Trust the Organic Process, The Synergy of Success

Organic Coaching for the Win #FTW

The synergy of success

Do not fear going forward slowly, fear only to stand still.

        Chinese Proverb

Introduction

Do you know what it takes to get the best out of yourself?  As a coach, I had a understanding what it would take. But for several years, as an athlete, I wasn’t ready to take that leap  for myself to test it out.

Life throws a lot at us and we all try to seek balance. The challenges of life can slow our progress towards our big goals; it’s part of the process. For success, timing is crucial. In the case of my journey to both distance Ironman World Championships in 2017, the timing was so right. This is a recap of the organic process and synergy leading to this year’s Ironman success.

Start with Timing and Trust

Last June I decided attempt to Kona Ironman World Championship Qualify at Ironman Florida. I told my Coach, Slayer, a licensed psychologist,  I was “all in” and I was. I was willing to trust him. I was willing to #ListenToSlayer.

For years, I’ve known what it would take to get there but was not willing to make the necessary sacrifices. It just  hadn’t been my KQ season yet. I’m a mother and my children needed that quality time. No regrets though! I am grateful that I could be there for them. I was also building my coaching firm FX Multisport, all while continuing to work as a registered nurse. Needless to say, I stay busy. However, it was now time to assume the role of my new nickname, KO, and go for the knockout punches. Take the risk and see how it goes.  

Collaborative Choo 70.3 TriCamp

Trust the (Organic) Process

2016 was the year the synergy came together. My family gave me their blessing, work cooperated and my passion fueled the desire to make it happen. Through an organic process, Slayer & I  developed a hard working coach/athlete relationship that produced 2 World Championship coins in my pocket, 70.3 Worlds in Chattanooga & Ironman World Championship in Kona. It was more than I ever could have dreamt.

The process of training for any big race requires tons of energy. What does it mean for a process to be organic? “The process” is a living organism, full of life and power that creates the desired changes we need to reach our goals. It is a Synergy!  It’s an energy that needs to be observed and respected.

Working organically means to observe and trust the synergy you are working with. It needs to be natural and intuitive while being patient with “The Process”. One must allow the process to unfold naturally, and not force it. When one feels good, it’s ok to train longer or harder. When one needs a break, one must have respect the body and back off.

Fake or forced energy won’t be helpful. It needs to be real to create lasting change. The more natural or organic your progress is and the more love and passion you have for it, the more rewarding and real the experience will be.  You probably are thinking that these concepts apply not just to sport but everything in life and you are right.

BA Coach Slayer

Important Themes

Coach Slayer had some themes. One theme he repeats is that you #DoYourJob and you will #ReapWhatYouSow. What simple truth. That’s why one must be mindful of the seeds one plants and be sure the soil they are planted in is organic and pure for reaping the best results. We need positive energy to perform our daily best, in training, interactions with friends family, teammates and coworkers. We need to tend to these relationships and nurture them like seeds in a garden. More often than not, they will then yield the best results.

     Take note, a static or compulsively implemented training plan won’t provide the synergy  of an organic process. Nor will it produce the best results you’re striving to achieve. If you line up on a start line without trusting your body and your process, you are taking risks and forcing things. Anything in life that is forced, won’t be allowed to reach full potential.

Passion is at the heart of a successful pursuit. Rewarding experiences take time, so one may as well enjoy it. Find beauty in “the Process”. Savor the good moments and learn from the bad ones. Recognize where you pushed too hard or not hard enough.

Another theme in this vein is to stay present focused. It really is more about the journey than the destination. Each day matters. Each session matters. By remembering this, you set yourself up for the best chances at the most satisfying outcomes.

I tell my athletes on race day,  focus on the one thing you are doing at the moment.  Be the best you can be, whether it’s technique, breathing, posture, cadence, fueling, power, pace, mental or whatever it is you are doing. Do it to the best of your ability and let the training or race come to you. Focus on the process, not the outcome. That comes later.

Finally, Slayer’s theme of #NoQuit which serves to remind you that during the process there will come times in training and racing that you have to pay a price and get out of your comfort zone. To excel, you have to welcome some discomfort and know that you will get out on the other side. This serves as an inoculation of sorts.  

Why Coaching Serves the Process

Worlds 70.3 Chattanooga 

Working with a coach is one of the best ways to maximize “the Process”. It should be a conscious collaboration without competition to create a synergy of momentum towards one’s goals. There is no room for lukewarm in the process. One is either ALL IN or NOT.  There is no middle ground. Be All IN if you want to reach your full potential.

    If you don’t trust your coach fully, the magic may or may not happen. I wanted to maximize my odds. In order for the organic process to unfold, one must trust the coach and trust “the Process”. Respect what your coach is telling you and follow directions. Provide feedback to them so they know how to make changes that are needed to accommodate your evolving dynamic nature. Why else would you be paying him or her?

As the process is an organic living thing, one must be aware of what our intuition or gut is telling us. If something in your body doesn’t feel right, stop, listen, and communicate with your coach. There’s a message that needs to be heard or a lesson that needs to be learned. Nobody wants injury or illness. Heeding these warning signs can prevent bad things from happening. You and your coach can adjust things. No training plan is concrete and, if treated as static, you will end up losing training time and opportunities. The secret sauce everyone knows by now is consistent training and recovery, not magical sessions.

     Your inner voice is the best indicator of if a given process is effective and working for you or not. Tune in to what your body is telling you and respect that. It’s not always  a perfect process and it usually takes longer than we want. Regardless, we have to respect it and learn as we go. We all want growth. Whether it’s to be faster, stronger, healthier or leaner, THE GOAL IS ORGANIC GROWTH. Natural, true strength and power is the best kind of pure organic energy.

Synergy

    

Steps to Be More Organic

What I learned via my life experiences and time with Coach Slayer are that small daily actions can work for us or against us. Intentional, constructive actions can produce rewarding results. Repeated actions without quitting become habits (sowing the seeds) so be sure to create good ones. Here are some steps I use to enhance the process organically in my daily life as an athlete and as a coach.

1. Prepare your soil. Start with Gratitude. Get the positive mojo flowing. We GET to do this sport, it’s not a job or a chore, we are blessed to be able to do such things. What are you grateful for? Say it, feel it, tell someone you appreciate them. Set the tone for a positive experience.
2. Plant your seeds through daily actions (do your job). Be intentional with your training. Know what your goal for the session is. Every workout should have a purpose, even the easy ones are easy for a reason. Understand what that purpose is & strive to achieve it. Plan your day the night before, set the alarm early, and be consistent with your training. The results will come.
3. Fuel to train not the other way around. Your body is better when treated properly. Eat healthy unprocessed foods and drink lots of clean water to help with recovery.
4. Visualize your perfect race experience daily from start to finish. What does it look like? What are you doing today to thet that result?  Use visual reminders, ( I have a picture of Chrissie Wellington at the Kona finish line at the top of my mirror for the last 2 years)
5. Focus on your own prep and your race. Control the controllables and let go of what you can’t control (serenity prayer). Apply this to racing, training & life in general. Mind your own business and don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. It’s wasted energy & you are going to need EVERY OUNCE of your energy for this.
6. Respect your inner voice. Listen to what your body is saying and don’t force something that doesn’t feel right. Flow, don't Force.
7. Communicate with your coach, training partner(s), mentor or someone who is objective. Think through if the training session goal oriented and will you be doing damage to tomorrow by training a certain way today given how you feel? If it doesn’t serve you, modify.
8. Learn from the tough times. Every experience that doesn't go perfectly is a lesson. Write down what critical lessons you learn along the way. Apply those lessons to the next session(s). Then ask “How can I do it better?” This way, you are constantly growing and improving organically.

Closing

When the timing is right to go all in, utilize your passion and take risks. The right support will find you.  Keep it simple, be present, trust the organic process and prepare to receive the magic of the synergy. Maybe not on the scale that I received, but you will. Give thanks for the process and the journey.

Stay humble, work hard and never give up. It may take longer than you hope, but that’s no excuse for quitting. If I had given up just because it was hard or because I didn’t Kona Qualify the first 4 times, the magic would never have happened.  

#TTP and enjoy the ride.

Coach Robyn AKA KO