Just back in the door from OAT Board meetings and a coaches meeting in Toronto, today. It was definitely inspiring and exciting to see the energy around the table, dedicated to growing and guiding the sport of triathlon in Ontario over the coming years. More than a few people had made a long trip to be there, including at least three who had flown into TO from far flung locales just yesterday.
One of the discussions today had to do with coach development; strategies and opportunities to develop coaches, and the importance of a strong coaching community of practice in setting the foundation for future athlete success.
On the trip home I had a bit of time to reflect on the meetings, and some of the many development opportunities I've had over the years. One that always stands out for me was back in 2004 when then National Coach Lance Watson e-mailed me a copy of Brent McMahon's 2004 annual plan, as an example of the work that was being done by an athlete who ultimately raced in the Olympic Games that year. For someone with very limited experience at the top levels of the sport, it was a great learning tool for me. The only thing Lance asked in return was that I didn't distribute the plan. I never did. It's still in my files, and I go back and give it a read from time to time.
So in the spirit of fostering coach development & collaboration, I'll make a similar offer to any Canadian triathlon coach who's interested: drop me a line and I'll give you access to our weekly RTC-Guelph Schedule, annual plan, and associated documents.
Maybe you'll get some ideas, maybe it will inspire you, or maybe it will make you think we're completely off our rocker. Maybe you'll find that we program more hours than you do....or maybe we do less. But my guess is that you'll probably find it isn't that special or exotic - the only secret is that there are no secrets in endurance sport.
Disclaimer: Like any plan, it's just one way of doing things, and it's written to address the specific context we work in (draft-legal, full academic course loads, winter bike training, etc). It's provided in the hopes that it furthers the education/development of coaches, not to be cut and pasted blindly into programs. It shouldn't surprise you to know that not everyone in the squad is on the exact schedule, and that sometimes we modify on the fly, based on athlete feedback and response to training. That's coaching.
There are only two rules:
1) Not for distribution or publication
2) Coaches only - this is not for athletes looking for a free program
Here's a sample of our schedule for Nov 8-14, 2010:
One of the discussions today had to do with coach development; strategies and opportunities to develop coaches, and the importance of a strong coaching community of practice in setting the foundation for future athlete success.
On the trip home I had a bit of time to reflect on the meetings, and some of the many development opportunities I've had over the years. One that always stands out for me was back in 2004 when then National Coach Lance Watson e-mailed me a copy of Brent McMahon's 2004 annual plan, as an example of the work that was being done by an athlete who ultimately raced in the Olympic Games that year. For someone with very limited experience at the top levels of the sport, it was a great learning tool for me. The only thing Lance asked in return was that I didn't distribute the plan. I never did. It's still in my files, and I go back and give it a read from time to time.
So in the spirit of fostering coach development & collaboration, I'll make a similar offer to any Canadian triathlon coach who's interested: drop me a line and I'll give you access to our weekly RTC-Guelph Schedule, annual plan, and associated documents.
Maybe you'll get some ideas, maybe it will inspire you, or maybe it will make you think we're completely off our rocker. Maybe you'll find that we program more hours than you do....or maybe we do less. But my guess is that you'll probably find it isn't that special or exotic - the only secret is that there are no secrets in endurance sport.
Disclaimer: Like any plan, it's just one way of doing things, and it's written to address the specific context we work in (draft-legal, full academic course loads, winter bike training, etc). It's provided in the hopes that it furthers the education/development of coaches, not to be cut and pasted blindly into programs. It shouldn't surprise you to know that not everyone in the squad is on the exact schedule, and that sometimes we modify on the fly, based on athlete feedback and response to training. That's coaching.
There are only two rules:
1) Not for distribution or publication
2) Coaches only - this is not for athletes looking for a free program
Here's a sample of our schedule for Nov 8-14, 2010:
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This is a great idea. I don't buy the idea that training needs to be secret or proprietary either. Good for you for sharing.
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