Hey Coach!!

I got an email from the coach I hired while training from my first Ironman yesterday. Reading the email and thinking back on the intensity of that training and the single-mindedness I had during that period brought back some great feelings. I never met my coach…he was in Oregon and I was in Green Bay, WI. We talked regularly on the phone and he did the rest by email and an online training program.

The relationship of a coach and an athlete is a special relationship. The balance between pushing a person to achieve their best while still keeping it obvious that you are in their corner believing in them is a special ability. And the willingness to prescribe workouts that are seemingly a punishment but still knowing that this is the best thing for them.

I never doubted my coach’s intentions when he prescribed a 6-hour ride followed by an hour plus run. He did it because he knew that this is exactly what I needed to finish the race that I was endeavoring to run. He did it because he knew that at some point during my race that I would draw strength from that particular workout. He did it because he believed in my ability to run the course that I had set out to run.

Today I look forward to my next Ironman…I’m not sure when that will be…but I look forward to it because I will once again hire this coach to help me work through the process of achieving that goal and running that course once again. And I will beat my previous best time. I know what it is like to run this race with a coach and I also know what it is like to run this race without a coach. I’ve done it both ways and I have witnessed the results of both. I did much better with a coach.

Everyone is certainly not called upon to run such races. We are all wired a little differently and we all have different passions and different areas of giftedness. But if there is something I have learned through this process is that the relationship of a coach and an athlete doesn’t have to be limited to just physical endeavors. Any challenge…whether it is business, life, relationships, or athletics can benefit from having a coach or a mentor. Be open to finding yours.

Embrace life and run the course you are on to the fullest.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved