Using a Coach

I've been getting help preparing for my London to Paris bike ride (in aid of the National Autistic Society). I have a cycling coach - Jason - he's great. He's the dad of one of my son's friends.

I've worked as an XP coach, on and off, for many years and I feel like there is some level of analogy. Sometimes working as a coach has been better than other times; not everyone seems to know how to use a coach effectively, and I hope to indicate in this article that it isn't all down to the coach.

Your coach has done this before - listen and learn

I'm just cycling a mere 200 miles or so; my coach has cycled across Ecuador. And Mexico. He knows what he's doing; I listen to his advice.

Your coach hasn't done exactly this before

Jason hasn't cycled from London to Paris, but, he's done a lot of cycling. The fact that he hasn't done exactly what I'm doing doesn't matter.

Make time for your coach

I've been going for training rides with Jason every weekend. He coaches at a cycle club on Saturdays, so recommends a ride for me to do by myself on Saturday, then we go for a bike ride together on Sunday mornings. On Sunday mornings I don't tell him that actually I've decided to go shopping instead.

Have whatever resources you need to make best use of your coach.

When Jason arrives at my house on Sunday morning, I don't tell him that actually I don't have a bike so we'll have to go for a run instead.

Don't try to buy your way out of coaching advice

The analogy would have been buying a very expensive Wheelie Pointless Sycle from International Bicycle Makers (a tricycle with octagonal wheels), and then either struggling with it and getting no help, or asking Jason how to make best use of it and insisting on sticking with it because I've just spent loads of money on it.

Instead, I talked to Jason about whether to get a new bike; he suggested keeping my old rubbish bike until I had a better idea of what I need. My old bike was OK for training on, and Jason suggested ways to make it slightly less rubbish without completely replacing it - so I made those changes (things like having the tires actually inflated properly). I've now bought a bike, with his advice, that will be suitable for me and the bike ride.

A good analogy is like cycling downhill on a sunny day.

When employing an XP coach, think about how to get the best use of them. There are things you can do to stop a coach being able to help you; don't do them. There are things you can do to help a coach help you; do them.