Testimonials

I entered a whole new world of training and following plans. A year later I swam 5k in 1 hr 48 mins and 52 second, almost 20 mins faster than my previous best time. Jennie taught me to believe in myself and to think positively. She encouraged me to look at my journey, be proud of what I achieve and though I still struggle with it today, to be patient.

I’ve learnt that Jennie plants seeds and waits for them to grow. ‘You could do a 10k river swim next,’ was the first she sowed for me.

‘What me. In a river with fish and weeds and goodness knows what else?’

I laughed it off but there was a little voice in the back of my mind that wouldn’t go away. Maybe, just maybe, I could swim 10k. Jennie hosts open water induction sessions, a friend wanted to do one so I went along to keep her company and a week later I began training for The Jubilee 10K river swim. I took part in 2021 expecting to finish in just less than 4 hours but finished in 3hours 36mins 47 secs. The sense of achievement kept me on a high for a whole week! The training sessions were long for a novice like me but Jennie was supportive and encouraging all the way.

By now I’d got the bug and wanted more. I had a crazy idea that if I ran too I’d get fitter, which would help with my swimming. ( Still the only exercise I was doing at that time.) I don’t like going to the gym and after all running is free. I asked Jennie if she would teach me to run.

It was hard going but I wasn’t going to give up until I’d got to 5k. Jennie is a good listener and adapted my plans tirelessly, reducing and increasing times and distances depending how I coped with each session. Eventually I got to 5k and then to 10k. Obviously I needed a medal to prove I could do this and ran my first race in December 2022, finishing in 1 hour 1 min 29 secs. That’s so close to an hour, I can feel another challenge brewing!

‘How can you live in Reading and not run the Reading Half Marathon?’ Jennie asked. She’s still waiting for this seed to grow…..

So running was improving fitness for swimming. How about adding in cycling to improve the running? Jennie also hosts online turbo sessions so I joined in on my spin bike. After a few sessions, the spin bike had to go as it wasn’t up to the job. With Jennies help I got a smart turbo and a gravel bike………’just in case you fancy a ride in the sunshine. You would love being outside in the countryside and you never know you could do a sprint triathlon,’ she said.  No way, I hadn’t been on a bike since I was a teenager so I kept the back wheel safely tucked away in a cupboard upstairs………….for a while.

A Sprint Triathlon is a 750m swim, 20k cycle and a 5k run. It’s all flat at Dorney Lake and there are no open roads. I was talking myself into this.

Jennie took me to Greenham Common for my first bike ride because ‘there are wide grass verges in case you fall off!!’  After a few weeks Jennie took me out on roads, each week adding distance and hills and of course compulsory coffee and cake stops. So that is where I am today, an ordinary Grandma who enjoys a challenge, lucky enough to have found a great coach, 7 weeks away from my first triathlon.

None of this would have been possible without Jennie.

Jennie is an honest, positive, supportive coach you can trust. Her plans are clear and detailed, backed by videos, always encouraging good technique to keep you injury free. It is clear she loves her job and shows a fierce commitment to looking out for the best interests of her athletes. She leads by example, listens to feedback, encourages questions, has a great depth of knowledge and always seems to have an answer! Jennie realises her athletes have responsibilities and Families to work round. She looks at each athlete as an individual and modifies plans to fit their lifestyles. Jennie knows how to prepare her athletes for their races, mentally and physically.

Jennie once said to me when I was questioning myself, ‘You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.’ That is true but if you want to take on a challenge and ask Jennie to coach you, as long as it is realistic, she will be with you 100 percent all the way, no matter how long it takes. You just have to trust her, follow her plans, have fun, laugh a lot and believe.

P.S     I am a Triathlete.

I never dreamed I was capable of doing anything like this or that I would want to! But, with Jennie coaching me, guiding me and building my confidence, the impossible became possible. The week before the race I was very unsettled but Jennie questioned my fears and steadied my nerves. Jennie not only prepares you physically and mentally, but ensures you are prepared for situations that could occur during the race and the best way to deal with them. All of this came together so that on the day of the event I was excited, feeling positive, prepared and ready to go. Thank you Jennie for all that you have done for me and training me to be a Triathlete.

My bike skills were not the best when Jennie first coached me. I had no confidence in my ability to ride a road bike. I was ok on the road bike until it came to stopping- I used to fall off. I was also absolutely useless at going up hills. So to overcome my lack of confidence Jennie arranged a Saturday morning bike ride with me and another one of her athletes. As we cycled along I was at the back of the group. I realised we were going to cycle up a couple of hills I knew very well.  As I approached the first hill I could feel my anxiety building so I stopped. Jennie released I had and as she approached me I’m embarrassed to say I started to cry and went on to say “ I should be at home making cakes” ( I am not a good cake maker). My confidence had hit rock bottom but in true Jennie coaching style she told me “there is absolutely no way I’m ready to make cakes”. Melt down over I then conquered the two hills I’d built up to be mountains!

I’d highly recommend Jennie as a coach – in my case a triathlon coach. Jennie’s commitment  to all her athletes is 100%.

Jennie tailored my training around ‘me’.  It was extremely important for me as the older female athlete to have a coach who understood the affects of ageing and how the menopause affects older athletes.  Jennie’s knowledge is outstanding, she helped me understand how important sleep, strength training and nutrition is to be able to train and perform as an athlete and being a post menopausal women. Jennie also helped me understand more about how  hormones and stress can impact on an athletes training and performance.  Another key point Jennie highlighted to me on several occasions was for me to stop comparing myself to younger athletes I trained with.  To focus on myself!

The pandemic came into our lives in March 2020 and because of lockdown and Covid restrictions Jennie swiftly bought all her athletes into the virtual world of coaching. If it hadn’t been for Jennie’s commitment me as an athlete I wouldn’t have been motivated to train. I really looked forward to the Monday morning 7:00am ‘turbo torture’ sessions – all of the virtual training sessions Jennie held were always great fun and my endorphins were always topped up to cope with the situation we were all in. My mental health was not good during the pandemic- Jennie helped me more than she will ever know, I will always be grateful for her support during this period of time.

Jennie’s technology knowledge is fantastic. Jennie not only coached me as her athlete but dedicated her time to me so I could understand Microsoft Teams, syncing my turbo Training Peaks, my Garmin Fenix 5S and my Bike computer Garmin 1000. All very new gadgets to me when Jennie first coached me but all an essential part of the athletes toolkit. So never be afraid to ask for help because she is a genius.