My coach is Rad.

I was just thinking - my coach is RAD. 

Up until January 2009, I had been a self-coached athlete.  I have my degree in exercise physiology and have gathered quite a bit of knowledge from many great influences - some were colleagues in school, others were cycling greats like Travis Brown.  Of course, my biggest influence and acting "coach" for the past ten years was JHK.

Overall though, I've mostly been my own lab rat.  Each year I'd keep a training log and, for the next season, would try to tweak the things that didn't work and re-create the things that did work.  I suppose I didn't do so horribly - I managed to achieve my dream of becoming a paid professional on one of the best teams in the world, after all.  But at the end of 2008, I felt like I just couldn't get those final percentage points I was looking for - the last bit of fitness that separates the top 10s from the champions.  So, despite the fact that I felt like I should be able to figure things out on my own, I began the search for the outside perspective I truly needed. 

Fun training (and even winning) in Cyprus 2008 -
but how do I get more?

This search was surprisingly difficult.  You see, I live in Boulder where professional athletes grow on trees and people claiming to be coaches are perched on every branch.  To add to the complication of having questionably qualified people to choose from, I had my own personal expectations.  I'm truly a low tech girl - I had trained with a heart rate monitor for one year when I was 19, never had a true cycling VO2 test and don't own a cycling computer, let alone a power tap.  Plus, I DO know a lot - my coach was going to have to be good to surprise me.

After finding a few coaches who definitely had the knowledge and the skill, I was a bit stressed - some wanted me to begin my pre-season training in November (say WHAT! That's when I ride motos, yo) while others required a VO2 test every 3 weeks to monitor my progress.  Now, nothing is wrong with these techniques - in fact this is just the thing many people are looking for.  But, I needed something a little more laid back - I wanted to get faster but not have things like tests to get all mental about - plus, it'd be cool to have an off-season! 

Luckily, I found Ben Ollett - he coaches some other really fast people but this wasn't the coolest thing about him.  I found his technique to be the perfect compliment to my own.  So, last January we started working together.  I DID buy a heart rate monitor and have also been using an SRM (thanks Daniel!) - but the coolest thing is that these pieces of technology were optional - Ben said I could try them out, but if I wasn't into it, we could still achieve a lot.  This was the key for me - the choice...now the technologies were fun toys in a game and not something I HAD to do. 

Well, one year later and I'm sitting here on a rest day thinking - man, that guy is RAD, really.  For starters, I think he is one of the funniest people I have met and I just plain 'ol like him (read: you should actually LIKE your coach).  Second, he's real smart.  I just finished off a very successful hard training block in Maui and went straight to our first race of the season at Bonelli Park.  Overall, I'm feeling pretty dang good and am excited for the big races to begin in a little over a week (Fontana, CA is the first Pro XCT race).  Sure enough though, it's March in Colorado - 65 degrees and dry one day directly followed by the random winter storm and 20 degrees.  So, trainer, right?  Nope, not for me - ever.  Things are going well, recovery is important, so coach says - chill for a few days.  So, I'm chillin' and soakin' up the good recovery energy.  

The view out my back door, right now (20 degrees, 12in. in 1 day)

I always used to feel very confident with the training I prescribed myself.  But until I got a coach, I didn't realize that I always had a sub-conscious level of stress ("should I take a rest day?", "4 efforts or 2?").  I'm a highly motivated person and never had difficulty following through with a workout, but having someone decide which workouts I should be doing is a HUGE load off.

So, I guess that's it - I feel healthier, stronger, fitter - I love not being my own lab rat anymore.  It's so great having someone giving you great advice.  I work very hard at what I do and have always enjoyed my time training.  Somehow though, with this new perspective, I'm having even more fun - life is good.

A little rest. Coach says...