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My passion for sport started in year 7. As a type 1 Diabetic, my doctors encouraged me to undertake some form of exercise, with an overwhelming amount of evidence to support the use of exercise for blood glucose management. Throughout high school I was a swimmer, getting up at 5am most mornings and not getting home until 8pm if I did two swimming sessions in one day. I also used to do a little bit of running on the side to mix up training, but I never took running seriously until my first cross country season in year 12, which was when my passion for running really started. After year 12, and before starting university, I still wanted to exercise apart from just going to the gym. I enjoyed the cross country and middle distance Track & Field program, so I asked Brad to write me a running program that I could follow at home or with a group. Ever since that day my running career has blossomed. Although I am primarily coached by Lindsay Watson now, if it wasn’t for Brad I would never have loved the sport as much as I do. He has also been helping me currently with some rehabilitation programs for my foot (a bit about that in another post coming soon!). I now run for Bankstown Sports, with my current running goal to go sub 2 in the 800m. Although I am currently in the middle of my rehab program, I know I can achieve this in the near future.
My first experience coaching athletes was in March 2017, where I helped Brad look after year 7-8 Cross Country. At the same time, I also coached swimming squads. In coaching both sports, I really got an understanding of what goes on behind the scenes when creating programs and how to best provide sessions, feedback, etc. Being able to coach a sport, and be coached at the same time, is also a unique experience. As an athlete, I have a better understanding of what the goal of the session/s is and why it is written in the training program. With my background in exercise physiology, I also understand some of the physiological mechanisms behind the set goals. In contrast, as a coach I know roughly what athletes should be experiencing (e.g. fatigue, breathing patterns, etc) during the session, and find ways to improve an individual's performance.
Currently, I coach swimming squads at Trinity Grammar School and San Souci Leisure Centre; as well as Cross Country & Middle Distance at Trinity Grammar and Canterbury Little Athletics, under the direction of Brad. I also have ASCA level 1 accreditation in Strength and Conditioning, and in my final year of my Bachelor of Exercise Physiology. I hope I can share my knowledge with everyone who reads these posts and positively influence those looking to improve their performance.
