Coaching the Pastor

"I certainly see why swimming is your weak link. Fortunately it is the shortest segment and better yet, you have me to coach you."

She jumped into the pool next to me. "First off, your hips are too low in the water. Go prone." She half pushed me into a face first float. "You want to keep your head low and your hips high."

She reached under me just below my waist and pulled my ass up. I felt my penis stiffen as she reached under me. "See, you need to work at keeping this form."

For the next half hour she put me through the wringer, doing various laps with kickboards, resistant gloves and the like. I did faster laps followed by slower laps. She gave me words of encouragement, but she was not afraid to push me either. Several time she leaned over me as I rested between intervals. "The harder it is, the stronger I am." After nearly an hour she called a halt.

"I brought along a special brew I want you to use after your workouts." She walked over to her gym bag and pulled out a plastic tub filled with a reddish powder. "Just mix ¼ cup of it in your water bottle after every workout. When you run out, I have more."

"What's in it?" I asked.

"Mostly whey protein powder, electrolytes and B vitamins and a few secret ingredients. I call it Veronica's Enhancer. You had it yesterday after our run."

I remembered the delicious smoothie. "Okay."

"I usually bill my clients for it, but since you are my pastor, I will let it be my gift to you."

Now I felt even more of an obligation to drink it.

"You shower, drink your Enhancer and head to your office. I will finish my work-out and meet you there at about nine."

I wanted to object to her matter-of-fact directions. Maybe I had an appointment. But I knew I didn't so I nodded my head. "Okay, Veronica."

She stopped fiddling with her goggles and look directly at me. "That is 'Coach Veronica.' Always address me as Coach, Coach Veronica or Coach V." Then with a quick smile, "I always call you, Pastor Tim."

I felt like a little boy being reprimanded at school. I acquiesced, "Okay, Coach V."

"I'll see you at nine. Make sure you have some of that hot church coffee ready."

At nine am, my office phone rang. "Pastor, a woman named Coach V. is here to see you." As I walked out I could hear Veronica or Coach V brightly chatting with the church secretary Jill about swimming and exercise. Jill was slightly older than me and a very efficient secretary but she was overweight. Veronica (I still chaffed at the 'Coach V' title) was telling Jill about our swim workout this morning and how Jill should join us some morning soon. I could not picture Jill in a swim suit, let alone the pool.

Veronica went on, "Swimming is such a great exercise since it tones your upper body as well as builds endurance. Our bodies are God's temple. Isn't that right, Pastor Tim."

She beamed one of her biggest smiles at me and then reached out and squeezed my arm. "Soon Pastor Tim is going to be a real hunk."

I returned her smile and said to Jill, "I see you met my triathlon coach Veronica."

A couple of other staff members stepped out of their offices and I had to introduce Coach V. to each one. She seemed to already know who they were and what responsibilities they had. She was charming and vivacious, telling them about the big plans she had for me. Then she asked, "Where is Mark?"

Mark was our worship leader. He played keyboards and directed our worship band.

"Mark probably wouldn't come in until our staff meeting at 10:00."

Veronica looked disappointed. "I wanted to meet him. I plan to join the worship band."

With a tinge of surprise and pride, "So you plan to join our church?"

"Most definitely. I can't think of a better church to be active in." Her enthusiasm was a bit excessive. She then turned to me. "And I certainly plan to be active with you, Pastor Tim. Shall we check over your work-out schedule?"

Feeling a bit nervous, I lead her back to my office. I better keep a professional tone, I thought. "Coach V, here is my office."

She quickly noticed that the office door had a long, thin window. "Why the window?"

"Most pastoral offices have it for counseling purposes. It gives some security to both the pastor and the visitor that nothing inappropriate can happen."

"That's no fun."

"Well, not all ministry is fun."

"Mine would be."

She took a seat at a small table in the corner, her shapely legs crossed, giving me a glimpse of her luscious thighs and sculpted calves. Her sundress was shorter than most I see at church. She did not need any stockings to look stunning. My mind slipped again to yesterday's meditation. Her face took a stern demeanor as she looked around the room, seeing my desk and large bookcase.

"Have you read all those books?"

"Not all of them, but many. I enjoy reading for my sermons and teaching."

"Well, you may not have much time for reading with the schedule I have planned for you." She laid a folder on the table and showed me her latest print out.

"I need to talk with you about that, Veronica, I mean Coach V. I appreciate all the plans you've done, but the schedule seems a bit too aggressive for me. You have me doing two work outs most days with only Sunday being an exception. I still need to write sermons, prepare for meetings, and make pastoral visits."

"I see. How much time do you use to write sermons?"

"Anywhere from ten to twelve hours." I prided myself on my sermon preparation.

Veronica nodded her head and made a note in her folder. "I may have some help for you. With some of my previous clients, I have had to show them how to carve time out of their schedule. For example, we will just have to get you out of bed sooner. Your wife doesn't need your services at that hour does she?"

I was unsure how to respond to that question, so I changed the subject. "The morning workout schedule will work, except for Wednesday when I have a standing breakfast meeting. But it is the late afternoon workout that I am unsure will work."

"You just need to schedule this as a priority in your schedule. Let's look at your calendar."

I kept my calendar on my laptop so I got up from the table and walked over to my desk. I sat down and was a bit surprise when I felt Veronica's leaning over my left shoulder, looking at my laptop. I immediately heard her steady breathing in my ear and I smelled her light perfume. I felt my hands become moist from nervousness and I stumbled in accessing my calendar. She leaned across me and placed her hand on my mouse to click open the program. She stepped back afterwards and I felt some regret that she pulled away.

"It looks to me like you are free Today, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 4:30 pm for your second workout. You can be done prior to any evening meetings at 7:00. "

"But I wouldn't have much time for dinner at home."

"You are going to need to make some sacrifices to accomplish your goal. Besides I need to assess your nutritional needs. You can eat at my townhouse for a few nights so I can demonstrate proper meal preparation."

"My wife might not be happy about that."

"Does she run your life? Or do you? Besides, isn't she gone most evening this time of year for her garden club?"

"How do you know about my wife's garden club?" My suspicion antenna was up.

"You list her interest on your church webpage. Let me show you." Again she stepped close and reached across for the mouse. One hand grasped my shoulder. The scent of her perfume had fully captivated me and my suspicion dropped somewhat. She quickly opened our church webpage and showed me the several paragraphs I had written about myself and my family, including my wife's avid gardening interest.

I tried to lighten the mood a bit. "All right, we can give your schedule a try, Coach V."

"Good," she smiled at me. As she continued to squeeze my shoulder, she whispered in my ear. "Remember, 'the harder it is, the stronger I am.'" Then she pulled back. "Meet me at my house at 4:30 sharp, ready to ride."

At staff meeting, nearly everyone was a buzz about my new triathlon coach. They teased me about how young and athletic she appeared to be and how my wife might be jealous of the time spent with her. Still they knew how my physical training helped me deal with church stress and the teasing was all good-natured.

"She just wants some solid recommendations and after she gets her business going, she will have no time for an old man like me." I didn't mention that I had not told my wife yet about Coach V.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON

I arrived at Coach V's home at 4:25 sharp. She was outside her garage, ready to roll.

She greeted me, "I see you're learning. Good."

I grinned. I always liked words of affirmation.

"We will start off easy to warm up." Again, she lead the way, weaving through her neighborhood and out to some country roads. As we finished a few easy miles, she instructed me, "We will do a ladder progression today. We will go hard 1 minute, easy 1 minute, hard 2 minute, easy 2 minutes, and so forth. I will be riding behind you to watch your form. Ready. Go."

For the first few hard intervals, Coach V cautioned me to go 80%. As we moved into the longer interval, she rode up beside me. "Remember, the harder it is, the stronger I am."

We finished the intervals and slowly rode back to her townhouse. Even though it was only slightly more than an hour ride, I was tired. Veronica noticed my body sagging.

"Today was challenging and you preformed well. Tomorrow will be an easy day so your body can recover. I am very proud of you, Pastor Tim," she said with gracious smile.

I beamed.

At her home she again made me her Enhancer smoothie and then directed me down to her meditation corner. She gave me some slightly different instruction, "Today, I want you to visualize the swim section of the race all the way to the transition area. Just relax and go with the flow."

I quickly dropped into a deep relaxation mode and began to visualize the swim. I could feel the cold lake water on my arms and legs. I could hear the crowd cheering from shore. My stroke was graceful and smooth and as I neared the end of the swim I noticed a familiar face beside me. Coach V was swimming with me stroke for stroke, then running beside me towards the transition area. I felt not only the sand between my toes, but my penis becoming more erect with each step. Coach V guided me towards my bike and helped me pull off my wetsuit. As I sat down she whispered into my ear, "The harder it is, the stronger I am."

Before I pulled on my shoes, she pulled down my shorts and began to fondle my erection. She squirted some sunscreen lotion on her hand and stroked my penis. Slowly, steadily she pulled me towards climax. I felt strong and alive. She smiled at me again, reminding me, "The harder it is, the stronger I am." She leaned down placing her lips directly on my own. We kissed, long and hard. Her tongue explored my mouth and I tasted the sweetness of her breath.

Nothing could stop me now. I felt invincible. Just before I climaxed, she stopped the kiss and stroking. She wiped my penis with a towel. She melted back into the vision and the meditation CD slowly brought me back to consciousness. When I opened my eyes, Coach V was not in the room, but I heard water running in the bathroom.

She came back into the room and asked me, "How did it go?"

"Wow, it went very well. I could feel the cold water and dry sand." I did not mention her soft skin and delicious lips. "That is some meditation CD."

"Yes, I have had excellent results with it."

I excused myself to use the bathroom. The meditation had seemed so real, I wanted to see if I had done anything. No, everything was nice and tidy, though I still had a stiff penis.

Coach V showed me some of her recipes for recovery meals and had me try her fajitas. Then she instructed me to have an easy run on Wednesday by myself, whenever I could schedule it. She would see me again on Thursday morning at her home.

THURSDAY MORNING

On Wednesday, I did my easy run as she instructed me. I even tried the mediation CE but the visualization was pretty tame. I found myself, looking forward to Thursday's workout.

I arrived at Veronica's home at 6:00 am, ready to run. It was already warm and Veronica greeted me dressed in only shorts and a tight running bra. This bra had more padding so her nipples were not as pronounced. Even without make-up, she was striking. I tried not to stare.

"Are you ready for a five mile tempo run?"

"Sure, Coach."

"Good. We have a busy morning, so let's get started."

During our warm-up she asked how Wednesday's workout had gone.

"Okay. I completed the run at an easy pace, but the meditation did not go well -at least not as well as when I am at your house."

She turned and looked at me with a sly smile. "Then you will need to practice more at my home. That can be arranged."

We finished the workout and did our post-run exercise routine. Afterwards, Veronica pulled on a loose sweatshirt and gave me one of her Enhancer shakes. Then she directed me downstairs for the mediation.

"This time, I want you to visualize the run segment and the finish line. Remember your mantra, 'The harder it is, the stronger I am.'"

She made sure I was relaxed and then started the CD. After several minutes, I was breathing slowly and deeply, imagining myself running the last portion of the 10K run. "The harder it is, the stronger I am." I imagined myself running hard, crowds cheering, the finish line coming into view. I dug deep to make one last push. "The harder it is, the stronger I am." My goal time was clearly visible on the finish line clock.

As I crossed the finish, my imagination evoked Veronica walking up to me, congratulating me. She hugged me and her chest pressed against me. She was dressed in her thin jog bra and tight bicycle shorts. Her pronounced nipples demanded my attention. She smiled at me provocatively and I smiled back, her body very close to me.

Her hand reached towards my groin. My penis was stiff and hard. She whispered in my ear, "The harder it is, the stronger I am." In a dream-like motion, she pulled down my shorts and kneeled in front of my rock-hard penis. She looked up at me and she said again, "The harder it is, the stronger I am." She opened her mouth and began to kiss and lick my penis. Waves of electricity flowed through my body. Again, my mediation became so vivid and alive.

Her mouth was soon wrapped around my erection. I was feeling strong, victorious, champion as I began to thrust my member into her waiting mouth. "The harder it is, the stronger I am."

The pace started slowly but began to quicken and I felt this urge to press towards another finish. Up and down her head moved, sending thrills up and down my body. The intensity of pleasure was greater than any previous experience. She was pulling me closer and closer to climax.

Soon I was ejaculating in my meditation. Veronica stood up and we kissed. She pushed a bit of the warm sperm into my mouth. She whispered again, "The harder it is, the stronger I am." Then she melted back into the crowd at the races' finish line and the CD continued to guide my meditation through a series of steps back into consciousness. It was several minutes before I was instructed to open my eyes again.

I looked up and saw Veronica smiling at me, still covered in her sweatshirt. "How did it go this time?"

"Incredible. I felt strong throughout the run and experienced the thrill of the finishing under my goal time. Thank you, Coach."

"My pleasure. You need to shower and get to work. We bike at 4:30."

"Yes, Coach, whatever you say."

"And throughout the day, practice your mantra."

"The harder it is, the stronger I am," I said.

"Exactly, the harder it is, the stronger I am." She said this with an emphasis on the "I."

THURSDAY AFTERNOON

Our ride went as she had scheduled. We stretched and then she gave me a banana flavored smoothie. She directed me downstairs again for the meditation.

"This session will be a bit longer and deeper. You are doing such a good job with it, I think it will really enhance your performance."

I nearly glowed from her words. I felt this deep need to please her.

"Okay, this time, I want you to go all out. Hold nothing back. Visualize the entire race. See me as your coach, repeating the mantra, 'the harder it is, the stronger I am." Again her voice emphasized the "I."

The CD began and I slipped quickly to a dream-like state. I was standing at the starting line, preparing to race into the lake. For the first time, I noticed how warm it was and how bright the sun was. Coach was standing next to me, dressed in a provocative swimsuit, her breasts half exposed. She leaned into me, whispering "The harder it is, the stronger I am." She reached down and touched by swelling penis. The starting gun went off, but I was firmly planted at the start. I could not move, except my hands reached for her breasts. I pulled them free from her suit and began to kiss them with zeal. Again, I heard her words, "The harder it is, the stronger I am."

I fell to my knees, looked up at the sun and then pulled Coach V's suit all the way down. I hardly notice that she was clean shaven as I began to kiss the lips of her vulva and thrust my tongue towards her clitoris. I was totally enraptured with her body, the smell of her sweat and sexual arousal, the feel of her lips on my tongue. I felt the pressure of her hands on my head pulling more and more into her pleasure. I licked and tasted and swelled with pride. I could hear her gasping for breath, but she continued to utter, "The harder it gets, the STRONGER I AM."

My hands grasped her firm ass cheeks as she gave into the pleasure. She gasped a final "YES!" as she climaxed. She pulled my head back and looked down at me. I felt like a compliant servant, looking up for her approval. She had a wicked grin on her face. "That was a satisfying work-out." She stepped back, turned and walked away. My penis remained rock hard.

The meditation CD continued as I breathed and continued to visualize lying on the beach. The start line had disappeared as had all the racers. I felt totally alone, uncertain what to do. I felt this deep desire to hear Coach's voice and to follow her instructions. I seemed to lie on the beach for an incredibly long time, yearning for her.

My mantra came to me, "The harder it is, the stronger I am." But somehow I sense that the strength was all hers.

As I slowly awoke from the meditation, I opened my eyes to see Coach V standing over me. Though I felt this incredible urge to hug her, I restrained myself and lowered my eyes.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yes, I think so,"

"My meditation was quite vivid, how was yours?'

"Oh, it was all right." I stammered, unsure what to say or do.

"Hhm, that is not a satisfactory answer. I think you will need to do it again here tomorrow, after our morning swim."

Friday was my usual day off and often spent it with my wife. "I need to be home tomorrow," I said weakly.

"No, you need to be practice your visualization exercises with me. Shall I call your wife and tell her for you?"

I still had not told my wife about Coach V. "Please don't call her. I will find a way."

"Good. You just need a bit more practice, and soon you will be my star client." Her smile bordered on a smirk.

I had to rush back to church for an evening meeting but my mind seemed planted on the beach. Where was this training leading me?

FRIDAY MORNING

It turned out that my wife had scheduled a morning meeting with her garden club so I had no difficulty being away. At the pool Coach V focused again on my form and special drills. She said I had definite room for improvement and needed to be swimming at least three times a week.