I call him Coach!

[laupsi]

Been a member of The Paceline a little over 3 years and until recently haven't had much "truly noteworthy" to share. My racing history covers more time 20 years ago than anything current. In the past 15 years I've dabbled a bit, doing a handful of races/year and not having any expectations other than to mix things up and finish. Please note, this is not an advertisement of sorts and there was absolutely no pressure for me to contribute this post to the forum. This is a proclamation and personal testimony of my experience this season w/coach.


To say I am a gifted athlete is going way over the edge and jumps directly into the realm of blatant lying. Any success that did come did so at the cost of countless devoted hours toiling on my bike and trainer. Upgraded to a Cat 3 two years after entering the sport; there wasn't a 5 category those many years ago. In 20 years managed a handful of top 5 places, never breaking into the top 3 and did manage to win a single training race. (actually finished 2nd in the training race to Jeremiah Bishop who was too young at the time to take the first place prize of a growler of beer; but alas I digress). Purchased a power meter a few years back but like many I really didn't grasp its usefulness or its "power" to enhance the effects of training.

Enter my coach. Met him formally on this very forum almost a year ago when he responded to a question I posted regarding my training methods and form. His response was informative as it was insightful and thoughtful. Through a series of emails he offered his services, which are bolstered by his brief professional cycling career, his advanced educational background and most important, his wise approach to handling the neediness of an aspiring, born again, amateur masters racer.

The training program w/coach has run through an entire season. We started working together in Feb and I've raced in exactly 11 races; the final race held last Sat. I've managed 4 top 10 places; including a 3rd place finish in a Masters 35+ road race; my racing age is 49. The races have been split pretty evenly between road races and crits/circuit races. Of the 11 races one was in an open cat 1/2/3 RR. All others were masters category; either 35+, 40+ or 45+. I finished every race w/the exception of one, punctured in the race not finished but managed to get into the winning break prior to flatting . What is truly remarkable is that I started every race ready to go. Simply put, my legs never failed me, I was fresh and ready to go for every race started.

There is something to be said about taking orders and simply following through. Not having to think about "what should I do today?", "did I ride too hard yesterday to go again today?", "did I prepare properly through the week to enter the weekend's race?". Nope, training w/coach was simple; read my riding prescription given the day prior, go out and execute. I did have my doubts; initially in the months of Feb through March my training consisted of riding long and slow w/a gradual tick up in power but at very small margins w/overall power being very low. We did no threshold work at that time and I remember asking coach if I was properly trained and ready for the first circuit race in March. His response was yes, you'll be competitive and you will finish. I ended up finishing in the top half of the field and being active throughout the race, just not having the punch for the uphill sprint at the finish. This first race experience was a complete revelation given I had done zero interval or high intensity power work prior. At other times I've complained about not "feeling" ready to go for the next workout or interval and in every case coach simply told me his opinion and the reasoning behind his approach. He calmly explained why I could and should complete the task at hand. In the end and in every case I came away having completed the activity feeling better for it and gaining confidence along the way.

Coach and I communicate on a daily basis. Most of our correspondences are brief but they are detailed and informative. If I have questions about a particular workout his response is quick and thorough. (I've had plenty of issues and questions BTW). Will admit training w/power, I mean really training w/power ain't easy. It takes dedication and commitment. It takes a tough mind and a willingness to suffer all the while counting those infinite amount of seconds till the interval is over. Doubt is ever present as is the fear of failure. For all this coach is the one who talked me off the ledge and kept me grounded. Coach kept me looking forward making each day and each training session tolerable and doable.

My coach is Joachim. Although this sounds like a blaring advertisement, it isn't at least not at the basic "need to sell" level. I simply wanted to profess my complete and honest satisfaction w/Joachim's work and his temperament. I came into this season beaten down and feeling completely overwhelmed wanting to complete 10 races. Joachim not only gave me viable training advice and prescriptions, he was my go to for all my questions, concerns and feedback. Joachim tailored my training and gave me the confidence not only to complete races but to win just about every one entered.

Thanks Joachim. Having you as my coach and mentor this season has reminded me what it feels like to work hard and receive positive results. I also gained the confidence and satisfaction of knowing I can still do it at a level I thought had passed long ago.