October 2010 Featured Athlete

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the October 2010 featured athlete:

Matt Moehn of Des Moines, Iowa

What got you started in triathlon?

I had always thought about the idea of doing a triathlon but it never became a reality until I joined the Triathlon Club at Iowa State. I was walking through Iowa State's "clubfest" trying to pick out something to get involved in and stumbled upon the triathlon club. I explained that I had ran XC and track and had swam for a couple years in high school but that was it. I decided to give it a go and started training with the club for their big event at Collegiate Nationals. I trained for my first triathlon at the Olympic distance for about 6-7 months. I went down to Collegiate Nationals with the club and completed my first triathlon and absolutely had a blast doing it. I was hooked after that. I came out with a decent time but that competitive drive inside of me wanted more. I continued to train for some sprints and another olympic distance that summer. I love the sport, the community, and the lifestyle triathlon brings to my life.

What has been the highlight of your 2010 season?

Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater by far has to be my best race this season and ever until this point. I could not have done it without coaching and advice for nutrition and pacing. I executed my plan on nutrition and pacing pretty well on race day and was able to finally put down a decent run without cramping. I PR'd by 20 minutes with a 4:39 time and I cannot be more excited about my 2010 cap-off race. I have never seen so many other seriously super fit triathletes that were all very serious race morning. This was the biggest stage I have ever competed at and it was a blast.

What is the biggest challenge in balancing full-time work with training?

This task is tricky and I am fortunate to be a single guy and not have other responsibilities other than work to worry about. When you start adding in kids, spouses, appointments, etc. the balance can be thrown off axis pretty easily. Even though some of my friends who have to deal with all of this envy my "spare time", I really do not have a lot of time if any to myself during the week. I try and wake up to workout in the mornings but I usually choose sleep instead. I then work 8 hours and train after work sometimes taking me into the evening before I can cook dinner and then go to bed. On the weekends in a hard training month I am getting up early to do 4-5 hour workouts and then recovering the rest of the day. The day in and day out of non-stop training can get lonely though so when I do have time to hang out with friends I usually take it and deal with the fatigue later. All triathletes who want to be competitive learn to plan efficiently, sacrifice a lot, and watch their efforts pay off in racing. When you can accomplish your goals and know you worked hard to get to them, that feeling of fulfillment is incredible.

What have you learned from working with a coach?

I have learned that sticking to the plan can and will pay off. A coach is there to guide you with not only a structured workout plan, but a plan that fits you with what races you want to do well at, training advice, nutrition advice, and the "ins" and "outs" of racing. I have learned that the right coaching can bring huge improvements and that your goals can be within reach. Anyone can get advice and workouts anywhere but until you want to get serious about achieving your goals then coaching is where it is at. Liz is a great coach because she meets and exceeds all those coaching requirements. I have really enjoyed working with Liz this year and I cannot wait to plan out more goals and work harder next year to achieve them.

What are you looking forward to for 2011?

With today being day one of my off season I have kind of sort of thought about my 2011 goals. I am looking forward to getting faster, more experienced, and getting more involved in my community. I have a lot of work to do to improve some weaknesses of my game and I am looking forward to some big things in 2011 again. I will be entering the 25-29 AG next year so the competition is only getting faster. I am confident in my coaching and I am only getting faster, so bring it on.

As Matt’s coach, what strikes me most is his enthusiasm, dedication and maturity for training. Matt approaches his key workouts with great energy and attitude. He gives 110 percent during the workouts that matter most. His dedication to train into the late fall, staying focused on his goal when most others were into their off-season – this takes a lot of commitment and drive.

Congratulations, Matt!