Fun times x2...

Exciting times for me this last week!

Firstly Noa asked me to help out with a bike clinic she was running for Team West Coast. The goal of the clinic was to teach basic group riding skills and bike handling, not a small task to fit in to two and half hours on a Saturday morning!

Noa and I had a plan for what we wanted to do, but I didn't really have any idea what to expect. The clinic started with a quick 20min ride just to get an idea of where everyone was and what we needed to focus on. Right from the start I was actually pleasantly surprised, everyone was comfortable on their bikes and group cohesion was better than I thought it would be.
Getting right into it we had the group ride for about 40min practicing single file and double file riding, while I was hanging out at the back keeping an eye on everyone. Hanging on to the back of a group is actually pretty tough! Trying to stay close enough to stay in the draft, but far enough away that you don't impede the rider falling back is a delicate balance that was new to me.

The group cohesion fell apart a bit when we moved in to double file riding, so Noa and I took everyone to a parking lot to practice some close quarter bike skills. It always amazes me how fast simple drills can make people comfortable with a skill. Just having everyone ride in pairs touching shoulders, or with hand on shoulder, made them realize that they were much more capable than they had realized.

From there we moved into some basic obstacle courses and bike handling drills, before taking the group out to the Observatory to see how they did with a bit of a climb! Already everyone looked so much better riding in a group, the gaps closed right up and people were filling off the front like pros! Then, despite a bit of happy complaining, they rocked up the observatory like it was a mole hill!

Moving right on from the bike clinic on Saturday, to the TC clinic on Sunday! Because I haven't been able to run, I have been leading the TC 10k walk group at Cedar Hill Rec, and I am so excited to see how everyone is coming along! I have a whole range of ability levels, from people with time goals, to one older lady recovering from a series of medical problems. No matter the reason though, everyone has been working hard and are well on their way to meeting their goals! Of particular note, however, the woman who is recovering from a stroke has more than doubled her activity levels in 8 short weeks! and I have one woman who wants to walk to 10km in under an hour and a half and I think she needs to adjust her goal, faster!!

I always forget how much I love coaching and running clinics, it is fantastic working out in the community with athletes of all ability levels. Seeing people reach their goals is highly rewarding!

Finally a short note on my training. I am happy to report that I went for my first run yesterday after two months off with a stress fracture! I am taking it really easy and knocking of every piece of wood I can find, but hopefully I will be ready to go in New Orleans!