Ah nice - good luck! I would have liked to join the fun but it doesn’t work for me.
Keeps you honest though. There’s nothing wrong with failing, as long as you’ve done what you can to achieve it in the first place.
I always find telling other people makes it more real for me. Otherwise I can convince myself to downgrade the target because of X and Y reason/excuse.
I’m having a real low of mojo and time at the mo. But I know it’ll settle again, and it’s mainly extenuating circumstances.
Really need to discover my run mojo again though. Running has been appalling this year again (for consistency and improvement).
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You are in the middle of a major mental and physical shift in your life, it takes a toll, even at your tender age. 
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Am assessing a level 2 dip course at present….some interesting coaches…and coaching…
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I missed out on doing the diploma as Id already started the HPCP when it was first announced. The couple that I know that have done it only did it to get insurance to earn money 1to1, and have just “done enough” to tick the box rather than it being a useful learning exercise. Scott who took the S&C was saying basically the HPCP is more like the old “L4” Kaizen and the dip is a truncated L3 focusing on coaching 1 to 1 as a business. Is that a fair reflection? The HPCP we did very little in triathlon, could have been a generic coaching course. One of the things they actually said is coaching is an art and triathlon is just one part, a coach is a coach and its a transferable skill, then sent us out to assist in random sports
We tend to get a mix - some exceptional, others box ticking but the ‘earning money’ is how the course has been established. Tutors have some agency on content however…
i didn’t do the old Tri L4, i did the old UKA which was an exceptional course…but yes, generally correct in both instances although a large proportion of the L2Dip is business orientated…
Incorrect…that’s just a term rolled out when someone doesn’t know the science…
Much of it is transferrable, certainly…
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Really interesting read. I have been a BTF and Swim England coach for a number of years and have just signed up for the L2 Dip.
I know it had a bit of focus on the business side do you know how much of it will be about the business side? I am really not interested in it as a business as I like being a club coach but I do tend to do a bit of 1:1, I know frowned upon as a L2 but sometimes people need the personal touch and more than a group set.
This is the main reason for the L2 Dip so can officially do 1:1 and have the insurance.
Yep…
it is pretty important…
I have a run coach and a cycle coach.
Cycle coach since 2016 really for time trialling, moving to multi sport as I started doing longer distance Tri again and lately Duathlon.
Run coach since March 21. Wish I’d done that years ago, progress is slow at age 49, but I have PB’d most distances this year.
The problem I have to manage is merging the two plans to make them work. Both are great people to be fair and patient with me.
As a coachee, I 100% have faith in the plans, and whilst sometimes might push back on volume, will do whatever is put in front of me - a bit like Anchorman 
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The results are showing that following a plan works. I feel I’m the same and to get reigned in when I want to race or do a TT and get told no it’s not in the plan. Just have to behave for a few more weeks……
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300 FS easy
4x100FS
4x200 FS
…
10x 400m IM off 6:00
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Might be for the existential thread, but following the plan would be my biggest problem. I understand I have an A-race, and everything else should be a build to that, but I’m not sure my A-race is A enough that I would sacrifice other races, or even just a hard session because I felt like it.
For instance, Cotswolds was probably my A-race this year, I had a plan, I did an Olympic distance early season, I gradually built up the TT bike rides and brick runs, all the things you should do. But I also did a week of cycle touring with my dad in the middle - very slow pace. And I did a trail relay race and a 25TT a week before. Then I did a long distance swim the week after. I did Zwift races when a workout would probably have been more appropriate. And I’m currently enjoying OW swimming, but I know if I want to actually get quicker I need to do some pool sessions.
I also enjoy planning my own training. So handing that over to someone else I might have less sense of accomplishment from the results I get.
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You can OW swim and do a session there, might not be fully structured, might not be able to use metrics like CSS, but most know my thoughts on “CSS” anyway. RPE, sprint a bit, do a rep to the next buoy, 400m or one lap reps, things like that. Also just a long aerobic swim is so much better without turns every 25m. No matter how much aerobic work you do in the pool doing continuous swims off the bat are something that need building towards. So easy to get sloppy and lose concentration
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This is what happens. I know I can mix it up, but so often without the discipline of a wall to stop at, I just end up swimming, and my mind and stroke gradually drift. This morning I ended up swimming with someone at about my pace, so I made the effort to keep on his feet, and then pull passed. Result, 1 minutes quicker this morning than the same swim on Monday, mostly due to the second loop being 30sec quicker than the first, instead of 30sec slower.
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My A race this year was the world du champs and everything was on track but I had set myself of achieving an arbitrary CTL number in Training Peaks before the race. So outside the plan I did a number of TTs, Zwift races and 5kms, I didn’t think I was burying myself at the time of doing the additional work. I got the CTL but on the race day I was flat and the freshness was not there. I missed out on gold by 24s, I raced again a few days later and crushed it coming 2nd overall. I just needed more time to absorb the work.
Lesson learnt I have the Euros in 5 weeks will not be going off plan
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That’s really interesting. What are the big changes you / your coach has implemented?
Easy runs are still there and there are lots of them. He breaks up longer runs with intervals and at least one speed interval a week.
Hard to nail to be honest cos no two weeks are the same 
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digging up an old topic but found your post after searching for xhale. how are you finding it?
you don,t seem to see much of the livesey’s on social media these days
Long since dropped
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