his “philosophy” and don’t question his program all the time. This trust has to be strong because I am sure there’re times when the body (and mind) feels like doing something very different than what is “recommended” by the coach.