This post is long over due. I’ve been meaning to properly introduce NWT Coaching to the blogging world, and have only now had the chance to do so.

At first, I was fearful of getting into coaching. Then I realized that fear was based on the criticism that is eventually going to come. I had the chance to read some excerpts from the work of a mentor, and this passage caught my eye, “put yourself out there, and let the market determine if your experiences and knowledge have value.”

Wow! Great advice, and once again I see why it makes sense to surround myself with people like him.

The criticism comes with whatever we do. Don’t let the fear of this fact cloud your vision of what really matters: being happy while helping those who ask. If the market responds, and you are happy in real time–go with it!

I’ve had the chance to speak with a few folks about where I plan on taking coaching, both from a short term and long term view. First, thank you to those that have reached out and to those who have helped take some ideas to the next level.

NWT Coaching, or NorthWest Triathlon Coaching, is a small group of like-minded athletes looking to improve at the HIM and full IM distance. Quite often when I say NorthWest, people have mentioned that NorthEast may have been a better name, geographically speaking. I can agree with the initial reaction, so let me explain….

I’m a finance guy, and in the finance world, you can plot your performance along what is known as the Efficient Frontier. I’m not going to bore you with the details of that, but basically if you plot the performance of a portfolio into a graph of four quadrants, with the y-axis being performance and the x-axis being risk, you can determine where you lie on this frontier. The further up and to the left you are, the better.

The ideal area to be in is the northwest quadrant, where you take the least amount of risk and get the most return.

I feel that one of the most important aspects of my job as a coach is to tailor a training plan that includes the appropriate level of intensity and volume (risk) to get you the most performance on race day (return). I believe that the average age group triathlete is living in the southeast quadrant–taking too much risk, and thus, consistency suffers and performance diminishes.

At NWT, the mission is to shift the focus of the athlete; to introduce them to true pace and beneficial amounts of intensity and volume, and allow performance to increase. A website is currently being developed where a user forum will be used for team interaction, in addition to regular direct contact. Look for that soon at http://www.nwtcoaching.com/

Over time, other people within the local community who appreciate our vision of team learning will be added to the group. They may not be part of the coaching team, but they can help our athletes improve. The main ideal you will discover within our group is quite simple: Everyone is concerned with making each other better, as much or more than they are themselves. As a result, that is what we become.