I am a big believer in having a tight team. On face value, triathlon and multisport involve an individual performance on race day and often lonely hours spent training each day. But the general approach to the endurance athlete’s lifestyle should be anything but individual. Not if you want to close in on your potential anyway.
My coach Val introduced me to the concept of forming a ‘tight team’ a few years back. I think the word ‘tight’ is key as it reinforces the importance of keeping your support team small but effective.
In recent years my team has included my wife Amy, coach Val, Brett and Kat at Wanaka Physio, and my massage therapist Marlene at Wanaka Sports Massage (recovery is KEY). These guys understand me and know what is best for me at any given time. I trust them 100%.
There is one other person in my tight team which leads to my quick success story to highlight the importance of you having your own tight team:
After Challenge Wanaka 2015 it was obvious I needed to improve my swim if I was ever to win this or any other major triathlon race. Val had been pushing me towards contacting Jeremy Duncan at H2O Dreams in Invercargill for a while. She believed he was a special swim coach. I trust Val and especially her intuition when it comes to coaches. So late last year (yes, only a couple of months before Challenge Wanaka), I finally linked up with Jeremy.
His approach has been a massive success for me. He has made things simple so I understand what I am trying to achieve every time I jump in the pool. He works me hard but in such a way that I am able to recognise my successes as I grind my way through. And he has even achieved something quite extraordinary, he has me super excited about my swimming. I love to swim train.
Oh, and he also helped me go from a 1.03 swim to a 54min swim in Challenge Wanaka this year. But that’s another story in itself (and my swimming right now is another level again on Feb).
So since last summer I have another addition to my tight team. Jeremy. He is open and honest and I trust him 100%. I feel extremely privileged to have him on board.
So who is in your tight team? Make sure you surround yourself with people that make you better. People you trust. People that want your success as much as you do. People that support you because they want you to be your best, whether you are aiming to win or just finish in one piece. But only the creme of the crop. Keep it simple.
Check more about H2O Dreams out here: http://www.h2odreams.co.nz/ or on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/H2oDreamsLTD/
Dougal