Coaching Philosophy
Successful performance arises from preparation. As a coach, my primary role is to guide and help you prepare for the challenges you undertake. Preparation means laying a strong foundation so you will arrive at the starting line physically, mentally, and emotionally ready. Towards these ends, I am also an educator. I am here to teach you the training strategies and sport specific skills needed to reach your potential as an athlete.
I believe any successful educator—and any successful coach—must always remain a student. Armed with a keen intellect, I am a curious student of the sport who continuously seeks to enhance my knowledge of exercise physiology, biomechanics, sport psychology, nutrition and racing strategies. I am also a student when it comes to studying your unique needs as an individual so we can adapt your program according to the demands of the situation.
Approach to Training
I approach training as both a science and an art. I begin with fundamental principles of exercise science to develop a training plan. Science then turns into art in the actual implementation of the plan where I rely on experience and my understanding of who you are as an athlete to fine-tune the training.
Endurance athletes are fundamentally aerobic animals. I am a firm believer in the value of a strong aerobic foundation, and view all performance as arising out of this foundation. I also place importance on developing form and efficiency of movement. I focus on these ‘speed skills’ in conjunction with developing the aerobic base. The use of drills and attention to form during aerobic base training helps ingrain positive habits that stay with us as the training intensity increases later in the season.
Approach to the Sport
For me as an athlete, the multisport lifestyle is about having fun outdoors, facing challenges, and growing closer to myself in the process. I believe the challenges we engage in as athletes give us a glimpse of human potential, both on and off the race course. In this way, endurance sports act as a vehicle for discovery, personal development, and adventure.
Importantly, multisport for me is a lifestyle. It’s not about a single race or particular accomplishment; it’s about the process that leads us there. As a coach, I am interested in helping you deepen your roots in this lifestyle so that you can cultivate a long and healthy life in the sport!