Ignition Fitness Coaching
When I initially put my name in for the Ignition Fitness coaching prize as part of the Team Running Free lottery, I was hoping that the coaching staff at Ignition Fitness would design a program for me based on what I provided them for goal races. Upon finding out that I received the Ignition Fitness as my prize, I was very excited. I have been getting training in, but didn’t really have a proper plan. It was always just fit in what I could around my wife’s training for an Ironman, spending time with the family, and working. For my 2015 race season, my goal was all about making sure that I was ready for the World Duathlon Championships in October 2015 that I had qualified for at the Toronto Triathlon Festival in 2014.
When I was contacted by Ignition Fitness, they notified me that there was some confusion about what the price was. It was meant to be 3 x 1 hour sessions, but for three different people. However, if was an honest mistake and their team was willing to provide me with 3 hours of consultation. I ended up dealing with Roger and discussed what was to be expected with my lottery win. It turns out that I didn’t win Ignition Fitness putting together a training program for me, but rather they would look at the training program I was on and make suggestions. This was a big let down for me and I think Roger could hear that in my voice. He was very accommodating and gave me some options to consider. Before I made any decision, he pointed me to the website and the description there to fully understand what they were offering. This is the explanation:
“Coaching Consultations
If you’re a self-coached athlete and are comfortable building your own program but aren’t looking for full-time coaching services, we can still help. We offer live, hour-long coaching consultations delivered either in person (if it can be easily arranged), over the phone, or via Skype or FaceTime. Each hour-long sessions includes an in-depth conversation about your training and racing program, as well as analysis of data files if provided. Contact us today to get the process started! We’ll pair you up with one of our coaches and together you’ll discuss what’s working and what isn’t working, and also discuss strategies for getting the most out of your individual circumstances.
We recommend using coaching consultations at the beginning of each new stage of your training program, such as the off season, race prep season, and race season.”
The coaching consultation seemed like it would be a great option, but I didn’t have an actual plan! One of the options Roger was willing to do was to trade in my 3 hours of consultation and put that value towards creating an actual plan. When I actually got around to contacting Ignition Fitness about the coaching, it was the end of August. I was looking for a training program for September and October but there wasn’t enough of a trade in value to do more than a month of a program. In the end I decided to just put down in writing what I actually had been doing for training based on what I had on my Strava account.
Most of my communication was done over email, but that was my choice as Roger offered many ways to communicate. I lead a very busy life so it was nice to be able to just ask questions when I had time and then Roger was great in getting back to me shortly there after. We ended up scheduling a time to talk over the phone as some things are just easier that way. Prior to our call, Roger obviously did a little research on me and sport stat stocked me as he knew what races I had done and speeds. We discussed my upcoming race weekend at Lakeside where I would compete in the Sprint Duathlon on the Saturday, then the Olympic distance on the Sunday. I won’t give away any trade secrets but he had good advice on what to adjust in my training based on the info I provided from Strava and the goals I had. We didn’t change a lot, but made a few tweaks. Obviously it worked at I ended up winning both races and completed the Double Du! This gave me the confidence I needed to go into the Worlds in Australia. It was a nice touch when out of the blue I received an email from Roger after the race, congratulating me on my wins. Very classy!
I am not sure if I actually used the three hours of coaching consultation as emails are short and quick, but there would have been prep time involved with Roger formulating an answer to each of my inquiries. Overall I felt that the Coaching consultation was worth it. As I mentioned, I wasn’t really sure what to expect and should have done my research prior. I can see the value and think the team at Ignition Fitness is right. Using their coaching consultation at the beginning of each new stage of your training program would make sense and it a good value. If you have no clue what to do or are just starting out, then this might not be for you, but if you are following some type of training program already, Ignition Fitness can tweak it so that you get the most out of your training time and maximize your performance. After going through the consultation process, I would highly recommend the team at Ignition Fitness. I know a few of their other athletes they train and they are wicked fast. The team at Ignition Fitness can take you to the next level, regardless of if you are just starting out, or an experienced athlete. I think you could just talk to them and they would gladly guide you to the right product for you. For me, I think the coaching consultation is the right fit. Thanks Roger for the guidance!
