Friday, April 10, 2009

The Subic Experience

I have one hour before I leave my dungeon, absolutely no sleep. The Air-con is SO noisy and I got NO sleep. Went down to the ‘shower block’, was asked by an employee “who is there??” So I had to pop my head around the shower door to identify myself – the shower door of which there is no lock by the way!
Anyway, I am NOT complaining, I can laugh at these things and have experienced FAR worse before. And one uncomfortable night sans sleep is not going to take anything away from the fact that this trip for me has been one-of-a-kind. I feel extremely lucky as an Age Grouper athlete to have been given a chance to come here, see how the athletes train, sit in on the ‘talks’ and in turn have Doc almost at my disposal to bounce ideas off of (for work), and question my triathlon skills.
Everyone is different. We are all made up of the same stuff, but we are all different shapes and sizes. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and this is important both in the physical and MENTAL aspect of any sport you want to do excel in.
Whether you choose to train for triathlon to maintain your health and fitness and enjoy the enormous social and community benefits the sport offers or whether you choose like Emma to embrace the social stuff, friends and community, BUT also WANT to see how good YOU can get, the theory is the same. It’s just the intensity and volume which you apply to your training that makes the difference between podium and completion.
So, after 3 days in ‘Camp Subic’ my swim has been analysed, the bike and the run; my body this morning HURTS. After one week previously of nothing and trying to get over complete RACE WIPEOUT (think one IM (Langkawi), one 70.3 (Singapore) and one OD (Lake Kenyir) in the space of 4weeks) you could say I was never going to fire on all four cylinders! But it didn’t really matter, as Doc kept assuring me this is a ‘looksie’ RELAX. Something in the past I have had trouble doing BUT I am learning to take things a little easier these days and NOT get consumed by my training – I will probably always be anal about it though!
The VERDICT: Swim not half as bad as I thought. I like simple instruction and I have always believed that the difference between a good and a successful coach is one that is able to get the point across to their athletes so they UNDERSTAND. In teamTBB there are nationalities from all corners of the globe so just because Americans and Canadians understand one instruction does not mean the guys from Japan and the Philippines will get it the same way. Understanding what your athletes understand and absorb is KEY!
Take swimming for example. I am told the same thing over and over. I still didn’t ‘get it’. But if a coach doesn’t have any other layman way to break it down and explain – you are probably never going to ‘get it’. I learnt this a long time ago when I used to teach 6year olds to play badminton. YOU need to make it simple – whatever the AGE.
So I feel a little more confident about the swim now. I feel A LOT more confident about my bike and I feel the run “you are a fast walker” (that’s what I was told last night!!!), well it’s all good apparently! I always knew I will never be fast, but also I know I will always be able to keep going.
One final thing, if I thought I was fit. I was very wrong. “We just need to get you FIT” (I was told that last night too).
Thanks Doc, for all your help, and good luck to all teamTBB flying out next week to China, Japan and other far flung corners of the globe.
E.

1 comment:

yipwt said...

you aren't fit? then what is the definition of fit in their terms?...hmmmm