The Coach - Jane Armstrong
Coaching Philosophy
I get immense satisfaction out of working with athletes whose primary goal is personal excellence. There is no greater reward for me as a coach than to see an athlete excel and achieve a personal best. This may be anything from finishing their first triathlon to competing on the National Team at the World Championships.
I firmly believe training and racing should be fun – if it is not, then why are we doing it? If you focus on the joy in the journey, the results will take care of themselves and the rewards will be that much greater. Anyone who is getting into sport needs to find something they are passionate about.
I do not and will not use template or "cookie cutter" programs. Every athlete is unique. I design an individual's training program based on their personal needs and goals. I monitor each athlete's program on a regular basis, modifying it as needed to keep him or her on track to achieving their goals.
It is important to me to give regular personal feedback to my athletes in a constructive manner, always looking for the positives. I put a strong emphasis on the mental approach to training and racing. I also speed up the learning curve by providing advice and guidance on such topics as race preparation and strategy, injury prevention, goal setting, periodization, heart rate training, etc.
If your primary goal is personal excellence, my commitment and passion as a coach is to guide you in maximizing your training efforts, based on your individual needs.
I firmly believe training and racing should be fun – if it is not, then why are we doing it? If you focus on the joy in the journey, the results will take care of themselves and the rewards will be that much greater. Anyone who is getting into sport needs to find something they are passionate about.
I do not and will not use template or "cookie cutter" programs. Every athlete is unique. I design an individual's training program based on their personal needs and goals. I monitor each athlete's program on a regular basis, modifying it as needed to keep him or her on track to achieving their goals.
It is important to me to give regular personal feedback to my athletes in a constructive manner, always looking for the positives. I put a strong emphasis on the mental approach to training and racing. I also speed up the learning curve by providing advice and guidance on such topics as race preparation and strategy, injury prevention, goal setting, periodization, heart rate training, etc.
If your primary goal is personal excellence, my commitment and passion as a coach is to guide you in maximizing your training efforts, based on your individual needs.
Coaching Background
I have more than thirty-five years experience coaching all ages and abilities. My degree in psychology, coupled with my extensive formal training in coaching methods, and my own athletic experience, allows me to develop effective training on a personal level. Training both the mental and physical aspects is a hallmark of my methods.
- Degree in psychology from McGill University.
- 3M National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Level II Coach.
- Level I NCCP Triathlon Coach.
- Internet and personal coaching experience.
- Team Canada Coach - 2006 National Duathlon Team (Age Group)
- Currently coaching athletes of varying aspirations and skills from recreational/health centered training, to running the Boston Marathon, improving performance at the 70.3 and Ironman distance, and competing on the National Duathlon and Triathlon Teams at World Championships.
- My athletes have achieved a host of goals including weight loss; finishing a triathlon for the first time; new skills development; qualification for the Boston Marathon, Triathlon and World Duathlon Championships; many personal bests and medals at provincial, national and world championships.
- Founder and senior leader of the Motionware Running Club (1994-2004).
- Figure Skating Coach for 15 years, from beginners to junior competitive level skaters.
- Coached at skating clubs in Montreal, Halifax and Ottawa.
Athletic ExperienceRacing and training as a high performance athlete is a physically, emotionally and mentally rewarding challenge. This challenge improves the quality of my life and serves as an example to others. I firmly believe in developing the mental training aspects of the sport as well as the physical aspects.
General
I have been a resident of Ottawa, Ontario since 1980. As a runner and duathlete, I have been fortunate enough to be featured in a local newspaper, the Kanata Kourier-Standard; on Sports West, Maclean-Hunter TV; CJOH TV; and mentioned in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, Transitions magazine and Inside Triathlon magazine.
My daughter is a Doctor of Chiropractic, yoga instructor and health writer. My father was a marathoner, held the Canadian 5km road race record in the 80+ age group and continued to race 5K's until his 90th year. |
I have competed in every Duathlon World Championship since 1994:
|