What It's Like To Be Coached by Koop with AJW and DBo | Koopcast Episode 150
Episode overview:
Still in his 30s, Dylan Bowman has enjoyed a remarkable ultra-running career. During the past 10 years, Dylan has had ample experience being coached by Koop. In this episode, he shares some of the ups and downs of the past decade and looks ahead to a promising future in the sport.
Episode highlights:
(18:06) Deconstructing the DNF: satisfaction and goal setting, motivation, health, respecting the race
(29:08) Koop’s guidance for DBo: international racing, gaining experience, testing yourself
(40:35) Feedback in athlete-coach relationships: listening to your body, Ultra Trail Mount Fuji anecdote, communicating with your coach
Our conversation:
(0:00) Introduction: AJW covers for Koop, plug for episode 148 with Jessie Diggins, introducing Dylan Bowman
(2:56) Getting into ultras: DBo on growing with the sport
(5:08) DBo’s emergence in the sport: winning at the San Diego 100, building connections and experience for Western States
(7:39) Takeaways from DBo’s early career: learning moments and longevity in the sport, moderating volume and race frequency
(10:00) DBo’s Western States era: a pivotal win at Leona Divide, running with personal heroes, cracking pacing at States
(15:53) DNFing at Western States 2015: mindset, signs leading up to the race, humility
(18:06) Deconstructing the DNF: satisfaction and goal setting, motivation, health, respecting the race
(23:48) Seeking a coach: DBo’s injury and wake-up call at UTMB
(26:13) Starting working with Koop: Koop’s pedigree, shifting training to less volume and more intensity, specificity, and recovery
(28:28) Anecdote: Jason Koop, AJW, and Bryon Powell at Leadville 2009
(29:08) Koop’s guidance for DBo: international racing, gaining experience, testing yourself
(31:52) Dealing with setbacks: the best coaches are defined by how they support athletes in times of difficulty
(33:57) Coaching through injury: Koop’s role, having a voice of reason, support, honesty
(36:16) Communication: importance in the athlete-coach relationship, DBo’s experience at Western States 2015
(38:25) Coach attitudes: working with a coaching team, pushback, humility
(40:35) Feedback in athlete-coach relationships: listening to your body, Ultra Trail Mount Fuji anecdote, communicating with your coach
(44:00) Mental training: examples with Koop’s athletes, best performances come from peak state of mind
(47:08) Taking inspiration from team sports coaches: Mike Tomlin, Pete Caroll, Coach K, and others
(53:28) Formula 1 coaching: Christian Horner
(54:52) Wrap-up: giving thanks
(55:44) Outro: recap, the coach-athlete relationship
Additional resources:
Instagram: @dylanbo
Twitter: @dylanbo
Website: https://freetrail.com/
Information on coaching-
Koop’s Social Media
Twitter/Instagram- @jasonkoop
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