The #1 best question my athletes ask me is:

“Why are we doing this?”

It truly is a great question because it indicates that the athlete is thinking…thinking about how this particular thing that I’m asking them to do relates to performance in their sport.  Thinking athletes = better athletes.

I also love this question because it makes me think!  Just why exactly am I asking them to do X?  Just because I needed to burn time?  Or can X skill actually transfer to their sport?  (Hopefully the latter is always the case!)  It’s a double-check on me…because if I don’t have a solid answer, I really shouldn’t be asking them to do it.  Thanks, Laura Widenor for asking this all-important question.  I very much appreciate you!

In Laura’s own words:

“Prior to the pandemic I had prepared myself to complete a Half Ironman triathlon – I had one scheduled, but unfortunately the swim was canceled.  Due to life events, I hadn’t done any swimming or tri training since 2021.  Recently two friends convinced me to sign up for 2024 Ironman 70.3 Oregon.  I knew swimming was the thing I really needed to work on…so I signed up for Coach Michelle’s Swim Training workouts.  And…wow…it has been fantastic!

I’ve learned so many new skills like swimming with hip rotation (rather than keeping my body flat) & flip turns!  Since I’m primarily an Open Water (OW) swimmer, I’ve never focused on flip turns.  I mean…who needs flip turns if there are no walls, right?!  So last week, at the end of practice, I asked Coach Michelle how flip turns related to OW swimming.  She answered that, when we learn all different kinds of ways of moving our bodies in water, we become more confident & versatile swimmers.  AND working on flip turns in particular helps increase our comfort with minimal air.  All good things for OW swimming!”

For more info on coaching, click here.  For info on Swim Training workouts, click here.