Coach Tip Tuesday: Invest in Yourself

It’s already time again for Coach Tip Tuesday!!

Obviously, as you all know by now, coaching is what pays my bills and how I make my living.  I’m really fortunate.  Enough athletes have chosen to hire me to work for them through Team MPI and Fleet Feet Sports Syracuse has given me enough coaching opportunities that I have been able to say adios to some less-than-favorable jobs and make this my main hustle.  As they say, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”  All this being said, what I’m about to share for this week’s Coach Tip Tuesday is NOT in any way a means an attempt to boost my own personal paycheck.

So here is this week’s tip: Invest in yourself.

You’ve set your goals.  These goals can be anything!!  Getting off of the couch, running a 5K, riding a bike ride for charity, an IRONMAN, a marathon.  You’ve likely invested in these goals (either in the form of race entry fees or some gear you might need to acquire, such as a bike or running shoes).  I’m asking you to take this one step further and invest in a solid road map to get you to your goals.  What is this road map??  A solid coaching plan, either in the form of a one-on-one coach or in the form of a training plan that is specific to YOU and your life.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t ceased to be amazed at the number of athletes who train for 70.3 and 140.6-distance events and invest anywhere from $300-$800 in entry fees alone for a single event but who are hesitant to spend a similar amount of money (or perhaps even less!!) on a 16-week plan that can set them up for true success at their goal event.

I’m a coach (duh) with years of experience coaching athletes, and even I don’t coach myself.  I pay another coach (the fabulous Mark Turner) to help me navigate the path to the goals that I’ve set for myself as Athlete Coach Laura Henry.  Having Mark there to sound ideas off of, ask questions, and act as a non-biased, non-emotional third party when needed is an invaluable resource.  I clearly think that having Mark coach me makes me a better athlete.  I was smarter as I navigated multiple surgeries and physical restrictions because of him and I reached the finish lines of IRONMAN Louisville and the Wrightsville Beach Marathon stronger because of his guidance and insight.  To take this even further, I think that being a coached athlete myself makes me a better coach.

You deserve to reach your goals with strength and a smile.  You deserve to feel the utter joy that comes from setting a goal, working towards it, and seeing it come to fruition.  Like I always say, don’t aim to survive something.  Aim to thrive.  Canned plans might be able to help you survive something, but a personalized plan will take YOUR life, YOUR strengths, YOUR limiters, and YOUR goals into account and help you get there, perhaps even exceeding your own expectations of yourself.  Race day is MUCH more than just race day.  It’s the culmination of a ton of work and usually quite a bit of sacrifice.  Realize this, and you will realize that the true lesson of endurance sports comes in the day-to-day, not just on race day, which one of the greatest reasons why it’s worthwhile to invest in the process, not just the finish line.

Invest in yourself.  Set yourself up for success.  You deserve it.  Find a coach who suits your personality and who will work for YOU.  And, if you get a second, send me photos of those finish line smiles when you reach your goals. :)