Summer has definitely packed its bags and left.  And all this year’s ZigZag clients have now done their big events.  As the last one to compete in an event said to me in our regular Coaching Call, time to wash the bike and muddy shoes – and look back with great satisfaction.

It’s been a brilliant year for seeing the ZigZag themes of New Starts, New Heights, Alive and Well in action.  There are so many super stories to tell and wrong to single out any as being somehow more noteworthy than the others.  The following is more to draw out some reflections from a few that go to the heart of our themes (and to keep the post short!).

New Starts

Throughout the year there has been a steady stream of people wanting to learn to swim. Some to be able to get into triathlons. Others with a deep desire to take up anew something that for too many years has been a source of frustration: as if having given up on swimming at too early an age and now wanting to take it up with new found energy.  I feel deeply impressed and humbled by this kind of resolve: to face one’s fears or inhibitions, to stop accepting that it’s okay to miss out and instead to dare to try and enjoy, as if claiming back a childhood pleasure that has been denied for too long.  And how rewarding as a coach to be able to share the love of swimming.

One such swimmer said to me that, having now found a love of swimming in the way we worked on, her plan is to do a tour of the UK, swimming in every lido in the country.  In the Stories page you can also read about the amazing midnight swimming adventure in the Arctic Circle that another client undertook – in the process learning to swim front crawl as good as for the first time, then in the sea and in a wetsuit, even introducing the novelty of an occasional breath!

New Heights

The year has also seen some quite extraordinary new heights reached.  Sticking with the watery theme, two clients I taught to swim only three and two years ago each took part in very big open water swims: one completing the 6km Bantham Swoosh, grinning from ear to ear; the other the 14km Henley Marathon, elated and too tired to grin!

Their achievements hold a special memory for me as I was lucky to be there to see them both – at the Swoosh as I’d swam it myself and waited at the beach to see my intrepid swimmer come in; and at Henley positioned at the last feed station where the swimmers briefly exit, waddle past a lock and then re-enter the Thames for the last few kilometres.  In both cases as I waited all sorts of thoughts came to mind: will they be in soon? how will they be? have I prepared them well enough for such big step ups in what they’ve done before?  (You can see in the photos below the answers.)

Other new heights that have been scaled include a 100 mile mountain bike challenge over the South Downs Way (lots of heights to climb and then descend along the way!) and two Ironman 70.3 brilliant performances from clients stepping up to the distance for the first time.  I’m hoping one of these clients will add their tale to the Stories page as it includes other interesting heights.  For me, key was that he came hoping for a freshness to his training and, more specifically, to put a bad experience at the previous year’s London Marathon behind him.  I’ll leave him to recount the story.  Worth saying, though, I think coaching can be so rich and rewarding when we delve a little more deeply into what will make for a great experience, not just on the day but everything leading up to it, rather than just focusing on measures of final times or positions - super impressive though these are.

Alive and Well

From the earliest days of ZigZag Alive, everything has been built on a genuine concern and care for the well being of all those who come for support to meet their goals.  Here for completeness I feel I should mention that in the course of the year three clients came to the conclusions that their high ambitions to go for big events couldn’t sit with all their other commitments.  I strongly believe that training should not become an extra source of pressure and stress – and if it does it is time to back off, rethink and reconnect to what really matters to them.

I met up with one of these very recently, catching up over luxurious ice cream (it’s another big ZigZag theme).  She said she looks back with enormous pride at what she achieved the previous year when we worked together, and with no sense of having to chase after another big challenge… for the moment.

And my own new starts, new heights and being alive and well?  In terms of big events it’s been a quieter year for me, with just the Bantham Swoosh and Dart 10k swims, not much running and even less cycling.  A new adventure that I feel has deeply benefited me (and appeals to the child in me) has been… cold water swimming.

This time last year I wondered for how long into the Winter I could continue doing short dips in the sea.  October and November were fine.  December – well you have to go in on Christmas Day and then New Year’s Day so worth keeping up the occasional dips.  And having got that far, well just carry on until Spring and Summer catch up.

On a saner note, I’ve also become a British Triathlon mentor to other coaches, supporting those going through their Level 3 High Performing Coach Programme and learning much in the process.  Back closer to home, I’ve been regularly coaching the wonderful young people at Sussex TriStars and have returned to some swim coaching for the adults at Brighton Tri Club.  And last but not least, I’ve continued teaching children with disabilities to swim, through the excellent charity Level Water.

What a year!

There are some spaces available if you would like to be coached for whatever might be your new start or new height – follow the links to find out more, look at the Stories of the amazing things others have done and please get in touch.