Team Nagi Newsletter - December 2020

Team Nagi Coaching Newsletter – December 2020

Hi Guys,

Well thankfully 2020 has come to an end, a year all of us will never forget. The year started with so much hope, excitement and positivity before the world was quite literally flipped on it’s head. To say the year has been a challenge would be a huge understatement.

If there’s one thing life has taught me is that the challenges will come thick and fast, they also come when you least expect them. No one saw this one coming so it was no wonder so many people went into shock and meltdown when it did happen. Whereas others remained calm, took in their stride and saw it an opportunity to do things a little bit differently.

For all the negatives of the situation we found ourselves in I know many of you took huge positives from what you learned about yourself this year. I know I learned a lot about myself as a Coach too. I realised pretty early on that my great challenge of the year was to guide all of my athletes through this most unpredictable period of their athletic lives. It was a challenge I relished because I knew how important it was to keep them training if they wanted to achieve long-term athletic success. 2020 was always going to be a massive part of that overall jigsaw puzzle whether they raced or not. In the pursuit of excellence and self-actualization each and every day matters and the resilience some of you showed against massive odds was simply awe-inspiring.

Never had focussed structured training been more important to keep them sane through this period. It both inspired and motivated me watching so many athletes continue to give their all day by day in the hope that they were going to be one of the lucky ones. That said so much about the character of these athletes. If you can do this during these tough challenging times imagine what you will be able to achieve with happier, less turbulent, more certain times ahead.

For me it also highlighted how important the Team Nagi communities are to all of us. Great like minded positive people coming together, helping each other through good times and bad. That was always the vision for me and never did we need this more in 2020. We will also appreciate it so much more as our contact increases throughout 2021. The motivating force of positivity you provide each with is unsurpassed and is something I’m hugely proud of. This experience will only strengthen our bonds moving forwards.

If there’s one thing we all take away from this hellish year is that we will all appreciate who we have and what we have in our lives so much more when things slowly start to return to normal. As tough as times are right now we know there will be better times ahead and that will be the guiding light for all of us in 2021. For every bust there is always a boom period that follows, this has been repeated again and again throughout history and our time will come. You can be sure of that.

So as we head into the early part of 2021 focus on the short-term goal of being a better athlete day by day. No need to think further ahead. Performance isn’t driven by one big training performance; it’s the collective accumulation of consistent good work that matters the most. Do the basics right first and foremost before you start to obsess about the marginal gains, the rest will then take care of itself.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and a very big thank you for being part of this journey.

Julian

To finish 2020 on a high note I also wanted to share with you 2 bits of very good news (she’ll kill me for posting these but your UK fan club will want to see them). Our ‘no fuss’ double Ironman World Champ & Pro Triathlete Emily Loughnan “got herself a bit of bling” on Christmas day. She’s also 6 months pregnant. Just wanted to wish her and Brett all the very best for the future. After a tough few years I’ve never seen you look happier mate. We are all so happy for you.

And don’t worry guys and girls she’s already planning her Ironman comeback in 2022 (or was it 2021?).

Athlete Q & A

Name: Tom Rolls

Age: 27

Star sign: Capricorn

Years in triathlon: 6

Occupation: Construction Project Manager

In another life you would have been a..?

Chief Editor of the Daily Star… I like to think I’m a bit of a dab hand with cheesy headlines.

Who is your athletic alter ego?

Giovanni Pernice (yes- the guy/ specimen from Strictly Come Dancing). I can’t dance and I don’t know anything about dancing. But I wish I could and did. I’m also convinced I should have been born in Italy…

Favourite training session: 1hr Interval Turbo

Least favourite training session: Anything over 3.5km in a pool

Favourite training track (music!):

Depends on the session… Til’ I Collapse by Eminem for grinding/ show sessions and Take Over Control by Afrojack when I need to pick up the pace.

Favourite book: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Last book you read: Strike: Career of Evil- Robert Galbraith

Favourite training venue/location:

Club La Santa – Boring answer I know but that place is a like a second home.

Favourite race experience:

Lichfield Sprint Triathlon- my first triathlon. I can remember standing on the side of the pool, absolutely petrified as I wasn’t sure I could complete the 400m without stopping…I triumphantly jumped out of the pool after a respectable 9 mins. In a state of euphoria, I ended up going full gas on the bike and died in the run… But you couldn’t wipe the smile from my face for weeks.

Top 3 race bucket list:

Lanzarote Ironman, Haute Route Alps, Full X Triathlon in the Lake District.

Favourite mantra:

Make peace with your past so it doesn’t spoil your present.

If you could choose 3 famous people to come to dinner with you who would they be & why?

David Millar, Ned Boulting and Gary Imlach (the ITV 4 cycling commentary team). Absolute fonts of knowledge and I think it’d be a hilarious evening. I listen to them non-stop for 6 weeks every year so feel like we’re already best friends anyway… not sure whether they know yet.

Training hours per week: 11ish

What are your training & race goals for 2021?

After 2020 it would be nice just to race… any race! If I manage that I’ll be happy. A bonus would be to complete my first Ironman distance race (IM Thun).

Instagram post of the month

Best bit of commentary from Challenge Daytona:

“There’s some kid in green & black, who looks about 15 and has just gone flying past Sanders!”

That was 24 year old British athlete George Goodwin who finished 3rd against a World Class field in one of the greatest men’s races I’ve had the privilege to watch. Seems he’s pretty smart and grounded too with his insta posts below: