Tip of the Week: Communication is Key.
Our tip of the week is about communication!
Reality is, some people are really good at communication, and some people are not so good. It's part of our personalities, and for those in the latter category, they often have to work very hard to improve their communication skills. I recognize that communication is not easy for all of you, however, I am requesting that you work on this with me so we can best help you reach your goals this year (and beyond!). In this partnership of coach and athlete, communication is critical to the success of the athlete. We establish goals for the year, and part of our ability to achieve those goals depends on effective coach/athlete communication.
Training Peaks makes it very easy for a coach and athlete to communicate through data uploads, post workout notifications and schedule conflicts. For this last one, if you know of upcoming travel or schedule conflicts, please make a note of it in your training peaks calendar so when I’m scheduling out your next week or two, I’ll be able to work around these schedule changes. Utilizing training peaks effectively assures that we are on the same page moving forward. So if you are not already in the habit of uploading your data, making post-workout notifications when relevant, or posting your schedule conflicts, here is my official request for details.
Training Peaks updates are reviewed every few days, so there is a bit of a limiter here as I don't get through all the updates every single day. In the matter of urgent updates, please notify me via text or a phone call as I will receive these the quickest and be able to respond sooner. Email also works well, but not as quick as texting.
So what would be in the category of ‘urgent updates’?
*Getting sick- this will allow for us to have a conversation about how to adjust your plan to best help you recover
*You feel an injury coming on- depending on your potential injury, immediate modifications may need to be made to prevent further injury and/or to expedite your healing. This can also include referrals to medical professionals for evaluation.
*You are stressed at work/home and have no time to fit in your workouts- there is no one right way to success, modifications can be made to your training schedule that allow you to continue to make forward progress while not being overwhelmed from the stress of work/family/training/etc.
*Your race schedule has changed for an upcoming race- this might require a rework of your plan moving forward depending on your race goals (distance, date, travel, etc).
Let’s keep the lines of communication open! I’m not available 24/7, but will do my best to respond to your concerns in a timely manner. Thanks for working together on this!