I began my Multisport Journey as an unfit 40 year old who had
recently quit a 20+ year smoking habit and had never participated in any
type of sporting activities, so I am living proof that, to quote the
IRONMAN motto, "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE".
Over
my decades of competition, I have reached a level of training
effectiveness that has allowed me to achieve podium positions at every
distance of TRIATHLON, DUATHLON, and RUNNING events. I have also studied
extensively, resulting in establishing my own Coaching Business in
2006, and becoming Coaching Certified by USATriathlon, USACycling,
IRONMAN, and even the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTORS
(another passion that I developed later in life).
My
COACHING PHILOSOPHY has always been to GUIDE my athletes to achieving
their GOALS by designing a program that is built around an
individualized approach to identifying the athletes' needs and building a
progressive training regimen that incorporates sufficient TRAINING
LOADS with adequate RECOVERY, all while not upsetting work and/or family
dynamics. I STRONGLY believe that Multisport Training can and must
ENHANCE the athletes' total lives, not become a chore, obsession, or
distraction that can upset one's life BALANCE. Since schedules are always determined by analyzing previous sessions, they are flexible and can be edited or rearranged when the athlete's needs dictate. There are no cookie cutter plans here. I like to focus on
QUALITY over QUANTITY in building a plan, even for the longer distance
events. Training Volume does NOT need to be extreme to participate in
Triathlon at any distance.
As I compete in an upper age
group, many of my coached athletes drawn to BREAKAWAYMULTISPORT are
also in what is considered the MASTERS category. With advancing age,
this TRAINING/RECOVERY BALANCE becomes even more essential for achieving
progress while avoiding injury. As I get older, I have learned to
modify my own training and continue to use the lessons I have learned as
an athlete in building my coaching success with my athletes. I have
also created a FACEBOOK Group, RUST NEVER SLEEPS, that is focused on the
challenges and successes of these aging warriors.