Ever wanted to take on a new challenge?  

Something that is massive but would change your life?  

Ever had a dream of "Anything is Possible" but don't know how to get there?  

We have the answer for you!!!  Introducing SBR Coaching, an athlete focussed training facility that is designed specifically to get you to the red carpet at Ironman SA 70.3 Buffalo City.  Our team of coaches and junior coaches are ready to guide you through the exciting world of preparing for your first race and your first Ironman Medal.  We have selected specialised coaches who  will take you step by step through the process.  Mathew Palmer our swim coach has many years as an athlete and coach under his belt, Juan Scholtz our cycle coach has not only competed at the highest level but has coached some future stars of cycling and are currently working on our running coach to be announced soon.

We will have regular interactions as a group with top Triathlon Coaches where we will host QnA sessions and coaching weekends. We selected these coaches because we believe that you deserve well balanced personalised coaching that will take you from your current fitness level to that "Magic" Carpet for the race that you are aiming at.

Concept:  

SBR is completely athlete focussed, in other words our coaching system is designed to meet your specific training requirements.  Many athletes have strengths and weaknesses that a generic training program can't address, with that in mind our coaching team will focus on you and the areas that you need to improve on in order to succeed.

The training facility will link you with our coaches in 3 main ways.

1.  Online coaching:  

This is a web based training facility that will give you weekly training plans that you will access during the week that will guide you specifically through that weeks training.  We believe in doing one thing at a time and won't burden you with a month or even 6 month program.  Our goal is to get you to focus only on the workout that you are about to do.  In this strategy we will require you to document your training on our webpage (Users will receive a password and user name) and at the end of each week your coach will give you feed back on your work so far and make suggested changes to your personalised program.

This section of training will begin with a months base training program in order to get you comfortable with the kind of training and distances that we will be doing together as the program unfolds.  From there we will roll out a week by week program that will increase in intensity in preparation for race day.  You will have access to your coach at any point and we will provide you with professional advice at any point.

2.  Personal coaching:

We at SBR believe that group training with your coach will add a much needed benefit to your race training, with that in mind one of your sessions per week will be with your group with the specialized coach in that discipline, it will rotate as in one week swim one week bike one week run.

In these sessions your coach will be able to asses your progress and correct any errors, it will also give the coach a chance to supervise your training so that you are able to learn from their experience when you are training alone. 

The benefit being that you will be able to see how to unpack your training session the way your coach would, mix with your team mates and share "war" stories and gain valuable experience from the group dynamic.  We will give you plenty of notice on the times and place for these sessions and try to accommodate as many athletes as we can.

In these sessions it would be good to swop numbers with your team mates and arrange training together when you take on your program solo.  Group training is incredibly motivating as although we all have our own goals we all share that Ironman medal as the ultimate prize.

3.  Training Camps and Simulated Race Day Training:

This for us is the most exciting part of this program.  The time to share the hard work with your team mates is invaluable and will inspire you.  Other programs run internationally have proved that these training camps and race days are hugely beneficial to each athlete.

The two day training camps will feature all 3 aspects to your triathlon training, day one we will do an open water swim with your coach to guide you through the water and to give you vital confidence in the water.  This will be followed by a simulated transition on to the bike where our cycle coach will take you out on the road for a race simulated ride (you will be amazed at how much your ride will improve during these).

Day two will feature a run session broken into a time trial run to work on your pace and then a long slow run to help your body adapt to half marathon running.  During this run we will have stronger runners teaming up with the beginners to show you the ropes and teach the essential pacing and breathing techniques that will make the half marathon run feel comfortable.

The swim bike and run distances will gradually increase as the program continues so don't be afraid of not being able to maintain, it's our goal to progress with you at a pace that you will find naturally.

Race simulation will be a one day camp where we will put a course together to give you valuable race experience.  We will where possible assist with race entries into Amathole triathlon events to assist this process.  In cricket they say "time in the middle" and we believe that concept is true for triathlon.  Race experience whether simulated or as part of an existing event will be worth so much come race day at 70.3! 

How you get involved:

Here's what you need to consider, sign up with SBR for a monthly fee of R300, that's the first step.  This payment goes to our coaches for their time and expertise, SBR is more interested in helping you succeed than making money, our focus is to provide you with the best possible preparation for your exciting race day!!!

Consult a doctor for a check up and supply SBR with a doctors assessment so that we know your health status and can work with you to ensure your safety.

Attend our orientation evening, where we will get to know each other and find out what this exciting journey entails. 

Commit to follow the weekly training programs and submit your training data every week.  

Attend the group training sessions and the training/race camps.

Follow the nutritional programs given to you to ensure healthy eating and weight management.

Join the team and have fun with us as we get you to your goal of a Red Carpet moment with the best medal in Triathlon.

Our goal is to assist your dream of achieving this success and we know that come race day you will sand on the beach confident that you are ready for the journey.

Value to athletes:

Apart from the benefits described above we are always looking to provide our athletes with added value.

These include:

Nutritional eating plans designed for triathletes.

Information evenings with successful triathletes and experts in the sports science field.

Hands on approach to your training that is personalized for you.

We are excited to offer professional medical care at a reduced rate to SBR athletes.

Discounts on tri gear from our preferred retailers and suppliers, with expert advice as to what equipment and gear will suit your needs.

Team kit at a reduced rate that will include a pair of tri shorts, tri top in SBR colors and a training vest. 

SBR Triathlon Club:

There are those athletes who are more comfortable training on their own but want to be part of the team.  With this in mind we have been exploring the formation of a Tri Club which will be launched soon.  This will give all athletes the chance to train and race with the team.

Conclusion:

If you have ever dreamt of doing a 70.3 or Full Distance Ironman or Olympic Distance Race you deserve to give yourself every opportunity to succeed.  That's what this program is all about, it's geared to help you reach your goal.  We commit ourselves to being with you every step of the way.  Together you and I can make your Ironman dream a reality and as someone who has been there I can assure you that it is an experience unlike any other!!! So join the SBR team and let's get this journey started.  "The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step"

Gordon Graham