Unforgettable lessons from Coach K

It’s so hard to write about this. This past weekend, we lost a good one. He meant so much to so many of us and losing him leaves a big hole in our hearts. I feel the need to record some of his teachings so I, selfishly, can hold on to these lessons which will help guide me through the rest of my life. I’ve read through many of our correspondences and am attempting to summarize some of the key messages over the years. As I think through our time together and perform this exercise, it brings tears to my eyes and feelings of sadness and also feelings of happiness thinking of the good times we shared together.

These messages are in the context of triathlon but can be interpolated to many areas of life including but not limited to family, spirituality, and career. Below, I’ll list some of the key lessons that come to mind, then elaborate in more detail on each lesson:

• Consistency, consistency, consistency
• Keep it simple
• Trust the process
• Plan ahead
• Races can be won or lost in transition
• Push through the lows
• Race with courage
• There will be setbacks, always get back on the horse

Consistency, consistency, consistency

Before we started working together in 2018, Coach sent me an email asking if I’d be interested in being a guinea pig as he took on triathlon coaching for the first time. Below is a screenshot from his original email to me. Notice his athlete expectations. Number 1, consistency. This is a huge takeaway I will never forget. He was the king of consistency and it showed in his results. Training consistently every day is more important than smashing a massive session but putting yourself out of commission for the next couple of days or weeks. As I became a more consistent athlete, the results followed quickly. Now, I think about being a consistent Husband, Dad, Leader, etc. Anything in life that takes me away from being consistent should probably be reduced or eliminated completely.

Keep it simple

Nothing about the training we did was complicated. Most of the workouts we did, I could easily remember in my head and not have to write them down. I remember him telling me during his marathon training days, he had this old cookie cutter training plan he bought and printed out that he would rinse and repeat over and over again. No special coach, no fancy new techniques, just a repeatable process that led to results over the long run. I am still tempted to try and complicate things with the next new flashy idea or technology. His fundamentals were simplicity and consistency. They worked for him and they can work for me too in any area of life. This is a good reminder for me to avoid the flashy new ideas and stick to what works. I learned pretty quickly that consistent and simple didn’t mean the training wouldn’t be hard (writing this made me giggle).

Trust the process

He spent a lot of time thinking through what the training and build looked like leading up to the races. We worked the plan together and I very rarely questioned the plan. This was a lesson I almost overlooked. This could be interpreted a few different ways. I think what he meant here is do the training, be consistent, and trust the work that you’re doing will prepare you for the big day. The night before or the morning of the race, he would always text me and say something like “fitness is good, you put the work in.” Trusting the process allowed me to race with courage, which we’ll go over later.

Plan Ahead

Coach was big on having a strong race and nutrition plan leading into each event. I would write down exactly what I wanted my race to look like from race check-in to post race activities. He always reviewed my plans and gave feedback. I would make adjustments as needed. I spent time visualizing the plan leading up to the race day. By the time race day came, I was on auto-pilot and had the capacity to react to changes or challenges because I had a strong plan leading into the race. The race never went as planned, but it took a lot of the stress and anxiety of the unknowns out by mastering the knowns beforehand. As Stephen Covey says in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, begin with the end in mind. I could apply this more to all areas of life like a did with racing.

Races can be Won or Lost in Transition

I’ll never forget a race we did together several years ago. It was cold outside, and he was debating whether or not to arm warmers. He elected not to put the arm warmers on and won the race. Second place was only a few seconds behind him. He was significantly faster than 2nd place in T1 because of his decision to not bundle up. Since then, I make sure transition is as efficient as possible and it has often been the difference in a position or two. Triathlon is about how quickly you can do the combination of swim, bike, run, AND transitions. The small gains you make by paying attention to the details and transitions could and often do matter. In life, this is a reminder for me to look for the small things throughout the day that seem insignificant but could actually change the end result if done well, consistently.

Push Through the Lows

At some point in a long course triathlon race, inevitably, there will be a time where motivation is down, and the triathlete will probably go through some physical and/or mental challenges. I certainly experienced this throughout my years of racing regularly. Coach would remind me before big races that these feelings would come and go, and they usually did. I would come to expect these lows and remind myself that it’s temporary and the good feelings would return (unless I was completely blown up, which is usually a result of poor planning). If I quit racing (gave up on the day) every time I hit a low in a race, I wouldn’t have gotten very far. Anyway, my takeaway on this one is life won’t always feel good. There will be times where I am doing everything right, but my feelings make me think otherwise, and I might start to doubt the process. In these times, I should remind myself the feeling is temporary and to push through the low feelings as there will be more high’s ahead.

Race with Courage

Early on in his ironman racing career, Coach would be conservative on the 112-mile bike ride in fear of blowing up early in the marathon and having to walk 26.2 miles. He hired a Coach to guide him in the late 2010’s. His Coach essentially told him race to his true potential, including output on the bike. He talked a lot about having the courage to ride the bike to the athlete’s potential and not allow the fear of the run to get in the way of that potential. I think the overarching message for me on this one is to have courage in life and not let fear limit your performance. This is a very difficult pill for me to swallow. Reaching one’s true potential is only possible through courage and setting fear aside.

There will be Setbacks, Always Get Back on the Horse

Adversity is a constant in life. For myself, regular adversity included injury, fatigue, illness, flooded basements, weddings, starting a family, insomnia, and so much more. Coaches’ response: lighten up the load for as long as necessary, get back to consistency, and then add back in the intensity. He was the king of getting knocked off the horse and getting back on. Broken collar bone, knee surgery, illness, and I am sure many others. He bounced back from many things quicker than most people would consider possible. Losing Coach K has knocked me off the horse and I’m sure so many others as well. I hit the ground hard and am feeling sore. What would he want? Get back on that horse as soon as you can and keep moving forward.

Rest in peace, Coach K. We’ll miss you.