My New Coach

One day after completing Barb's Race 2014 I knew I wanted to do the full Vineman in 2015.  I immediately began re-reading The Triathlete's Training Bible (for the third or fourth time) and planning out my season. In fact, my plan for Vineman started the Monday after Barb's Race.

Time off? Ain't nobody got time for that!

I also re-did my "natural abilties" profile (page 69) and once again found endurance to be my strong point. I also found my force and speed to be lacking (no surprise there). This was good info and I was going to use it to build my annual training plan (ATP).

I'd rather have endurance than speed for Vineman

As with my past attempts, I became overwhelmed by all the info in The Triathlete's Training Bible. How was I going to come up with a plan that addressed my lack of speed and force? How was I going to improve my endurance so I didn't suffer too greatly over the 140.6 mile race? I penciled in a plan based on 3 weeks on, 1 week off starting from Vineman 2015 and working my way back. I then added my "big days" and a few races and that was about as far as I got.

I started researching training plans online and signed up for TrainingPeaks to track my ATP. A few people I know that have completed a full iron-distance race told me that I needed a coach...a coach that has raced the distance. I looked at some of their recommendations and wasn't too sure if I would be able to work with a coach. I looked at pre-made online training plans and found the "samples" to be just as confusing as the TTB. What was I going to do?

The Answer

Then, Coach +James (aka F'n James) posted this on our tri club's Facebook page...

So, like any good stalker...I mean triathlete...I Googled +Bob Korock. Who was this guy and did he really do Kona five times? As his competitive history was revealed (Thank you www.athlinks.com), I also discovered athletes that had trained under him...so I Googled them too :-)

Lodi New-Sentinel - July 20, 1988

My next question was "Why would Bob Korock want to train the likes of me?" I am clearly way, way, WAY below the athletes I found online.

First Meeting

After signing up for Vineman, I contacted Bob and set up a meeting with him and HS (If I was going to hire a coach, HS needed to be just as comfortable with the coach as I was). We met at Starbucks and spent a good hour discussing contracting, kids, and of course triathlons & training.

My initial thought was he seemed easy going and not like some overly-intense (scary) triathlete. On top of that, he is around my age so he understands what it feels like to be a 40+ athlete. Throw in a contracting business and other hobbies and interests and it would seem that he clearly understands how to balance life with training.

HS and I discussed the meeting and we both thought it would be a good idea for me to work with Bob. I contact Coach K a few days later and let him know that I wanted to proceed and would start my training in January 2015 (after taking a few weeks off after CIM).

The Start of Training

Prior to the start of my actual training, Coach K sent me a couple of templates and asked what I thought. I made a few comments, but the base plan didn't seem too bad. In fact, on paper it almost looked too easy. In the beginning of January, Coach K activated my calendar and my initial training plan was revealed to me. What the...?

When I saw the plan I was taken aback by the simplicity. Is this all there is? I was expecting some sort of plan like those I had found on the internet...something that could only be translated by the mad-scientist that came up with it. Something complicated. Something highly detailed. Something super hard.

I questioned the training plan and asked about workout specifics. Coach K's response was "Endurance training should not be really complicated." Hmmm...Ok, I'm good with uncomplicated. In fact, HS calls me "Rain Girl" because of my routines (eating, training, TV, etc). I love consistency and stability. My previous (homemade) training plans were so consistent that even F'n James had my training schedule memorized.  Whatever! It works!

Three minutes to Wapner ;-)


#dreamingseason +TrainingPeaks