The Biggest Mistake of My Career: Who Is Responsible for Your Success?

Get Fast Podcast, Ep 35, with Gerard and Jordan Donnelly

Both of you are. Gerard's view is that the coach has real responsibility and the athlete has "equally if not more", because the coach can only direct. The athlete has to execute the sessions and the race.

He has made the mistake himself, at Kona.

What happened to Gerard at Kona?

On the bike at Kona, another athlete caught Gerard. That athlete had never caught him on any bike ride before. He was shocked, and he changed his effort to match theirs.

What he didn't know was that they were going flat out for the swim and bike only. They didn't end up running.

Gerard says he had ridden 20 percent above what he should have on race day, and he could hardly run. "How foolish did I feel," he says.

His point applies from elites to beginners. Do someone else's race and disregard your numbers, and you'll have a poor outcome.

Who is responsible, the coach or the athlete?

Gerard's answer is that it's a team. The athlete commits to executing the program the way the coach wants. The coach listens to feedback, so you make better decisions together.

The athlete carries more on race day, because, as Jordan points out, your coach isn't racing with you. "You're in charge of the outcome," Gerard says. Saying you'd rather leave it all to your coach is, in his word, "deflecting".

What does taking ownership look like in training?

It means knowing your numbers and the purpose of each session.

Gerard has had athletes repeat a session because a technical glitch loaded it twice in TrainingPeaks. They got three quarters of the way through before saying, "I think it's the same as yesterday." He would be asking questions within 10 or 15 minutes of the warm-up.

Here's his example of an invested athlete. The session is four 8-minute efforts on the bike at 300 to 320 watts. Last week you did 301, 302 and 304, so you see if you can do 308 or 310 today. Sitting at the bottom of the range when it isn't uncomfortable is "taking the easy way out".

He also describes a runner doing the same 1km repeats at the same pace for five years, whose race time hasn't moved. His question is whether you've tried to run faster at any point in that program.

Why not just follow someone faster?

Because you've put your race in someone else's hands. Jordan was trying to break two minutes for 800 metres. The plan was to stick with his cousin, who had run under two minutes. His cousin was sick that day, ran poorly and didn't break two minutes.

Here's an extreme example. A 2:40 marathon runner starts with 2:10 runners, runs the first 5km at about 3:02 per kilometre, and could finish in 3:05. That's ambition and ability getting confused.

Should you trust your coach or question your coach?

Both. Be 100 percent on board with the program you and your coach have worked out, and be willing to discuss changes. "It's your program," Gerard says, and the coach is there to guide you.

How much you question depends on your personality. Some athletes do whatever he says, and others question almost every session. He's fine with both.

What about group rides?

They're fine if you still get the outcome planned for that session. Gerard's question is, "Are you strong enough to let those people go?"

An easy ride can turn into a flat-out "ego ride". He says about half the riders who ask end up joining in, do two hard rides in a row, then can't hit their numbers on Tuesday. Doing that repeatedly is "self-sabotage".

When should you start taking ownership?

From day one. Beginners get some leeway, because numbers and data are new to them. But if you only grasp this at week 12 of a 20-week program, Gerard says you've "trained blindly" for 12 weeks.

After your calibration at the start of a campaign, know your swim, bike and run numbers.

Related

• How we coach Ironman athletes
• How we coach triathletes
• How much improvement can you really expect?
• Real athlete results
• Apply for coaching