TEAM TRIUMPH SPOTLIGHT JEFFREY YATEMAN
This week we share an interview with Team Triumpher, Jeff Yateman. Congratulations to Jeff who qualified for the World Championships in Edmonton! We look forward to following his journey as he prepares for August 2020. Here is his story... What is your name and what do you do for a living? My name is Jeffrey Yateman, and I am a student, entrepreneur & full-time insights analyst at PepsiCo. I have one year left at McMaster University, and I currently have three Startups that I operate with my business partner Rami Fahel (who is also a Team Triumph athlete) and have a full-time job in Toronto. When did you start one-to-one coaching with Team Triumph, and were you already working out/previously coached? I started being coached early July 2019, I had been doing triathlons for roughly three summers. At that time, I had 8 under my belt. My workout regimen would be only about 3 or 4 workouts of each sport leading up to each race (not recommended…). At the time, it was a hobby and provided an outlet for me to be competitive and clear my mind. What initially prompted you to seek out one-to-one coaching? I felt as though I was not reaching my potential; I was getting decent results in my races but wanted to push myself further to see what I was capable of. Finishing a race, knowing that I did not put in the proper amount of training in, was frustrating and disappointing. I did not know how to do so properly; the only right thing to do was to reach out to a coach. What was your goal when you originally signed up for coaching?My goal was to push myself further and to see what I was capable of achieving. I had no idea what was on the table at that time, and I was open to what Julia had in stock for me. By the end of our meeting, I was advised by Julia (based on my times and training levels) that I should attempt to qualify for the ITU Team Canada Age Group World Championships. The “WHAT?!? No..” thought is the first thing that came to mind. I had always wanted to but never imagined that I would be able to represent Canada in this sport, let alone with only 55 days of serious training. Why was this goal important to you? I believe that it’s essential to explore our full potential in anything we do. You don’t have to love every second of it, but if you are passionate enough, you should give it a shot. Once you give it your all, then you should decide if you love it or not; Until then it is too hard to tell. I adopt this philosophy with many things in life and thought it was relevant to my training as well. How long had you had this goal? Again, the goal was not specific – it was simply a desire to explore the unknown and push myself harder physically than ever before. I had it as a young runner, a swimmer in high school and now had the opportunity, to be honest with myself and push harder than I ever had. This time with the World Championships at stake, there was no walking away from the final race and brushing it off. I was all in. Did you have any obstacles that you felt might hold you back from reaching your goal? Doubt. Doubt, that qualifying for this race was possible. Doubt, that I had not trained enough. Doubt, that I did not have enough experience. I felt I was doing something on a completely new level and every second of my training was a challenge to force myself to believe that all of this was possible. How did you originally hear about one-to-one coaching with Team Triumph? I knew I needed a coach, so I set out to find one. Team Triumph was everywhere online, and several people had recommended Julia to help me on my mission. How were you feeling about one-to-one coaching at that time you signed up? I felt as though there was a burden lifted off my shoulders. Before coaching, I had no clue what the best training plan was, what the proper nutrition would be, how long/hard to push, how to recover properly, etc. I could now focus solely on good training, knowing that everything in the background was taken care of. What have you liked best about working with a coach? Accountability is a big thing; I like knowing that if I crush a new PB or have a great workout, there is back end support. Triathlons can get lonely when training – there is no team comradery and no one with you during the hard workouts. Having a coach can help with that part. |