I have known Ray for a few years now. We first met when Ray held Bootcamps out in our local hall in Seddon with a few other locals. This was my first fitness training for a long time, apart from a few bike rides on the weekend. This training alone helped me develop a love for running and fitness.
The locals kept up the bootcamps after Ray moved to another Job. I got into Adventure racing and anything else outdoors. A mate and I decided to sign up for the Tandem team event of the Coast to Coast in February 21.
I was training without much structure and probably not being that smart about it. Getting tired and not recovering enough .
After contacting Ray to ask a question about power meters and training I wondered if Ray would be able to train me. The Coast to Coast is a big step up from anything I had been doing so a bit of specialised training was in order. Ray had a spare spot on his roster so I was on board.
Ray got me onto Training Peaks which is a brilliant platform to use. Workouts come through on my Garmin watch and the week of training is there on the phone app. The computer website and phone App makes monitoring your progress easy for me, and Ray can review and comment remotely.
I really enjoyed the training which was often a lot longer than I had been doing but the pace was dialled back to build the endurance base. The week was mixed up to include Indoor/road Biking, Trail running and Kayaking. A lot of very early morning starts were needed, but the results started to come. I felt fresher and gradually the fitness improved, without the fatigue or soreness because of the mixture of disciplines and built in rest. Stretching and recovery is a big part of Rays plans.
The use of the technology makes it easy to monitor and gauge your intensities. Smart watches, Heart Rate monitors and power meters for the bike to measure how intense your run/bike/Kayak was is amazing These tools are all good but I’m sure Ray would find a way to work with people who don’t have access to technology as well.
The Day arrived and Ray had me well rested and ready with a well talked through race strategy to use to preserve myself for the entire duration of the two days. I felt strong throughout all the stages and really enjoyed the whole event. I have tried to sign up for the longest day for next year but am on the wait list.
Over Anzac weekend I competed in a 28 hr Adventure race which went well also. I kept on with the training after Coast and hit the race in the weekend feeling great.
I would highly recommend to anyone the services of Ray to help them on the way to achieve great results in whatever sporting endeavour they are taking on.
– Andrew Jones (49 yrs 11 months)
If like Andrew you have got a big goal you need assistance to complete, apply to join Team Qwik Kiwi.
Click here for more information: https://www.coachray.nz/get-coached-coach-ray/coaching/
