Have a read of the following feedback we have had from one of our fully coached athletes, Jo. Need we say more? Not at all, we think she's done an amazing job!!
I first came across Ali and Annie when I signed up to one of their Beginners Tri Skills days. Back in 2015 my daughter had just started school, and another Mum had mentioned that lots of the parents did the Blenheim triathlon to fundraise for a school charity.
I’d always been sporty as a child, and through university, but in my 20s work, life, and subsequently 3 small children conspired to reduce my exercise to zero. Blenheim presented a challenge which resonated, while also seeming achievable. I entered the super sprint, and managed to complete it, albeit by the skin of my teeth! But I was hooked, and started planning the next year, with the help of the TSC weekly swim sessions.
Over the next 4 years I took on bigger challenges, eventually working up to Olympic and half Ironman distances, which was beyond my wildest dreams, although amazingly, I was still doing all of my training on a wing and a prayer, just making it up as I went along. Not the best training plan...
Last year I decided that I would love to do an Ironman. But I knew that to achieve this goal, I couldn’t wing it any more, I needed help. So I chatted to Ali, and signed up to the monthly coaching programme.
I’m not sure what I expected, but right from the start, it felt different. And easy. Not easy in the training sense - suddenly I was working harder than ever, but working properly. I had a plan, with that feeling of a proper workout after every session. But it felt easy in the sense that I didn’t have to worry whether I was doing the right things, at the right level. I just needed to complete the session. There were regular testing weeks, which were hard, but at the same time showed measurable progress, something I’d never tracked before.
Over the last 6 months I have rediscovered levels of fitness I never imagined I would see again. I recently finished a half marathon in a time I hadn’t come close to in 15 years.
It’s also worth saying that, alongside the training expertise, this programme combines two elements which are crucial to me. One, it’s flexible - when my children are ill, or on half term, or anything else, Ali adapts the plan to fit. And two, the personal connection - Ali is always available to talk about concerns or questions (or reassure me when everything goes to pot because a vomiting bug lays the whole family out!)
Over the past 6 months I’ve become fitter and stronger that I ever thought possible in my 40s, but I’m also enjoying my training more, and feeling more confident about taking on all the crazy things I have planned. Highly recommended, even for (or especially for) middle aged mums like me!
