I always get great satisfaction when an athlete achieves their targets. Some months ago Jackie advised me that she was contemplating increasing her race distance from sprint to standard but was uncertain about if she could do this and the time it would take her to complete the distance. I was naturally excited with the prospect of Jackie stepping up and had every confidence that she would do well. I also understood the nervousness as all triathletes at some stage have made a leap out of their comfort zone and pushed themselves further than in the past. This can be by entering your first triathlon or taking on a harder challenge.
Once I knew of Jackie’s desire to complete this distance I encouraged her to enter the race so that she was committed and adjusted her training accordingly. The initial goal for this race was to finish, in a time of around 3hrs, I quietly was targeting for Jackie to go sub 3hours and a stretch target of 2:45.
Jackie raced Tatton Park last Sunday and completed it in a time of 2:45, placing 7th in her age group, an excellent result for her first Standard Distance. I am not sure if Jackie’s feet have hit the ground yet, as she is ecstatic with this result. Well done Jackie.
Andrew Tong | Triathlon coaching 