The best coaches are selfless people with an abundance of patience - I’m neither

"What type of coach are you?" That’s one of the questions I’ve been asked a lot in the past few months.

The fact that I’ve been asked on camera, hooked up to a microphone, didn’t make it any easier to answer. Or the fact that I don’t do a whole lot of coaching.

After I retired from competitive athletics in June, I was flung straight back into a competitive environment by being appointed as a coach/mentor on the RTÉ television show Ireland’s Fittest Family. In my experience the best coaches are selfless people with an abundance of patience and if I’m honest, I’m neither.