Moral Support During Training

The other night I was watching the women's olympic pole vault (mainly because gymnastics was not on). At any rate the coach, Rick Shur was extremely unsupportive. After winning the silver medal with only 4 years of pole vaulting experience under her belt the 'coach' says:

It’s the same old same old, you’re losing takeoff at the big heights. (shrug) Whaddaya gonna do? (shrug, looks away) Gotta learn to keep takeoff. You got caught at that meat grinder. I did not - and I told 10 people - I didn’t wanna be caught in a meat grinder between 65 and 80. You had to, though. You weren’t on, your warmup didn’t go well. You were at 55. You got caught up in that meat grinder. Whaddaya gonna do? (shrugs, looks away) Whaddaya gonna do? (shrugs, looks away) Didn’t have the legs. Her legs are fresh. Hey, it’s a silver medal. Not bad for someone that’s been pole vaulting for four years. (looks down at his blackberry)


The poor gal was at a loss. I was really upset for her. Here she is having just one an olympic silver medal (not a feat to be reckoned with) and this d. baggerston is treating her like she had lost, dropped out, or did not even qualify! It got me thinking about the importance of a support system when you are training. A support system for athletes and super-athletes typically comes from their coaches, but for the rest of us (Giles we know you are a super-athlete ;-) we need to rely on others. It's not always easy to find a supportive, understanding (because real training takes time), and caring individual. In another life, I had a wife that was allergic to exercise (no seriously, she was allergic to her own sweat!)  So imaging trying to get this person to understand your dedication to training and the importance that fitness training holds to you. Well, to say the least, it falls on deaf ears. So who can/should you be able to turn to. Your family. First off, your kids (if you have any) whom should also be encouraged to start training at a young age; they are never too young to impart the guidance for a lifelong journey and the benefits associated with fitness training. Second, your parents, if they care (or for example, if you live with or visit them). Sometimes when you visit family (not mine, or my in-laws) they can monopolize a lot of your time. You might want to, and plan to, wake up early and take a run, hit the monkey bars at the local town park, or do some calisthetics. They have other plans for you: like all those odd jobs that needed doing, but were able to wait until your visit. It is important to impart to your family the importance of a good training session to you and make them understand that it is like eating, breathing, sleeping - you must do it to function, even if that is a little stretch of the truth. 


But the single most important person you likely need support from is your romantic partner - wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc. You most likely spend the most time with this person and any time spent training means time away from them. I am lucky enough to have a train-a-holic wife that I adore and who can out-train just about any dude I know. We actually train together every weekend. It is awesome. If you are not lucky enough to have a training partner then it is important to not let them take you down in any bad habits - bingeing, eating poorly, or skipping workouts. One way to convince them is to inform them that out of shape people don't get laid, then kindly joke about how little you have been trying to hump her, him, them! ;-) Best of luck finding the training support/partner you can. And note, that having support is a two-way street. You need to give back and help them realize their fitness goals/dreams as well. As my other post suggests, I truly believe that the couple that "plays together stays together" and what is more fun the training?