Living & Learning

Following lost sheep, my focus shifted to the last four weeks of Ironman training. Although I enjoyed Lost Sheep, it was another race were I felt on the limit of injury, that I was holding myself back in the hope that I would not fall apart. A week after the race I was still feeling stiff and sore but decided it was time to push on anyway. Before work on a cool Thursday morning I tentatively set off from my office with the aim of running an easy ten kilometres. From the get-go I simply couldn’t run. The pain radiating from my right quad prevented me from moving my legs in any kind of motion that could be considered running. I pushed hard, convinced it was just stiffness from the previous race but the more I pushed the more pain I felt and the more ridged my legs became. Standing at the gates of Herbert park less than two kilometres from where I set off, my hand resting on the black wrought iron railings that marked the parks boundary, I accepted that fact that my Ironman ambitions and my season were over.

As September turned to October my quad injury showed no signs of improvement. I travelled to Portugal and watched my Naas Triathlon Club teammates complete the Cascais Ironman with both pride and envy. I was happy to be there, to cheer them on as they completed the epic fete that is an Ironman but I was also acutely aware that I wanted to be out there with them. As physically near to the finish line as I was, I felt miles away from being able to cross it. Something had gone wrong and it began to naw at me. I was working with a coach and had put in significant amount of training, injuries can happen but this felt like something different. I had trained myself to a standstill. Back in Ireland I visited a physio and the prognosis surprised me. The injury that ended my year was a bad one, a grade two quad tear that needed plenty of rest and rehab. Time to take stock and try to figure out how this all happened. Try to find the answer to the question “How did it all go wrong”.

Part One: Ownership

2023 was a season of highs and lows. The adventure of Xterra Italy and beauty of Lost Sheep were countered by the disappointment and dismay of the Naas 10 mile and Athy Olympic distance triathlon. My overriding feelings are ones of mistakes and lost opportunity. My decision to hire a coach was based on my need for someone else to take responsibility for my training plan and therefore progression, however in doing so I inadvertently relinquished ownership. Early in working with my new coach he remarked how he was surprised to see that I was completing everything he had assigned for me, and that this was not the norm among his athletes. This should have been a red flag, but my ego kicked in and I pushed on, proud I was getting so much done. I blindly continued to follow the plan, ignoring the growing fatigue and fragility I felt. Injury was inevitable and when it finally happened I only had myself to blame. Training is a cycle of plan, do, feedback, adapt, plan again. I am the owner of my progress and by not participating in this cycle of feedback I dropped the ball. I provided little feedback and did not question the plans assigned to me. I continued to follow a plan that wasn’t adapting to my needs and paid the ultimate price. When I succumbed to injury I felt weak, in fact when I think about it, I felt weak for quiet a while before the injury. The injury was the conclusion. I was a lesser version of the person who 12 months previously became an Ironman and I had worked hard to get there. I need to take ownership for my journey.

Part 2: I know how to get things done

The world of football is littered with successful players who became unsuccessful managers. For every Kenny Daglish, who won titles playing for and managing different clubs, there is Fowlers, Gerards and Nevilles who failed to achieve as managers what they seemed to do at ease as players. Wider sport is littered with similar tales of top athletes who fail to reach similar heights as coaches. What is equally telling, is that a lot of top coaches today, were average players at best. From Jurgen Klopp who’s career stalled in the second tier of German football, to Jose Mourhino who never kicked a ball as a professional player, what makes a successful coach can relate little to what kind of player they were. Some football knowledge clearly helped in these cases but so did the people they surrounded themselves with, the experts they trusted. The successful coaches were the leaders who pulled everything together to achieve a collective goal. I found myself mentally wandering down this random football rabbit hole when I began thinking about what it means to take ownership of my training goals. I am not an expert in triathlon training, nor have I ever competed at a high level but I was selling myself short in 2023 when I handed control over to a coach. I have been a manager for 17 years and in that time I have learned a lot about how to get things done. In recent years I also completed a Higher Degree in Management and Leadership. For this I researched great leaders in all walks of life, from politics to business, and everything in between. I read books on what makes great teams and what makes bad ones. Surely I can apply this experience and knowledge to my athletic aspirations. I am not suggesting I am a Jurgen Klopp but I am also not trying to manage Liverpool! In 2024 I will set a goal and I will get it done.

Taking Ownership and Planning for 2024.

Step 1: Set a Goal: My goal is to continue to take part in triathlon related adventures. To travel to new races at home and abroad. To improve my fitness and become a stronger healthier athlete (not a tired broken one).

Step 2: How I will do this: As a foundation I will use the Naas Triathlon Club long distance training plan. The expert knowledge from the coaches that prepare these plans and there interweaving with club training sessions will provide a solid base for growth. I will limit the amount I adapt these plans and do so only when it is unavoidable. When adapting the plan I will try do so in a way that does not impact the in-person training sessions. I will enhance the club plan through additional strength training and take rest days when they are needed.

Step 3: My Support Team: My training team starts with Karen and extends to friends and club mates. I will share my goals with them and where possible join them for training sessions. I will look to learn from their experiences and expertise.

2024, Alpe D’Huez and whatever else it may lead, lets get it done!