Dear Athletes! My coaching structure, my perspective and my analysis are one thing, but equally important are my athlete's perceptions, feelings and feedbacks. Mixing all of it fairly into a pot is the recipe for a successful and amicable athlete-coach relationship. So, this time, I let my athletes speak about their last training year and Challenge Roth as their main race in 2024. Enjoy Joel's and Jan's recap. Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺
Joel Maia, Brazilian, living in Vienna, CEO, highly driven and competitive, a caring family person and understandably challenged by a 60hr work week, changed his life from an uncompromising couch potato into a full-on triathlete and marathoner. First and therefore PB marathon within a relay at Challenge Roth: 3:39:59.
The beginning of the journey was a Covid lockdown induced decision: why not making something seemingly impossible - an Ironman? The decision was followed by 20 kg of weight loss and a couple of Olympic distance triathlons. Life kicked in again though and plans have been put on hold.
We all have this “what the hell am I doing here” moments, and mine was in the first swim camp with Kathi in Samorin. What a kick-off for our partnership. Swimming was my utter weak spot. With perseverance and individualized training from Kathi I have not only survived that camp, but many more, all my swim challenges since then and were even able to gain an almost peaceful ease in swimming.
Biking and running felt more comfortable, on paper, but we still had lots to improve. Step by step, training by training, frustration by frustration but also achievement by achievement. We went together through a potential Achilles problem, and worst, my anxiety to not perform and my expectations management.
Sometimes it is hard to see, even more feel progress, but I always “trusted the plan” (quote). And the results were there. In 2023 I achieved PBs in Sprint and Olympic triathlons, crossed the finish line of my first Half Distance Ironman with an amazing time and could make my dream come true in 2024, finishing my first full marathon. I initially came from a 8:30 base run pace and finished my best HM in March 2024 with a 4:53 pace. I badly wanted to finish the Challenge Roth marathon under 3:40 and did so with 3:39:59 (Sidenote: first half in 5:13 and second half in 5:19). All my plans worked out, with lots of work, honest feedbacks, sweat ant tears but also with an extraordinary amount of laughs, and yet better, healthier than ever. I am still training hard for the Ironman distance in the near future, still “trusting the plan”.
Jan Diederichsen, living in Hamburg, hopefully soon in Vienna, heartful dad, perfectionist in every part of his life, from job to Ironman, incredibly talented athlete, fast learner and runner and the type of guy that you have to write RECOVERY in the plan so that he can check it off to make it green, otherwise he would just keep on going. Challenge Roth Long Distance Finish in 10:35:09.
The preparations for my second Long Distance Ironman went really well. This time I managed a year without any injuries or other absences. (My first Ironman had to be postponed due to a traffic accident and a broken shoulder).
You often ask yourself "have I trained enough, am I well prepared?" You always wonder, if you could have done even more. (Average weekly hours incl. recovery, race and tapering weeks from Jan 1st 2024 until Challenge Roth on July 7th 2024: 13:52. Jan has an extraordinary fulfillment ratio of about 98%).
Let's immediately jump to the race day in Roth: the excitement was somehow greater the second time around, even though I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole event around the race.
The swim start was set at 7:20. Despite the hustle and bustle at the mass start, the swim turned out pretty well and I could finish in 1:06:43. Through transition off to the two laps of the bike course, where it had started to rain already and we all have been pretty cold on the first kilometers. I couldn't wait to finally get to the magic spots. The atmosphere at Solarer Berg and Kalvarienberg was just incredible! My display and Watt system kept failing, but I tried, as trained, to listen to my body and therefore things went pretty well on the bike. I finished almost 20 minutes faster than at my first Ironman (comparable elevation). My run suffered more from the bike than I expected and I couldn't perform as I was hoping for. My PB half-marathon, set end of April 2024, was 1:28:28. But overall I finished over 40 minutes faster than in 2023.
The answer to the question if I had done enough... YES definitely ;-)
Thank you Kathi for the past year! Thank you for your training and especially for your friendship!
Here's to another year, let's see what comes next!
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Thank you both for the view through athlete's eyes. Managing expectations, seeing the earned progress while accepting the circumstances and bodies we live in, acknowledging that we are not machines, but human beings, fighting through motivational holes, new strength trainings, lack of time, but even more so celebrating moments like the finish line at Challenge Roth, is exactly what all athletes go through and what makes this sporty life so greatly fulfilling and awesome.
Looking forward talking to you! Your, Coach Katharina
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