Multisport Mastery

Welcome To Multisport Mastery

2011-11-16T09:12:00.003-06:00

Coaching Approach: Multisport Mastery specializes in individualized performance plans for multisport athletes of all abilities. Whether your goal is to run a marathon, compete in a triathlon, race your bike or finish an Ironman, we offer customized coaching for who you are and where you want to go. Multisport Mastery recognizes that success is more than just the workouts you do. Our approach aims to address the whole athlete; including sport-specific fitness, strength training, periodic testing to measure progress, developing mental tactics, race strategy/pace, race nutrition and balancing athletic goals/activities with other life demands.

Coached Athletes: Multisport Mastery works with athletes of all experience-levels and abilities. Currently, our roster includes everyone from beginners, multiple Ironman finishers, world championship competitors, amateurs and elites, throughout the country and overseas. Inquire within for references and recommendations from our athletes.

Coaching Staff: Elizabeth Waterstraat is the founder of Multisport Mastery, Inc. and a certified USA Triathlon Level II Coach as well as a USA Triathlon Youth and Junior Coach, Training Peaks Certified Coach and USMS Level 2 Coach with over 10 years of competitive and coaching multisport experience. Elizabeth has competed at both the amateur and elite level in multisport. Her accomplishments include numerous overall and age group wins, course records, three national long course championship titles, a duathlon world championship silver medal; three Ironman World Championship/Kona finishes. In 2007 and 2011, she finished top 10 in her age group with a PR of 10:22 at Kona (2011). She has a 5K PR of 18:15 (2005), 10K PR of 37:46 (2006), Olympic Tri PR of 2:07 (Memphis In May 2007) and a Half Ironman PR of 4:32 (Eagleman 70.3, 2007). Elizabeth understands what it takes to achieve athletic goals and is interested in working with beginner to advanced athletes looking to bring out the best in themselves through organized, purposeful and challenging workouts.
Coaching Contact: multisportmastery at comcast dot net

Multisport Coaching: (1) Daily individualized performance plans for multisport events, (2) Ongoing, unlimited communication with coach, (3) Interactive online program to keep track of your workouts, progress, equipment, routes and results, (4) Coached athletes receive special discounts and offers with select multisport companies. Inquire within about monthly fee.

Single Sport Coaching: (1) Daily individualized performance plans for single-sport events, (2) Ongoing, unlimited communication coach, (3) Interactive online program to keep track of your workouts, progress, equipment, routes and results, (4) Coached athletes receive special discounts and offers with select multisport companies. Inquire within about monthly fee.
Group/Partner Coaching: (1) Appropriate for groups/friends training for the same event and looking to share the cost of coaching, (2) Daily performance plans for shared goals and events, (3) Ongoing, unlimited communication coach, (4) Interactive online program to keep track of your workouts, progress, equipment, routes and results, (5) Coached athletes receive special discounts and offers with select multisport companies. Inquire within about monthly fee.

Multisport Camps: Immerse yourself in a hands-on multisport experience. Elizabeth offers multisport camps for all levels of athletes including coached workouts, form analysis and direct feedback/guidance. Design your own weekend camp or take part in a pre-arranged camp. For recaps from past camps, read here:

http://tri-nyc.blogspot.com/
http://muppetdogs.blogspot.com/2010/06/final-post-camp-thoughts.html
http://catscalls.blogspot.com/2010/06/camp-chicago.html
http://littlerunnergirl.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/hurt-so-good-camp-chicago
http://elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com/2010/05/camp-recap.html

Ironman Group Coaching: Elizabeth offers weekly triathlon classes and an Ironman Wisconsin group training program through Well-Fit, Inc. in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.wellfitinc.com/.

Basic/Single Event Training Plan: (1) Basic training plan for one-time goal or event, (2) Limited communication with coach, (3) Plan delivered via spreadsheet format. Inquire within about fee.

PreSeason Plan: (1) Daily training plan to develop preseason swim, bike and run fitness, technique and strength/conditioning. Available October through January. Inquire within about fee.

Multisport Consultation: (1) Assistance or support with your current training plan or swim, bike, run technique, (2) Available by appointment. Inquire within about hourly fee.

Athlete Recommendations: Visit the Athlete Recommendations link in the right column of this page. References and additional recommendations available upon request.

Race Results and Athlete Performances: Visit the Recent Race Results links in the right column of this page. Inquire within for more information about our athlete performances and results.

Coaching Contact: multisportmastery at comcast dot net

September 2011 Featured Athlete

2011-10-02T21:37:00.000-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the September 2011 featured athlete(s):

Steve & Jamey Cox of Iowa

What got you both started in triathlon?

In December 2007, we were laying in bed on a Sunday afternoon watching the Ironman World Championships on T.V. Steve made the "life altering" mistake of saying I can do that. So the next day Jamey signed us up for a triathlon training class taught by the Triathlon Racers of Iowa at the local YMCA. We spent the first hour in the classroom and the second hour in the pool. At the time Steve couldn't swim 25 yards. Although Jamey thought she could swim she quickly learned that she had a lot of work to do and had to learn the correct way to swim. Needless to say the first night of class damn near killed both of us. But we kept returning and slowly started to improve. We've had great role models in the sport that have become good friends, they are both a resource and a source of inspiration.

How do you feel both pursuing the same sport makes you each a better athlete?

We think that being involved in the same sport gives us an appreciation for what the other person is going though. At the Drake Half Marathon earlier this season we pushed each other into PR's especially down the stretch and that continued throughout our triathlon season. We both feed off of each others successes, and we have each other to share our frustrations with when a race doesn't go as well as we had hoped. Being able to share these experiences gives us a bond that others may not get to share.

What were some of the challenges of training for Ironman together?

We are not sure that our challenges of training for an Ironman are much different than any other athlete but they are times two. Two times the expense, two times the hours, two times the preparation, two times the logistics, etc. As older triathletes, our kids are grown so being away from home for so many hours, and days isn't as problematic. We also have a very understanding Lhasa Apso.

What were some of the highlights of training for Ironman together?

The entire experience of training for Ironman has been phenomenal. We started training for IMWI specifically in November of 2010 but doing an Ironman race has been on our radar since watching two of our teammates finish at Louisville in 2009. With no long course experience prior to Steelhead in 2010 we knew it would take us a bit longer to get ready. We have gone through the majority of the IM training together and we knew we could count on each other to push the other one. Not all couples have the opportunities we have had, one partner may or may not be able to pursue the same sport or may not wish to. We are very fortunate in that we have caught the triathlon bug and love training together. Some of our biggest highlights have been finishing our first 70.3 at Steelhead, Jamey receiving her finish medal at Kansas 70.3 in June from Chrissie Wellington was a huge thrill and without a doubt our greatest moment was finishing Ironman Wisconsin on September 11th. After finishing Jamey was able to place Steve's medal around his neck and grabbed each other in a very tearful embrace. Steve's catcher said that we "almost made him cry."

How did working with a coach help you along the way for Ironman?

Working with Coach Liz assured us of Ironman success - period. It is enough of a struggle with working full time and training without having to muddle through endless training plans or unknown coaches. For two years Liz, has successfully prepared us to reach PR's and milestone after milestone. Her experience with the course at Madison was a very valuable resource in our training. Her knowledge of athletes and training is second only to her experience in the sport. She puts us on the path to success because she speaks from experience. We know that when we have questions on any level that Liz is there to answer them. If we need changes she rearranges our schedules and if we have uncertainties she reasons us through them. Coach Liz is that delicate balance of stern when we deserve it, complimentary when we earn it, and compassionate when we most need it. She takes coaching seriously and it shows in her dedication to her athletes.

Steve and Jamey are a wonderful example of how a couple can grow together as athletes, share a passion for a sport and accomplish many amazing things along the way. Looking forward to an exciting 2012 season!

May 2011 Featured Athlete

2011-06-05T19:50:00.002-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the featured athlete(s) for May 2011:

Lori Bravi, Erika Ostrander & Akemi Suzuki of Chicago

In 2010, Lori, Erika and Akemi were a part of the Well-Fit Ironman Wisconsin Training Program. After completing Ironman, they choose to continue with coaching in a unique format – as a group, sharing the same workouts and race schedule. With the start of their 2011 racing season, they have already set PRs and are setting their sights on qualifying for the USA Triathlon short course national championship in August.

Let’s find out more about them.

We’ll start with Erika, who shares how she got started in the sport:

After numerous knee injuries and over training for marathon and ultramarathons, my doctor suggested I cross train. Through my marathon training, I met some friends who were training for their first ironman. I never swam so I took a swim class, bought a bike and started learning about triathlon in 2008. unfortunately I broke my wrist at the end of that season so it was not until 2009 that I participated in my first triathlon. I have always love endurance events so I set high goals to complete an Ironman in 2009. That year I finished 3 triathlon (sprint, olympic and 70.3) and was automatically hooked on the sport. Unfortunately in 2009 I had another knee injury and I missed the bike cut off in Madison by 2 minutes. That’s when I signed up with the Well-Fit Ironman Training Program coached by Liz. 2010 was amazing year for my training, met wonderful people and set many PR's. I finished Ironman Wisconsin in 2010 despite a crash at mile 56 on the bike course.

Like Erika, Lori came to the sport from a running background:

I moved from having fun running marathons to triathlon 3 years ago. My body and mind needed a new challenge that was more balanced. As a runner, I trained on my own for several years after doing my first marathon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of my brother who is a survivor. I was a very middle of the road runner who was always happy to just finish in under 5 hours. I never swam laps nor did I own a bike when I made the switch. I did Chicago my first year just for fun and was hooked. My second year was to challenge the longer Half Ironman distance. My third year was for Ironman and to compete against my previous olympic distance times and this year is to really race within my AG for Nationals. It has been the most exciting time of my life!

Akemi shares her biggest breakthrough in the past year:

The last year was absolutely amazing. Through the whole process of preparing for Madison, I learned so much about the sport and training itself as well as how I can be capable of something when I properly train myself. I learned that every training has purpose. One of my favorite words you said last year is that "there is no point just doing a race" Ever since I heard it, I get very nervous before any races in a good way and makes me try to plan well.

Lori talks about her biggest breakthrough since working with a coach:

My biggest breakthrough this year was my race at Galena. Being my first year really racing triathlon, I went into this race as the season opener with a lot on my agenda. Just 8 months earlier, I confided in Liz that I wanted to bring my A game to the 2011 season. I didn't miss a single required workout. Something Liz said that final big build of training resonated with me: don't leave your race on the course. This meant, on race day, DO leave it all on the course. I was ready to put the last 8 months to the test. I followed my race plan to perfection and moved from 27th in my AG in 2010 to 5th this year. Even though I missed the podium by 90 seconds, it gives me a reason to get it next time. It was an incredible race for me.

Erika describes why she enjoys working with a coach:

I love the structure in my training and the quick and honest feedback I get from Liz. I very much appreciate Liz’s holistic coaching approach. Training is not just physical but there is a lot of mental training that needs to get done. I have been training hard and injured free which I attributed to my coached training and Liz's emphasis on the importance of REST DAY.

Lori shares some advice on how to get the most out of working with a coach:

My coach is 50% of my success. She contributes the necessary science, knowledge and listening and I contribute the follow through. I have total confidence in her daily and annual race plan for me. When you accept the decision to truly train and race triathlon while working an intense job (or 2) 60 hours/week, there no time to decide how you feel each day and how much of your workout you'll do. With a coach, you know to just do it. Don't move things around, don't skip things, just do it because your coach said so. It really is half the battle.

Finally, all three offer some advice to those just getting started in the sport or looking to take their performance to the next level:

Trust your training, trust your coach. Communicate honestly about your goals and performance. Even the top athletes are offered advice from others but it is your responsibility to trust in YOUR plan with your coach.

Surround yourself with athletes who share your goals. If you take triathlon seriously then chances are you're going to spend many hours a week training. It is best to be around people who "get it!"

Be patient. Don't add on or make workout more challenging to get stronger. We’ve learned it takes years to build your fitness in each discipline. If you do it the right way, you'll get there.

Race day should be no different than your best training on a race course.

Over the past year, I’ve watched Lori, Erika and Akemi not only improve fitness but develop confidence, deeper friendships and surprise themselves. That’s what this sport is all about – having fun, proving to yourself that no matter where you come from or what you think you can do that if you think you can – and you set out to prove it – yes, YOU CAN.

April 2011 Featured Athlete

2011-05-02T14:19:00.002-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the April 2011 featured athlete:

Andrea Villasi of Kansas City

How did you get into multisport?

I have no athletic background what so ever. I didn’t play any sports in high school or college. I didn’t start running for fun/fitness until I was 22 and even then, it was sporadic at best. In 2000, I went on vacation to Pensacola, FL with my family. The family participated in a sprint triathlon as a team(s) – I did the run portion. My younger brother did the entire race as an individual. I thought he was crazy but I was also really impressed! At the time, just finishing a sprint triathlon seemed like (to me) the most challenging athletic feat a person could possibly do! It wasn’t until five years later that I attempted to complete an entire sprint tri on my own. It was so much fun! I trained all summer with a women’s Tri 101 clinic and met a lot of new people and made new friends. After that, I was hooked!

Tell us about your last few races!

Most recently, I placed 2nd AG at TriZou. This was a special “win” for me. While I have known all along that I was capable of achieving this, in the past I would often get in my own way of success. I would unconsciously sabotage my performance by not following a nutrition or pacing plan. This year I have a new perspective and a new confidence. Other recent races include a couple of 5Ks in which I set PRs and a cycling road race with a top 10 finish.

What do you think are 3 important factors for achieving your goals?

Consistency – I try really hard to complete all of my workouts each week. Sure, there are times that life gets in the way or I just can’t fit one more thing in, but that is the exception. I make my workouts a priority because my athletic goals mean so much to me.

Recovery and Nutrition – I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Part of this is because I am getting older and boring, but mostly I am just tired and love to sleep! This year, I cut back on alcohol consumption and improved my overall nutrition. I love to cook and try new foods/recipes and eat dinner at home at least six times a week. I am very aware of what I am putting in my body.

Trust and Patience – I trust that my coach is assigning workouts that will help me achieve my goals as fast – and as safely – as possible. My progress has been slow, but it has been consistent and I seem to continue to PR at almost every race, year after year. It’s a process. With no athletic background, I understand that I need to build a solid base of fitness and that will take time.

What do you enjoy most about working with a coach?

Working with a coach takes all the guess work out of training. Before working with a coach, I used training programs from books or magazines and I would always wonder, “Am I doing enough/not enough? Am I going out too hard/too easy?” Having someone who knows you, knows what you can/can’t handle and knows how to push you, is such a huge asset - in any sport.

Having a coach that I really respect and look up to is a huge motivator. I do the work for me and to reach my goals, but having a coach that I report to on a daily basis makes me accountable and keeps me honest.

This is the fourth year that I have been working with Elizabeth and I think we have built a great working relationship. I tell her everything and she gives honest feedback. A couple of years ago, she suggested that I stop doing long-course and focus on short-course. Without discussion and without question, I knew that she was right. But that faith comes from building a long-term relationship with a coach and trusting that they know the best path to your success. Since I made the switch to short-course, I have consistently made improvements in all three sports.

Andrea kicked off her 2011 season by achieving every goal she has set thus far. I look forward to watching her continue to grow in the sport and achieve many more successes. Congratulations, Andrea!

January 2011 Featured Athlete

2011-02-02T20:18:00.005-06:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the January 2011 Featured Athlete:

Becca Cota of Minnesota

We caught up with Becca on a snowy day to look back on her development in the sport and look ahead to the upcoming season.

How did you get started in the sport?

I started running in college to get in shape and when my sister signed up for her first marathon in 2005, I didn’t want to be left out so I did too. After another marathon the next year with my husband (then boyfriend) we decided to do a triathlon. We went out, bought bikes and did a sprint tri - it was miserable. An olympic tri later in the summer went marginally better but by that time, I was hooked. I started working with Liz in 2009 when I wanted to move up to longer races and become more competitive.

What was the highlight of your 2010 season?

Finishing my first Ironman in Cozumel. It was the perfect day – I hit the times I expected, my nutrition and hydration were spot on and I pretty much smiled the entire day. I felt 100% prepared. My husband also finished his first ironman there which made it extra special. I loved every second of that race.

Tell us about your recent swim meet where you placed in your age group in all 5 events; How did you feel? Why did you do it? How did you do?

I had been seeing some pretty quick gains in my swimming when I joined masters in January and was having a blast in the pool so Liz recommended a swim meet. There was a masters meet that weekend and it sounded like a fun challenge.

I was a swimmer when I was younger but my last swim meet was probably 13 years ago – needless to say I was pretty nervous going in. I did the 50, 100, 200 and 500 free and 50 fly and saw some times I honestly didn’t think I was still capable of. I left with thoroughly trashed lats but a big smile on my face. Although I am super happy with how I did, it just made me hungrier to get back in the pool and get faster!

What are you most excited about this season?

Getting uncomfortable. The last couple of years I have really stayed in my comfort zone which is long/slow. My focus this year is on strength, speed and olympic distance. It scares the heck out of me and I can’t wait!

Congratulations, Becca! What I enjoy most about working with Becca is that she is constantly seeking ways to challenge herself - whether through joining me at a camp last year, stepping up to the Ironman distance or participating in the swim meet, she has an intuitive sense of what it takes to get out of her comfort zone, works hard to get there and is fearless when it finally happens! Go Becca!

2011 Race Results

2011-01-01T19:57:00.028-06:00

A big congratulations to the following athletes for these recent race performances!

November
John for setting over a 2-hour PR at Ironman Florida
Molly for setting over a 75-minute PR at Ironman Arizona

October

Chris for winning the Last Chance Olympic triathlon
Sara for setting a 2+ minute PR at the local half marathon
Tommy for placing 3rd in AG at the local 4 miler
Randy for setting a PR at the Chicago Marathon
Lori for setting over a 60-minute PR at the Chicago Marathon

September

Janelle for placing 3rd in the elite women's cyclocross race

Chris for placing 3rd in Men's Pro/1/2 category at the Maple Park 10K TT

Kathryn for setting an 8-minute PR at Westchester Triathlon

Josh for winning his AG at the local 10 mile race & breaking 60 minutes
Seth for placing 3rd overall/2nd in AG at Peregrine Charities Triathlon with a new 10K PRKris for placing 3rd in AG & setting a 13-minute PR at Great Illini Half IM
Greg for setting a 14-minute PR at HyVee
Tami & Pat for being a part of the 1st place relay team at HyVee
Pam for placing 3rd in AG at Lake George
Chris for winning the Illinois State 40K Time Trial Championship, M30+ category

August

Janelle for winning the local 5K
Jill for placing 3rd overall elite amateur at the Lifetime Chicago Triathlon
Colleen for setting a 16-minute PR and a 63 minute course PR at Ironman Canada
Becca for placing 1st in AG at Maple Grove Triathlon
Rebecca for winning the local Olympic triathlon
Greg for placing 1st in AG at Hickory Grove Triathlon
Emily for placing 3rd in AG at Maple Grove Triathlon
Kristi for placing 2nd in AG at Hickory Grove Triathlon

Greg for setting a PR at the local 12K TT
Randy for setting an 8-minute PR at Bangs Lake Olympic
Kristi for setting a PR at the local 12K TT
Molly for setting a 13-minute PR & placing 2nd in AG at Santa Cruz International
Meredith for winning the local sprint triathlon, her first tri win!
Mark for placing 3rd in AG at the local 5K
Jamey for placing 1st in AG at the local 2.4 mile swim race
John for setting an 11-minute course PR; placing 3rd in AG at Shermanator triathlon
Josh for placing 3rd overall at the local 1.2 mile swim race
Kristi for placing 3rd overall at the local sprint race
Rachelle for placing 1st in AG t the local 2.4 mile swim race

July

Molly for setting a 24-minute PR at the local 2.4 mile swim
Kristin for setting a PR at the local sprint
Sara & Morgan for placing 3rd relay in their division at the local sprint
Becca for placing 1st in AG; 5th overall at Omaha Olympic Tri
Ryan for placing 2nd in AG at the local Olympic tri
Emily for placing 2nd in AG at Twin Cities Triathlon
Blaine for setting a 2 minute PR at Racine 70.3
Lori for placing 3rd in AG with a 25 minute PR at Evergreen
Seth for placing 1st in AG/4th overall at Evergreen with a 1 minute PR
Tiffany for placing 5th in AG with a 6 minute PR at Evergreen
Matt for placing 2nd in AG with a 2 minute PR at Evergreen
Steve for setting an 11 minute PR at Racine 70.3
Rachelle for placing 2nd in AG at Lake Geode Tri
Kris for setting a 5K PR & placing 3rd in AG
Jeff for setting a 5 minute PR at Door County Half IM
John for placing 4th in AG at TriDelSol
Josh for placing 2nd in CAT/10th overall at the local 20K
Rachelle for placing 1st in CAT at the local 12K
Kristi for setting a new 12K TT PR
Kara for placing 1st in AG/8th overall at Racine 70.3 & earning a slot at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship
Curtis for breaking a 10 year PR, by setting a 65 minute PR at Vineman 70.3
Jill for qualifying for the 5150 Championship at Boulder Peak
Becca for placing 1st AG, 8th overall last weekend at Minneman Sprint
Becca for placing 3rd AG, 7th overall at Lifetime Fitness
Dan for placing 2nd in AG at Crystal Lake OWS
Sara for placing 5th in AG at Crystal Lake OWS
Josh for placing 2nd overall at Iowa Games Triathlon
Molly for setting a 4+ minute PR at the local Splash & Dash
Maggie for placing 1st in AG, 5th overall at the San Francisco Treasure Island Triathlon

June

Tommy for placing 2nd relay team at Quartermax
Tiffany for setting a 2-minute PR at Big Foot Tri
Erika for setting a 32- minute PR at Big Foot Tri
Noel for placing 2nd overall at Pleasant Prairie
Diana for setting a 6-minute PR at Pleasant Prairie
Jamey for setting a 3-minute PR & placing 4th in AG at Copper Creek
Steve for setting a 7-minute PR at Copper Creek
Kristi for setting a 4-minute PR & placing 4th in AG at Copper Creek
Rebecca for placing 2nd overall at Lake Padden Tri
Rachelle for placing 1st Cat 4 at the Elkhart TT
Matt for placing 3rd overall/1st AG at Tremont Sprint
Colleen for placing 3rd AG at Pacific Crest
Morgan for setting a 12-minute PR at Stamford Tri
Sara for setting a new PR at Stamford Tri
Jill for winning the Big Foot Sprint Tri
Patrick for winning the Copper Creek Sprint Tri
Leslie for placing 3rd overall & setting a 9-minute PR at Cutting Edge Half IM
Becca for placing 1st in AG & 8th overall at Lake Minnetonka Sprint
Colleen for placing 1st in AG & 4th overall at the local half marathon
John for setting a new PR at Johan's TriFest
Molly for placing 2nd in AG at the local swim race
Janelle for placing 2nd in Cat 1 at the local cross race
Danni for setting a 4-minute PR at Festival of Flowers Olympic Tri
Akemi, Criss, Erika & Lori for qualifying for USAT Nationals
Todd for placing 3rd overall at Batavia Sprint
Pat for placing 2nd overall at Trinona with a blazing 33:47 10K!
Tami for placing 7th pro overall at Kansas 70.3 & setting a new PR
Matt for setting a 2-minute course PR at Trinona
Molly for setting a 4-minute PR at Silicon Valley Tri
Curtis for setting a course PR at Silicon Valley Tri
Todd for placing 2nd overall in the local 8K
Steve for setting a 4-minute PR at Kansas 70.3
Tami for placing 1st overall & setting a 2-minute PR at Pigman Sprint
Patrick for placing 2nd overall at Pigman Sprint
Jill for placing 4th elite at Leon's Triathlon
Noel for setting a 28-minute PR at Leon's Triathlon
Becca for placing 1st in AG & 5th overall at Buffalo Triathlon
Meredith for placing 4th in AG & setting a new PR at the local half IM
Greg for placing 5th in AG at Honu 70.3 & qualifying for the 70.3 World Championship
Colleen for setting a 13-minute course PR at Honu 70.3
Andrea for placing 3rd in AG & 7th overall at Route 66 Triathlon & qualifying for USAT Nationals

May

Todd for setting a PR at the Chase Corporate Challenge
Ryan for setting a PR at the Chase Corporate Challenge
Leslie for qualifying for the 5150 Championship at Memphis in May
John for placing 2nd in AG at Seahorse Sprint Triathlon
Becca for placing 2nd in AG, 5th overall at the local TT
Kristi for placing 2nd in AG at Bluff Creek Triathlon & qualifying for USAT Nationals
Dave for setting a 6 minute PR at Galena
Lori for placing 5th in AG and setting a 13 minute PR at Galena
Erika for setting a 10 minute PR at Galena
Blaine for setting a 4 minute PR at Galena
Noel for placing 2nd in AG and setting a 17 minute PR at Galena
Chris for placing 5th overall and 1st in AG at Galena and setting a 2 minute PR
David for placing 1st in AG at Bluff Creek
Tory for placing 1st Athena at TTT
Andrea for setting a 9 minute PR at Kansas City Triathlon
Kelly for placing 2nd in AG at Kansas City Triathlon
Elizabeth for placing 2nd overall at Kinetic Sprint
Matt for placing 4th in AG at Rev 3
Meredith for setting a 6-minute PR at Rev 3
Dawn for placing 1st in AG at Rev 3
Becca for placing 1st in AG, 4th overall at the local 10K
Jill for placing 2nd in AG, 4th overall at the local 5K
Bill for setting a 9-minute PR at Indianapolis Half Marathon
Kris for setting a 4-minute PR at Morgan Hill Sprint
Josh for placing 3rd overall at Holiday Lake Sprint
Emily for riding to a 1st relay finish at Oakdale Duathlon
Rachelle for placing 1st in category, 4th overall at Elkhart TT
Andrea for placing 3rd in category at the local TT
Pat for placing 3rd in category at the local criterium

April

Kara for placing top 10 overall with a Boston-qualifying performance at Kentucky Derby Marathon
Chris for placing 5th in AG at Duathlon National Championship
Tami for placing 8th pro overall at St. Croix 70.3
Matt & Jamey for setting a new PR at Drake Half Marathon
Steve for setting a 12-minute PR at Drake Half Marathon
Lori for placing 5th in AG & setting a new PR at Ravenswood 5K
Diana for setting a new 5K PR
Becca for placing 2nd in AG/5th overall at the local 5K
Jason for setting a 40-minute course PR at Wildflower Half IM
Greg for setting a 4-minute course PR & placing top 10 overall at Wildflower
Pam for setting a 9-minute PR at Providence Marathon
Todd for placing 5th overall at Peanut Butter Duathlon
Colleen for placing 2nd in AG/6th overall at the local duathlon
Andrea for placing 2nd in AG at TriZou
Brandon for running a personal best 3:04:28 at the Boston Marathon
Greg for placing 1st overall at the Devil Dog Duathlon
Noel for placing 2nd overall at Pioneer Sprint Triathlon with the fastest bike split
Jenn for setting a 5-minute PR at the local 10K
Erika for setting a 6-minute PR at the Glass City Marathon
Andrea for setting over 1 minute PR at the Trolley Run 4-miler
Greg for setting an 18-minute PR at Lonestar 70.3
Leslie for placing 3rd overall at Los Locos Duathlon
Lori, Akemi & Erika for setting new PRs at Shamrock Shuffle 8K
Diana for setting a 7-minute PR at Shamrock Shuffle 8K
Rebecca for setting a 4-minute PR at the local half marathon
Matt for setting a 4-minute PR at the STL Half Marathon
Deb for setting a 2-minute PR at STL Half Marathon
Jill for competing at Illinois State Masters Championship; 2nd in 1650, 4th in 100 free, 3rd in 50 fly, 2nd in 200 fly, 3rd in 200 IM, 2nd in 200 free, 2nd in 100 fly, 5th in 50 free, 3rd in 100 IM
Andrea for setting a 90-second PR at the local 5K & placing 4th in AG
Meredith for finishing 5th overall at the local indoor tri
Gina for placing 2nd AG in 50 back, 2nd AG in 100 free, 2nd AG in 100 fly, 2nd AG in 50 free, 1st AG in 50 fly & 3rd AG in 200 free at Oregon State Swim Championship

March

Chris for winning his AG at Poweman Alabama & earning the National Long Course Duathlon Champion title for his age group, M35-39, finishing 7 minutes ahead of the next competitor
Tiffany for setting a PR at Sun Trust Half Marathon
Criss for setting a 4-minute PR at Sun Trust Marathon
Leslie for placing 1st in AG & 5th overall at Rebelman
Greg for placing 4th in AG & 7th overall at Superseal Triathlon
John for placing 4th in AG at the local 5K
Kelly for placing 1st overall at the local half marathon
Colleen for setting a 2-minute course PR at Mercer Island Half Marathon
Rachelle for placing 4th in AG, setting a 6-minute PR & qualifying for the 5150 championship
Jill for placing 2nd AG in 500 free (5:54!), 1st AG in 100 IM (1:10!), 1st AG in 50 free, 1st AG 100 fly (1:03!), 2nd AG 50 fly at the local swim meet
Leslie for placing 2nd overall in the local 5K
Becca for placing 3rd AG in 50 free, 2nd AG in 100 free, 2nd AG in 200 free, 2nd AG in 500 free at the local swim meet
Kelly for placing 1st overall in the local 5K

February

Leslie for placing 4th in AG & setting a new PR at New Orleans Half Marathon
Meredith for placing 1st in AG at the local 15 miler
Greg for placing 4th overall at Zot Trot Tri
Jill for placing 1st in AG @ 50 free (:28!), 2nd in AG @ 100 free (1:00!) 2nd in AG @ 500 free (6:01!), 1st in AG @ 50 fly & 100 fly at the St. Charles Superbowl Meet

January

Greg for being 3rd overall at the local 15K trail run
Leslie for being 3rd overall at the local 8 miler
Kelly for placing 3rd overall, 1st in AG at the local 10K
Becca for placing in the 50 free: 2nd AG; 100 free: 2nd AG; 200 free: 1st AG; 500 free: 3rd AG; 50 fly: 2nd AG

Year In Review (2010)

2010-12-21T07:47:00.006-06:00

The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect on the past season. In 2010, Multisport Mastery athletes achieved many personal bests and accomplished many inspirational performances at races around the world. What I hope will become a yearly tradition, I would like to recognize some of the standout performances that highlighted this past season.

Below, I’ve listed several performance categories. Within each category, I’ve selected the athletes/performances which best represent the category. My hope in doing this is that we, as Multisport Mastery, build a sense of passion, pride and recognition for all of that we achieve throughout the year. In addition, I hope this will inspire you to strive for the best as you pursue your goals for the 2011 season.

To all those who were a part of Multisport Mastery in 2010, I’d like to extend a sincere thank you. Whether you are returning in 2011 or moving on to new adventures, it was with great pleasure that I had the opportunity to share your season with you and work with you toward your athletic goals.

All the best for a healthy 2011 season filled with achievement and good fortune.

Best Personal Best:

• Dave Gordon for setting a 67 minute PR at Rev 3 Cedar Point Ironman
• Char Popp for setting over 60 minute PR at Troika Half Ironman
• Randy Soibel for setting a 51 minute PR at Ironman Wisconsin
• Tom Irwin for setting a 45 minute PR at Ironman Wisconsin
• Sara Reinthaler for setting a 34 minute PR at Musselman Half IM, then a 20 minute PR at Timberman 70.3
• Elizabeth McGrath for dropping 43 minutes from her best marathon time at Philadelphia Marathon

Best Comeback:

• Vanessa Berg for placing 1st in AG/4th amateur overall at Lonestar 70.3, placing 4th in AG at Buffalo Springs 70.3, winning her AG at Boulder 70.3, 4th in AG/7th overall at Ironman Arizona all less than 1 year after being in a cycling accident that involved multiple serious injuries.

• Patrick Davis at Toyota US Open for getting up after wrecking out of T-2, returning to the race to go on to run a personal best 34:26 10K off the 40K bike.

• Erika Ostrander at Ironman Wisconsin for getting back on to her bike after crashing horrifically before the halfway point and then going on to complete the race (she later required stitches at the hospital).

• Nate Berg for capturing 4 top-3 in age group placements and a sub 10-hour Ironman finish less than a year after having hip surgery.

• Sara Reinthaler for dropping 50 minutes from her half Ironman time one year after breaking her foot.

• Tom Irwin for completing Ironman Wisconsin and setting a huge PR less than one year after what he thought would be athletic-ending foot surgery at age 60.

Biggest Breakthrough Season:

• Jill Bonniwell for placing top 10 in age group at Oceanside 70.3, Buffalo Springs 70.3 and Boulder 70.3, overall course win at Lake Holiday Triathlon, setting a new 5K PR, 1st in AG at Big Shoulders Open Water 5K, 10th overall elite amateur at Chicago Triathlon, new PR at the 70.3 distance, 3rd overall at Quarryman 10-Miler, 5 top 3 in state finishes at the Illinois Masters State Championship.

• Tami Ritchie for placing 10th amateur female overall at the 70.3 World Championship, 2nd overall at Dallas US Open Triathlon, 1st amateur female overall at Branson 70.3 ahead of the next competitor by 20 minutes, 3rd overall at Steelhead 70.3, 2nd overall elite amateur at Lifetime Fitness, 2nd overall at HyVee Triathlon, 4th overall at Pigman Triathlon, earning the slot to to represent Iowa at Best of the US, 1st overall at Bluff Creek Triathlon ahead of the next competitor by 13 minutes, 2nd in AG at Drake Relays Half Marathon.

• Doug Gibson for placing 6th in AG at Buffalo Springs 70.3, qualifying for the 70.3 World Championship, 1st in AG at Galena Triathlon, overall win at Niles Triathlon, overall win at Lake Carroll Triathlon, overall win at Lake Holiday Triathlon, 1st in AG at Cantigny 5K, 1st in AG at Fall Color 5K, 2nd overall at a local 5K, 1st in AG at Big Shoulders 5K Open Water Swim, 13 minute PR at Boulder 70.3.

• Colleen Sullivan for rocking her 40th birthday year by earning the slot to represent Washington at the Best of the US competition, placing 8th in AG at Lake Stevens 70.3, qualifying for the 70.3 World Championship, 2nd overall at ChelaMan Triathlon, 3rd overall at Clear Lake Triathlon, 2nd in AG at the local Olympic triathlon, 6th overall at the local 25K.

Performance of the Year:

• Elizabeth McGrath running a Boston qualifying 3:26 and 43 minute PR at the Philly Marathon
• Vanessa Berg winning her AG at Boulder 70.3
• Sara Reinthaler setting a 20 minute PR at Timberman 70.3
• Nate Berg going 9:58 with a sub 5-hour bike split at Ironman Arizona
• Erika Ostrander completing Ironman Wisconsin despite a bike crash and one year after missing the bike cut off by one minute

The Overall Winner:

To the athlete with the most overall course wins – Doug Gibson for his wins at Lake Holiday Triathlon (his first course win ever!), Niles Triathlon and Lake Carroll Triathlon.

Most Improved Athlete:

• Pam Sinel with a 17 minute PR at Boulder 70.3, 7 minute PR at Boulder Peak Olympic and an 11 minute PR at Boulder Peak Sprint.
• Randy Soibel with a 12 minute PR at Soldier Field 10 Miler, 7 minute PR at Galena Triathlon and a 51 minute PR at Ironman Wisconsin.
• Char Popp for setting over a 60 minute PR at Troika Half IM, 8th overall at Grand Coulee Triathlon, 1st in AG at the local sprint triathlon, 2nd in AG at Clear Lake Triathlon.
• John Wagner for setting a 26 minute PR at Steelhead 70.3, 11 minute PR at Johan’s TriFest, 90 second PR at the local 5K, finishing his first Ironman after earning a lottery slot to the Ironman World Championship.
• Rebecca Irons for placing 2nd overall at the local sprint, 3rd in AG at DeGray Lake Sprint, 2n in AG at DeGray Lake Olympic, setting a 6 minute PR at Memphis in May, 3rd in AG at Four States Triathlon, 2nd in AG at the local 5K, setting a new PR at the Little Rock Half Marathon.
• Kris Mahadocon setting an 11 minute PR at Big Sur Half Marathon, a 33 minute PR at the local half Ironman, a 6 minute PR at the local Olympic triathlon, a new 10K PR, a 9 minute PR at Silicon Valley Triathlon, over a 2 minute PR at the local 5K

Most Impressive Win:

• Patrick Davis at Steelhead 70.3 with an impressive 4:06 finish for his first ever 70.3 distance race.
• Jill Bonniwell at Lake Holiday Triathlon, leading start to finish with a swim time that beat all but a few of the men, her first overall win good enough to place her in the top 6 including men.
• Tami Ritchie for her stomping overall amateur win at Branson 70.3, finishing over 20 minutes ahead of the next competitor.
• Elizabeth McGrath for her first ever win at Loray International which also earned her the slot to represent Virginia at the Best of the US competition.
• Matt Moehn for his age group winning performance at Branson 70.3, qualifying him for the 70.3 World Championship and finishing 15 minutes ahead of the next competitor.

Best First Time Performance:

• Blake Ilstrup for executing a nearly flawless 11:30 performance at his first Ironman in Wisconsin
• Steve Cox for going from sprint to half Ironman in less than a year by completing Steelhead 70.3 in under 7 hours
• John Wagner for completing his first Ironman ever at the Ironman World Championship
• Jamey Cox for completing her first half Ironman as a F50-54 in under 6:30

Most PRs Set This Season:

• Molly McNamara set 7 PRs this season
• Kris Mahadocon set 6 PRs this season
• Jill Bonniwell set 6 PRs this season

Most Hardware Brought Home:

• Leslie Brahm bringing home 9 awards
• Patrick Davis bringing home 8 awards
• Tami Ritchie bringing home 7 awards
• Kristi Warren bringing home 5 awards
• Kara Bruzan bringing home 5 awards
• Jill Bonniwell bringing home 5 awards
• Rebecca Irons bringing home 5 awards

Overall Wins By Multisport Mastery: 12

Top 3 Overall Placements by Multisport Mastery: 25

Top 3 in Age Group Placements By Multisport Mastery: 80

2010 USA Triathlon All-American Triathletes

Tami Ritchie (8th overall F25-29)
Vanessa Berg (F30-34)
Patrick Davis (2nd overall M20-24)
Todd Byers (M25-29)
Doug Gibson (M30-34)
Nate Berg (M30-34)
Christian Waterstraat (M35-39)

Congratulations to all athletes for a stellar 2010 season!

October 2010 Featured Athlete

2010-11-15T08:15:00.001-06:00

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!

September 2010 Featured Athlete

2010-10-13T18:41:00.003-05:00

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

Colleen Sullivan from Seattle, Washington

How did you get started in the sport?

I started in triathlon early (1986), when events were few and far between at a local race in my hometown. I was a high school track and cross country runner and had been training through the summer months for the upcoming Cross Country season. A friend and I decided that we would enter the race as part of our "training," neither of us owned bikes and while we were both able to swim, neither of us had done more than 1 open water swim. This particular race was had unconventional distances: swim 1 mile, run ~ 5 miles, then ride to the finish ~ 14 miles. Needless to say I had some long transitions- with complete clothing changes and the riding a borrowed bike (that I hadn't ridden prior tot he race.) I had a blast and although triathlon hit the back burner for a few years while I was going to college, I always knew I would resume the sport once I had a little more time to commit. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had stayed in touch with the sport during those years while I was in College and Grad school, instead of resuming some 8 years later.

What has been the highlight of your 2010 season?

When reflecting back over the 2010 season, I can't come up with one specific "highlight" this year but rather the achievement of consistently placing in the top 10 in my AG in every event I participated in with the exception of one (mechanical). The ability to consistently perform well and achieve my goals has been extremely rewarding and motivating. This was a bit of a "step back" year in that I took a year away from the full Ironman distance to improve my shorter course success, focus on going faster and having fun. I attribute my "consistent" success to Liz's ability to constantly challenge me, while not over train as well as encouragement to put myself just out of my comfort zone to see what I can achieve.

How do you balance being a coach with pursuing your own athlete goals?

Deciding to hire a coach of my own nearly 3 years ago was a big step as I too am a USAT coach. I realize now that hiring Liz has very likely helped me to become a better coach and helped me to stay "true" to my own training plan as well as pursue my own goals. Prior to having a coach, it was easy to put my workouts off or do what a client needed. With Liz's help, I have been able to more readily separate client time from my personal training time and when necessary ensure the workouts I do need to do with clients are beneficial to my overall training plan. Liz has been readily available for consultation on how to best juggle both.

What is your favorite race and why?

This is a tough one- my two favorites are Ironman Canada and Ironman 70.3 Hawaii (Honu 70.3). I love both of these races for different reasons. IMC is a fabulous course, has amazing support of the community and the excitement for the sport of triathlon and electricity of race week in Penticton is contagious. Honu 70.3 is held in Kona and while not on the exact course as the Ironman World Championship course, the bike route is the northern most part of the course with the storied climb to Hawi. There is the typical winds and heat of Kona and gives just a taste of what one would experience during the full Ironman, with a more relaxed and celebratory atmosphere. I'm pretty sure you'll see me at both of these races again this year as I'm still striving to put together my perfect day on these two courses.

How has a coach helped you to grow these past few years?

While I'm not an athlete that requires a huge amount of motivation to get out and do my workouts, having a coach to be accountable to has been a huge asset. Liz has helped to push me to each subsequent level by constantly giving me challenging workouts that are efficient, and creative. She has helped me to reach within myself to dig just a bit deeper to hit an interval or goal pace. She has also helped me to grow my own confidence that with the right combination of training stress and recovery I can continue to get faster and achieve my goals. I'm looking forward to another successful season of consistency and striving to reach the next goal with Liz's help.

Colleen has seen a breakthrough season in 2010. Her season has included a 2nd overall finish, 3rd overal, two 2nd in age group placings and two other top 10 finishes. She also qualified for the Ironman 70.3 Wolrd Championship and the opporutnity to represent the state of Washington at the Best of the US amateur triathlon competition. Together, we have struck a balance of how to challenge her and recover her for peak performance. I'm looking forward to watch Colleen revisit the Ironman disatnce in 2011 and work for another year of breakthroughs!

At The Races - 2010

2010-10-01T13:56:00.007-05:00

Congratulations to these Multisport Mastery athletes for notable 2010 race results!

December 2010:

Blake for placing 3rd in AG at the local 5K
Molly for placing 2nd in AG at the local 5K
Matt for placing 5th overall & 1st in AG at the local trail race
Rachelle for placing 1st overall female at the local trail race
Greg for placing 3rd overall at the local trail race
Mike for running a Boston-qualifying marathon at California International Marathon

November 2010:

Elizabeth for setting a 43-minute PR by running a Boston qualifying 3:26 at Philadelphia Marathon
Erika for setting a 5K PR
Nate for setting a 20 minute PR at Ironman Arizona by finishing in 9:58
Vanessa for setting a 13 minute PR at Ironman Arizona by finishing in 10:30, 4th in AG & 7th female overall
Kris for setting an 11-minute PR at Big Sur Half Marathon
Tami for placing 10th amateur female overall at the 70.3 World Championship
Matt for setting a 20-minute PR at 70.3 World Championship
Todd for placing 1st in AG at Cantigny 5K
Doug for placing 1st in AG at Cantigny 5K
Jill for placing 2nd overall at Cantigny 5K with a new PR

October 2010:

Leslie for setting a 24-minute PR at the local marathon with a Boston qualifying time
Jason for setting a 12-minute PR at Austin 70.3
Kara for placing 2nd overall at the New Thing 5K
Todd for placing 2nd overall at the New Thing 5K
Pat for running the local 2.9 mile race in 15:27 & setting an all new mile best time of 4:53
Vince for setting a 7-minute PR at the Chicago Marathon
Tami for placing 2nd overall at Toyota US Open Championship
John for finishing Ironman Hawaii, his first Ironman
Pat for placing 4th overall at Toyota US Open Championship including a new 10K PR of 34:26
Kelly for qualifying for the 2011 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championship
Greg for setting a 13-minute PR at Twin Cities Marathon
Jill for placing 2nd in AG, 4th overall & setting a new PR at Fall Color 5K
Doug for placing 1st in AG, 7th overall at Fall Color 5K

September 2010:

Nate for placing 3rd in AG at Elephant Man
Seth for running a 17:30 5K, 1st in AG & 3rd overall
Kristi for placing 1st in AG with a 1 minute PR at Peregrine Charities Triathlon
Christian for placing 3rd overall at Peregrine Charities Triathlon
Kristin for placing 2nd in AG at the local Olympic triathlon
Jason for placing 3rd in AG, 7th overall & setting a 4-minute PR at Grand Coulee Triathlon
Char for placing 4th in AG & 8th overall at Grand Coulee Triathlon
Joshua for winning the local 15K
Doug for winning Lake Carroll Triathlon
Matt for placing 1st in AG at Branson 70.3 & qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship
Tami for winning overall amateur at Branson 70.3, finishing 20 minutes ahead of the next amateur & having the fastest swim & run splits
Colleen for placing 2nd in AG, 5th overall & qualifying to represent Washington at the Best of the US Amateur competition
Seth for placing 1st in AG at Cyman Triathlon
Doug for placing 1st in AG at Big Shoulders 5K Open Water Swim
Todd for setting a 10-minute PR at Ironman Wisconsin
Randy for setting a 51-minute PR at Ironman Wisconsin
Dave for setting a 67-minute PR at Rev 3 Cedar Point Ironman
Ryan for setting a 92-minute PR at Ironman Wisconsin
Rebecca for placing 1st in AG & 2nd overall at the local sprint triathlon
Jeff for setting a 20-minute PR at Rev 3 Cedar Point Half Ironman
Becca for placing 1st in AG at Square Lake Half Ironman
Jeff for setting a 31-minute PR at Ironman Wisconsin
Pat for setting an 8-minute PR at Malibu Olympic and a 6-minute PR at Malibu Sprint Triathlon
Tom for setting a 45-minute PR at Ironman Wisconsin
John for setting a 9-minute PR at Reed's Lake Triathlon
Kris for setting a 33-minute PR at the local Half Ironman
Jill for placing 1st in AG at Big Shoulders 5K Open Water Swim
Vanessa for placing 1st in AG & 4th overall at the local 40K time trial
Nate for placing 1st in AG & 5th overall with a speedy 54:54 at the local 40K time trial
Chris for earning the Illinois state time trial champion title for the Men's 30+ category, completing the USCF 30K TT in 45:35 for the gold medal
Kelly for placing 2nd overall at Great Illini Triathlon
Doug for winning the Niles Triathlon - second win of the season!

August 2010

Patrick for placing 3rd overall elite amateur at Chicago Triathlon
Joshua for running a 17:17 5K & placing 2nd in AG at the local 5K
Matt for placing 2nd in AG, 7th overall & setting a 3-minute PR at Hickory Grove Triathlon
Jill for placing 10th overall elite amateur at Chicago Triathlon
Noel for setting a 14-minute PR at Ironman Canada
Chris for placing 10th overall elite amateur at Chicago Triathlon
Greg for setting a new PR at Hickory Grove Triathlon
Char for placing 1st in AG at the local sprint tri
Curtis for setting a 6-minute PR at Tri For Fun
Sara for setting a 20-minute PR at Timberman 70.3
Jonthan for placing 2nd in AG at Madison Open Water 2.4 Mile Swim
Kate for placing 2nd overall with the fastest swim & bike split at Northeast Maryland Sprint Tri
Becca for placing 2nd in AG with a 1-minute PR at St. Paul Olympic Triathlon
Congrats to Kelly for being invited to represent Kansas at Best of the US amateur competition
Leslie for placing 1st in AG & 5th overall at Mountain Lakes Triathlon
Blake for setting an 8-minute PR at Lake Stevens 70.3
Rebecca for placing 3rd in AG at DeGray Sprint & 2nd in AG at DeGray Olympic (& 2nd overall in the "double"!)
Tara for setting a 90-second PR at Georgetown Half Marathon
Elizabeth for placing 1st overall at Luray International Triathlon & qualifying to represent Virginia at Best of the US competition
Colleen for placing 8th in AG & qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship at Lake Stevens 70.3
Nate for setting a 4-minute PR at Boulder 70.3
Vanessa for placing 1st in AG, 4th overall & setting a 6-minute PR at Boulder 70.3 & qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship (for the 3rd time this season!)
Paul for placing 3rd in AG at King's Grant Sprint Triathlon
Doug for setting a 13-minute PR at Boulder 70.3 (4:25!)
Seth for placing 2nd in AG & 5th overall at Crossroads Triathlon
Jill for setting a 7-minute PR at Boulder 70.3
Molly for placing 5th in AG at the southwest regional sprint triathlon championship
Pam for setting a 17-minute PR at Boulder 70.3
Chris for placing 1st in AG & 5th overall at Naperville Sprint Triathlon
Kris for setting a 6-minute PR at the local Olympic triathlon

July 2010:

Tami for an Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifying performance by going 4:39, placing 3rd overall & 1st in AG at Steelhead 70.3
Patrick for winning overall male amateur at Steelhead 70.3 in a time of 4:06 & qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship (this was also Pat's first half Ironman!)
Kelly for placing 4th in AG & setting a 4-minute PR at Steelhead 70.3
Joe for placing 2nd overall in the local duathlon
Sarah for setting an 18-minute PR at Steelhead 70.3
Dan for setting a BIG PR at Steelhead 70.3
Char for setting over a 60-minute PR at Troika Half IM
Jason for setting a 5-minute PR at Troika Half IM
David for setting an 8-minute PR at Steelhead 70.3
Bill for setting a 33-minute PR at Steelhead 70.3
John for setting a 26-minute PR at Steelhead 70.3
Jonathan for setting a 15-minute PR at Steelhead 70.3
Andrea for setting a 1-minute PR & placing 3rd in AG at WIN Triathlon
Paul for placing 1st in AG & 8th overall at NJ State Triathlon
Kristi for placing 2nd in AG at Lake Geode Triathlon
Pat for setting a 23-minute PR at Vineman 70.3
Leslie for placing 1st in AG at Mighty Mite Triathlon
Randy for setting a 12-minute PR at Door County Half IM
Colleen for placing 2nd overall at ChelanMan Triathlon
Patrick for winning 1st overall elite amateur male at Lifetime Fitness Triathlon
Tami for placing 2nd overal elite amateur female at Lifetime Fitness Triathlon
Matt for setting an 8-minute PR at Lifetime Fitness Triathlon
Doug for placing 1st overall Lake Holiday Triathlon (his first win!)
Jill for placing 1st overall Lake Holiday Triathlon (her first win, beating all but 4 men & fastest race swim split!)
Chris for placing 2nd overall at Lake Holiday Triathlon
Rachelle for placing 5th in AG, setting a 32-minute PR & qualifying for USAT National Championship at Cornman Tri Kristi for setting over a 5-minute PR & placing 3rd in AG at Cornman Triathlon
Jamey for setting over a 2-minute PR & placing 2nd in AG at Cornman Triathlon
Steve for setting over an 8-minute PR at Cornman Triathlon
David for placing 2nd in AG at Iowa Games Triathlon
Mike for setting an 8-minute PR at Interrockin Triathlon
Kris for setting a new PR at the local 10K
Rachelle for placing 1st in AG at the local 5K
Pam for setting a 7-minute PR at Boulder Peak Olympic
Leslie for winning the local 5K
Char for placing 2nd in AG at Clear Lake Triathlon
Colleen for placing 3rd overall at Clear Lake Triathlon
Sara for setting a 34-minute PR at Musselman Half IM
Mike for placing 2nd in AG at Newtown Triathlon
Molly for placing 1st in AG at the local 5K

June 2010:

Vanessa for placing 4th in AG & setting a 12-minute course PR at Buffalo Springs 70.3
Scott for setting a 9-minute PR at Ironman Coeur d'Alene
Leslie for placing 2nd in AG & 6th overall at Old Hickory
Kate for placing 2nd in AG at Philadelphia Sprint Triathlon
Chris for placing 3rd in AG & 6th overall at Pleasant Prairie Triathlon
Doug for placing 6th in AG at Buffalo Springs 70.3 & qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship
Laura for placing 2nd in AG at Pleasant Prairie Triathlon
Rachelle for placing TOP 10 in her AG at the USA Triathlon Sprint National Championship & qualifying for the ITU World Sprint Triathlon Championship
Kelly for placing 2nd overall with the fastest female run split at Topeka Tinman
Pam for setting a 11-minute PR at the Boulder Peak Sprint Triathlon
Kristin for setting a 26-minute PR at Pat Griskus Triathlon
Colleen for placing 2nd in AG at the local Olympic triathlon
Sara for placing 5th in AG at Pat Griskus Triathlon
John for setting an 11-minute PR at Johan's TriFest
Char for setting a 3-minute PR at Five Mile Lake Triathlon
Pat for setting a 10-minute PR at L.A. Triathlon
Tami for placing 2nd overall at HyVee Triathlon
Patrick for placing 2nd overall at HyVee Triathlon
Kara for placing 5th overall at Naperville Women's Triathlon
Matt for setting a 7-minute PR at HyVee Triathlon
Kris for setting a 9-minute PR at Silicon Valley Triathlon
Pat for setting a 10-minute PR at LA Triathlon
David for setting a 4-minute PR at HyVee Triathlon
Sarah for setting a 15-minute PR at Elkhart Lake Triathlon
Emily for winning the Athena divison & setting over a 5-minute PR at Liberty Triathlon
Molly for setting an 11-minute PR at Silicon Valley Tri
Patrick for placing 3rd overall at Pigman Triathlon & taking the top Iowa spot to earn his way to the Best of the US amateur competition to represent his home state
Nate for placing 1st in AG at Deuceman Half IM
Todd for winning the Walter Payton Sweetness 8K
Dan for setting over a 2-minute PR at Lake Mills Triathlon.
Kelly for placing 4th in AG at Kansas 70.3 & qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship
Kristi for placing 3rd in AG at Copper Creek Triathlon
Barb for setting a new half marathon PR during Kansas 70.3
Meredith for setting a 24-minute PR at Kansas 70.3
Kara for placing 3rd in AG at Kansas 70.3 & qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship
Emily for placing 3rd in the Athena division at New Brighton Triathlon
Molly for setting over a 25-minute PR at Mermaid Sprint Triathlon
Dave for setting a 35-minute PR at Kansas 70.3
David for setting a 2-minute PR at Copper Creek Triathlon
Marty for placing 3rd in AG at Rev 3 Quassy Olympic Triathlon
Tami for placing 4th overall at Pigman Triathlon & taking the top Iowa spot to earn her way to the Best of the US amateur competition to represent her home state

May 2010:

Sara for placing 3rd in 10:AG at the local 5K
Patrick for winning the Cat 5 criterium at Snake Alley
Paul for placing 1st in AG, 9th overall at Hammonton Sprint Triathlon
Vince for setting a 90 second PR at the Soldier Field 10 Miler
Randy for setting a 12-minute PR at the Soldier Field 10 Miler
Tami for placing 1st overall by 13 minutes at Bluff Creek Triathlon
Kara for placing 1st overall by over 2 minutes at the Seven Bridges 10 Miler
Kelly for placing 5th overall at the Kansas City Triathlon
Bernice for setting a 4-minute PR at Memphis In May Triathlon
Doug for placing 1st in AG/4th OA at Galena Triathlon
Chris for placing 2nd in AG/6th OA at Galena Triathlon
Todd for placing 3rd in AG at Galena Triathlon
Patrick for placing 5th OA at Bluff Creek Triathlon
Matt for placing 2nd in AG at Bluff Creek Triathlon
Kristi for placing 3rd in AG & setting a 24 minute PR at Land of the Lakes Triathlon
Leslie for placing 4th in AG at Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon
Rebecca for setting a 6 minute PR at Memphis in May Triathlon
Randy for setting over a 7 minute PR at Galena Triathlon
Molly for setting a 3-minute 10K PR in the relay run of the local tri
Steve for placing 3rd in AG at Holiday Creek Triathlon
Jamey for placing 2nd in AG at Holiday Creek Triathlon
Rebecca for placing 3rd in AG at Four States Sprint Triathlon
Andrea for placing 2nd in the Auburn 20K TT Women's Cat 4
Vince for setting a :20 per mile PR at the Riverbank 25K
Emily for placing 1st overall in the relay division at the local duathlon
Tina for setting a new PR at the Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon
Molly for setting a 30-minute PR (with a flat!) at Rev 3 Knoxville Olympic Triathlon
Kara for placing 1st female overall at Quarryman Challenge 10-Miler & setting a 5 minute PR
Meredith for setting a 17-minute PR at Rev 3 Knoxville Olympic Triathlon
Patrick for winning the men's Category 4-5 at Elkhart 12K time trial
Elizabeth for placing 3rd female overall at Kinetic Sprint & setting a new PR
Chris for placing 1st in AG at the Quarryman Challenge 10-Miler
Nate for placing 9th overall, 2nd in AG at the local sprint triathlon
Jill for placing 3rd female overall at the Quarryman Challenge 10-Miler
Doug for setting a new PR & finishing 2nd overall in the local 5K in 17:36
Leslie for placing 1st overall female in the GearHead Triathlon
Todd for setting a new PR & winning the local 5K in 17:17
Scott for setting a 3+ minute PR at the local 12K
Laura for placing 2nd in AG at the Palos Half Marathon

April 2010:

Vanessa for placing 2nd in AG, 4th amateur overall at Lonestar 70.3
Jill for placing 2nd in state (100 fly, 100 IM), 3rd in state (50 fly, 100 IM) & 4th in state (100 free) at the Illinois State Masters Championship.
Marty for setting over a 10-minute PR at More Half Marathon.
Molly for setting over a 7-minute PR at Vineman Showdown Triathlon.
John for setting a 90-second PR at the local 5K.
Andrea for setting a ne PR at the local 4 mile run.
Sara for setting a 4-minute PR at More Half Marathon.
Steve for setting a 5-minute PR at Drake Relays Half Marathon.
Tami for placing 2nd in AG at Drake Relays Half Marathon.
Patrick for placing 6th overall at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship.
Leslie for placing 1st in AG, 4th overall at MulletMan Triathlon.
Anne for placing 3rd in AG at the local 5K.
Rebecca for placing 2nd in AG at the local 5K.
Brandon for running at Boston-qualifying 3:07 at the Go STL Marathon.
Tommy for setting a 90-second PR at the local half marathon.
Mike for setting over a 3 minute PR at the local half marathon.
Rachelle for winning the Women's Cat 4 division at the local 12K TT.

March 2010:

Andrea for setting a 45-second PR at the local 5K.
Jill for setting a 4-minute PR at Oceanside 70.3.
Leslie for placing 1st in AG, 6th overall & setting a 5 minute PR at Rebelman Tri.
Cat for setting a 53 minute PR at the LA Marathon.
Molly for placing 2nd AG, 7th overall while setting a 1:35 PR at the local 5K.
Elizabeth for setting over a 3 minute PR at the local half marathon.
Pat for taking off 10 minutes from his best time at Pasadena Triathlon.
Patrick for placing 1st amateur overall at Miami International Triathlon with a 1:55 finish time. Tommy for setting a new personal best at the St. Patrick's Day 5-miler.
Kris for setting over an 2-minute 5K personal best by taking off 40 seconds per mile.
Molly for 2 x 1st in AG finishes & 1 x 3rd in AG finish at the local swim meet.
Rebecca for setting a new personal best at the Little Rock Half Marathon.
Danni for setting a new 5K personal best & placing 2nd in AG.
Pat for setting a new personal best by 10 minutes at the Pasadena Half Marathon.
Leslie for placing 4th female overall at Sylamore 50K.
Colleen for placing 6th female overall at the local 25K.

February 2010:

Molly for placing 1st in AG & setting a 2:15 PR at the local 10K.

January 2010:

Patrick for running a 1:16:56 half marathon & finishing 10th in AG at P.F. Chang's Arizona.
Blake for winning his age group with an 18:59 at the local 5K.

July 2010 Featured Athlete

2010-08-13T13:58:00.005-05:00

Mutlisport Mastery is pleased to announce the July 2010 Featured Athlete:

Patrick Davis of Ankeny, Iowa

The 2010 season has been a breakthrough year for Patrick. He started off with an overall win at Miami International Triathlon clocking a 1:56 finishing time. From there, he went on to place 6th overall at USA Triathlon’s Collegiate National Championship. Next up, he took 3rd overall at Pigman Sprint Triathlon. As the first finisher from Iowa, he also secured the slot to represent his home state at the Best of the US amateur triathlon competition. Pat continued on to place 2nd overall at the HyVee Triathlon. A few weeks later, he followed up with an overall elite amateur win at Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in a finishing time of 1:58. But the big breakthrough came at Steelhead 70.3 Not only did Pat complete his first half-Ironman, he did so in 4:06:59, good enough for placing first overall amateur and qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

I caught up with Pat during his “mid-season break” before taking on the next set of racing challenges, asking him a few questions about his background in sport, the current season and looking ahead.

How did you get started in triathlon?

The thought of doing a triathlon had been tossed around a little bit in high school but never took the dive and bought a bike. I was always in a sport so it didn't seem like another one would be a good idea. After a semester at college I became really bored of doing random workouts and needed to set a goal for myself. A guy who lived on my floor in the dorms always talked about doing them and thought it would be a good time to try one. He was not my favorite guy either, so I really just wanted to say I had beat him at something. Just like most people getting started in the sport I had never ridden a road bike before and the thought of being clipped onto my bike was a little freaky. A few months later I completed the Hy-Vee triathlon and have been hooked ever since.

Which performance have you been most proud of from your 2010 season so far?

This has been hands down the best racing season I have had so far. My results have been better that I could have expected and have reached almost all of my goals set at the beginning of the year. The one performance that sticks out above all the others is the Pigman sprint triathlon. It had been on the calendar but due to my lack of planning I signed up late and was on the waiting list. The Tuesday before the race the race director called and asked if I wanted in and after consulting with Coach Liz I decided to go for it. The next day I was out finishing up a ride and about 5 miles from home a dog bolted out of his yard and T-boned me. This was my first encounter with pavement and road rash. Luckily my bike only came away with one dent from the dog and me with some road rash on my butt. Now I was stuck paying for this race that I might not be able to complete in. After a few days of moping around and not being able to sit correctly my mind was made up. If I could cover it well enough to keep from getting infected I would do it. Race morning came, I was bandaged up and the gun went off. Being able to mentally get on the starting line that morning was a big victory for me. I could have made all kinds of excuses not to race that day but I did it and have no regrets about it. At the end of the day I placed 3rd overall and qualified for another race!

How has working with a coach helped you to reach your goals this season?

Without a coach who is a great fit I would have been miles away from reaching my goals this season. I had been with a coach before and it was not a good fit. I knew I had bigger goals that I could achieve so I found someone who I thought could get me there and this year I feel that I have definitely gotten "there." Having a coach takes out a lot of the guess work in training and preparing for racing my best. I have learned to put all of my trust into "the plan" and just go with it. Sometimes I become a workout addict and feel that I do not need as much rest as prescribed, but during that next big training block I find myself wishing for those rest days again. A coach is also a great resource for those odd questions that sometimes pop up.

Can you share any pre-race ritual you have that you cannot let go of?

This is not so much a ritual but a pre race necessity. If I have a good pee at the swim start I know its going to be a good race. These are the last few moments you have to be relaxed enough and it feels great. Whether it is wetsuit legal or not this just has to happen.

What are you looking forward to in future triathlon seasons?

I am looking forward to finding out where the sport is going to take me in life. As an architecture student it might be hard to find a path where that field and triathlon cross but if it exists I hope to find it someday. At the moment the sport is a huge part of my life and I love every moment of it.

As Pat’s coach, I appreciate all of his talent yet more importantly his determination, work ethic and trust. All of the talent in the world is meaningless if an athlete does not believe in himself and the work he is doing. Pat is also one of the most balanced athletes I know – he puts his time into the sport yet also can separate himself from it, maintaining perspective and keeping his drive for the sport high. He doesn’t overthink workouts, doubt himself or get bogged down in the details. Above all, he does the work I prescribe while also listening to himself and his body. This has been critical for allowing him to improve steadily and stay injury-free.

The 2010 season has been bright for Pat, but it’s not over yet. We’re excited to watch Pat continue to grow and reach his goals!

Writings & Publication

2010-08-01T10:42:00.001-05:00

Elizabeth Waterstraat is an avid writer with an award winning blog and articles published in both print and online media.

Shape.com:

http://www.shape.com/fitness/fast-fitness/get-speedy-workouts-that-make-you-faster/top-6-ways-to-run-faster-without-train

http://www.shape.com/fitness/sports/running/running-for-beginners-10-things-to-know-before-your-first-5k

http://www.shape.com/fitness/fast-fitness/get-fit-faster-same-schedule-better-body/6-rules-for-running-faster

The Outdoor Journey:

http://theoutdoorjourney.com/journey/category/fedofsky-friday/

Active.com:

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/4-New-Rules-to-Run-Smart.htm?cmp=17-5706

Other publications include Chicago Athlete, USA Triathlon Life.

Athletic Performance Media Coverage:

http://wcfcourier.com/sports/recreation/article_93e883f0-ca36-11df-9fcb-001cc4c03286.html

June 2010 Featured Athlete

2010-07-13T20:55:00.004-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the June 2010 Featured Athlete:

Jill Bonniwell of Lisle, Illinois

How did Jill get started in sport? Jill is known to have one of the fastest swim splits in her age group, if not the entire race. In her last race, Jill beat all of the men and women out the water. Not surprisingly, Jill started swimming on a team when she was 12 years old. From then on, she swam year-round on teams.

Making the switch from swimming was easy after college. Jill continued to feel the need to compete. So, she set her sights on the Chicago Marathon. When she finished the race, she felt a familiar sense of accomplishment, loved the atmosphere and enjoyed herself along the way. The next year, she entered the race along with her mom. She enjoyed the race again, especially watching her mom complete her first marathon, but wanted to move away from strictly running. Enter triathlon. That was about seven years ago.

This is Jill’s first year working with a coach. She has found the experience to be very helpful and enjoys not doubting the training plan. So far this year, Jill has achieved many personal bests. She kicked off the year finishing 8th in her competitive age group at California 70.3. Jill not only bested her PR for the half Ironman distance but also for the half marathon. She admits that her running has really come a long way this year. The evidence came at the Quarryman 10-Miler where she placed 3rd overall. Jill recently finished 10th in her age group at Buffalo Springs 70.3 in a highly competitive field. And, just last weekend, Jill earned her first course win at Lake Holiday Triathlon where she finished 6 minutes ahead of the next woman and beat all but four of the mean.

What a breakthrough!

Jill balances her training with a full-time position as an education coordinator at a local museum. Like many others, she feels the hardest part of training is finding balance. In her words, “sometimes there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do all that you want to do.” Days with double workouts means waking up early, which she admits, has never been her thing. How does she find the motivation to train?

“I think back to the feeling of finishing a race or a tough workout or training week. The sense of accomplishment reminds me why I do this. I also think about my friends and people I met through the sport that are out there training as well.”

Jill has two races left in her 2010 season, another half Ironman and then an Olympic distance race. As for what lies ahead, Jill says she doesn’t like to look too far ahead. “If I can just look to the end of this season, I'd like to finish my races knowing that I gave it my all. One of the two remaining races that I have this year, I've done a couple of times, so I'd definitely like to PR.”

I have no doubt Jill will continue to flourish and achieve her goals. When you do the hard work, trust your training and believe in yourself, your potential is limitless and you get that much closer to achieving your goals. Congratulations, Jill!

April's Featured Athlete

2010-05-17T14:41:00.011-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the April 2010 Featured Athlete:

Clari de la Cruz

But first, meet Beth. Beth is Clari's mother (below, left). I’ve been swimming masters with Beth for a few years. She’s a phenomenal swimmer, even went to the Olympic trials for Puerto Rico. She’s got wicked short course speed and no matter what – is always smiling.

Beth has two children; a son and a daughter. This summer, her daughter – Clari – is embarking on a two month cycling adventure across America. But it’s for more than just fun. She is riding for those who can’t – for those with muscular dystrophy. The cause connected to Clari because she understands what it means to not be able to do ride or do the things you love in life. You see, her brother, Gaby, has a chronic condition that leaves him in extreme pain requiring many neurological surgeries. This summer, Gaby needs another serious surgery that will leave him recovering in the hospital for over a month. While most kids will be out in the sun riding their bike and hanging out with friends, he won’t have that opportunity.

And so, Clari will ride – for her older brother and for others in a similar situation. In order to participate in this ride, Clari needs raise over $4,000 for the cause. To learn more about the cause or to make a donation, visit here:

http://jettride.org/elgg/pg/jettride/firstgiving/claridelacruz/

A few weeks ago, Beth asked if Clari could borrow one of my bikes. And so, Clari will be riding my Surly across the country. I’ve got to admit that I’m a little jealous that my bike gets to go on this adventure without me. But I know that this will be the opportunity of a lifetime for Clari (and the ride of my bike’s life!) and bring much needed funding and attention to an important cause.

Clari came over to get fitted on my bike and what struck me was her energy and compassion. She said that as soon as she learned about the ride, she felt immediately connected to it and wanted to do it not just for her brother but for all the kids who can’t do something that every kid can do – ride a bike.

After fitting Clari on the bike, I outfitted her with as much of my gear as possible – shorts, jerseys, socks, sunglasses. But being out there for 67 days, she’s needs some help! Not only that but cycling gear is expensive! Every little bit helps. If you have any old gear that you don’t use – whether it’s a pair of leg warmers, a base layer, please contact us at multisportmastery at comcastdotnet and I will pass the gear along to Clari.

Multisport Mastery is supporting Clari to help her help others affiliated with the Jett Ride cause. In doing so we also hope to inspire and encourage young women to get involved in fitness and sport. Sport is an excellent way for young women to build confidence and strength. Not only that, but the younger someone gets involved in sport and fitness, the more likely they will pave the way for healthy behaviors and habits for the future.

Clari is already training for the big event and is more than halfway to her fundraising goal. She’s been logging many miles with some local experienced cyclists. With only a few “stop and flops”, she’s been adjusting well to clipless pedals and shifting gears. In less than one month she will depart for the ride and cover thousands of miles on behalf of the Jett Ride.

Multisport Mastery wishes Clari nothing but safe travels, smooth roads and of course - tailwind!

March 2010 Featured Athlete

2010-04-07T13:19:00.003-05:00

Multisport Mastery is excited to announce the March 2010 featured athlete:

Pat Amsbry from Pasadena, California

How did you get started in the sport?

Having recently turned 40, I decided I needed to get in shape, lose some weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. I had a high stress job in the broadcasting business with long hours, lots of client entertainment and travel...and not much regular exercise. First, I changed my diet and starting losing weight (eventually dropping 30 lbs). Then, I started going to the gym (semi regularly) and running. I signed up for a half marathon and after a very slow finish time – committed to another half. After a few more half marathons I came across an article about the Malibu Triathlon. I was looking for another challenge so I decided I would sign up. Months went by with no training when finally with about 8 weeks to go I dusted off my 15 year old mountain bike and started “training”. My goals for the Malibu Triathlon: not die, finish, not be the last guy across the finish line. I achieved all my goals and along the way had more fun than I ever imagined…I was hooked!

What made you want to work with a coach?

After completing the Malibu Triathlon I went on to do eight more sprints and two Olympic distance races over the next 12 months. My goals for these races went from “just finish” to focusing on my split and overall times. I was making progress and getting faster but it was happening very slowly. I read a ton of articles, blogs, etc. looking for training tips and workout ideas. Yet, I never really felt like I was doing enough of the right type of training. I wanted more expertise and structure. I wanted to set some more aggressive goals and have a very specific plan to achieve them.

How did having a coach help you to complete your first half Ironman? How did the day go?

Working together with Liz has been great. She has brought me much needed structure and organization to my training. I have been able to increase my total training volume, stay injury free and am starting to see real results. Having a coach takes the guess work out of training. Pre-Liz I was sort of stumbling through each week; never confident that I was doing enough training, the right type/intensity of training or really feeling like I was making much progress. Working with Liz has changed all that – her weekly training schedules have helped me increase volume, intensity and specificity. It's challenging yet fun! Liz is also a good motivator and cheerleader – she has helped me stay positive and focused when I have bad days. And as a new triathlete with a ton of questions – she has been very generous with her time and expertise. The best news is that I have made some real gains – since working with Liz I have delivered a 10 minute half marathon PR; an almost 11 minute PR at the Pasadena Sprint Triathlon and have completed my first Half Ironman (Ironman California 70.3) at my goal time!

Oceanside 70.3 was an amazing day – I felt physically and mentally prepared, confident in my abilities and with a solid race plan. The day went exactly as planned; from pre-race to pacing to nutrition - everything worked. I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment! Liz has shown me that with hard work, perseverance and a smart training plan – that anything is possible, you just need to do the work and trust the plan!

What are you looking forward to in the rest of the 2010 season?

My next big race is Vineman 70.3. This is now the major focus as I work towards my new goal of dropping 30 minutes from my Oceanside time. It’s going to be a busy season with a lot of challenges and I am excited to continue the journey to build my fitness, improve my technique, show gains at each event (my goal is to PR at every event that I also did in ‘09) and see how far I can push my body.

What I enjoy most about working with Pat is his commitment to doing the work required to achieve his goals. Setting goals is more than just writing them down. Pat asks the right questions, trusts the training and then executes the plan on race day. I look forward to watching him take on the rest of the 2010 season!

February 2010 Featured Athlete

2010-03-02T08:10:00.000-06:00

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

Kris Mahadocon of Fremont, California

How did you get started in multisport?

I started off with Team In Training in 2005 on the run team. My uncle was diagnosed with leukemia and I decided to join TNT to raise money in his honor. I went from couch potato to finishing a marathon that year. I spent another season with TNT in 2006, training for the same marathon, this time in memory of my uncle. Then in 2007 I thought it would be fun to do something different and participate in a triathlon. I signed up for the beginner friendly, all women sprint tri that took place not more than a mile from my house. I used my ancient road bike that had been hanging upside down in the garage for ages, did next to no training, and had a blast. The toys have been upgraded a little since then, but the challenge of tri is still as exciting as it was that first race.

What was the highlight of your 2009 season?

Far and away the highlight of 2009 was finishing Kona after having won a lottery spot. Like a lot of people, I’d watched the TV coverage for a number of years and entered the lottery, never really expecting to get in. When I was picked, I was both unbelievably excited and terrified. I had planned for my first iron distance race to be Vineman, which was about 8 weeks prior to Kona. Liz assured me from the start that I could do both races and that I’d have no problem finishing Kona. I wasn’t so sure, but was willing to trust the process and do the work. It was a long, hot, tough day out there for me, but I just kept reminding myself how lucky I was to be there. And eventually, just like Liz had said I would, I made it to the finish line. The crowd and volunteers were amazing and the energy of the finish line was insane. Not least of all because Chrissie Wellington was there to put a lei around my neck, offer congratulations and give me a hug. Definitely the highlight not only of 2009 but of all my athletic endeavors.

How has a coach helped you to become a better athlete?

There are the obvious answers, things like setting up my schedule so I don’t have to worry about what I should do when, for how long, at what intensity. Making sure I incorporate enough rest and recovery. Giving me nutritional information and guidance, pacing for races, answering all my questions, no matter how crazy. Analyzing my swim stroke, my run mechanics, and all those Garmin and PowerTap files. All these things have helped me become a better athlete and are things I love about having a coach. The most important thing though, is that in doing the work Liz gives me, I’ve gained a confidence that I never had before. I know now that I can push harder, gain strength, and get faster. I believe in myself and the ability of my body to do what I ask of it.

What are you looking forward to in 2010?

This year I’m really looking forward to pushing my limits in new ways. I wasn’t athletic as a kid. Before my first marathon in 2005, I wasn’t even a very active adult and most of my training since that time has been working on distance, and the slow, steady pace that goes along with that. Now that I know I’m capable of going the distance, I want to work on becoming a smoother swimmer, a stronger cyclist, a faster runner and then put it all together to do some short, speedy tris. While I have a long way to go, I’m happy to say that Liz has me going in the right direction. I’m already seeing paces on shorter runs that I haven’t ever seen, including topping my best 5k pace per mile in an 8k race. And the year is just getting started, so I’m anticipating more good things to come.

I worked with a different coach in 2008 and just have to say that it’s a night and day experience. Liz’s detailed instructions, responsiveness, and humor make working with her a real pleasure. While I may say something different during a hard workout, or in the late hours of Ironman, I love that she pushes me to get out of my little comfort box. It’s the only way to make progress and I’m seeing those results. To anyone debating about hiring a coach, I’d just say….go for it, you won’t regret it.

We’ve barely just begun 2010 yet Kris has already set a new running personal best. I look forward to watching her tap into her inner-athlete and find new speed this season. GO KRIS!

January Featured Athlete

2010-02-07T19:55:00.002-06:00

Multisport Mastery is kicking off a new year with a new featured athlete. For January 2010, we selected Anne Normand of Duluth, Minnesota. Congratulations, Anne!

What got you started in multisport?

When we moved to Duluth in 2006, I became part of a great group of active friends. The next year, I bought my first “real” road bike to join the weekly group rides. About a week after it arrived, several of my friends were racing in a local triathlon. I figured “why not?” and registered. I’d seen Ironman Hawaii on TV as a child and figured I’d do something like that someday – it was time to start! The experience was more than I expected! I survived the swim. The bike was a lot of fun, and I felt like I could go-go-go. Then I hit the run – my thing at last! – and felt like I was flying! I finished and knew I had to get into this sport.

In 2008 you were in a terrible accident involving a car that hit you going about 50 mph; tell us how you bounced back from that experience, finding the strength and confidence to build yourself up again emotionally and physically to participate in sport again.

Several of us were on a training ride, preparing for the Short Course World Duathlon, when a car swerved onto the shoulder of the road, right into us. Three of the four of us were hit and never saw it coming. I had a number of injuries and was out of work for a while. It took a while for me to realize the severity of what happened and its full impact on me. I really am lucky to be alive and as uninjured as I am. It was frustrating to see the crash site, because it’s clear that this accident never should have occurred. We were doing everything right – and this still happened. I think it’s hard to accept that you can’t control everything.

My husband was wonderful and helped me recover in so many ways. He returned home from the hospital that first night and later confessed that he couldn’t sleep. His distraction was spending time looking for a new bike for me online! In my mind, I knew I’d be back but I didn’t know how hard it would be. Getting back on the bike and sharing space with cars was terrifying at first. I trained well all winter. Duathlon Nationals was my first race and my first time back on the road. We went to an office park to ride the access road the day before the race. I survived 15 minutes, tense and panicking the whole time. That should have been a sign! I had trouble riding during the race and even got off the bike when a car roared up the center of a “closed” road during the race. But getting through that was a huge help to me, and I realized I just had to get out on the roads and regain my confidence. That said, it took me all summer. And I still think a lot more about “what ifs”.

I also didn’t realize the full impact of the accident, my injuries, and my recovery on my physical conditioning and strength. Despite a year, I still have a strength deficit on one side and am very aware of my back and neck. It’s an ongoing process, and I struggled to accept that I couldn’t just snap my fingers and pick up where I had been. Now that I’m more aware of the ongoing progress, I’m more patient and I allow the smaller victories along the way to boost my confidence. I know I’ll get where I want to be!

That said, it took a while to come to terms with everything. I was frustrated that my races weren’t faster, that I hadn’t surpassed my goals. I had to step back and remember how much I enjoy all of this – I’m excited to build. And I have started to appreciate those smaller goals along the way. Liz really helped me to learn those lessons and to focus on what I enjoy about the sport.

I also need to mention how grateful I am to my friends. I had their support and encouragement – and they never told the crazy person who screamed “CAR BACK!” for a vehicle a mile away to go home. They’ve kept me laughing…we do this for fun! Remembering the laughs we’ve had and anticipating new ones often helped to keep me going.

How has a coach helped you in the recovery process?

I was hurt badly enough that I knew I had to be careful. And I knew that I wanted to make up for “lost time” as much as possible. I have a history of being great in training and then underperforming on race day. I decided I needed help guiding me as I tried to rebuild my fitness. That was one of my better decisions! It’s become clear how much of a neophyte triathlete I was. Liz helped me develop more patience for and appreciation of the process of training last year. I love to train but never had let it unfold in a stepwise fashion, building toward specific goals. Each workout has a point to it. I don’t have a lot of spare time, so it’s good to know that I’m maximizing what I do have. I know I’ll be ready.

Liz also has a knack for knowing when to push me and for how to pace me. I often will look at a schedule and think “oh, I could do more” – and then I realize that I need that rest week RIGHT NOW! Having a coach has also helped me tone down my tendency to overanalyze.

What was the highlight of your 2009 season?

Finishing Boise 70.3 was a great moment. That race was my main goal as I worked to return after the accident. It was my first half ironman, and it provided an “epic” experience (coach’s word): wind, rain, hail, whitecaps in the lake. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, both mentally and physically – and I LOVED IT! When I crossed that line, I knew I was back. I had to work and improve, but I was back.

Racing Muskoka 70.3 as an “add-on” race 3 weeks after another half ironman was also a high point. I was supposed to do that race as my first half in 2008, but that didn’t happen because of the accident. So completing this race was “unfinished business.” The whole day was a tremendous amount of fun (albeit very hilly fun!).

What are you looking forward to in your 2010 season?

I love training. I’m looking forward to building on what I learned last year and to having fun with training and racing. I’d love to go faster, too! The challenges of training and racing keep me coming back.

What Anne didn't mention was that she balances training with a busy career as an orthopedic surgeon. Together, we work to find the most efficient way for her to make use of the little time she has for training. She has an indefatigable work ethic and even when her job throws her crazy loops (how about working for several days straight!), she finds peace in setting a new personal best in a swim workout or squeezing in 30 minutes on the bike.

I look forward to watching Anne's abilities and confidence grow throughout the next season!

2009 Highlights

2009-12-31T10:24:00.006-06:00

2009 was a strong year for Multisport Mastery athletes. From Ironman finishers to world championship qualifiers to completing the local sprint triathlon, our athletes were busy around the world.

Each athlete has their own special memory of 2009. Here's what a few of our athletes have to say about their season highlights:

Dan, Illinois: Finishing Ironman Florida, setting a new personal best at the 2 mile open water swim, pushing myself farther than I ever thought would have been possible

Elizabeth, Virginia: I wanted to say that even though I'd only been working with you for about a month at the time, my race at the Patriot's International was already a huge improvement over my earlier races. I was able to run the best 10K off the bike I've ever run because I had a real plan for cadence and nutrition on the bike. Before working with you I was pushing harder gears on the bike that effectively ruined many of my runs before I even got my feet on the ground. I can't wait to see what 2010 will bring by working with Coach Liz!

Sarah, Illinois: My 2009 season highlight would have to be the Steelhead run. I just kept thinking I couldn't believe how good I felt compared to the year before (I felt shot after about mile 6 in '08). I was keeping a decent pace and didn't have to walk nearly as much. I ended up dropping a little over 10 minutes from my run time and almost 1 minute off my min/mile pace. I ended the race feeling pretty good, and not like I was about to die like in '08 (maybe I should have pushed harder

Rachelle, Iowa: I'd have to say that my favorite moment from 2009 was when I placed in my age group for the first time ever. It was a culmination of so much hard work and following the plan - trusting in my coach and letting her find the inner speed demon in me. 3 seconds separated me from the 3rd place girl that followed me. But because it was a time-trial start, I didn't know where I was. I just raced - truly raced - and put it all out there. I crossed the finish line with a PR (for a sprint tri and for a 5k run) but it wasn't until I stopped by the timing tent to get a printout of my times did I find out that I was 2nd in my age group! I was in shock - such disbelief - that I handed it to my friend to confirm that I was reading that little paper right. It is the only time I've ever had tears at a race - not even at Ironman! That moment, at that little race in the middle of Iowa, showed me that with hard work and diligence, I can become the triathlete that I want to be.

Cat, California: There are a few memories that stand out for me in 2009. First was having a lot of tings go wrong on the race course at Napa Valley Half Ironman, but never losing my cool. I was clear on what I needed to do there that day and with that in mind i was able to combat any negative thoughts. I flatted and had brake mechanicals, things that might have otherwise effected my attitude and thus my performance, but my goals were clear and my ability to asess what I could control and what I could not. Second was my "A" race, SOS. I was 100% in the moment throughout the entire race. I was smiling the whole time. Sure, I always want to go faster, but if I can be happy with my time while enjoying the whole experience, then I've gotten what I truly want.

Erich, California: My 2009 season highlight was competing at the Wildflower Collegiate Championship - my last opportunity to race collegiate. That race stands out in particular because it meant nothing on the calendar being that I was in an Ironman build. I missed the front group on the swim and rode without urgency for most of the bike because I forgot how short the race was. Luckily, I snapped out of my long-course pacing, I put forth everything I had coming in. Coming into T2, I was in 8th position and had a very tough run ahead of me. I had my best run to date and pulled away for a 5th place finish (amongst collegians who were specifically trained for that distance) in the last half mile.

Christy, Illinois: My favorite breakthrough was my half ironman in Racine. I was able to drop the most time I have from one year to the next. I had completed 4 half Ironman's before I started training with you and they were all within a few minutes of each other (around 6 hours). My biggest hold up in racing has always been the running part, which unfortunatetly is the last event. Your motivation and encouragement made me realize that I can run and push past my fear. I dropped just over 2 minutes on the swim from 08 to 09. I dropped just over 6 minutes on my bike split, and the best part on my run i dropped 17 minutes. It was the best feeling in the world when I knew going out on the second loop how much better prepared I was for Racine. I ran most of the second half with a smile on my face. I will never forget that race.

Andrea, Missouri: My 2009 highlight was the Downers Grove Criterium National Championship, it may have been super hard, but I am so glad I had that experience! I also set a awim PR at Redman/Long Course Nationals. And, racing Cyclocross for the first time, I had so much fun doing it!

Tom, Missouri: My favorite memory was the New Town sprint triathlon. I was coming off major surgery and at age 59 I was not sure how I would fare. In fact, the morning of the event I was so filled with doubt I announced to my wife that I was not going to race. She looked at me and said: “you need to do this.” I was more nervous before the start of this race than I was before either of the two Ironman triathlons I have done. We started the swim individually, one after another. When it was my turn to go to the dock I was petrified but once the official said “GO”, I was in the water. After about six strokes, I knew that I was back and if anybody could have seen my face then would have seen the biggest smile in the state of Missouri .

Jewell, Missouri: The highlight of my season was crossing the finish line at Redman with my daughter running beside me, just two months after separating my shoulder in a bike accident. While it was scheduled to be a step in the road to Ironman Arizona, it became the highlight of a challenging season.

Molly, California: Finishing Ironman Arizona! It was the happiest most joyful culmination of tons of hard work I've ever known! I'm still smiling about it 5+ weeks later. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more, and I can't wait to do one again.

Vince, Illinois: I remember waking up to slushy snow the morning of the Shamrock Shuffle on a cold day in March and thinking I should bag it but I didn't want to have to tell you that I didn't run. It ended up being one of my most memorable races and I set a PR. It was also a highlight for me to complete my first half ironman after working with you for only six months, having never done a triathlon at any distance before. During races when my body tells me it's time to quit, I ask myself what would Coach do, and then I push even harder.

Wendy, Tennessee: My 2009 highlight would be completing my first 70.3. I only started running in August 2005 and my first official triathlon season was 2008 so to be able to complete a long distance event was very significant to me. I have never had formal training in swimming, biking or running and I had never competed in any sports so for me to finish that race was such a great accomplishment for me! I've never been prouder of myself! And I definitely could not have done it without you! I wouldn't have even known where to start with my training! While I don't always do all of my workouts and sometimes I have a difficult time getting through them, I know that I am doing things that I, and most of my family and friends, never thought possible! So thank you to you for believing in me and pushing me!

Danni, North Carolina: Finishing Ironman and knowing right after I got out of the water; that I was going to finish the race. You prepared me SO well, not just physically, but mentally; that I never had any doubt I could do it. The race never felt hard; and almost felt “natural” to me. My breakthrough race at Augusta 70.3. I could not believe I put together a sub 6 hour half ironman. I just “let go” of the clock and let it happen. One of the best races of my triathlon “career”. Hitting a 7:32 per mile during my run test; I remember when all I could run was an 11:30 mile and end up exhausted.

Tommy, Missouri: My first race at Memphis in May I ran 10 minute miles and this year I ran 7 minute miles, thanks to you Coach Liz.

Mike, Missouri: This year I have had consistently better swim times in all triathlon distance races. Liz, your personal critique and coaching of my swim stroke has gotten me to focus on my technique during the swim workouts. I have worked to put in "quality" swim miles and believe this has resulted in better swim times during my racing.

Meredith, Ohio: I had a lot of highlights in 2009; smashing my previous PR in the half marathon by 3 minutes; breaking through the wall and finally breaking 3:30 in the marathon, especially doing it in the Boston Marathon, my favorite; winning my first race; placing in my age group in the only two triathlons I entered; and finally having the courage to sign up for Ironman. I'm really looking forward to 2010.

Tina, California: Frankly, all of 2009 is a highlight. I'm not sure there's one defining moment, but when I think that back in 2006 I couldn't run around the block. To 2007 when I did my first sprint tri and backstroked the entire 400 yards in about 20 minutes. To 2009, doing an Ironman and not being last! For me, learning about me was the huge highlight. Along the way (of training for Ironman), I had a huge ah-ha moment of "Anyone can do this! It's just the will and the want that drives people." You laid the work for me, and I just did it. I knew you'd never set me up to fail, so I never really feared the work, things just happened. I learned there's nothing special about an Ironman. If you work, it will come. Which completely inspired me to leave the corporate world and start my own business. I'm applying the same learning; if I work, it will come.

November's Featured Athlete

2009-12-01T08:57:00.004-06:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the November 2009 Featured Athlete:

Kara Bruzan of Bolingbrook, Illinois

We caught up with Kara after her top 10 in age group finish at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. After exiting the water at 60th position in her age group, she biked and ran her way into 10th place. This marks the end of a great season for Kara, including a top 5 in AG finish at Kansas 70.3 and top 5 overall finish at Steelhead 70.3 along with assorted age group wins along the way. We asked Kara a few questions about her 2009 season and where she is going in 2010.

How do you balance a full-time traveling job with training?

For me, smart time management and flexibility are keys for balancing life’s responsibilities, a job that requires travel, and training. Working with a responsive coach has enabled me to prioritize key workouts while on the road. For example, I typically research my meeting locations and determine what facilities will be available. My schedule can change week to week, so I need to be flexible. This sometimes requires me to split workouts into a.m. and p.m. segments. If for some reason I am forced to skip a workout, Liz identifies the best way to adjust the remaining plan for the week in order to maximize my training.

Also, having a Computrainer and a treadmill at home allows me to be efficient and helps when the Midwest winter weather sets in. It limits drive time and ensures for efficient and customized training.

What motivates you to work at your goals day to day?

Sport has always been more than a hobby to me. It’s a passion and a way of life. In triathlon, I am driven by discovering my physical and mental limits, then setting goals to surpass them. I love the thrill of racing against the clock and competing against my personal best.
When the days grow colder and daylight disappears in the Midwest , workouts can seem more daunting. During this time, I try to remain focused on the big picture and remind myself what I want to accomplish in the upcoming season. Sometimes it takes some creative mental imagery of visualizing the exhilaration of crossing the finish line at Ironman (even if it’s 11 months away).

What was the highlight of your 2009 season?

Qualifying for and competing in the Foster Grant 70.3 World Championship was definitely the highlight. I was fortunate enough to travel with family and friends to Florida , race alongside the sport’s most competitive athletes at the 70.3 distance, and PR. It was a great wrap up to the season.

What are you looking forward to for 2010?

I am looking forward building upon the progress I made in 2009 and give it a go at the Ironman distance again next year at Ironman Wisconsin. Also, as endurance athletes we are given the opportunity to combine our passion with travel. I’m looking forward to kicking off the year by running the Walt Disney World Marathon with my friends and fiancée.

How has a coach helped you to reach your goals this year?

Hiring a coach was one of my best investments this season. It eliminates the guesswork of the planning process and frees up more time to focus on doing what I love… training and racing. Anyone who has been coached by Liz knows she is committed to helping you reach your goals, providing expert analysis, realistic feedback, and wit-filled wisdom.

(here is Coach Liz convincing Kara that she loves to swim)

Prior to working with a coach, I had the “go hard or go home mentality.” At times I was doing too much, too soon, too often. My own competitive nature worked against me. Now I approach each session with a purpose and have a better understanding that there is a time to focus on technique, strength, and efficiency with calculated hard efforts. As a result, I have been able achieve a higher level of fitness and have accomplished more with less training.

Congratulations, Kara, on a successful 2009 season. We are looking forward to watching you grow (and go even fastser!) in 2010!

October's Featured Athlete

2009-10-27T08:04:00.003-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the October 2009 featured athlete:

Molly McNamara from California

Currently, Molly is in the peak of her training for Ironman Arizona. After her last 20-mile run, I caught up with her to ask a few questions.

What has been your highlight of the 2009 season so far?

Going back to the site of my first half Ironman (Vineman) and finishing with a 19-minute PR - including a 10-minute improvement on the swim alone - comes to mind first! Actually having a nutrition plan and knowing how to pace the bike also led to a much improved run on that day. It was a successful culmination of the first half of the year of training to see how far I've come with a coach!

What do you enjoy about working with a coach?

Taking away the stress of wondering if I'm "doing it properly" is a huge factor for me. Instead of complicating life trying to do the analysis myself, I love having an experienced coach like Liz to handle the brainwork for me. I follow my training plan and don't have to think about if I'm doing too much, too little, too fast, too slow, etc. Every workout has a purpose and it's made clear for me as the athlete what we are trying to accomplish and improve upon each step of the way in order to make sure I am race ready. I never have to worry that I'm putting in "junk miles" that aren't going to help me in some way.

What are some of your interests beyond triathlon?

When I'm not training for an Ironman, I compete with my two bearded collies in conformation (show ring), agility, herding, and obedience. My older beardie, Max, is a conformation and agility champion - he and I qualified for and competed at the Cynosports World Games in agility in 2007 and look forward to chasing qualification again next year after Ironman. I originally took up distance running to help me keep up with Max in the agility ring! My younger beardie, Stanley, is a maniac for sheep herding and a winner nationally and in Canada in the show ring, but he's most looking forward to kicking off his agility career after my Ironman.

What has been the biggest challenge with training for Ironman? How has a coach made it easier?

Putting in the consistent training is sometimes a challenge during the biggest build phase for Ironman. You're tired, you're feeling a little more worn down, and you don't feel like doing that short run or getting out of bed in the dark to go to the pool. Having a coach means I am accountable and I have to get it done, whether I like it or not. Not that Liz puts this pressure on me but having her there means I put it on myself - I know that those workouts are on my schedule for a reason and it only hurts my own race preparation if I don't get my work done.

Where have you seen the most improvement this year?

Where have I not? I've made significant strides in swimming, definitely improved my strength on the bike, and even in running, which was my strength, I've seen times I never thought possible - at every distance along the way. Most significantly though, my confidence has soared by leaps and bounds going into races with a tested and well-thought-out plan backed by the knowledge that I've put in the quality training to be truly ready. That most certainly wouldn't have happened without Liz to prod me along the way and give me unbiased feedback on my progress!

In a less than four weeks, Molly will take on her first Ironman. I’m excited to see her put together what has been over a year of commitment and diligence toward her goal. In the past year, I’ve watched her grow tremendously in physical strength and confidence. In her small frame she packs a lot of power but more importantly a lot of passion for her goal. She’s willing to do anything, any pace, any wattage that I give to her and gives it 100 percent. When training, she stays focused on the task which allows her to get the most out of it. Afterward, she immediately uploads her data and subjective feedback into Training Peaks. This allows me to keep track of how she is responding to training. Molly provides me with the information I need to pull the best out of her at the right time.

Molly is focused, organized and realistic. She gives a lot of attention to the little things that make a big difference – nutrition, recovery and communication. She doesn’t always have the time but she makes the time and that is what sets Molly apart. She is willing to give it that little extra, even if it means only going 1 minute faster. To her, it’s worth it and in time I’m guessing those little minutes will add up to big chunks of time and even bigger gains.

Good luck next month at Ironman, Molly!

Recommendations

2009-09-25T15:37:00.015-05:00

Personal Coaching Recommendations:

I would definitely recommend Liz to anyone that is looking for a triathlon coach. While working with Liz, workouts are challenging, personalized, and have purpose. Her workouts have helped me become a stronger athlete. I feel prepared on race day knowing that I followed Liz's well thought out plan for me. She has surpassed my expectations when it comes to coach-athlete communication. I am truly impressed!

Jill Bonniwell, Illinois
Top 10 in AG at Oceanside 70.3, Boulder 70.3, Buffalo Springs 70.3, overall win at Lake Holiday Triathlon, 1st in AG at Big Shoulders Open Water 5K, 10th elite amateur at Chicago Triathlon, 3rd overall at Quarryman 10-Miler, 5 top 3 in state finishes at Illinois Masters State Championship

In one year, Elizabeth has taken me from age grouper to professional triathlete. Every workout has a specific purpose which minimizes training time and maximizes performance. Her training techniques are tailored to each athlete's needs and goals. The more important characteristic of her approach is her accessibility. Elizabeth promotes communication and responds to questions quickly. Hiring Elizabeth as a coach has been my wisest investment in triathlon!

Patrick Davis, Iowa
1st overall @ Steelhead 70.3, 1st elite amateur @ Lifetime Fitness Triathlon, 1st overall @ Miami International Triathlon, 3rd overall @ Pigman Sprint, 2nd overall @ HyVee Triathlon, 3rd overall @ Chicago Triathlon, 4th overall @ Toyota US Open, 6th overall @ Collegiate Nationals

I would recommend Elizabeth to anyone who wants to maximize their time and GET RESULTS. When I met Liz, I had been doing triathlons for several years and after some steady improvements, I had hit a major plateau and then a backslide and I could not figure out why. I was totally frustrated and tired of pouring my heart into training only to have results that were less than what I knew I was capable of. After taking a year off from any form of structured training, I was ready to jump back in, which is when I called Liz. She looked at the big picture of what had been going right for me and what had been going not so right, and then zeroed in on the details, everything from advising me to take a multivitamin to analyzing video of my swim stroke, and planning a training schedule that accommodated my unpredictable work schedule, and life events such as buying a house, moving, a fair amount of travel, and my wedding. (Note: She did not make me train during the honeymoon). I was skeptical at first because I was doing far less volume than I had in the past. What I quickly realized was that because every workout had a specific purpose, I was able to do more with less- less fatigue and less time. Instead of logging "junk miles" the majority of my miles were quality. Over the eight months I worked with Liz, I PR'ed in nearly every event I did, including shaving nearly 20 minutes of my PR for a half ironman! For the first time in my triathlon career, I was able to run during the run, instead of just survive, AND have a strong bike. In addition to being very knowledgeable about triathlon training and racing, Liz is a professional in every sense of the word. She was ridiculously timely in responding to my emails, she consistently validated and tried to get to the root of any of my concerns, and she was great about making last minute changes in my training plan as other life commitments unexpectedly arose. She also consistently made sure I had a plan for every race including pre- race and race nutrition and hydration. It was often hard to believe that she coaches dozens of other athletes because she always knew what I was up to. This was not the first time I have worked with a coach but it was the first time I have worked with a coach that was consistently available, accountable and willing to switch gears according to how I was responding to training.

Pam Sinel, Colorado
PRs at Boulder Peak Sprint, Boulder Peak Olympic, Boulder 70.3

Having a coach has taken out the guess work out of triathlon. Every workout has a purpose and Liz is excellent at keeping you focused on your goals. Each time I line up at the swim start, I patiently wait for the gun to go off knowing that my personalized training plan has prepared me to reach my goals. Her accessibility and response times to phone calls and emails are unparalleled. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was her only athlete.

Erich Wegscheider, Oregon
2008 USAT All American, completed IMCDA (first Ironman) in 9:52 & 2nd AG, 3rd in AG @ New Orleans 70.3, 5th OA @ Wildflower, 1st in AG/5th OA @ Cancun 70.3, 7th in AG @ Ironman 70.3 World Championship

I'd been running for several years, but earlier this year I decided to add cross-training as a way to help prevent running injuries and to become a better runner. I signed up for a half-ironman to keep me motivated in the water and on the bicycle. Then I realized the last time I biked or swam was when I was a kid, and I never swam, biked and ran consecutively in the same day! I knew Coach W had been coaching my good buddy, who had also starting training for triathlons for the first time. As the weeks and months went by in his training, I witnessed his transformation into a triathlete. I called Coach W, and we talked about life, goals and triathlons, and she's been coaching me ever since. I was immediately impressed by Coach W's attention to detail and responsiveness. She has the qualities that it takes to excel at anything she does, but for my sake I'm glad she decided to coach. Since our first meeting I've completed an Olympic distance triathlon, and the experience was great. I know it wouldn't have been such a positive experience without the training and guidance of Coach W. My first half-ironman is coming up soon, and I know it'll be another sucessful and enjoyable experience - Coach W makes sure of that.

Vince Gnoffo, Illinois
First time finisher @ Steelhead 70.3, 13-minute marathon PR @ Chicago Marathon

Since working with Elizabeth, I have achieved performance levels beyond anything I could imagine. The season goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year have been shattered! I attribute this to the tailored and focused attention Elizabeth gives to me. It isn't about cheerleading - it's about comprehensive guidance and instruction from day to day. Each workout has a purpose and a goal, and those goals are made clear to me so that I approach the workout with the right frame of mind. Not just swim, bike, and run, but the mental game as well. It's all part of the package.

Rachelle Little, Iowa
2nd AG @ Pigman, Ironman Cozumel finisher

I would give my highest recommendation to Liz’s coaching. A combination of her knowledge, her candid, honest advice, her extremely effective communication (despite the distance – I’m in Scotland!), and her understanding of life’s other commitments makes her such an asset to the triathlon community via her coaching. Her workouts are interesting and tailored to an individual’s specific needs (ie suggesting specific swim drills after watching videos of me swim). She has a very balanced approach to coaching, which is shown, as one example, because she emphasizes nutrition and the mental side of training in addition to the swimming, biking, and running. I’ve seen significant improvements in my fitness throughout my first season with Liz, and would highly recommend working with her to any athlete!

Laura Richards, Scotland

I started working with Liz after a few years of trying to do my own training for triathlon. She came highly recommended from a very trusted source - my wife, who had been working with Liz for about a year.I've made tremendous progress as an athlete under Liz's guidance. I've learned to push myself much harder in training. And I've learned the importance of recovering well. Every workout had a purpose and is tailored specifically to my goals.Working with Liz takes all the guesswork out of training. I couldn't ask for a coach with more passion or dedication to helping her athletes improve in the sport.

Paul Tomlin, New Jersey

You will not find a better coach. Elizabeth is smart, knowledgeable, and highly responsive. She designs excellent workouts that are tailored to your personal goals and work/life schedule. Elizabeth has been a pleasure to work with, and you would be lucky to have her as a coach.

Jeff Nichols, Illinois

I have been with Coach Liz since February 2009 and without a doubt, I have seen a major impact on my level of fitness and competitive racing results! With her guidance, training and support, I set a new half-marathon PR in Nashville on a very hot and hilly course! In May I completed my first Olympic distance event and achieved my race goal of under 3 hours! Thankfully, she was racing the same event. When I saw the swim course distance I almost started to cry and wanted to back out of the race altogether. Liz calmed me down, got into the water with me, and helped me through a successful practice swim! I can honestly say that without her I might not have raced or I would have had a horrible swim! Liz's dedication to her athletes and sport makes her a supportive, knowledgeable, and successful Coach! I highly recommend Multisport Mastery to any athlete, at any level!

Wendy Greenlaw, Tennessee

I started triathlons in 2007 just as something to do to challenge myself. After doing 2 my first year, I found I loved them so much that I did 5 my next. Then I decided I wanted to try a coach. Being a student I had been able to train whenever I wanted to and pretty much made up workouts. Now with a full time job, this approach was not going to work. Liz is able to make training fit into my lifestyle. She moves workouts around if I need to travel for work and most importantly can tell if stresses are getting to be too much to handle – often before I do! In the past I would continue trudging through workouts when I was sick or unmotivated, now I am told to give myself time to rest! I have come through this season healthier and stronger than I have ever been before due to this approach. My big accomplishment this season was completing my first half-ironman and was so well-prepared for it that I came off the course loving the new distance. We were able to adjust my schedule to accommodate another half and I am super excited for this new distance. I am happy where I have gotten so far in the 7 months I have had Liz as a coach and am extremely excited to see where I can go.

Becca Cota, Minnesota
2nd AG @ Little Pigman, 2nd AG @ Heart of the Lakes, 9th AG @ Kansas 70.3, 3rd AG @ Pigman Half IM, 2nd AG at Square Lake Half IM, IM Cozumel finisher

Colleen Sullivan, Washington
8th AG @ Lake Stevens 70.3, 10th AG @ Boise 70.3, Ironman 70.3 World Championship finisher, Best of the US Washington qualifier, 2nd overall @ ChelaMan Olympic, 3rd overall @ Clear Lake

Unfortunately, I am too busy getting fast to write much about Liz. I am swamped with breaking through plateaus and pushing past limits. In between reading ahead about the awesome workouts she writes specifically for me, and then executing them, I have plenty to do. My schedule is very tight, so she uses my available training time so effectively that I feel she is as committed to my goals as I am. She packs quality into each and every workout, and yet understands the importance to me and my family of a well-placed rest day. It’s also hard to write testimonials when she has me so focused on my goals, both short and long term, though. Sadly, I don’t have the time to properly explain how she is leveraging her experience and knowledge to mold both my body and mind into a confident and powerful triathlete. I am too busy getting fast!

Brandon Janosky, Missouri
Completed first Ironman (Louisville) in 11:36 with 3:42 marathon, Boston qualifying 3:07 @ Go! St. Louis Marathon

Elizabeth helped me accomplish my biggest athletic goal (Austria 70.3), and experience one of the most memorable days of my life. Her daily advice was a priceless help to an amateur overtaking such a big attempt. By following her detailed training program, my bike performance improved significantly, while my running-tempo improved by an amazing 1min/km. Despite previous knee-injuries, I managed to stay healthy and strong throughout the training and the race. Elizabeth's around-the-clock internet access overcame also our ocean-wide distance, and thanks to her, I always had someone to answer my questions. Finally, apart from the technical support, Elizabeth has been constantly one of my biggest supporters and believers, boosting up my athletic confidence and keeping me motivated until the finish line!

Dimitrios Kiousis, Austria & Sweden

Kara Bruzan, Illinois
3rd in AG @ Kansas 70.3, 10th in AG @ Ironman 70.3 World Championship, 5th OA @ Steelhead 70.3, 5th in AG @ Kansas, 70.3, 3rd OA @ Quarryman Challenge, 2nd OA @ Stoneman Sprint, 1st OA @ Quarryman Challenge, 1st OA @ Seven Bridges 10 Miler

Group Training Recommendations

I enjoyed training with the group, the dedication, the support, the friendships are irreplaceable. There was a feeling of not having to “think”, just “do” whatever is on the schedule for the day. I learned to trust the plan because the training works! M.C., Chicago

I can't imagine training for Ironman any other way. The Well-Fit Ironman Wisconsin Training program was a perfect balance of fun and serious training. The group dynamic kept the workouts interesting and the six hour rides enjoyable. Most importantly, while wading in Lake Monona before the race, I felt 100 percent prepared, mentally and physically, for Ironman. I couldn't have asked for anything more. I really enjoyed training with the group and learned more this season than in all of my other triathlon seasons combined. I actually felt like an athlete at the end of this season! M.K., Chicago

The Well-Fit Ironman Wisconsin Training Program 2009 not only enabled me to complete Ironman Wisconsin but made the entire training experience easy and fun as well. Elizabeth was a great coach who took this group of people and trained us all to be an Ironman. Coaches kept the training fun, kept us on task and pushed us when needed. Ironman training is a long 7-months with lots of ups and downs. Elizabeth never ever let us think that we could not do it. Training with a group was a fantastic way to make the time pass during those 6 hour training rides on the bike or those 3 hour long runs or the 3000 yards of swimming at 6 in the morning. The group bonded and became lifelong friends more than just training partners. B.A., Lake Forest

Liz, Keith, and the Well-Fit team put together a top-notch Ironman Wisconsin training program in 2009. It was comprehensive and well-structured, yet flexible to my schedule and keeps you accountable for results. Liz and Keith’s experience at the Ironman distance with training, nutrition, pacing, equipment, and special tips was invaluable. Steve Bus I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Well-Fit Ironman Wisconsin 2009 training program. I signed up for Ironman without ever participating in a triathlon. While many people thought I was crazy to do so, I found a group of very similar, focused and goal-oriented athletes in this training group. What I appreciated most about my interactions with the coaches was that there was never a question too dumb to ask, I never felt intimated to ask for more direction on a workout or exercise, and both coaches were always eager and willing to offer perspective or share their insight. I went from not knowing how to clip into my pedals in March to biking over 100 miles. Not only that, but I went from a complete novice swimmer only able to swim 100 yards in December to being able to swim 2.4 miles in open water. Both Liz and Keith have a great amount of passion for their sport which clearly resonates in their dedication and personal investment they make in helping each of us reach the pinnacle of our athletic capacity in becoming an Ironman. R.P., Chicago

Where do I start? Your emails that were detailed and gave us so many ideas and feedback, your positive encouragement, your amazing way of “telling us like it is” with no surprises, your immediate email responsiveness, your fun upbeat personality, your ability to keep us focused, your willingness to help us work around schedules when needed. You are amazing and great at what you do! D.F., Streamwood

Ten Training Errors

2009-09-09T07:54:00.003-05:00

The purpose of training is to gain fitness that will help us achieve our goals. Here's 10 common training errors that can derail the best training plan.

1 – Missing out on the recovery window

The 10 to 30 minutes after a workout are critical for replenishing your glycogen stores, rehydrating and promoting recovery. Chronically missing this windows adds up over time and a few weeks to months later it’s not uncommon to find yourself in the proverbial “hole” of underrecovery. While it may not be convenient or even desirable to put something into your mouth right after a workout, it will help you recovery go a long way. The better you recover, the more fitness you gain, the more training you can integrate. Many companies make packets of recovery drink.Pick up a few samples at the local tri/running store, throw them in your gym bag with an empty water bottle. On your way home or as you stretch after the workout, drink the recovery drink. Then, once you are at home and settled, follow up with a well-rounded meal.

2 – Timing is everything

Training is all about timing. There are times to go easy, times to go hard. Knowing when to push and how hard to push is critical to breaking through. And, the timing must be right. Every session cannot be a breakthrough session. Know when to hold back and when to go hard. A heart rate monitor helps to hold you back more than to push you. Use it wisely and to keep yourself in check. Going harder and working harder every time you train is a surefire way to cause the opposite reaction than what you are hoping. Be wary of situations where you know it will be difficult to hold back. In other words, don’t bring that fast friend along on an easy ride. And when you need to work on technique in the pool – swim alone. Doing the right work at the right time by following your prescribed heart rate zones will lead to improved fitness in time.

3 – Adding workouts

Adding workouts not only disrupts the flow of your training schedule but also sets you up for overuse injury and fatigue. Design a training plan to help you meet your goals (or work with a coach) then stick to it. A proper training plan should optimize a proper mix of training and recovery. Adding workouts may cut into your recovery time or leave you fatigued for your key workouts – the time when the work really counts! Avoid the temptation to add workouts or add time to your existing workouts. There is a purpose for everything on your training schedule. Training is not about cramming as much as you can when you want, where you want. It’s about how much training your body can assimilate in a given period of time.

4 – Dwelling on the negative

You win some, you lose some. And sometimes you don’t even finish at all! Part of being an athlete is accepting the ups and downs that are a natural part of taking risks and bettering yourself. The important thing is to learn lessons from both. When things go well, take note of what worked and plan to replicate it. Similarly, when things do not go well, take note of what did not work and think through how to make changes to improve next time. There is always a take-away, lesson or something positive in every race and training experience – no matter how poorly it went. Stay focused on the positive, learn your lessons and look at difficulty as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and how to bring out your best race.

5 – Getting in your own way

Doubts, what ifs, negative self-talk – we have millions of ideas that swirl around in our head every day. What you say to yourself and what you attend to is imperative to becoming the best athlete you can be. Before a workout or a race, take the time to clear your head and let go. Learn to let go of attachments you have to numbers, placement or splits. Often these attachments limit our performance rather than push us to race in the moment and focus on the task at hand. Start each workout with what I call an “open heart and open mind” allowing only positive thoughts to enter and being open to the opportunity of what could happen out there.

6 – Underfueling or underhydrating before, during & after training

As an athlete, you need to fuel with a purpose and that purpose is performance. Like a vehicle, you will run poorly with poor fuel. It takes time and energy to keep on top of your fueling needs and it can be inconvenient. But in all of the things you could use or buy to get faster on race day none are as economical or effective as good fuel. How do you fuel right? Eat well and eat often. Use quality fuel in several smaller meals throughout the day to keep energy levels stable. If you find yourself in a situation where you have underfueled, consider moving your workout or deferring to something easier. The same goes for hydration – hydration is a habit not something you do before race day. Hydrate with water throughout the day; hydrate through your workouts to keep your energy levels up and recovery quicker. Look for signs of dehydration; headaches, fatigue or high heart rate during your workout. Lastly perform a sweat rate test for each sport throughout the year to determine your specific hydration needs.

7 – Paralysis by analysis

Data can be useful in analyzing trends, charting progress and identifying weaknesses. Yet resist the urge to analyze yourself after every workout and, more importantly, during the workout. Instead, after your workout take a look at the data to make the connection to how you felt, how you performed and what the numbers said. You may find that you bolt too early or take hills too hard. Your heart rate may have drifted up through the workout to indicate dehydration. Analyze the data, make some notes and then move forward. Overanalyzing data or beating yourself up for “bad” numbers is a sure way to stifle progress and frustrate yourself. Within workouts, getting caught up in the numbers and data only lets you lose touch with how you feel and your full focus. And remember on some workout days to leave all gadgets at home and get in touch with the good feeling of simply “doing” without attachment to numbers.

8 – Always doing what is fun rather than what is boring

Performance improvement is not always fun. Practicing technique, refining form and working on the basics of aerobic efficiency require patience, mindfulness and slowing things down. This is the work that allows you to become more economical and efficient, which, over time, is free speed. Even at the professional level, athletes take time in each session to practice the basics. Many novices make the mistake of jumping ahead to a high level of intensity or training before the basic building blocks of economical performance have been set. These are the blocks that allow you to stay injury-free and help you reach that next level of speed. Take the time to meet with a skilled coach in each sport at least once a year to revisit your technique and find your best form. Then, be patient and mature enough to work on these skills. Keep these sessions easier to balance out the training intensity in other sessions.

9 – Keeping up with the Jones’

All too often athletes get caught up in comparing themselves to others and getting lost in these comparisons. A little friendly competition is good for a push and motivation. Yet keep yourself real about the comparison. Comparing yourself to someone who is more experienced in the sport or even comparing yourself to a younger version of yourself is not appropriate. You are who you are right now. Be content with yourself and focus instead on bettering yourself and being competitive in your age group. Be mindful of who you practice with and when.

10 – Too much, too hard, too soon

In sport timing is everything. Doing the right work at the right time on a consistent basis is how you achieve success. If you are unsure of when to do which work, enlist the help of a coach or a quality book. Know that in most cases, doing less is more and erring on the conservative side is better than tipping over into too much. If it sounds like too much, generally it is! Resist the urge to do too much just to feel like you can do it or build confidence and resist the urge to make every training a hammer session. That’s a quick recipe for injury and burnout. Balance your training plan realistically with recovery and work toward your goals. Confidence comes from trusting your training and being prepared just the right amount at the right time.

How to avoid making these training errors? Enlist the help of a coach, an experienced athlete or resource. For more information on coaching, contact us at multisportmastery at comcast.net.

September's Featured Athlete

2009-09-01T08:31:00.002-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the September 2009 featured athlete:

Rebecca Domzal of Bellingham, Washington

What got you into triathlon?

I started swimming competitively in 1990. By the time I finished up my last season in 2001 I was burnt out on the sport and started looking for something else to do to keep me active. After a move to Chicago, I started looking for another challenge. A co-worker mentioned the Chicago Triathlon and I thought "why not?" I did two races that year and fell in love with the sport. I've always been competitive growing up, I just didn't realize how much I missed racing until I got back into it.

What was the highlight of your 2009 season?

Boise 70.3 was a big breakthrough. I feel like I worked really hard to develop a race plan and went into that race and executed the plan as best I could. The weather really turned on us, but I know that I had been working on both the physical and the mental side of things in training. I didn't let the weather bother me and just got out and raced. This was the first big race that I've done that I ever placed in my age group!

Qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship at Lake Stevens 70.3 was definitely a highlight. Even though the course was tougher than Boise, I knew I was in good shape and ready to race. I was really confident in my abilities before this race. I spent a lot of time pre-race reviewing my race plan and I knew exactly what I should be doing during the race. It was one of those races where it really all comes together - pacing and nutrition were both spot on.

What has been most beneficial about working with a coach?

Consistency. Before working with a coach my race times had plateaued. I did the Chicago Triathlon in back-to-back years and improved my time by 17 seconds. I knew that I needed more direction and focus in my workouts. I was trying to do too much, at too high of an intensity and didn't know a thing about recovery, nutrition and periodization. Working with Liz has helped to give me focus. I know the purpose of each workout and I've improved my knowledge of racing, nutrition, etc. My times have improved substantially since working with Liz.

In the past year, you relocated from Chicago to Washington. Tell us about training in the state of Washington:

The move to Washington has been great for me. My favorite bike ride goes out and follows the coast line for miles. I have trails that I can run that start in my back yard. Bellingham has a burrito store (Bandito's) that is a local favorite for post-ride recovery burritos. They even have a biker's special and no one looks at you funny for showing up in spandex. The whole community is really supportive of active life styles. And so far most of the stereotypes about Washington have held true: I didn't drink coffee until I moved here, everyone wears black jackets in the winter, and it does rain quite a bit :)

How do you balance a full-time job with training for long course?

My refinery works a strange schedule (4 x 10 hour days) that gives me every Friday off, but means that I work 10 hours every day. Like everyone with a full time job, its a struggle to fit everything in. Luckily, I've got a Computrainer that I enjoy working out on for mid-week bike rides. The key for me is to think out the week ahead of time and plan for each workout. I pack my workout gear a day or two in advance, plan meals as often as possible, and just try to stay one step ahead of the plan. Having routines like Master's swimming on certain days really help.

What are your plans for the 2010 season?

I'll be sticking with 70.3's and shorter next year. I'd like a redo on Boise to see what I'm capable of on that course. It was a great race and I liked the 2:00 race start. I'm aging up into a new AG next year, and I'd like to place well in my newer (faster) AG. It’s been awhile since I've done any short course races, so I'd like a chance to see what I'm capable of at the Olympic or sprint distance.

What does Multisport Mastery enjoy about working with Rebecca?

I started working with Rebecca about two years ago. Rebecca is hard-working and realistic. She sets attainable goals and then proceeds to do the work to get there. She is very much process-oriented and understands how each small step will help her in the big picture. In 2008, Rebecca set her sights on her first Ironman in Wisconsin. She crossed the line looking strong in 12:50. This year, she has set a personal best in every race this year. Last year one of her goals was to break 2 hours in a half marathon. At Lake Stevens 70.3, she ran the half marathon off the bike in 1:43. Her progress has been remarkable and she is transforming herself into an age group contender at competitive long course races. I’m excited to watch her start at Clearwater in November and can’t wait to see where she goes next year.

August's Featured Athlete

2009-08-02T08:45:00.005-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the August 2009 Featured Athlete:

Rob Davidson of Eugene, Oregon

We caught up with Rob after he completed his first Ironman, Ironman Coeur d’Alene, in a strong finishing time of 10:54.

What got Rob started in triathlon?

After leaving the military in 2000, Rob continued to stay fit with what he called “boring” aerobic exercise. When some of his college buddies said they were going to do a triathlon called "Escape from the Gorge”, he decided to jump in too! Literally, he jumped – the race began with a jump into the Hood River. Daunting? Not really - he thought to myself, “if they can do it, I should try too!”

Rob bought a book and read about training and racing. He borrowed a bike, rented a wetsuit and the second he jumped off that boat, in his words, “i knew I had found my thing.”

What made Rob want to work with a coach?

Simply put, he didn't know what he was doing! All of the reading books and forums, Rob didn't feel like the books were taking him where he wanted to go. Plus, he has a busy life with 3 kids and a full-time travel-based job. In his words, “I don’t have time to waste, every second counts. I needed a coach to focus my workouts, to streamline what I was doing on a daily basis and make it count!”

Not only that, but Rob needed direction in balancing the struggle that many athletes have when training themselves – how much, how often. “I also needed someone to reign me in. Left to my own devices, I will overtrain under the illusion that it will benefit me. Coaching provided me with focus, direction, and expertise.”

What have you enjoyed most about working with a coach?

Rob explains, “Often during training, you doubt yourself. You doubt your capabilities and if you're doing enough. Liz settles me. Liz lets me know that I'm doing enough. That I'm capable. Liz is the logical, focused voice when I'm freaking out.”

How did having a coach help you on your journey to Ironman?

“Focus, expertise, and experience. Honestly, I could have done it without coaching but I guarantee that my journey would have been completely different without it (read: less enjoyable).”

I started working with Rob early in 2008. After months of preparation, Rob qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship with a top 10 age group finish at Lake Stevens 70.3. Even with a few bumps along the way (ie., dislocated shoulder, bike crash, dropping his nutrition), Rob still crossed the line at Clearwater in 4:40. From a coach’s perspective, this is what makes Rob is a true joy to coach. He is resilient, passionate and full speed ahead about his goals – no matter what. He has a vibrant personality that jumps off the page and when I finally met him “in real life” his energy hit me and his sense of humor made me smile.

Rob has the ability to set realistic goals and the work ethic to simply do the work to get there. His limited time means that we must focus his efforts on high quality work – no junk, no extras. He maximizes his energy and with extra attention to recovery throughout Ironman training he was able to stay healthy, on track and finish strong. Rob finished his first Ironman in under 11 hours with a 3:40 marathon. While it was not the perfect day, it was the perfect start to what I know is an idea in his head that he must better himself and achieve more. I suspect he has unfinished business with Ironman…but only 2010 will tell.

Rob is on break now – and when he returns I eagerly look forward to his random texts, quirky pictures and fun-loving personality - all that remind me how coaching is more than giving workouts – it’s about sharing experiences with athletes, it’s about getting to know them and finding out what motivates them. Putting it all together to help them go places they’ve never gone before.

See you next year, Rob!

Featured Writing

2009-07-01T09:35:00.000-05:00

Writings:

www.shape.com/fitness/sports/running/race_training/running_for_beginners

Interviews:

http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/2009/06/trainingpeaks-member-profile-elizabeth-waterstraat-triathlete-and-coach.html

At The Races - 2009

2009-06-21T06:00:00.020-05:00

Congratulations to Multisport Mastery athletes for these notable 2009 race results!

November 2009:

Tommy for setting a 61 minute PR at IM Arizona.
Kate for being the first female AGer out of the water at IM Cozumel in 49:24.
Tina for 5 minutes off her best half marathon time.
Rachelle for completing her first Ironman (Cozumel) in 13:35!
Erich for setting a 90 second PR & placing top 10 in AG at 70.3 World Championship.
Kara for setting a 20 minute PR & placing top 10 in AG at 70.3 World Championship.
Rebecca for setting a 17 minute PR at 70.3 World Championship.

October 2009:

Dan for running a 3:14 marathon at the Chicago Marathon.
Cameron for running a 3:20 marathon & qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
Vince for setting a 13 minute personal best at the Chicago Marathon.
Kris for completing the Ironman World Championship, lottery qualifier who finished strong!
Joy for completing the Ironman World Championship (for the fourth time!).

September 2009:

Danni for setting a 28 minute personal best at Augusta 70.3
Kate for setting a new personal best at the 10 mile run race
Rebecca for taking over 2 minutes off her best 5K time & placing 1st in AG, 5 OA at the race
Chris for placing 2nd elile overall at Peregrine Charities Tri.
Erich for winning his AG & placing 5th OA at Cancun 70.3.
Andrea for placing top 10 AG at USAT National Long Course Championship.
Paul for placing 4th in AG and 9th overall at Marlton Sprint.
Kara for placing 3rd in her category at Illinois State Road Race Championship.
Chris for placing 5th in his category at Illinois State Time Trial Championship.
Elizabeth for placing 1st in AG, 3rd OA at Patriots International.
Christy for setting a new personal best at Ironman Wisconsin.

August 2009:

Laura for setting a 7 minute swim PR, 61 minute bike PR, 79 minute run PR & cutting 2 hours 22 minutes off her best IM finish time!
Rebecca for finishing her first Ironman in 14:34.
Dan for setting a 19 minute swim PR, 19 minute bike PR, 52 minute run PR & slicing 1 hour 20 minutes off his best IM finish time!
Mary Ann for finishing her first Ironman in 13:24.
Barb for setting a 5 minute swim PR, 17 minute bike PR, 79 minute run PR & chopping 1 hour 19 minutes off her best IM finish time!
Nancy for toughing her day at IMLou & finishing 2nd in her AG.
Seiichi for taking 1 minute of his best Olympic distance time at the Chicago Tri.
Dave for setting a 6 minute PR at Chicago Tri.
Patrick for setting a 38 minute course PR at Chicago Tri.
Dimitrios for setting a 34 minute half IM PR at the Tjorn Triathlon.
Andrea for finishing 5th in her first road race.
Kristin for setting an 18 minute PR at Timberman 70.3!
Becca for placing 3rd in AG at Pigman
Leslie for placing 4th OA & 1st in AG at the local sprint
Stef for setting over a 3 hour personal best at the Utah Half Ironman
Meredith for placing 2nd in AG at the local half marathon
Rebecca for placing 2nd in AG at the DeGray International Triathlon
Laura for placing 2nd in AG at Pleasant Prairie triathlon
Rachelle for placing 2nd in AG at local 5K and setting a new personal best
Colleen for placing 1st in AG and top 15 OA at Hulaman Half IM
Rebecca for placing 6th in AG at Lake Stevens 70.3, setting a new personal best half marathon time, a new personal best half IM time & qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater!
Dan for setting a 12 minute swim PR, 46 minute bike PR at Steelhead 70.3
Kara for placing 2nd female overall (9th with men!) at Stoneman sprint
Mike for placing 3rd in AG at Stoneman sprint
Jeff for setting a 26 minute PR at Steelhead 70.3
Kris for finishing her first Ironman in 15:18
Molly for setting a 19 minute PR at Barb's Half Ironman
Vince for finishing his first half Ironman in 5:55 at Steelhead 70.3
Tina for finishing her first Ironman in 14:40 & setting a new PR at the marathon!
Colleen for going 3rd in AG & 7th female OA at Mid Summer Tri
Kate for placing 3rd in AG at Paul Bunyan Sprint
David for finishing his first half IM in 6:23 at Steelhead 70.3
Erich for placing 3rd in AG & 10th male overall at MidSummer Tri
Dawn for setting a hew PR at KC WIN Sprint
Dave for going 3rd in AG at Ripon Olympic
Kara for setting a new PR by going 4:50, placing 2nd in AG, 5th female OVERALL, fastest run split in AG & qualifying for 70.3 World Championship at Steelhead!

July 2009:

Becca for placing 2nd in AG at Heart of the Lakes.
Patrick for placing 6th overall at Evergreen Sprint.
Andrea for setting a 2 minute PR at Evergreen Olympic.
Marty for setting a 37 minute PR at Musselman Half IM.
Christy for setting a 25 minute PR at Spirit of Racine Half IM.
Danni for placing 2nd in AG and setting a 1 minute PR at the local 10 mile TT.
Rachelle for setting a 44 minute PR at Spirit of Racine Half IM.
Mary Ann for setting a 10 minute PR at Spirit of Racine Half IM.
Patty for setting a big PR at Spirit of Racine Half IM.
Kristin for setting a 13 minute personal bests at NJ State Tri.
Mike for setting a 35 minute PR on the run of Racine Half IM.
Danni for placing 2nd in AG & taking 1 minute off her best time at the 10 mile TT.
Jewell for setting at 34 minute personal best at Muncie Endurathon.
Kristi for setting a 4 minute personal best at Lifetime Fitness Tri.

June 2009:

Leslie for placing 5th overall & 1st in AG at the Race of Grace Tri.
Kate for placing 10th overall & 2nd in AG at Philly Sprint Tri & leading the race until mile 2 of the run!
Meredith for placing 3rd in AG at Tri For The Cure.
Paul for setting a 5 minute PR at the Philly Tri.
Marty for setting a 15 minute PR at the Philly Tri.
Kristin for setting a 12 minute PR at the Philly Tri.
Karin for placing 3rd overall at Cutting Edge.
Kate for setting a 12 minute personal best at Grandma's Half Marathon.
Jason for finishing Ironman CDA in 11:15, taking 69 minutes off his time from 2 years ago.
Rob for finishing his first Ironman in 10:54 with a speedy 3:42 marathon.
Colleen for taking 47 minutes off her best IM time, finishing Ironman CDA in 12:29.
Dave for finishing his first Ironman in 14:22.
Erich for finishing his first Ironman in 9:52 with an age group best 3:21 marathon & taking 2nd in his age group.
Sarah for setting a new personal best at Elkhart Lake.
Leslie for placing 1st in AG at Dragonfly Tri.
Kara for placing 5th in AG and top 15 overall at Kansas 70.3.
Rebecca for placing 5th in AG at Boise 70.3
Stef for setting a 28 minute personal best at BAM!
Anne and Becca for completing their first half IM.
Mike for setting a 41 minute personal best at Eagleman.
Tommy for setting a 3 minute personal best at Eagleman.
Joe for taking 17 minutes off his best half IM time at Kansas 70.3
Mike for taking 9 minutes of his best half IM time at Kansas 70.3
Meredith for placing 3rd in AG at Wendy's Triathlon.
Kate for having the 2nd fastest swim split of 25:44 (including pros!) at Eagleman 70.3
Danni for placing 3rd in AG at the local 10 mile TT.
Paul for taking 1st in AG at the local sprint tri.
Chris for running into 3rd in his AG at the local 10K with a smokin' 37:02.
Becca for winning 1st in AG at Pigman sprint tri.
Rachelle for taking 2nd in AG at Pigman sprint tri.
Alicia for placing 3rd in AG at the local half Ironman.
Joy for coming in 3rd in AG at the local tri.
Barb for setting a 4 minute PR at the half IM distance.

May 2009:

Andrea for placing 4th in AG at the KC Triathlon.
Danni for placing 3rd in AG at the local 10 mile TT.
David for finishing 4th in AG at Bluff Creek Triathlon.
Andrea for placing 3rd overall at the Corporate Challenge TT.
Dave for placing 3rd in AG at the sprint triathlon.
Andrea for placing 1st overall at the bike TT tryouts.
Joe for dropping 23 minutes from his best Olympic distance tri time.
David for setting a new personal best at the 10K+ distance.
Dan for taking 15 minutes off his personal best time at the SF 10 Miler.
Karin for taking 2 minutes off her personal best time at the SF 10 Miler.
Meredith for winning the 5K & setting a personal best.
Leslie for taking 3 minutes off her best Memphis in May time.
Mike for taking 26 minutes of his personal best time at Galena Triathlon.
Chris for placing top 15 in his first pro race!
Tina for setting an 11 minute PR at the UVAS Triathlon.
Kristin for setting bike and run PRs at the unexpected Harriman Duathlon.
Joy for placing 3rd overall in the Amateur Challenge at Memphis in May.
Dimitrios for setting a HUGE half marathon personal best, over 20 minutes!
Kris for taking 6 minutes off her best time at the UVAS Triathlon
Joe for taking 4 minutes off his best Memphis in May time.
Sara for placing 5th in her AG at Harriman!
Tommy for setting a 5 minute PR at Memphis in May.
Becca for placing 2nd in AG at the Gear West Duathlon.
Christy for setting a 9 minute PR at Memphis in May.
Kara for placing 1st in AG, 5th overall & dropping 3 minutes off her personal best at Quarryman 10 Miler.
Mike for placing 5th in AG & dropping 7 minutes off his personal best at Quarryman 10 Miler.
Joy for earning USAT All-American status for 2008.
Erich for earning USAT All-American Honorable Mention for 2008.
Chris for dropping 39 minutes off his best time at Wildflower half Ironman.
Erich for placing 5th overall in the collegiate division at Wildflower.

April 2009:

Meredith for setting a personal best at the Boston Marathon with a finishing time of 3:29:28.
Leslie for winning her AG & placing 4th overall at the sprint tri.
Wendy for taking 5 minutes off her best time at the Nashville Half Marathon.
Jeff for placing 6th overall & 1st masters at the 5K.
Mike for completing his first Boston in 3:37.
Joe for taking 2 minutes off his best sprint triathlon time at Pioneer Sprint.
Kris for taking 26 minutes off her best marathon time & qualifying for Kona via lottery slot.
Jason for placing 6th in AG at Rage Half IM & taking 31 minute off his best half IM time.
Stef for taking 46 minutes off her best course time at the Rage Triathlon.
Erich for placing 3rd in AG at New Orleans 70.3 & qualifying for the 70.3 World Championship.
Laura for placing 2nd in AG at Run Through The Hills 10K.
Paul for placing 3rd in AG and 10th overall at the 5K.
Rachelle for dropping 22 minutes off her best half marathon time.

March 2009:

Barb for dropping 7 minutes from her best half marathon time at March Madness.
Leslie for winning her AG at Rebelman Sprint Tri.
Laura for dropping 16 minutes from her best half marathon time at March Madness.
Rebecca for dropping over 8 minutes from her best half marathon time at Whitby Island Half Marathon.
Molly for dropping 6 minutes from her 10K personal best.
Robyn for placing 2nd in AG at Rebelman Sprint Tri.
Jessi for placing 5th in the Walla Walla road race.
Colleen for setting a personal best half marathon time.
Meredith for dropping 3 minutes from her best half marathon time & placing 2nd overall.
Rebecca for setting a new personal best at the half marathon.
Danni for setting a new personal best at a 5K.
Vince for setting a new persona best at the Shamrock Shuffle.
Mike for dropping 8 minutes from his best 8K time at the Shamrock Shuffle.
Dan for setting a new personal best at the Shamrock Shuffle 8K.
Jessi for placing 6th overall at the Mason Lake road race.

Focus Fully

2009-06-19T09:23:00.001-05:00

What does it take to achieve your goals in a race or every day?

To focus fully.

We live in a world with many distractions. Not just that but when we race we place ourselves on the line – our reputation, our personal expectations, input from our watches/GPS, evaluation of what our performance means. With so much external input it is difficult to focus fully on what we want to do.

But the best performers learn to manage these distractions, to push aside expectations from others, external factors (rain, heat, wind), worries about other competitors in order to focus on themselves.

How can you improve your focus?

1 – Take the time to focus fully in daily life. When you are working, turn on talk radio and focus intently on what you are doing. Try reading with headphones and learn to block out the noise.

2 – Take the time to focus fully in training. At least once a week, get out there by yourself and learn to manage your emotions and thoughts without input from others. Learn to push yourself – especially if you are training for Ironman the ability to work with yourself for long periods of time is critical.

3 – Train naked. Once a week leave the GPS, watch, bike computer, power meter at home. Go by feel. If you’d like, cover up your technology, go by feel and get back home to compare how you felt with what happened. Are you overworking or underperforming? Focus on how it feels to achieve a certain speed.

4 – Have a mantra. Before your next training session, think of one word or a key phrase that you would like to feel/achieve. Your word might be “fearless”. Repeat that word to yourself throughout the session. When you find yourself at a low point or digging deep, repeat your key word/phrase to distract from the pain and focus on being fearless instead.

5 – Take a technology break. Limit your daily diet of blogs, Facebooking, email to focus fully for at least one day a week. Let go of worrying about what everyone else is doing or keeping up. Take one day to focus on yourself and your goals.

6 – Plan your path. Start piecing together a plan for your next race. Sure, it might be early but the more you plan your path, the better you’ll know where to go. Focus on the steps of that plan over and over again until they become automatic and just need to play out on race day.

7 – Develop tunnel vision. Bad workouts, good workouts – they are part of being an athlete. Rather than perseverating on the bad workouts, keep looking ahead to your vision and goal. Have tunnel vision. Do not look behind at bad performances or workouts – these are must steps along the path to where you want to go.

8 – Release any regret. Let go of the need to compare yourself to who you were or where you were. Injuries, aging, life events – these are all part of moving forward in life as an athlete. Do not look back with regret or longing for who you were. You can be that athlete again – or a better version at a different point in life. Instead, focus on where you want to go. Make a list of “WHY I CAN” get to that next goal.

9 – Speak only in positives. Learn to focus solely on the positives in each training session. There will be many ups and downs in training – when you record your training, speak only in positives. How did you turn that challenging situation around? Why did it make you a better athlete?

10 – Practice makes perfect. Embrace every opportunity to refine your focus. Focus is not something to turn on for race day. It is like swim technique – the more you practice, the more efficient you will be at drawing on that focus and using it to your advantage on race day.

June's Featured Athlete

2009-06-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

Multisport Mastery is proud to announce June’s featured athlete(s):

Well Fit Ironman Wisconsin Training Program

Or – IRONMOO!

The Well Fit Ironman Wisconsin Training Program started in February with the goal of guiding 16 athletes across the finish line in Madison in mid-September. Well Fit coach Keith Klebacha and I created an organized training plan for the athletes to follow each week. Delivered weekly through Training Peaks, their plan provides them with detailed workouts for swim, bike, run, strength and more (the other things that make for athletic success!).

Rather than just provide a training plan, we meet as a group twice weekly; once for a cycling class using the Well Fit Training Center computrainers and another time for a technique-focused swim at a local pool. The class setting provides Keith and I the opportunity to interact personally with each athlete, to answer their questions, check in on their training and provide any other support.

The 16 athletes share nothing other than a common goal and a love for the sport. They come from diverse backgrounds, experiences and speeds. Each athlete, however, is 100 percent committed to the big picture – crossing the line at Ironman. For most, this is their first journey to the line. For some their first triathlon. The experienced athletes share their advice and stories while the newer athletes share their fresh perspective and vigor for the sport. Combined, they are a dynamic group with infectious energy.

What stands out the most about the group is not just their fun-loving attitude about the sport but their willingness to just do the work. Most balance busy careers, family, children and other interests with training for Ironman. They leave the planning and thinking to the coaches – and when it’s time to do the work they are ready for it. They follow directions and when they are unsure, they ask. Having coaches that are accessible and experienced helps with this. Moreover, having access to the Well Fit Training Center for cycling, Endless Pool swimming, strength training and other group workouts makes the experience that much more valuable and convenient when living in a major metropolitan city.

Over the past few months, the group has truly transformed into iron-machines. Physically, they look leaner, stronger and fit. But that’s not all. Within 8 weeks, they improved their bike test results by an average of 40 watts. On average, they dropped 59 seconds from their run test pace. And the pool? How about an average 10 seconds per 100 improvement as a whole.

Testing is one thing, racing another. Dan dropped 15 minutes from last year’s time at the Soldier Field 10 Miler. Mike dropped 26 minutes at the Galena Triathlon. Donna came in 2nd overall at a local 5K. Veronica, who could run only a few miles back in September, held her best yet pace at the Riverbank 25K (that would be 15.9 miles!). Ryan set a personal best at the Shamrock Shuffle 8K. Karin bested her past times in everything from the 5K to 10 mile distance. Overall, the team is setting personal bests, recovering strong and as they say – making big deposits into their Iron bank.

What makes this group click? An organized training plan with coach support is helpful but I believe it’s encouraging these athletes to see themselves as a team. While triathlon is an individual sport, together their spirit as a team will help each athlete excel on race day. Ironman is a long day. Hearing your name or seeing a familiar face over the course of 140.6 miles? Well, that goes a long way.

Every week I look forward to driving into the city to meet with the group. Each athlete is a pleasure to work with and brings something special to the group. I am counting the weeks until I get to stand along a street in Madison watching each of them chase down their iron dreams. Until then I will enjoy watching them grow as athletes and as a team.

How do you get involved in a training program like this? Plans are already in the works for a 2010 early season Ironman program to start in late fall 2009. Contact Liz at multisportmastery at comcastdotnet for further details.

For more information on the variety of programs offered through Well Fit or their state of the art multisport training facility, please visit: www.wellfitinc.com.

In the News

2009-05-28T14:58:00.003-05:00

Coach Elizabeth Waterstraat was interviewed on page 32 of the June 2009 issue of Chicago's Amateur Athlete. An online issue is available her:

www.chicagoaa.com

May Featured Athlete

2009-05-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

Multisport Mastery is pleased to announce the May 2009 Featured Athlete:

Meredith Gordon of New Albany, Ohio

Meredith is a marathon veteran having completed over a dozen marathons, including 4 trips to the Boston Marathon. Yet running has not always been a part of Meredith’s background. Here’s what Meredith had to say about her background in sports:

I have always been involved in sports. I competed in gymnastics for 8 years and even won a state title. I did tennis and track high school. In college I was on the varsity rowing team. But, I didn't start distance running until after college. I didn't know what to do with myself when I didn't have studying to do anymore. I signed up for my first marathon just one month after I graduated college.

With a dozen marathons under her race belt, which is her favorite? The Boston Marathon. Of course!

Having once qualified for Boston before, Meredith clearly had what it took to reach success in running. So, what made her choose to start working with a coach?

After a poor performance at the 2008 Boston Marathon I had decided I was done with the marathon. I had run 10 and most of them had been 3:39s. I wasn't getting any better and it was frustrating. I had intended to sign up for Ironman and hire Elizabeth to coach me in the Ironman, but after several triathlons in the summer of 2008 I remembered that I didn't like to bike and decided to give the marathon one more try. After researching a couple different coaches, I knew that Liz was the right one for me because she agreed with my goals, realized my physical limits and injuries, and understood my competitiveness. I have absolutely loved working with a coach.

Working with a coach is a huge step, requiring a commitment of time and finances, not to mention turning control over to someone else. With all of that invested, has working with a coach helped? Here’s what Meredith said:

Even though my husband and my dad have run marathons, they can be very subjective of your evaluation of your abilities, goals, etc. It's nice to have someone more objective who believes in you, your abilities, your goals. I love having someone to push me beyond what I thought was possible. It's great being accountable to someone beside myself. I love having someone on my side who understands the runner I want to be.

Working with a coach is one thing – actually committing to it and doing the hard work to reach your goals is another. After qualifying for Boston in October, Meredith worked hard through winter to reach the Boston start line healthy, ready and injury-free. How did it go?

I have often thought of Boston as a "bonus" marathon. You work hard in the other races to get to Boston and with the crappy winter weather during training, the unpredictableness of the weather in Boston, and the toughness of the course, you often just want to run Boston for fun. But, I enjoy the challenge of Boston. I like running hills. I enjoy the energy of the crowd. Since this was my 4th Boston, I understood the course, could handle the emotions of the day, and since working with Liz, was finally being able to start realizing my potential in the marathon. I started the race conservatively with the first mile over 8:00/miles and chopped it down over several miles to 7:45 where I ran comfortably for many miles. I kept my mind cool and collected while I let my legs run the races. Once I got to the uphills I remembered what Liz had said to run up them hungry and although I did the hills within my control, I still felt powerful running up them. The last hill, Heartbreak Hill, I took one step at a time and knew once it was over there was only a few miles left and I could finish the race strong. And although my pace slowed very little over the second half of the course (3 minutes) I felt like I ran a strong race from start to finish. I am uber-excited that I could run a new PR on such a hard course and I'm looking forward to the next marathon to see what can happen there.

Setting a marathon personal best – at Boston – and breaking the 3:30 barrier you would think it’s time to rest and relish in that for awhile. However, top achievers are always hungry for more and raising their own bar. What’s the next big thing for Meredith?

The only race I'm signed up for is the Nike Women's Marathon on October 19th in San Francisco. I hope to do another half marathon this summer and break 1:37.

Reaching athletic goals is impressive – especially when it involves 26.2 running miles. How about someone that does this while managing a successful and growing business? Here’s what Meredith said about balancing her drive for running with running her own business:

When I worked in industry, I found that most people didn't understand my commitment to running. To me my priorities were God, Dave, family, and running...in that order. Now that I own my own business and make my own hours I love that running can be such a huge priority. I love being able to run when I want to run and not when my work schedule dictates it. And I love that I can choose the races I want to do and be able to travel to them because I can say, I'm taking a vacation now and I'm not working on this weekend because of a race. Owning my own business has been the best thing for my running.

When I started working with Meredith, it became clear that she was willing to do what it takes to achieve her goals. She got it. She changed her way of training, incorporated heart rate zones into her training and started running more on her own. While it is never easy to run on your own and push yourself, only you can understand and pursue your commitment. She quickly caught on to the work and a new way of thinking about herself. The impossible became possible and with that she kept surprising herself. Together, these patterns will keep her as an achiever - not just a completer - of future races.

We're looking forward to watching Meredith chase down her future goals throughout 2009!

April's Featured Athlete

2009-03-30T08:48:00.004-05:00

Multisport Mastery is excited to announce the April 2009 Featured Athlete:

Rachelle Little of Ankeny, Iowa (pictured here with 'her boys')

In the past few months, Rachelle has proven to be one of the hardest working athletes I know. When she approached me about coaching, she brought with her a very ambitious goal for her first Ironman. Up front I told her the level of work and commitment it would take to achieve that goal. Since then she has demonstrated nothing but 100 percent dedication, focus and passion for her goal. Simply put, does what it takes to get the work done.

When I asked Rachelle what she is most excited about for 2009, she said:

That's easy - my first Ironman! Since getting started in triathlon 2 seasons ago, the allure of the big race has shadowed me. I worked my way through sprints, olys and a half. It was during my half that I realized I loved the longer distance races. I'm not super speedy (compared to those that are winning the sprints and olys) but I felt comfortable at the 70.3 distance. When I finished that race, I knew I wanted to go all the way to the full IM. I have an ambitious goal for my finish time, but honestly, after the improvements I've seen since working with Liz, I'm not as concerned about meeting that goal as I was before!! I'm not saying it won't be hard (of course it will be hard, it’s Ironman!), but I've never felt more confident about my training and the shape I'm in. I'm excited to get the 2009 race season underway!

What does Rachelle enjoy most about working with a coach?

Not having to carry the burden of making decisions on what to do next! Not only does Liz set my training schedules, but she is there when the 'what-ifs' happen. Just this weekend, my race was canceled. I only saw two options, but Liz threw out a third that was the best of them all. When I first got the news from the RD, my stress level began to rise. But a quick email and phone call with Liz, and I was back to easy-going. I was really happy I followed her suggestion - I got to see numbers in my run spit that I never dreamed possible. It's moments like that when I can't imagine not having Liz there.

Training for a goal that is still 8 months away can feel so distant and out of reach at times. I asked Rachelle how she finds the inspiration to get up day after day, fight with the Midwestern weather to chase a goal that is still so far away:

There are a few things. First, I'm proving to myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to. If you knew me a few years ago, you'd know that I led a life of working long hours and eating out nightly. My downtime was spent on the couch, in front of the tv. I wasn't happy with myself, and now I use my training as "me time" - constructive me-time. I've made a vow not to use an ipod when training, so swim, bike, or run, I am with my own thoughts. I've learned a lot about myself already, and it's only March....

The other thing that serves as inspiration is the people that can't do the things we do - physically can't. I met a young boy last year who just had his leg amputated due to a bout with osteosarcoma. He'd give anything to be able to play basketball or baseball again. Eventually he will with a prosthetic limb, but it will never be the same. There are so many people out there with disabilities that keep them from being able to participate in physical activities. For those of us that are able-bodied, we have no excuse! We should take advantage of our abilities, because you never know when you may lose them.

Training for mostly long course events means lots and lots of workouts! But which is Rachelle’s favorite?

Right now it is a bike/run brick. Especially when it is a bike workout that gets my legs working hard! Once I jump off that bike and hit the road, I get such a rush of adrenaline! I feel so strong!!

Like most athletes, Rachelle balances life outside of the sport with her Ironman goal. Having her own business, she knows what a difficult balancing act it is to get everything done for that business while still finding time for workouts each day. How does she do it?

I wouldn't be able to do triathlon if I didn't make the money, right? So of course, my clients have to come first. Sometimes I have a deadline that causes me to miss a workout here and there, but I do my best to plan it so that my training doesn't impact my work. As my ironman training really starts to hit later this summer, I'll be doing a lot of early morning workouts! I'll also be putting in longer hours at work some days, so that I can justify a half day here or there for a long bike ride. It is a give and take situation, and flexibility is key. Having Liz helps. If I'm approaching a deadline and need my schedule rearranged, she's just an email or phone call away. I can let her deal with the impact to my training schedule, and I can continue to focus on my work.

Rachelle has some advice for anyone out there seeking a coach:

Because Liz is the second coach I've worked with, I can attest to the fact that finding the right coach that clicks with you - your personality, your workout style, and your emotional needs - is KEY! I think you need to feel inspired by your coach. They need to walk the walk, and they need to be someone you respect not only as a person, but as an athlete as well.

When I first met Rachelle in person, I told her my favorite thing about her was that she was a “soldier”. She follows directions and does the work. Not only that but she does an excellent job of staying out of her own way. Rachelle does not worry or doubt herself. She leaves the details to me and focuses instead on the tasks at hand day to day. She is simply committed to doing the work it will take and as a reward for that she is setting personal bests each month.

Setting goals is more than just writing them down – anyone can do that. But to day after day work towards the goal, no matter how the workouts goes, no matter the weather – that, I am learning, is what Rachelle is all about. When I told Rachelle to consider racing her canceled half marathon on her own, she quickly took action and went for it. Not many athletes have the confidence or drive to ‘race their own race’ like that. The fact that she took over 25 minutes off of her best half marathon time? It just goes to show that Rachelle is an example of what happens when you combine the right work ethic, focus and passion with being pointed in the right direction. The end result? We’ll have to wait until November 29 for that but I have no doubt someone as driven and hard working as Rachelle can get where she wants to go.

Good luck this season, Rachelle!

Spring Bike Smarts

2009-03-16T17:02:00.002-05:00

With longer daylight and warmer temperatures, many of us are hitting the road again by bike. Safety and preparation are key to having your best ride – and many more to come.

Tune It Up:
Before you hit the road this spring, take your bike to bike shop to get a tune up. Cables, brakes, chain – these are all items that may need to be replaced yearly. Maintain your bike on a regular basis to avoid mechanical issue.

Use Your Head:
Always wear a helmet. Even on short rides in low traffic areas, a helmet is a necessity for every rider no matter how experienced. Be sure it fits snugly on to your head, not resting too far back.

Protect Thy Eyes:
Not only will sunglasses keep the sun out of your eyes, but they also offer protection from bugs, rain and items that might kick back from cars on the road. Find a pair that comes with multicolored lenses for different weather scenarios.

Keep Your Ears Open:
Never ride with headphones. Your ears are like having eyes in the back of your head on the bike. Upcoming traffic, stray dogs, trains – these are all hazards that could claim your life if you are not alert and listening.

Send A Signal:
When making turns or other moves, signal to drivers so they can anticipate your actions.

Assume Nothing:
Assume nothing on the bike. Don’t assume the car turning left will let you go first. Don’t assume the car coming up on the right will stop at the sign or even see you. Anticipate that no one sees you or knows what to do when they see a bike. Be overly cautious to protect yourself.

Obey The Law:
If you want cars to respect you, respect road rules. Stop at stop signs, avoid rolling through stale lights and follow all posted signs.

Ride Right:
It is never wise to ride more than two abreast. Actually, it is often not wise to ride more than single file! Be careful about how you ride in the road. Stay as close to the shoulder or white line as possible. Wear bright colored clothing so cars can detect you on the road.

Pack A Spare:
Always carry 1 to 2 spare inner tubes and two tire levers. Practice how to change a flat in case it happens.

Pump It Up:
Carry a small handheld pump or a C02 cartridge (or two) with dispenser to inflate tubes. Remember, you have one shot with the cartridge so learn to use it correctly. Be sure to inflate your tires at least once a week. Most road bike tires require 100 PSI.

Bring a Buck:
A dollar bill can be folded and place between an inner tube and tire if your tire gets a puncture wound (often caused by nails, staples or glass in the road). Typically, this will help to seal the hole until you are able to get a new tire.

Be Prepared:
Always tell someone the route you plan on taking and when possible do not ride alone. In any case, bring a cell phone on your ride. It is also a good idea to pack some form of identification on your body or bike.

Practice Your Skills:
Cornering, shifting, braking, clipping in/out – find an empty parking lot and practice these basic skills of biking to build your confidence.

Pacelining:
When in a tight line, never go into your aerobars, avoid the spin-and-coast on your pedals (rather, apply different amounts of pressure to the pedals to keep spinning in the line), avoid sudden braking to slow yourself down (instead change pressure on the pedals). Always think ahead. Remember, in a group you become responsible for those around you as any action you make will require a reaction on their part.

Communicate:
In a group, be sure to communicate hazards ahead in a clear, concise manner (rider up, car back, slowing, stopping). Remember, your action requires a reaction. Help others anticipate what they will need to do to avoid crashes or accidents.

Fuel Right:
Carry extra fluids and fuel on your rides. Pack a few spare dollars just in case you run low on energy or the ride ends up going longer than expected.

This spring, make smart choices, be prepared, use functional equipment and be safe out there so you can continue riding through life!

March Featured Athlete(s)

2009-03-01T14:10:00.004-06:00

Announcing, Multisport Mastery’s March 2009 featured athlete(s):

Seiichi Noda, Mike Pepper and Tommy Rosenthal

Back in 2007, a group of friends approached me about coaching. And I approached them, honestly, with caution. How can a group share the same training plan? And how would that help them to reach their individual goals? Furthermore, how would I as a coach manage the needs, strengths and goals of 3 different athletes with different lives while keeping them on the same plan?

In the past year, Seiichi, Mike and Tommy (collectively know as “The Boys”) proved how friends can motivate you to not only do the work day to day but to achieve personal bests, to be competitive at the right times and to truly enjoy your training. Not only did each of them reach their individual goals but they balanced training with successful careers (including cardiac surgery, running a business and financing mortgages) and beautiful families with 6 children between them.

When I asked Seiichi what he has enjoyed the most about working with a coach, he said:

Being with a coach has given me structure to my workout with a better understanding of the training necessary to achieve my goals. My coach provides me with valuable guidance, based on her knowledge and experience, on nutrition, injury prevention and race strategy. She has been very good at doing this in a timely manner and with a slight twist of humor.

In 2008, Seiichi had an ambitious goal: to break 12 hours at Ironman. During his training, Seiichi joined me in Kona to ride the bike course. When he pulled me about half the way, I got the sense that he was on the right track for a strong Ironman. Most impressively, Seiichi balanced his training with long hours standing in the operating room while saving lives in cardiac surgery. Better yet - he nailed his goal finishing Ironman under 11:40.

As for what he is hoping to do in 2009, it’s simple, he says, to compete injury free and to continue to have fun.

Tommy gave me the scoop on how to balance personal own goals while training with friends:

I think that the answer kind of goes hand in hand. By training with my friends who are very close in ability and by doing many of the same races we have a friendly competition. Even though it is all fun we all secretly want to beat each other for Bragging Rights and that really helps me push a little harder during a race so I won't have to live down the fact that my friends beat me.

Tommy used that competition to set a new personal best in both the half Ironman and marathon in 2008. When asked how coaching has changed how Tommy trains and races for multisport, he explained:

By following a structured workout plan the improvement has been dramatic. I know what I need to do each day and so it is just a function of actually completing the prescribed workouts. Plus I can ask questions to someone who really knows the answers. I could not do any semi-serious racing without a coach.

With a family business, a wife and young daughter, Mike let me in on how he balances family, work and training:

Balancing family, business, and training is a continuous process. It requires discipline, yet flexibility. It requires a commitment and sacrifice, and it requires an efficient use of one’s time. Having a coach is invaluable for me. I know, in advance, what my workout will be, how long it will take, and where it will take place. If my schedule has to change, I have a capable, responsive and experienced coach to work with me to make schedule changes in a timely manner. By having a coach, I have the ultimate “balance” tool. Whether swimming, biking or running, I try to make all of my miles count, and I avoid overtraining –that’s what a coach does for you. Time is a precious commodity when you are training for long races, and staying “balanced” takes an understanding family, efficient work at the office, an a solid coach.

Balance not only helped Mike to stay motivated and injury-free in 2008, but he also accomplished his goals. Back in November, Mike ran a pretty darn fast marathon and qualified for Boston. How do you top that for 2009?

My goal is to be disciplined in my training and nutrition, to get to the race healthy, and to do my very best while enjoying the experience. During my triathlons I would like improve my bike and swim finishes within my age group this year. In general, whether I am running a marathon, or competing in a triathlon, I strive to improve my performance. As I am in my late 40’s, I find that the rate of improving my race performance has diminished as I have gotten older. Nevertheless, this year my goal is to add core training and weight training, in hopes of giving my age group (and “The Boys”) a run for their money.

How does Mike see a coach helping him reach his 2009 goals?

There are two main reasons that having a coach is a huge benefit: (1) It gives me the confidence that my training was getting me where I wanted to be, and (2) Time! Time is precious when you are training, have a family, and work. Your coach outlines a plan, periodically evaluates your progress and calculates the necessary changes to optimize performance. There are many good professional triathletes that can coach; however, coaching is not just putting together a plan. It involves knowledge of the sport, experience, knowing the athlete, and communicating and responding, timely, to athletes’ goals and needs.

As a coach, I enjoy working with The Boys because of their genuine passion for the sport. They remind me of the essence of sport; camaraderie, challenge and experience. Their passion is what fuels our sport and makes me feel like being a part of their experience in the sport gives me the best job in the world.

I am truly looking forward to where they will go in 2009 and future opportunities to spend time with them – wherever we may meet!

Congratulations, Sara!

2009-01-30T15:00:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Sara Reinthaler for being featured on the Training Peaks blog!

http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/

February's Featured Athlete

2009-01-30T14:07:00.002-06:00

Multisport Mastery coaches many driven, talented and hard-working athletes. Each month, we share the story of our featured athlete with you.

February’s featured athlete is:

Stefanie Frank from Boulder City, Nevada

Stefanie’s start in the sport was very casual. In 2006, one of her personal training clients sent her a link to the Pumpkinman sprint triathlon. Her client wanted to know if the race would be a good goal. Stef not only said yes but agreed to sign up for the race too. Not knowing how to swim, Stefanie admits that it was probably one of the slowest sprint triathlons ever. Yet she crossed the finish line and knew then – she was hooked!

Of all three sports, running is her favorite because it is the simplest of the three and she believes she has the capability of becoming even faster. In the past year, Stef has worked hard to become more confident with her running and, as a result, has set personal bests in everything from the 5K to the half marathon.

Stefanie feels her biggest challenge is becoming more skilled and confident on the bike. At first she mistakenly thought the bike would be the easiest part of triathlon and the swimming the hardest part. In the past year, Stef has learned to enjoy swimming and now feels the bike is her limiter. Hey, when you enjoy the pool and you are confident about your running – there is only one sport left, the bike! This year she plans to work hard to improve her confidence with the bike, to become less tentative as a cyclist and more skilled overall.

Stefanie and I started working together in late 2007. Before then, she had an entire season of starting the line of several triathlons but not finishing one. Stefanie had done all of the training but come race day there was a disconnect between that training and her confidence. So, in 2008, we worked diligently at improving her confidence. A big part of this was getting Stefanie to embrace that idea that she is an athlete and then assigning her weekly exercises to strengthen her new confidence and strong athlete identity.

Once Stefanie believed in herself as an athlete, her goals and improvement became almost unstoppable. She not only trained for but completed her first half Ironman last November. Choosing what is known as one of the hardest courses in the sport, Stef made it across both start and finish lines at Silverman. No half Ironman is ever easy, especially when you get over 4 flats during the bike portion of the race! Yet Stef had it in her head that this was her race to own – and she kept moving forward and crossed that finish line.

This year, Stefanie has selected Beach 2 Battleship Half Ironman as her top goal. This will be the first time she has traveled to a race and the terrain is unlike what she is used to. Still, she has her eyes on the prize. This year she’s not just going to finish – she’s going to do “well” for herself. Each athlete defines their own goals and I know Stefanie is determined to have her very best swim, bike and run.

In the past year I have watched Stefanie bloom. Sport has transformed who she is and how she holds herself. When I first met Stefanie, she was so tentative. The Stefanie I see now is bold, brave and hungry. In the past year, she has looked for opportunities to stretch herself and grow – and embraces these opportunities whole-heartedly. No longer do small obstacles become big road blocks. She is able to keep moving forward and, most importantly, keep her momentum going towards the big picture – her goals!

This year we felt it was important for Stefanie to keep pushing herself past boundaries and expecting more. It seemed that swimming with a masters team would be that next brave step. Stefanie not only agreed but decided she wanted to go 3 days a week. It isn’t easy but she takes it each time and knows that patience with her progress and most importantly with herself will pay off this year. Not only that but she also has found herself several strong and meaningful training partners. One of her training partners, Tony, keeps her company on long workouts and pushes her when necessary. About him, Stef says:

“Training with a 69 year old training partner reinforces my conviction that for me that triathlon is a lifestyle that preserves health, vitality, youthfulness and achievement.”

As for her advice to others in the sport, Stefanie says:

“Have a good handle on why you are doing it (your heart will tell you) and not to be too hard on yourself if you are not as fast as you want to be at first. Push yourself to meet your goals, YES (having a coach helps with that)! If you are willing to put in the work and be patient you will improve and grow stronger. In my case I have improved exponentially and still feel that I have limitless potential."

Stefanie, we are so excited to see where you will go this year. 2009 is limitless and only you will determine how far you will go!

January's Featured Athlete

2009-01-14T11:22:00.000-06:00

In the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of helping athletes from all over the world achieve some amazing goals. Each athlete brings their own blend of enthusiasm, experience and motivation to the sport that makes my job enjoyable, challenging and rewarding. The connections we have formed in working together make me feel I have one of the best jobs in the world.

With so many inspiring stories and great personalities, it’s time to share my athletes with you. During 2009, I will pass along the story of one of our exceptional athletes at the start of each month. What I hope you’ll find is that each athlete is exceptional in how they focus, balance and persist towards their personal multisport goals.

Let’s get started!

January’s featured athlete is Danni Kruse from North Carolina. Danni has been involved in multisport for 3 seasons. It all started when she decided to sign up for her first half marathon back in 2005 with little experience in running. She trained for the race, crossed the finish line and found herself instantly hooked. From there, she wanted to see what else her body could do and triathlon presented a whole new set of exciting challenges.

Of all three sports, Danni enjoys biking the most because she loves the feeling of going fast and feeling powerful. In her words, “There is nothing better than seeing a hill up ahead, climbing it, feeling the burn in your legs, reaching the top and realizing that you could have walked but didn't.” When you live in North Carolina, power like that in your legs is a very good thing!

When I asked Danni which was the most challenging sport, she admitted – like many athletes – that it is swimming. Danni has grown to understand that swimming is a very technical sport that takes many yards of patience and diligent focus to improve technique. So how does she keep motivated despite the challenge? In her words, “it is a very important part of multisport and if I want to be good at multisport (which I do) I have to be good at swimming.”

Well said!

2008 was Danni’s first season working with a coach. What has she enjoyed most about being coached? “I have enjoyed the friendship the most. Liz is a great coach, very knowledgeable of all things multisport. At the same time she is extremely good at helping yourself pick your own brain and finding what motivates you. She is there to "slap" you if you need it, to make you feel proud when you should and to help you cut yourself some slack when you have been too hard on yourself; which us “Type A” personalities tend to do a lot of.”

Danni achieved many of her goals in 2008. Her top goal was to finish her first half Ironman and finish the season feeling strong. Looking back on 2008, she has two highlights:

“The first one came in late September when I successfully completed my first half-Ironman. I would have never thought I'd be able to do it; after all I went from a non-athletic person to a sports "junkie" in the span of 3 years. I had so much fun that it did not feel like I was racing for as long as I was. It was challenging yet immensely rewarding.”

“The second one came in early December when I decided to "just run" the half marathon I had attempted to train for. During the month of November, I couldn’t shake off an illness. So Coach Liz and I decided I should not race the 1/2 marathon since I was not able to complete the training to get me to my goal of breaking 2 hours. After a few weeks of rest, I just showed up for the run to get in a good workout. You can imagine my surprise when at mile 11 I saw the clock and realized I was on pace to reach my goal. I did not set out to PR, I did not even put the effort during the race, I felt wonderful the entire morning; and yes, I crossed the finish line in under 2 hours and set an 18 min PR!”

Like many athletes, Danni balances her multisport goals with being a mom to her adorable daughter, Megan, a wife to her supportive husband, Todd, and a full-time career. When I asked her how she balances everything while keeping time for herself she said:

“This is the hardest of all the questions. It takes some creative planning and some smart managing of your time. I get up extra early in the morning to fit in my workouts while my daughter is sleeping. My husband travels so during the weekdays I am mostly limited to riding my bike indoors and running on the treadmill at home. I use my lunch hour at work to swim at the local pool, or squeeze in an outdoor run weather and time permitting. At nights I make sure that before I go to bed I have all my clothes laid out and ready to go, as well as my lunch and snacks ready for the next day. I am not saying it is easy, but with a little practice you find the combination that works for you and yours. My training time is the only time I have for myself, my selfish time. This sport keeps me centered, focused and balanced. So I make it a priority, with being a little selfish for a couple of hours of the day, I can be a better mom and wife.”

After all of her success in 2008, Danni is already looking ahead to 2009 - the year of her first Ironman. Danni admits that she has some pretty ambitious goals for this race so she will be scaling back her racing to focus on the training. She has a few other races for the year with some other goals yet considers them building blocks to Ironman success.

As Danni’s coach, I am excited about working with Danni towards her first Ironman. One thing that I enjoy most about working with Danni is her attention to being the best she can be. In the past year, she has committed to being successful in this sport and realized that success is more than just doing the workouts. She has taken the initiative to improve her nutrition, recovery and mindset. That combined with passionate enthusiasm makes Danni one of the smartest athletes out there on race day. When you race smart, you reach your goals. When she puts her mind to something, she not only thrives on the challenge but persists until she gets it right. Driven, sharp and dedicated are three words that make me think Danni will reach her 2009 goals.

For those just entering the sport, Danni has a few words of advice:

“Have fun! This is an opportunity to discover yourself, to test your limits, to see what you are made of. Be prepared to become addicted. Once you taste the accomplishment, you will want more and you won't be able to stop. And that is just half the fun!”

Thanks, Danni! Let's get going towards 2009...

Planning Your Best Year Yet

2009-01-03T11:00:00.000-06:00

2009 has arrived.

The new year is a flurry of activity with family gatherings and other festivities. Not only that but this is the time of year when athletes are a flurry of race plans, programs and schedules for the year ahead. Planning out a season can be a difficult task without some guidance. While most athletes know the right types of activities and training to do, often the struggle is with doing the right things at the right time. Here are some helpful hints for planning out a successful, healthy and positive year of training and racing.

The Big One

When you take on planning out your year, look at your season as a big picture – not a series of small races or week to week. Start by asking yourself the big one: if this was your last year in the sport, what would you want to achieve? Choose a goal that truly motivates and drives you. This will be the big one that makes you get up early to swim or tolerate running on a cold day. Your big goal needs to be realistic enough that you have a good chance of reaching it but just far enough that you will have to truly commit to get there. Don’t be afraid to dream big. If your goal is to qualify for Kona, perhaps it won’t happen this year but how close can you get to a typical qualifying time in your age group? Make that your goal and see its attainment as a stepping stone to your bigger goal (for the years ahead). Limit yourself to 1 to 3 “big” goals in a year. The distance, topography and nature of these races will be the key components around which your training plan is designed so keep their qualities consistent to make the most out of your training and racing. Once you’ve set your goals, then set out to plan races and training phases to help you achieve.

You Are Only Human

Planning your race schedule is an exciting task filled with opportunity. Triathlon is growing and the number of races in beautiful destinations, with challenging formats and promises of prize money makes all of us what to race and race a lot. With new races popping up all over the country, earlier and earlier each year, it is tempting to start racing in early spring. Keep in mind that the earlier you race, the more likely you will require a ‘mid-season break’. Ask yourself if you will have the maturity and patience to take a break in the middle of summer (honestly, can you ignore peer pressure or the glorious 75 degree cloudless day?). In general, a training program takes 4 to 5 months to deliver you to a peak. If your racing season lasts longer (ie., March through November), expect to take a 2 to 3 week transitional break in late June or early July. Not only will this break allow your body to fully recover – but also prepare you for another peak ahead. Also, consider your geographic location when planning your race schedule. If you live in a colder climate, it makes more sense to start racing in May or June when you have more time to get outside in real world conditions before taking on a race. Lastly, remember that you are only human. While competing in several Ironmans a year may be suitable for professional athletes, most age groupers balance full-time jobs, families and other demands. Think through what you can realistically handle – and what you will enjoy. You will likely enjoy a balanced, reasonable race schedule rather than an overpacked, overambitious one.

Bring It

Make this year the year to race when you are 100 percent race ready. As athletes we are competitive and often thrive on the race. Naturally, this makes us want to race and race…and race…and race. Yet over-racing is very costly not only in terms of financial expenses but physical toll. If at all possible, avoid “training through” a race. It is very difficult to tell yourself to “hold back” during a race and besides it is not really the point of racing. Think in terms of BRING IT. When you arrive on race day you want to be able to bring it – not train through it, coast it or see how it goes. Bringing it requires a training plan designed to help you peak and perform at your big race. That said, put appropriate time between your races to allow for the necessary build up, peak, taper and recovery so you can achieve your big goals. Arrive at your races rested, fresh and ready to go. Using this approach, you will likely find racing more satisfying and useful for making fitness gains.

Recover More, Train Less

Planning out your week can be a daunting task. While there are 7 days a week train, very few athletes actually need to fill those 7 days with training. It’s common to think that more of a good thing is…more. Overzealousness is one of the most harmful characteristics an athlete can posses. Too much training and too little recovering is a surefire way to dig yourself into a hole. Be sure to include adequate recovery in your training plan. Arriving at a race slightly undertrained is far better than arriving at a race slightly overtrained. Most athletes can benefit from a full day of recovery each week – this can be a day of yoga, massage or simply stepping away from the sport. As you plan out your weekly training, plan for easy sessions before and after harder sessions. Easy sessions need not be a waste of time – technique and form drills are quality components of “easy” days. In general, take the amount of recovery you think you need – and add even more. Monitor yourself daily for signs of fatigue, illness or lack of motivation – all indicative of approaching the edge of doing too much. Recover more, train less to get the most out of your training plan.

Post Race Rest

When planning your training phases between races, be sure to take the time to recover after a race. How much you will need to recover depends on the race distance, your fitness going into the event, your age and race conditions. Early season races require far more recovery than late season races. The same goes for long versus short races. Hot, hilly or hard races will require more recovery often than a cool and flat course. Older athletes require more recovery than the young. A good guideline is to consider taking at least 1 day of rest for every mile run in your race. Expect Olympic distance races to necessitate 6 days of recovery, nearly two weeks for a half Ironman and with the full Ironman it may take 4 to 8 weeks for your body to feel “normal” again. While this varies by individual, the point is to never short yourself on post-race recovery. If you arrived at the race ready to bring it, you likely left it all out there. Give your body time to recover from that effort and benefit from the race. Race recovery need not be time sitting on the couch. Light activities may assist with recovery; avoid running yet consider a 30 minute easy swim or bike to get the blood moving. Stay away from group training, intensity or doing too much too soon in order to promote full recovery. Finally, view this rest as part of your training. Racing is an excellent way to gain fitness but only if you allow your body to fully recover from the effort.

Work Your Weakness

Include time in your yearly training plan to step back from the volume and instead add quantity in terms of building strength. Strength training is a critical component to any training plan. Often we have a hard enough time fitting in the swim, bike and run - so strength training gets tossed aside when time is short. Take the time, especially early in season, to make time for strength training. Aim for two quality sessions a week lasting 30 to 60 minutes. It may be helpful to set up a session with a physical therapist or personal trainer to assess your weaknesses and show you the correct way to perform moves. Focus on full body movements and those that develop core strength. Weights are not necessary – there are many quality moves you can do with your own body weight. Besides, performing moves with activation of your own muscles and balancing your own weight is much closer to the actual demands of multisport than lifting a stack of weights. While weights are useful for developing certain types of strength, start first with making your own body as strong as possible in supporting itself and then grow from there. Making time for the strength now will help your body grow stronger and prepare you for that next peak in your performance this year.

If It Sounds Stupid…

It probably is. Above all, when planning out your year - be smart. It may help to enlist the help of a coach to look over your plan as an extra set of eyes ‘just in case’. Intuitively most athletes know what is right – what sounds like a good idea and what sounds just plain dumb is not that hard to set apart. Racing back to back weekends is not always the best idea. Doing a marathon 4 to 8 weeks after an Ironman – risky. Doing two Ironmans in a year spaced less than 3 months apart – unless you are superhuman or pro, rough. Going from sprint to Ironman in less than a year – generally not a good plan. Remember, you cannot rush two things in sport: muscular development and recovery. Having the strength and endurance to perform well in multisport takes muscular development. Muscular development takes time. You also cannot rush recovery. Don’t expect (or force) your body to perform while it is recovering. Improper timing of races, too much intensity in training, going hard on easy days – these are all ways to impede your recovery, stagnate performance and risk injury. Keep in mind that your ultimate goal each year is to stay healthy enough so you can finish the year and compete the next one. Make every decision for you year with longevity in mind. What you do this year should help you build to the next year – not break you down. Train smart, race smart, continue to compete.

Get The Timing Right

Timing is the critical ingredient for planning and executing a successful racing year. The great thing about intensity and speedwork is that it works. And it works quick. A solid program with speedwork takes about 4 to 6 weeks to work. After that you either need to back off or take a rest before rebuilding to start the speedwork again. So then why do you see people racing each other in spin class in January? Not sure. Call them February’s National Champion. Perfect if you are planning to peak in February. Not so great if you are trying to peak in September. Remember, if it was as easy as “go fast to go fast” then everyone would be fast. Instead, it takes time – or, rather, timing. As you move through the year, look at your training in phases. Early in the season, spend time working in your aerobic heart rate zones and less time with intensity. A few pick ups or pops sprinkled in are effective to make the neuromuscular adaptations required for speedwork later on. But doing these too often or for too long is a recipe for peaking too soon or injury. As your season approaches, speedwork becomes more useful and less risky. As race day gets closer, keep sessions race specific and sharp. And again, after the race –take your recovery. Don’t jump right back into structured, intense training. Timing is everything in sport. Peak a week too early and you’ll find yourself sluggish and slow on race day. Going too hard too soon and you’ll find yourself stale and plateaued before your season begins. Timing is everything.

A new year ahead is exciting. Commit this year to arrive at each race ready to put forth your personal best with a smart training plan that is well-timed and suitable for your goals. Look at your season as a series of training phases each building on the previous phase and ultimately put together to help you reach your big goals.

Good luck this year – train smart, race smart and pursue your best!

Now What?

2008-12-03T08:46:00.002-06:00

Perhaps you are finding yourself right now in December thinking…now what? December can be a tricky month. Overzealous athletes might find themselves jumping into too much intensity or structure too soon while others will continue their off season break. How do you know what to do? December is a month of transition, adaptation and trying something new. Transitioning from one season to the next, adapting your body to training again after an end of season break and trying something new for both body and mind.

Here are a few tips on how to make the most of this time:

Take a Break

Foremost, be sure you gave yourself ample time for an off season break. November should have been a month of significantly reduced workout volume, intensity, frequency and – plain and simple time off. Even if you were injury-free and feeling fresh after your 2008 season, a period of 2 to 4 weeks of break is beneficial no matter where you are or what you have achieved. This break should have left your body rested and your appetite for training ready to go. Without proper rest you will not be able to reach your full fitness potential. Many mistakenly think you can sustain fitness all year wrong – this is a surefire way to reach injury, plateau or burnout. Take a break.

Take Your Time

After your break, get back into things slowly. Resist the urge to add too much too soon or overstructure yourself. Keep workout duration short and intensity low. Give yourself permission to slack off, take days off or do as you feel. Let weather dictate your workouts. Keep the pressure low and relaxed. Too much intensity in your commitment and training may leave you burned out and unmotivated in late winter – a time when you’ll need the motivation the most.

Take Advantage of It

Now is the perfect time to try something new. Many fitness centers have a variety of classes available to members. Take advantage of this. This is the perfect time to try yoga, pilates, strength classes, a new sport. Keep the effort low and ease into anything new. Take the opportunity to replace running with cross country skiing or hiking. Try a spin class instead of your bike in the basement. Test out a masters team. Give hot yoga a try. Above all, have fun. Don’t get bogged down in the monotony of swim, bike and run. Give your body and mind a refreshing change and find some muscles you never knew you had!

Don’t Take It Off – Yet

Celebrating the holidays with foods and drinks that we normally do not consume is part of the magic of the season. Many athletes follow restricted or special diets when in season. During December, continue to allow yourself to enjoy the delights of the holiday buffet table. Restricting calories and taking weight off too early will interfere with your body’s ability to recover from workouts, put on muscle mass and maintain health. Striving for race weight in December is not advisable nor healthy. Again, too much intensity with even your diet will become a stressor and drain your body if done at this time. Ease back on yourself and let go of worries about weight.

Take A Look

...At yourself. And your past season. December is a time to reflect, plan and look ahead. Now is the time to evaluate your performances from 2008 to see how you can improve for 2009. Go through each race making a list of what worked, what didn’t work and what you learned. Then, use this to plan out your training for the 2009 season. What are your strengths? Weaknesses? While you may enjoy running, if you are already a strong runner perhaps time is better spent improving your cycling. Or putting on some muscle mass. Maybe you had a few injuries – have an assessment done by a physical therapist to find out where you are weak and how to strengthen these areas. Be honest in your evaluation and use your failures and successes to pave your way to future improvement.

Take It Back

To the basics. Strip each sport back down to the technical skills that make for good form. December is a good time to get a bike fit to be sure you are maximizing your comfort and fit for your most powerful performance. Schedule a lesson with a reputable swim coach to learn drills to improve your stroke. Have someone observe your run form and suggest drills for improvement. Above all, this should be a very technical month where you re-teach your body to swim, bike and run – the right way. Time off is wonderful in that it gives us just enough to time to drop our bad habits and forget our mistakes. Start off on the right foot – or arm – and learn how to improve the finer points that add up to big improvement.

December is a transitional month in most training plans. Unless you are training for an early season Ironman or peaking for a late winter race, now is the time to take things less seriously and let your body return slowly to a more structured training plan. Continue to allow yourself to enjoy life outside of the sport and keep the pressure low on yourself. Keep things easy, fun and refreshing so you are ready to fully commit when the new year arrives.

A Year of Multisport Mastery

2008-11-05T13:52:00.005-06:00

The 2008 is nearly complete and Multisport Mastery athletes had a strong showing in all distances and disciplines. Here are some of the amazing accomplishments of our athletes:

Multiple age group and overall top 3 finishes; 20 for 20 with Ironman finishers; Ironman World Championship (Kona) qualification; Boston marathon qualification; Top 10 finish at duathlon nationals; 70.3 World Championship qualifications; state time trial champion; personal bests, we’ve had more than a few!

Multisport Mastery is proud of all athletic accomplishments – whether it’s setting a new personal best or finishing a new distance. The progress we make every day in our workouts, attitude and recovery is also something to be celebrated. Week to week, month to month, season to season we believe a positive and productive process is what leads to results.

Who is Multisport Mastery? It is the coaching business of Elizabeth Waterstraat. I am a professional triathlete with over 10 years of competitive multisport experience. From duathlons to triathlons, bike races, swim meets, and running events of all distances, I know how to achieve in multisport. From local events to world championships, I have found myself on many exciting and challenging starting lines.

Many athletes call themselves coaches, myself being one of them. The differences exists in how I coach. As a coached athlete, I know first-hand what athletes look for in a coach. It’s more than just a canned workout – you can get that in a book. It’s more than just a cheerleader – you need someone who has the knowledge, too. It’s a proper blend of knowledge, motivation, organization and communication that makes a strong coach.

How do I coach? I believe in educating and empowering my athletes to learn more about the process rather than simply following cookie cutter workouts. Individualized plans balanced with your background, goals and lifestyle to help bring out the best in you while also avoiding burn out or injury. I believe in coaching the whole athlete – this means teaching athletes not only how to train but how to recover, strength, fuel for training or racing and prepare themselves mentally. I believe in keeping you fresh and excited about whatever you choose to do and I will assist you in organizing your goals and races to allow for this.

As an athlete, my experiences become your information. I know what it feels like in my legs and my head to reach mile 18 of the Ironnman marathon. I know what it’s like to sprint all out in the last 50 meters of a criterium. I've had open water swim panics. I know that joy of a win and the disappointment of a “DNF”. I’ve experienced many things – both good and bad – in my athletic endeavors and will use that information to help make your athletic experience the best possible one for you.

Who do I coach? My athletes are from all over the world, men and women, young age groups to more seasoned veterans, beginners to advanced competing in all sports, all disciplines. Some simply want to finish their first half marathon, others want to qualify for Kona. In any case, I am just as excited to work with an athlete who is motivated, dedicated and willing to learn.

Multisport Mastery is accepting athletes for the 2009 season. Before you commit to a coach, inquire with the coach to be sure the coaching process and approach is the right fit for you. For more information on our services, philosophy and pricing, please contact:

multisportmastery at comcast.net

What Price?

2008-10-28T09:28:00.002-05:00

As 2008 comes to a close, the days go by with talk of the election, financial markets and world politics. If you’re like most people, you can’t help but wonder or worry about the struggling economy. From the choices we make to our lifestyle, each of us is bound to feel the strain of economical turbulence.

Step aside from that for a moment and consider where you have been and where you are going in our sport. Maybe you’ve decided to set out to win your age group, set a new personal best or finish your first Ironman. In any case, you might also be wondering how and if a coach can help. And, if they can help, how to justify the cost of yet one more multisport-related thing.

It’s a hard decision, I know. This sport is expensive enough with gear, race entry, travel expenses. Not only that but the struggling economy makes ‘extras’ anywhere in life an unlikely possibility. But what if someone could help you get more out of your sports-related investments in terms of financial, energy and time?

That’s how a coach can help!

A coach will help you maximize your time. We only have so many hours in the day to work, be a spouse, parent or take time for ourselves. Knowing how much to do each day is something a coach will plan for you. A coach will help you avoid doing what you don’t need to and help you get the most out of quality sessions in the shortest amount of time.

A coach will work closely with you work towards success at your goal. The more costly your goal, the more you might consider the benefit of working with a coach. Costs are more than just financial. Into our training and we racing we put emotional, physical and personal investments. The emotional and financial cost of a DNF, the physical drain of overtraining, the relationship toll of taking too much time away for the sport – this adds up. A coach will plan a program for you to spend only as much as you have, get as much as possible in return without overdrawing from your other funds (personal, physical and emotional energy).

A coach will keep it simple for you. Forget surfing the internet for hours looking for training secrets or buying yet another book. Do you really have the time for that? Through education and experience, coaches have a strong sense of how to work towards your goals. They will save you the emotional and mental cost of second guessing yourself (am I doing enough, too much, at the right time, etc) and allow you to instead focus on what really matters – being physically and mentally ready for each quality session.

A coach will help you save money on the expendables. Do you need really need that gym membership? What about the hourly cost of meeting with a personal trainer? Most multisport training can be done at your own home. Purchasing a few pieces of equipment can cut down on the cost of gym fees, personal training plus fuel and time expenses getting to the gym. Often masters groups are available for a smaller, separate fee through a local park district or organization. A coach will also provide you with home-based strength training routines that can be completed with a fairly inexpensive stability ball and mat.

A coach will help you make the most economical decisions about gear, races and more. Triathlon involves three sports – meaning three times the decisions to make, gear to buy and questions you have. Should you race two weekends in a row? What will be the cost of this to your wallet and your body? A coach will help you make a cost-effective decision about which races to choose, which gear to buy and more.

A coach will help bring out your best. Regardless of your goal, each of us seeks out our personal best. There is a huge personal and emotional value to performing at our personal best. To do this, you must arrive at a race rested, well-trained, mentally prepared and injury-free. A coach will plan a program that will help you achieve these things.

Add up the expense of race entry fee, travel, lodging, gear, etc. Then add to that the cost of your time in trying to find information, organize and plan workouts for yourself. How much is your time worth by hour? By day? Most quality coaches are reasonably priced between $3 to $8 dollars per day. When you consider how much your time is worth emotionally, practically and financially, choosing a coach might be the best bargain for your sports-related goals. More than ever, now is a good time to consider investing in a coach. Really it’s an investment to yourself and your success in the sport.

Contact us at multisportmastery at comcast.net to find out more about how a coach can help with your 2009 season goals.

What It Takes

2008-10-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

The 2008 season has been a successful one. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a variety of athletes from across the country striving towards many different goals. All ages, abilities, backgrounds, fitness levels and speeds. This is perhaps the most exciting – and most challenging – part of coaching, knowing that even with your one philosophy it must be tweaked in many different ways to meet the ever-changing needs of your athletes.

One thing is certain – success and what it takes to get there. Indeed there are key qualities, behaviors and mindsets that enable athletes to achieve their goals. Sometimes the goal is finishing, sometimes it is winning an age group, setting a personal best or simply not walking the run. Here are the habits and qualities of athletes that consistently reach their goals:

Ownership

Achieving athletes own their goals. They set goals, they revisit them from time to time. They use their goals as a motivator to get them through tough days, bad weather or other distraction. They have taken their goal and said – this is what I want and I will do what it takes to get there. In other words, they don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk. Few athletes are patient, committed and honest enough to walk the walk. Talk is much easier and pain-free.

Commitment

You can hire the best coach, you can buy the fastest bike, you can have a fancy power meter on your wheel. None of these will get you any closer to your goal if you are not committed to doing the work to get there. And that is what it takes – commitment to the work. All of it; physical work, mental, nutritional work. There is no substitute for that nor the commitment you make to that work.

Focused

Athletes that achieve are focused on themselves (not selfish, just focused). They set out to train with their workouts and goals in mind without letting others influence their plan for the day. They avoid training as racing which often means they do not win workouts with friends – and that’s ok. They are focused on themselves and their goal of winning at the race with their goal instead. Focusing on yourself, your actions, thoughts and goals in training pave the way for success at the race.

All Weather Athlete

Achievers know that there is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothes. Rain happens, cold, wind, heat, humidity – all of these are conditions that can and will happen on race day. Athletes that achieve prepare for the conditions and realize that on race day they must be ready to deal with anything. They understand that you cannot control the conditions, only your response to them. That said, they are out there training in these conditions to learn how to respond.

Trusting

They trust the plan. They may question it and seek explanation for the principles yet underlying themselves is trust in the plan. In other words, they buy into it. They believe everything they are doing is dedicated to their goal. They never add or omit workouts because they felt the need to run or wanted to go longer or felt like going farther with their friends. They do what they have to do and not a minute more because it’s not part of the plan. This act of letting go is a huge stress reliever and lets the athlete focus on doing what it takes to achieve – train & recover – and the coach do what they are hired for – plan a plan.

Recovery

Successful athletes know that the time they spend recovering is just as important – if not more so – than the time they spend training. They take the time to eat well before, during and after a workout. They follow a fuel and hydration plan. They stretch regularly. They do the little things that add up big over time; ice baths, staying off their feet when possible, balancing their life, sleeping adequately.

Believe

Achievers believe in their ability to reach their goals. They started by setting realistic goals and then persisted with doing the work to get there. No matter what happens along the way – setbacks, pain – they never doubt their ability. They believe. When you believe in yourself you are confident about who you are and what you can do. This is more powerful than any workout you can do. Simply set the goal and starting believing you can get there. Do everything you can to make the most out of each day with this goal in mind. When you arrive at the start line, execute your plan and believe you are prepared and capable to follow it through to the finish – and arrive at your goal.

The best part about these qualities is that they cost you nothing. Anyone can become the athlete I described above. And that is what I have found – there is no body type, age or speed the equates to success. It is a mindset, qualities that are free - so to speak - that sets apart those that fall short and those that achieve their goals.

Wordle

2008-09-28T16:47:00.004-05:00

Check it out:

www.wordle.net

Something for you to do: write out a list of words that describe how you feel during your best workout or race. Think back to that "perfect race" where everything came together, the feeling of flow and success.

Now visit Wordle and create your own. Tape it on your wall, stick it by your desk. Visit those words every day until they become etched in your mind.

I thought about what it takes, typed in my words and came up with this:

What is your Wordle?

Looking Ahead

2008-09-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

The 2008 season is winding down. With races filling up quickly these days, now is the perfect time to think ahead to 2009. Perhaps you’ve signed up for a half or full Ironman, committed to running a faster marathon or want to finish your first triathlon. With big goals ahead, you might be thinking that it is time to consider a coach.

Here’s how we can help.

At Multisport Mastery we work with athletes of all ages, levels and abilities. Ranging in age from early twenties well into the sixties, we design training plans that are specific to who you are, where you are, how you are built and where you want to go.

Some of our athletes have performance-related goals; winning their age group, breaking 12 hours in an Ironman, running a marathon in under 4 hours, while other athletes simply enjoy staying fit. Either way we are excited to work with you to achieve a goal you are committed to and motivated about.

Results speak for themselves. During the 2008 season, our athletes completed everything from local triathlons, marathons, world championships, Ironmans, half-Ironmans, open water swims and much more.

We’ve had numerous top 3 age group and overall finishes, state time trial gold and silver medalists, 70.3 world championships qualifiers and all our Ironman athletes have completed their best race. As for personal bests, we’ve had many exciting breakthroughs both big and small; from taking a few seconds off of a 10K all the way up to taking over 62 minutes off of an Olympic distance triathlon.

How did we accomplish these results? By working together with each athlete to bring out their best. Simply put, our coaching staff strives to provide a level of excellence and quality coaching. Here is what we strive towards:

Accessibility
A coach is accessible in your preferred form of communication throughout the week. Frequent communication and availability is how we prefer to stay connected to each athlete.

Responsiveness
A coach responds to your questions, comments and concerns in a timely manner. We know your workouts, your progress and meaningful feedback is important to you and it is important to us too.

Thoughtfulness
A coach is thoughtful and relevant in their approach to your training. We know you have many obligations outside of sport and we will work with you to provide a plan that meets your needs.

Experience
A coach has both competitive & instructional experience to provide the most well-rounded perspective of sport. Simply put, we’ve been there, through the highs and lows, and we know what it takes.

Sensitivity
A coach understands that each athlete has unique needs, motivations and goals. We tailor our approach to meet your personality and lifestyle needs. We understand that each athlete is driven by something different.

Education
A coach pursues frequent opportunities to refresh and improve their understanding of sport. We attend seminars, write articles, read books and look to experts for continuing our knowledge of sport.

Connectedness
A coach stays connected with the sport through participation, volunteer work or involvement with youth activities. We share our joy of sport to get others connected and to promote the future of sport.

Resourceful
A coach assists athletes in furthering their own knowledge of all areas of the sport. Through articles, e-mails, tips and more we will prepare you as best we can for success.

Holistic
A coach considers each athlete as a whole – physical, nutrition, strength, mental, strategy and race specific plans. We aim to prepare you completely for your events by considering all of the parts that make the whole.

Goal-Oriented
A coach helps you set goals and then helps you reach them. When you succeed, we succeed – that is our goal. It takes a methodical approach to reach goal, we will map it out and do our best to get you there.

Relationships
A coach fosters a positive relationship with their athletes, one that is productive, communicative and friendly. We value who you are and recognize that because of you we can continue to do what we love.

Simply put, our coaching staff truly enjoys coaching. It’s more than a job – it’s what we love to do. We are prepared with years of competitive experience as an athlete and educational experience working with children and adults in both formal and informal settings. Coaching is simply an extension of our passion in working with others to become their best through education, motivation and experienced support.

Take our word for it – but also consider the words from some of our athletes below:

"I contemplated hiring a coach for months before finally making the decision to work with Elizabeth and the improvement in my fitness level has been significant. I have benefited so much from Elizabeth's knowledge about the sport and her own experience training and racing. Her achievements in triathlon have come with much sacrifice and hard work and that is what makes her a great coach. She knows what it takes to succeed and she plans quality workouts that are specifically geared to help me meet my goals. With Elizabeth's help I have learned how to train smart and I continue to push myself to new limits and achieve higher goals because I believe that I can!"

B.L. in Chicago

"I got in touch with Elizabeth just as the triathlon season was about to begin. On a weekly basis, Elizabeth meticulously plans my training schedule to make sure I am getting the best out of the available training time I have. Having a full time job, being a mom and wife I do not have a lot of spare time. Elizabeth makes sure that the time I am able to dedicate to my training is spent in a way that will help me reap the most benefits. And we have had some major success. I have been working with Elizabeth for just about 5 months and in that short period of time I have been able to improve tremendously. I set a 15-minute PR on both the Olympic and Sprint distance triathlons. Elizabeth helps me stay focused, on track and without losing sight of the "Big Picture" (the way she likes to call it). She has been able to provide inspiration, advice and motivation throughout these short 5 months that we have been working together. Her knowledge base is amazing and she is willing to share it all with her athletes. It takes a great coach to get the best out of you; and Elizabeth is definitely one of them."

D.K. in North Carolina

“Since starting coaching with Liz ten months ago, I have seen huge improvements in my training consistency and race performance. Under her guidance I achieved a 22 minute PR on my half marathon time and a whopping 62 minute PR on my Olympic distance triathlon time in 2008. But these PRs only scratch the surface. My #1 reason for hiring Liz was that she seemed to have a handle on the mental aspect of the sport. Liz made an effort immediately to get to know me, to learn my strengths and limiters. She always seems to know when to push and when to hang just under the limitations that I sometimes place on myself. She knows how to communicate so that I expect more from myself. She is realistic, encouraging, and genuinely cares about my training and racing. Not just for big events, but on a consistent and regular basis. Liz makes me feel like I am her only athlete. My confidence racing this season simply cannot be compared to last season and that is attributable to Liz's influence and coaching. Liz continues to exceed my expectations.”

S.F. in Nevada

“Unfortunately, I am too busy getting fast to write much about Liz. I am swamped with breaking through plateaus and pushing past limits. In between reading ahead about the awesome workouts she writes specifically for me, and then executing them, I have plenty to do. My schedule is very tight, so she uses my available training time so effectively that I feel she is as committed to my goals as I am. She packs quality into each and every workout, and yet understands the importance to me and my family of a well-placed rest day. It’s also hard to write testimonials when she has me so focused on my goals, both short and long term, though. Sadly, I don’t have the time to properly explain how she is leveraging her experience and knowledge to mold both my body and mind into a confident and powerful triathlete. I am too busy getting fast!”

B.J. in St. Louis

Where are you going next year? What do you hope to achieve in 2009? We are interested in working with you and helping you get there. For more information on coaching services, please contact us at multisportmastery at comcast.net

The Other 90 Percent

2008-09-02T07:47:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to Robyn, Brandon and John for their Ironman Louisville finishes! Incredible accomplishments on a tough course and an even tougher day. Here's an inside look into how each athlete made that finish happen on race day.

Brandon came to me filled with short course speed. His last experience with long course racing left him with a lingering IT Band injury. We started with short bits of running, extended those over time being smart about the build up and following HR zones. Healthy and fit at 12 weeks before the race, the other IT Band started barking. Rather than give up, we approached running a different way. Long runs were a mixture of running, pool running and elliptical. The rest would be done in his head. Writing out a plan and visualizing a healthy, strong marathon. He had never run a marathon before and didn't know what to expect. Expect to run strong, smart and pain-free. On race day, Brandon ran a 3:42 marathon. His goal was to finish in under 12 hours and he made it happen. After a few months coaching him I started calling him Crazy (in a good way) Brandon - why? Because he would send me text messages at 3:30 am from atop his trainer to fit in longer rides before work and family. Because he would call me Saturday night while riding his bike to talk about his training. Crazy because he had this crazy passion for a goal that he would absolutely not give up no matter what was thrown his way. Crazy - on race day it paid.

John came to me late this spring to prepare for an August Ironman. His challenge - train for Ironman while balancing it with his family and busy job as a neurosurgery physician's assistant. Often his work included several nights and days on call or long weekends. We kept the schedule flexible and worked around it. When he could train, he trained smart, he practiced his plan and did everything in training he would do on race day. John had one of the most easy going, patience and laid back attitudes I have ever seen. The race was simply a day where he would put it all together. His trust in the training, easy going attitude led his straight to the finish line. In his words, he followed his pacing and nutrition plan to a "T" and it paid off. And with his focus on that, he said he never did really feel the heat.

In the weeks before Ironman, Robyn finished school, got a new job and moved. With so many sources of stress, Robyn kept herself together and did her best with training. At times this meant giving up workouts in order to simply relax or get other life things organized. The approach was simple - do what you could when you could, relax the pressure on yourself. It worked. All of these outside factors did not interfere with her finish. Along the way the hills and heat tried to take the best out of her day but Robyn kept moving forward and found herself an Ironman.

As athletes, we arrive on race day at the whim of many things - the weather, other competitors, life factors, work-related stress, sometimes even in the late miles of an Ironman - ourselves. Those that succeed with their goals, those that cross the line come to terms with the fact that while many factors may be present on race day, the only one they can control is themselves, right there, right now on race day.

These three athletes arrived on race day with a goal in mind. One wanted to finish in under 12 hours. One with an injury history wanted to make it through the marathon. The other wanted to arrive at the start line uninjured and finish the race no matter the time it took.

All 3 reached their goals.

Why? They realized that their top priority on the race course was to execute their plan at that moment on that race course. Despite weather, course topography and other obstacles along the training and racing way they responded to the race as it unfolded and persisted with their plan. They were completely present in their race day and had a plan - not only that, they knew how to follow their plan because they had practiced it over and over again.

That's what it's all about.

When I work with an athlete I realize about 10 percent of their success is because of the workouts I provided for them. The other 90 percent is entirely up to them; a belief in our work togther, a committment to their goal, a discipline for executing a race plan. Anyone can master this 90 percent - regardless of age, ability, speed or sport background. Doing the 10 percent of workouts counts but what gets you to the 100 percent finish line is the distance in between - the 90 percent - you, the one out there making decisions, the one out there doing the work, the one out there overcoming yourself.

At Multisport Mastery we want to teach you how to command that 90 percent. We give you the knowledge and tools to prepare because we know that's what it takes to get to the finish line.

Congratulations again to our Ironman Louisville finishers!

Become a (Faster) Runner

2008-08-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

Athletes often ask what it takes to get faster for running. If you’re wondering what it takes to be a faster runner head to the local track. Not to blow out 400’s and 200’s but to watch the faster runners to see what it takes. The other night I was at the track and had the privilege of watching a group of 6 young men do their set. After a few laps, I noticed key similarities in their running that likely contribute to the fact that they were, after all, quite fast. Here is what I noticed as well as what I’ve learned after running for over 17 years.

Lean Out

Watching the guys go around the track I was impressed by their lean physiques rippling with six-pack abs and noticeable quadriceps. It’s no secret that a leaner body lends to faster running. Running is the sport in triathlon where your body has to carry itself. The less weight you have, the less weight you’ll have to bear over the miles. This translates to less energy spent and faster running overall. Rather than fancy shoes, crazy track workouts or learning a new run form, drop 5 to 10 pounds and you’ll see the run splits come down. Research has shown that for every pound you lose, you take off about 2 seconds per mile. Do the math; 10 pounds leads to 20 seconds per mile. Over the course of a half marathon, that’s nearly 5 minutes of free time.

Stop Checking Your Splits

Not once did any of these guys check their splits or heart rate when running their set. Sure, they had watches on but during the set they were 100 percent absorbed in the task at hand. I’m guessing that each lap they were focusing on a series of cues, a process that leads to a certain pace rather than the pace itself. Thinking about cues such as your form and your self-talk can set you up for running that target pace. You might check in at your splits at the half way point just to be sure you are on track but in general let go of the constraint to always check your pace. Think about it – if you find out you are behind pace, negative thoughts might start. If you find out you are ahead of pace, would you be inclined to hold back rather than just run at the faster pace? Becoming a slave to your watch or heart rate monitor is not how you become a faster runner. Instead, focus on proper running form and encouraging self-talk. Become more involved in the process of faster running rather than worrying about pace.

Form Is Everything

Watch a fast runner and you will notice several key features of their form. There are many different approaches to run form out there that are being sold. However, you don’t need to learn a new method or pay big money to learn to run. Take a lesson from faster runners by observing several key features that lend to faster running overall. Shoulders are relaxed. Arms are moving in a forward motion with elbows slightly out. Turnover is around 180 steps per minute. Feet hit the ground directly under the body to begin the push off phase. Power comes from that push off. Eyes are focused ahead. Facial expression is calm and confident. Torso has a slight lean forward to drive itself. Movement is horizontal, not vertical. All body positioning and movement is directed at propelling the body forward as quickly and powerfully as possible, an economy of motion that is fluid and smooth. Including drills in your run warm up or one session a week will improve your ability to hold proper run form.

Keep It Simple

Repeat after me: there are no magical shoes. Watch fast runners and you’ll notice they keep it simple with the basics. A sturdy running shoe designed for how they run – not designed to change how they run. To find a shoe that works for you, find a reputable running store and have them assess how you run on a treadmill. From there they will recommend a suitable shoe. It might take several different shoes to find one that feels just right.

Run Slow To Run Fast

We all know someone like this – they have to hit a certain mileage or number in their run to feel good about their self. Sometimes this means overworking the warm up and cool down just to hit 6 miles in their easy run. Put the work where it counts. Warm ups and cool downs are just that. Let go of evaluating and recording your pace during this part of your run. Somewhere I read that the Kenyans warm up at a pace nearly 4 minutes slower than their top end mile. If you have a tempo, strength or speed section to your run be sure to warm up slowly and cool down slowly. This is important to not only prepare your body for the run ahead but to recover for the next workout or run. Not only that, but once properly warmed up you will be able to put more energy where it counts – in the meat of the workout where it counts to run fast.

Practice With A Purpose

Just because these guys can run sub 5-minute miles doesn’t mean they are doing it every time they run. Each run is with a purpose. Some workouts are designed for breakthrough performances – ie., track. Other runs are designed for aerobic capacity; ie., an easy run. Be sure to keep the purpose in mind. That said, don’t measure your run performance day to day. Rather, look for patterns over time. Worrying that you ran 10 minute miles on your easy run is not how you get faster. Let that go and instead focus your energy on being sure you are physically prepared, fueled and mentally charged to nail your breakthrough run. Keep the purpose in your run to get more out of your run. Make sure easier runs stay easy, hard runs hard.

Watch top runners and you’ll find the secrets to faster running are really no secret at all. Leaner, lighter physiques, efficient form, reliable equipment, proper pacing and purpose will help you to find faster splits. Take the time to sit at a college track – watch the distance runners and see what you can observe. Learn from the best to become better and faster overall.

How Will You Get There?

2008-07-30T09:00:00.005-05:00

The summer season is reaching its peak and already athletes are thinking ahead.

What about you? Are you thinking ahead to 2009? Where do you want to go - and how will you get there? Whether your goal is to become more fit, finish your first triathlon or cross the Ironman line, Multisport Mastery can assist you in reaching these goals.

What we offer:

-Experienced athlete and coach that knows what it takes to achieve multisport goals.

-Individualized training plans to meet your lifestyle needs, develop your strengths, improve your weaknesses.

-Communication with a reliable, accessible coach that is interested in your success.

-A whole picture approach to training - swim/bike/run, nutrtion, race strategy, strength training, mental preparation, recovery.

-Affordable rates, no gimmicks, no long-term contracts or hidden fees. Our business is coaching and working with you.

Who we are interested in working with:

-Beginner to advanced, all ages, abilities, levels and experiences - we are interested in working with committed, motivated, responsible, honest, driven and passionate individuals.

Where we have been:

-We have helped athletes qualify for world championships, finish their first Ironman, run a marathon or learn to swim. We approach each athlete individually and look to bring out their best in a way that suits their style and needs.

For more information:

There is the finish line...how will you get there?

It is not too early to begin thinking about next year. If your goals are long-term or short-term, we are interested in helping you get there. Contact us at multisportmastery at comcast dot net.

Self Destructive Habits

2008-06-27T16:28:00.002-05:00

You’ve heard it before – you are often your own biggest enemy. In each of our heads, the inner critic often tries to plant fear, self-doubt or disbelief into ourselves. In turn, this influences our attitudes, behavior and performance in sport. Here are the ten most common habits we allow to self destruct ourselves and some ideas on how you can avoid making these costly mistakes.

Fast Is (Not) Fast

There is a misconception that fast performance results from fast training. Not true. Fast performance results from a combination of sound training balanced with recovery. In other words, for as much as you train fast you will likely also train slow. “Slow” training is often described as training in heart zones 1 – 2. At these lower heart zones your body is unstressed enough to build aerobic capacity or but active enough to gently recover. The most important time to go slow is when your coach prescribes an active recovery day, during warm ups or in cool down. Active recovery is just that – your body is active enough to get the blood flowing but the activity is easy enough to promote recovery. Generally this occurs in heart rate zone 1. Warming up before activities should start slowly in zone 1 and often build slowly to low zone 2 by the end. Cool downs should take place in zone 1. Athletes often report this is difficult as the heart rates become victim of dehydration later in a workout. Bringing the heart rate down may cause you to go very, very slow which is very frustrating yet that is ok. Proper warm ups and cool downs help with injury prevention and recovery. Training in lower heart rate zones builds your endurance and aerobic capacity. Each of these things builds the foundation you need for faster performance in the future.

Keeping up with the Jones’

Or the Lovatos…you know what I mean. What your friend, a top pro, someone 10 years into the sport, your spouse or even your lane mate is doing for training is not entirely relevant to you. Unless you are built with the same genetic potential, body type, circulatory systems, athletic background, strengths or weaknesses, someone else’s training regimen or workouts are just that – theirs. Often athletes have the fear that their training is not enough – not good enough, not hard enough, not frequent enough. They read magazines, blogs, overhear stories of other athletes’ training and think that’s what I need to do. Not true. A good coach will plan workouts specifically designed for you – your strengths, weaknesses and goals. Trusting the training and their guidance will further improve your ability to benefit from the training plan. It comes down to a simple phrase keep your eyes on your own plate or in the arena of sports – your plate is your own prize. Your training plan is designed with you in mind. Trust in your training, stay actively engaged in your process and allow the workouts to work for you without worrying about what everyone else is doing.

Not Remembering To Recover

It is no secret that the benefits of hard work are only reaped in recovery. Taking the time to recover after each workout is critical to your success with the next workout and the training program overall. Most importantly, the 30 minute window after a workout is crucial for replenishment and rehydration. Other factors that may improve your ability recover include; eating well-rounded & adequate nutrition daily, gentle stretching, sports massage, epsom salt baths, taking care of injuries/aches as soon as they appear, icing of trouble areas and – most importantly – sleep. Without recovery, regeneration cannot occur. Whether this regeneration is physical or psychological, recovery is a necessary part of each workout that will allow you to improve over time and stay injury-free.

Improper Equipment

It is trust that replacing equipment such as running or cycling shoes and getting professional bike fits are expensive. However, injury is even more costly in terms of services, treatment and your mind. Find a reputable running store that will observe your gait, consider your history and ask about your training goals. Get a shoe that is meant for who you are and what you do. From there, replace your shoes every 300 – 500 miles. Cycling shoes, bike fit – these are very expensive yet costly if they are not just right for you. Shoes that are too tight or a seat that is too high and add up to injury quickly when you think of how many times your legs turn those pedals a hour. Take the time to get the right equipment and replace it as needed.

Sabotaging Yourself

Sabotage is something most of us are very good at. Examples; eating a cheeseburger for lunch before your long run, saving that track workout until the middle of the day, going to bed too late for morning masters. Many of us are masters of sabotaging our workout before it even begins. In addition, we sabotage ourselves by selling ourselves short. We tell ourselves there’s no way I can hit those intervals, it’s too windy to ride well today. The power of suggestion is very suggestive indeed and often we fulfill our own prophecies. Set yourself up for success. Give yourself a chance to succeed with the workout – whether by waking up early, eating clean for the day or thinking of nothing but positive thoughts.

Doing Yourself In With Dishonesty

Spending time to honestly assess yourself is important for continuous renewal and improvement. Often as athletes we know our own limiters, weaknesses and fears. It’s simply a matter of being honest with ourselves and making the commitment to change. If you struggle with open water, take the time to seek out practices or groups that hold open water practices or employ a coach who will give you techniques to work through this. If biking outside is a fear factor, spend the time to think through why and ask family members, a coach or even a therapist how you can work around these fears. Never feel you are a victim or yourself – there are ways to overcome yourself but you must take the first step – admit there is something to overcome then actively work to improve it.

Getting Lost in the Details

The details are the day to day. How many times do we measure ourselves or performance day to day only to get frustrated because every workout does not result in a personal best or a win? Using the day to day ruler can quickly spiral into feelings of failure or disappointment. Be sure to think through the purpose of a workout. Is a recovery spin really a time to worry about your average speed? Is an easy run best done on a marked course? It’s important to realize that not every workout can be a breakthrough. In fact, most athletes can handle one breakthrough workout in each sport per week. Other workouts are generally for strength, endurance or active recovery. Rather than evaluating yourself every day, look for patterns over time. Don’t get so lost in the details that you eventually cannot function in the sport. Take each workout for what it is; go easy when it’s time to go easy, forget about pace and let your thoughts drift. Focus intently on key/breakthrough workouts looking for the best performances here.

Taking Sport Too Seriously

Think about the meaning of sport in your life. Most of us started to get fit, to lose weight, to meet friends, to have fun. When you find yourself taking sport too seriously, it’s time to step back and reconnect with the original intent or the play-based nature of sport. Think of all of the positive experiences you have gained from sport, the places it has taken you, the people you have met. When you find things are too overwhelming, rigid or serious, it’s time to go back to the basics and look for the little things. It might be something simple like the sunrise you watched on your morning run. Meeting your friends each morning at masters. Most of us do not get paid to do sport – we enjoy it and the benefits it brings to our body and mind. Keep the purpose in mind, remember to enjoy sport like children enjoy play and keep a rational mind about your training and goals.

Unrealistic Expectations

Let’s face it – we all can’t be Chrissie Wellington or Chris McCormack. Heck most of us out there are just trying to finish a race. Be honest with who you are and what you are hoping to achieve in the sport. Don’t overstep your expectations in sport. In other words, don’t get too greedy too quick. When you look at the peak performers in sport, most have years of athletic experience behind their names. Rising to the top is very long, arduous process and not always linear. If you are new to the sport or sport in general, don’t expect to show up at your first Ironman and qualify for Kona. Respect the sport and what it takes to achieve peak performance. If you want to rise to the top of your age group or a race, look at those that have been their before and ask them what it takes. Often it takes years of hard work, planning, smaller successes and improvement before you find yourself at a big breakthrough. Sports in general reward those that are patient, trusting, hard working and smart. And the longer you are in sport, the harder you have to work for smaller improvements. Expecting a quick fix, a fast rise or overnight success is not realistic nor true to yourself.

Not Asking For Help

If your goals are big – like tackling a first triathlon or taking on Ironman, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most coaches love the sport and see it as more than a business – it’s a passion, a continuous education and a way to get people motivated about a healthy life. That said, most coaches are resources for further information or assistance in the sport. Whether you are interested in enlisting their coaching services to complete your event or simply ask advice for the best local running store, they are a gateway to the sport that is typically open to all.

Sports is hard enough – take the time to learn to become less hard on yourself, more trusting of your training, willing to seek out assistance and honestly assessing yourself to promote your most enjoyable, healthy and safe experience in the sport.

Opening Up To Stronger Open Water Swims

2008-05-26T09:00:00.005-05:00

Summer is the season of open water swims! Open water swimming can be challenging, exciting and fun. Yet many triathletes struggle with mastery of the open water swim. Speed in the pool and proper technique often gets lost when the wetsuit is on and the lane lines are gone.

Open water swimming is as much about technique as any other stroke in the pool. It takes proper form, skilled technique and frequent practice to transfer your strong pool swims to the pond, ocean or lake. Here’s how to troubleshoot some of the frequent mistakes made with the fundamental skills and techniques for successful open water swims:

Neglecting the Warm Up

How often do you stand at the start of a race without completing a warm up? During a typical masters swim practice, warm up distances often cover close to 1000 yards. Just as you would in the pool, take at least 5 – 15 minutes to warm up before every race. The shorter the swim, the longer the warm up to prepare your body for higher intensity. Even with Ironman, a short warm up will go a long way. A warm up allows you to get comfortable in the water, make goggle adjustments, let water into your wetsuit and cue the body that it is almost time to go. Include a few short “pick ups” in your warm up to acclimate your stroke rate and breathing to the race demands. Every so often, start your pool sets with a very brief warm up and then go into a short set at race pace. This will help to prepare your body for the shorter warm ups often used with open water swims.

Losing Sight

Sighting is a skill that should be practiced several times a week. Including 8 x 25 yards of sighting 3 to 4 times on the pool deck is a good drill to include in your pool swims. The cost of poor sighting skills is improper body position, sinking and losing time with each attempt to sight. Teach yourself how to integrate sighting into your breathing pattern. In other words, lift your head slightly and then roll to take your breath. Ideally, sight every 5 – 7 strokes keeping the head as low as possible, lifting the head just to the goggle line to avoid sinking and losing ground.

Choosing a Target

Before the swim start or the day before the race, choose your targets – what will you sight on? Buoys are best but sometimes they move or they can be the same color as swim caps. If the water is choppy it can actually block your sight to the buoy, too. Instead choose a natural landmark or object you can sight towards; a boat in the water, a large turn buoy, a tall tree, a house – something that is big enough you can see over waves, chop and crowds. Find an object to sight on for each turn you make to keep yourself on track in the swim.

Finding Feet

Drafting off of another swimmer is an efficient way to decrease your effort and increase your speed. If you can find someone slightly faster than you, hop on to their feet and stay in their bubbles. Alternatively, you can draft by swimming off to the side slightly behind their hip. If they are squirrely or snake as they swim, it might be best to work on your own. But if you are comfortable, sighting is an easy way to quicken your swim and save energy.

Avoiding Chaos

The start of a triathlon is often filled with flailing arms, kicks, and nerves. If you are a newer triathlete, weaker swimmer, or prone to panic in open water, wait – count to 10 seconds and then start. For weaker swimmers, the 10 seconds you waste is nothing compared to the time and mental energy you will lose colliding with other swimmers and risking panic or injury. While waiting, watch how the group disperses in the water and identify where openings will allow for the least congested swim. Did everyone clump in the middle? Are they veering right? Choose your most direct, clean line and then start your race.

Position Thy Self Properly

Take the time to think through where you will position yourself in a mass start crowd. If you naturally veer right, start far left. If you don’t want to get tangled in the crowd, start far right and swim in your own space. If you are a newer triathlete, start in the back. If arms and feet send you into panic mode, avoid the middle. My feeling is that the closer you are to the buoy line the easier it will be to sight and stay on course. Where ever you choose, arrive at the start line with a position in mind rather than letting yourself get mixed up in the masses.

Get the Right Gear

For swims colder than 70 degrees, a wetsuit is a wise choice. Find a reputable store where you can try on different sizes, brands and models of wetsuits. Wear your swimsuit or race suit to the store to be sure you have an idea of how it will feel under the wetsuit. Understand that wetsuits initially will not feel too comfortable. It takes some time to get used to the feel and in water they will slightly stretch out – but most wetsuits do feel tight at first. This can make you feel like you are constricted and choking yet this is more a mental issue than a function of the suit. Expect to pay more money for more features but understand that the most basic wetsuit models are perfectly suitable for triathlon swims.

Practice Makes Perfect

Often swimming skills and speed do not transfer directly over to open water swims. That said, don’t wait until race day to get into the open water to test this out. Most communities have organized swims at lakes or beaches with other athletes. Take advantage of these opportunities. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be in open water. And once you are comfortable you can focus on getting past personal/mental issues and faster up to your potential in the swim.

Getting Past Yourself

Most triathletes have experienced an open water freakout at least one time. Trust me, we’ve all hung off a kayak or stopped! Cold water, crowds and waves are all conditions that can trigger fear and make your body freeze. It’s important to realize that open water panic or freak out is often a result of improper position at the start, pre-race nerves and lack of practice. These are all factors you can take control of and work through to improve. Make the time to practice open water swimming with a friend in a guarded body of water. Stay close to the shore and swim with a friend. The friend may want to bring along a personal flotation device just in case. Practice putting your face in the water and swimming a few strokes. If you feel panic set starting, focus on your breathing and let that relax you instead. Think about blowing your fear out and taking in deep, cleansing breaths. Resist the urge to fight yourself and instead think of the water as calm, soothing and clean. It may also help to have a mantra (“smooth and long, I swim strong”) or sing a soothing song. Visualization will also help. The week before your race, visualize yourself successful at the swim. If you find yourself thinking about something that goes wrong, visualize yourself correcting or working through the issue. Above all, try and try again until you are comfortable with the water for race day.

Form Is Everything

A common mistake in open water is for swimmers to fall back on poor technique. As you would in the pool, be sure your open water swims include some technique sessions. Make sure you are rotating your hips, following through with your stroke and minimizing your kick. Keep in mind that a wetsuit will naturally make you more buoyant therefore overkicking will be a costly effort for later in the race. Instead, think about swimming over the water and emphasizing front end swimming. Working with paddles, a pull buoy and bands in the pool will improve your power and strength for open water techniques.

Slow is....Slow

All too often triathletes swim much slower in open water than in the pool. Sometimes this goes back to poor technique but often it is because of relaxing the pressure on yourself, not pushing yourself for that faster pace. Pools are very exciting for swims – the walls to push off, the clock to beat, the lanemates to chase. Swimming up to your potential in open water is a matter of taking that pool mindset into the open water without letting go of technique. More than ever you need to keep the pressure on yourself to swim strong and fast. The day before the race, practice swimming at different speeds. Do a few short hard efforts, moderate efforts and slow paces. Especially with a wetsuit, your perception of different speeds will change in open water. Connect to the difference between each speed and determine the one you will best hold for the distance on race day.

Make the Mindset

For some reason triathletes don’t get too excited about the swim. It’s often something they fight and force more than the other two sports. They bring this same attitude of force and fight to the open water and get frustrated when they emerge from the swim tired or slow. Rather than forcing it, relax and go with the flow. So much of open water swimming is about being relaxed enough to let our good form, habits and speed flow from the pool to the ocean or lake. Rather than fighting the water, work with it. Find the rhythm of the chop, hop on faster feet and stay engaged. More than techniques, get excited about the swim. Rather than fretting about time or speed, set a goal that you will swim in your straightest line, sight on that large tree, or draft for at least one half of the time. Find a different way to measure your success, celebrate that, then set a new goal for next time. Embrace the unique challenge of open water and get excited to be in it.

Mastering the open water is like any skill; it takes time, practice and technique and drills. The more you practice, the more likely you will have that breakthrough open water swim where everything comes together – your mindset, form, skills and pace. Take the time to practice open water swimming once a week in triathlon season to have your best swim on race day.

Is It Too Late?

2008-05-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Early triathlon season has begun. Maybe you’ve got a few early season races under your belt or maybe you have some larger looming later in the season. Either way – are you do everything you can to be at your best? Do you feel you are working effectively towards your goals? Now is a great time to assess where you are at with your performances and goals. Are you steadily improving? Are you staying injury-free? Do you feel you are working successfully towards your goals?

If not, it may be time to enlist some help. It is never too late to start working with a coach. Athletes arrive at coaches at different points in the season. Any time is a good time to start. While a coach cannot help you quickly build what you could have gained in months, they can help to refine or refocus your efforts for your goals.

Often athletes comes to us after months of trying on their own. This is especially the case with Ironman athletes. They try to put together the workouts while balancing the other demands in their life. While some can manage this on their own, it’s normal and common to realize that it’s a lot of hard work – and a lot of “guessing”. You work hard enough at your job and relationships – why spend your freetime putting together workouts or second guessing if you are doing enough of the right workouts at the right time. Let someone else help.

This is where a coach can step in – at any point – to help. Whether you are 9 months from your goal or 4 weeks – a coach can assess the situation and get you on the right track. If you’ve been worrying and wondering if you are doing the right thing, take the time to talk with a coach. See what they think and ask what they can do. It never hurts to ask and you’ll never know until you try.

Multisport Mastery helps athletes at all different times of the season – whether you are just getting started or well on your way, we would like to help. Contact us at multisportmastery at comcast dot net.

Race Ready

2008-04-29T23:00:00.003-05:00

Racing season is upon us. Months of hard work through the cold winter and dark days have left us hungry and ready to race this spring. You’ve spent months making the interval in the pool, pushing big gears on the bike, and turning faster feet on the run. But little did you know that what you do in the days leading up to the race can overrule all of that hard work and make or break your race day. Here are a few race ready guidelines to be sure what you do during race week doesn’t undo all of your hard work:

Follow the plan:

Do what the coach says. Now is not the time to be adding distance, duration or intensity to your workouts. Similarly, do not add workouts like weight routines or group training. It’s been said before - do not try any new activities during race week; whether it’s yoga, pilates or weight routines.

Think race ready:

Everything you do during race week should be race ready; if possible train in your race outfit, wear your race shoes, use the same equipment, train in similar conditions as you will meet on race day. The more familiar you are with these conditions and factors the less surprises you will encounter on race day.

Rest more, train less:

Racing isn’t like a final exam. You can’t cram at the last moment and expect to get an “A”. That said, if you arrive at race week feeling like you are underprepared, look to yourself for inconsistent training in the past few months. You cannot cram for race day – adding extra miles on the bike or run to feel better prepared will only leave you tired and depleted for race day. Instead, do shorter workouts with short bursts of intensity to keep you sharp and fresh for the race.

Two days out, take five or twenty-four:

Two days out from the race you may find it helpful to completely rest. Avoid strenuous housework, touring, or activities. Focus on healthy nutrition, hydration, and relaxation all day. Allow your body to fully recover before you do one final short (ie., 45 minutes or less) swim – bike – run brick the early morning before the race.

Preview the course:

Showing up to a race without previewing the course is like driving without a map – you can’t possibly know where you are going if you don’t know the route. Keep in mind it is best not to rely on course markings or volunteers for direction. Things happen – volunteers don’t show up, signs get moved, directions are misheard. That said, preview the race course the day before. Study the map then get out there in your car to drive the bike and run courses. Note landmarks, turns, road conditions and terrain. Preview the swim area and identify buoys and landmarks for sighting. Also review the swim in/out, bike in/out, run in/out and start/finish areas.

Nail dinner the night before:

You’ve heard it before from the guy that didn’t have his best race; “I think I ate some bad sausage at dinner last night.” Don’t fall victim to food surprises or upsets on race day. Stick with what you know and eat a meal that you have practiced over and over again. Pre-race dinner should take place 12 hours prior to breakfast. Often this means eating earlier than your normal schedule yet this will allow your food more time to digest and pass through your system on race morning. Eat a wholesome, well-rounded meal. An example might be pasta, grilled chicken and light veggies. Go light on the veggies to avoid any excess fiber. Drink water with this meal and if you are racing in a warm climate the next day it might help to add a little salt. Again, practice this meal a few times before big workouts to be sure that it sits well in your stomach.

Know the no-no’s:

Now that you know what to eat before a race, let’s cover what you should not eat – the no no’s. The night before the race avoid the following; alcohol, cream sauces, oily foods, fried foods, excess fiber, sugar, excess dairy, spicy foods and anything that you have not tried in the past. While making wise food choices is often difficult the night before the race because of travel or eating out, it pays to take the time to think through your food choices. Often it is wiser to bring your own food from home or visiting a grocery store and to stay in a hotel with a kitchenette. Be sure that your pre-race meal fuels you for your best race rather than derails your race plans.

Get your gear together:

The day before the race, get your gear together. Pack your race bag with everything you will need for the race; race nutrition, extra nutrition, race numbers, timing chip, helmet, shoes, goggles. It might help to create a checklist that you keep in this bag to remind yourself of what you need on race day. Also, be sure to affix any numbers to your bike or helmet. Attach nutrition to your bike. Put your drink mix powder in your bottles so all you have to do race morning is fill them up (I would not recommend making them the night before as many products have a shelf life). Go through your bike gears to be sure you are shifting smooth. Check your tires. Clean your chain. Put the bike in the car and get all of the gear out of the way.

Prepare with a back-up plan:

Always have a back up plan – because if it can happen, it probably will – at some point – happen on race day. Keep a kit in your race bag filled with extras and supplies that you might be looking for on race day; sharpie marker, safety pins, extra elastic laces, tampons, salt tabs, scissors, black electrical tape, extra race belt, Vaseline, baby powder, sunscreen, an old watch, extra pair of socks – the list could go on of things you might need. Carry small travel sizes of these items, put them in a small toiletry bag and bring them to the race just in case.

Start your race right:

Your race morning breakfast should be the breakfast you have practiced over and over again in training. Taking the time to wake up a few hours earlier before the Saturday group ride or the Sunday long run pays off here. The longer the event, the closer you may find you can eat to the race. For long course events (half Ironman or longer), you might find it easier to eat 90 – 120 minutes prior to your wave start (note that wave start is not always the same as race start). For shorter races, running races and duathlons, you might find it easier to eat 120 – 180 minutes prior to your wave start because of the intensity of these races. Breakfast options are as individual as each athlete. What works for your friend may not work for you and it may take several attempts before you find something that works well. Here are a few ideas; oatmeal w/raisins, sports bar with a banana, bagel with peanut butter. Some athletes talk about drinking special shakes or waking up at 3 am to eat breakfast. Everyone is different so find what works with you. But above all, keep it simple. Stick with normal and convenient food; foods that can be found when traveling, easily transported and require little cooking. One last note – if you regularly drink coffee, be sure your breakfast routine includes coffee to avoid that hazy, headache feeling that may happen if you go without.

Arrive early:

There’s nothing more stressful than arriving late for the race. With that in mind, be sure you plan enough time to wake, eat, relax, travel, park, set up transition on race morning. There is a lot to do and often very little time! Expect driving to the race area and parking always to be crowded and time consuming. Don’t be surprised if there is a very long walk from parking to transition. Do know the time transition closes and don’t expect it to be kept open late for you. Give yourself a 15 – 30 minute cushion of time in case you get caught up.

Keep a one track mind:

Set up your equipment, check it over once or twice, then get out of the way in transition to find a quiet, relaxing place to gather your thoughts. Store your bag at the side of transition away from the racks (if permitted) or give to a friend/stash in the car. Right before transition closes, check everything again to be sure it was not accidentally moved or blown away.

Get in line:

If you need to use the porta potty, don’t wait. It took me 30 minutes to get through the porta potty lines at a 2007 race. Lines move slowly and no matter how many porta potties are at the race site, it’s never enough to meet the demand of thousands of people all going in the same 30 minute window of time. Relax, breathe, and just wait. As an extra hint, consider bringing your own baby wipes/toilet paper just in case they run out.

Strategize:

Racing is more than just the physical work. It is a union of physical training, mental preparation and personal race strategy. The days before the race take the time to think through your race strategy. Write a timeline of events and then short descriptions of what will happen along the way. Use affirmations and key words to cue yourself for what to do. For example, swimming smooth, find my groove. Through repetition and belief, these phrases, expectations, and visualized experiences often find a way of actualizing themselves on race day.

There is so much to think about on race morning. By getting yourself as race ready as possible in the week before the race you will arrive at the line on race morning ready to let all of your training and work shine through. Prepare yourself by not only knowing what to do but also what not to do – be confident in your preparations, open yourself up to the opportunity, and look forward to your best race.

Bringing Healthy Back

2008-04-08T15:54:00.003-05:00

The other day one of my athletes asked me how I kept from getting sick while training day to day. The answer is not simple and it’s not the same for everyone.

What most athletes do not recognize is that working out is just that – work. When you train for events and place higher physical demands on your body it is a stress. Too much stress over time depresses your immune system and places you at risk for getting sick. Therefore, it is important to balance stress with recovery in order to stay balanced and healthy.

Too many athletes burn the candle at both ends; trying to juggle work, family, spouse, children, social activities and triathlon. It is important to admit that you can’t do it all and you can’t be everything to everyone. With increased training – especially training for longer distance events – there has to be a give. You will have to back off on some things so you are able to not just give more to the training – but give more to the recovery that allows you to absorb and benefit from the training.

Here are a few helpful hints for avoiding illness and fatigue:

Follow a plan

Too many athletes follow the day by day approach to training – if it’s a nice day out, they train long and hard. If it’s not so nice, they don’t train. Over time this leads to injury, burnout and fatigue. Not only that but the lack of organization and structure won’t do much to help you reach your goals. Do your season and yourself a favor, hire or consult with an experienced coach to help design a plan that meets your needs.

Get more sleep

During sleep your body releases human growth hormone. HGH aids in the recovery process. Not only that but during sleep you simply rest! Do not get up early to cram a workout in if you have to skimp on sleep. You would be better off skipping that workout and sleeping more instead.

Take recovery seriously

Improvements in fitness are made not in the workouts we do but in the rest we take after those workouts to absorb the work, recover and then progress. After a hard workout or a race, don’t go hiking with the family, take on a home improvement project, or resod the lawn. Save these activities for your easier days or rest weeks. Keep in mind that work is work. The body does not file “training work” separately from “yard work”. It’s all the same work. And the fact that you did training work first means that when you go to tackle that yard work you are already stressed and depleted. Save it for another day.

Food is your friend

In terms of staying healthy and recovering quickly, food is your friend. The 30 minutes after a workout are most critical for recovery. Often athletes are jumping from one activity to the next and consequently missing out on this critical period. Skipping meals, filling up on sugary or highly processed foods, or waiting too long to eat after workouts are all surefire ways to sabotage your recovery and negatively impact the hard training you do. If you want to get the most of out of your training and recovery you must supply your body with high quality food at the right interval after a workout and throughout the day.

Stay off the sauce

Alcohol not only dehydrates you but also robs you of quality sleep. Simply put, stay away from the sauce. A glass here or there is fine – but social outings that involve more than a few drinks more often than once a month have no place in training plans. If you are willing to sacrifice the quality of your next day’s workout and your health then by all means have a few drinks. However, if you are serious about your health and success – stay away.

Steer clear of “sicky” situations

Bars, parties, schools – during your high volume training weeks or race weeks – are potentially “sicky” situations. If you must be around large groups, children, social situations then be sure to wash your hands often to avoid the transmission of germs.

Don’t skip the stretch

Make time to stretch at least 2 – 3 times per week. Whether stretching improves your flexibility is debatable but it does force you to stop, relax and focus on yourself. Take 15 – 20 minutes before bed or after a workout to stretch your body out.

Avoid self-sabotage

Our weakness is that we are all just human. We are not superhuman. As such, you cannot be everything to everyone and you cannot do everything. Avoid self-sabotage by saying no to commitments that take away time from recovery, nutrition and rest. Be careful with how you plan your days. Don’t save workouts until the last minute. Don’t skip key workouts. Don’t add workouts.

Less is more

Keep in mind that more often than not in training – less is more. Cramming in extra workouts, time or intensity are all ways to place yourself at risk for sickness or injury. Always err on the side of conservative. It is best to go into a race a little undertrained than overtrained. If you have a coach, follow their advice and follow the plan.

Most athletes do the right amount of training but they often do the wrong amount of recovery. Make the time to recover more rather than train more. The more seriously you take your recovery, the more you will benefit from your training over time. Remember, with poor nutrition, sleep deprivation, added intensity, drinking – you essentially undo all of the good work you do in training. Take the time to make time for yourself and your health so your training can lead you to a healthy, successful race day.

Ten Tricks For Triathlon Speed

2008-03-23T23:00:00.001-05:00

Speed is sexy but speed it not always cheap. Or is it? Here are ten tips for gaining speed. A few will cost you but most are changes you can easily and cheaply make before the race to make the most out of what you have.

Racing Flats
If you are at a healthy/normal body weight and do not suffer from any nagging foot conditions, you may benefit from racing flats. For 10K distance or less, look for a lightweight “slipper-like” shoe. For half marathon to marathon, look for a midweight/tempo trainer shoe. Training in these shoes should be done on the track only – and only for the mainset of the workout. Otherwise, save these shoes for race day (and equip them with elastic laces).

Going Sockless
Socks add one more layer to get wet between your foot and the shoe. Rather than taking the time to put on socks, for 10K distance or shorter try to grease up your shoes in the “hot spots” with Vaseline. For example, along the sides, in the back and against the tongue. Do not attempt this on race day; practice several times to be sure you will not get blistered or injured without socks.

Lighten Up
Look at your bike – wires, cables, bars, computers, lots of junk. Eliminate as much junk as possible and keep your bike neat, streamlined, and light. Be sure cables are routed as close to the frame as possible, eliminate any excess wires, go with streamlined cages behind your seat, on the frame or an aero drink system. Then, look at yourself. Are you racing at a healthy, optimal weight? The savings you make with healthy changes in body weight will likely set you up for time savings in the bike and run. While many athletes look to equipment to produce speed, look to yourself – what changes can you make in your diet or health to make you more responsive to your training program or healthier overall?

Transitions
Take your transitions seriously. You can save minutes in your race with the right transition. Before the race, draw a diagram of your transition area – sounds silly but do it once and you’ll have it down. A bright t-shirt or towel on the ground to indicate your stall. Shoes equipped with elastic laces. Socks inside the shoes sprinkled with baby powder. Helmet on the aerobars or on top of bike shoes. If you’ve mastered it, bike shoes can also be on bike. Sunglasses open inside the helmet. Race belt under your run shoes. Visor on top of run shoes. Is there anything else you really need? An extra gel, bar, etcetera but keep the area organized and run through it in your head several times before race day. It helps to visualize your transitions with a mantra (ie., helmet, glasses, shoes, go!) to keep you on track in transition and back into the real race.

Clothing
Baggy or loose clothing adds time. Keep your racing uniform as streamlined and aerodynamic as possible. Avoid open zippers, loose sleeves and baggy shorts. Keep everything neat and tucked tight to your body. For running races, dress as though it was 20 degrees warmer than it actually is outside. Avoid wearing tights unless absolutely necessary. Even in cool conditions – avoid wearing wind jackets or vests as these act like parachutes to catch the wind.

Packing It Up
If you are doing a long course event chances are you’ll need to pack food. A Bento Box is the easiest and most efficient way to carry your food. Cut open bar packages and slightly score gels before race start (but not the night before). You can also use black electrical tape to tape gels to the top tube (one on top of another, taping the top so when you rip it off the gel opens). Practice this several times in training to be sure packages don’t explode or chafe you while riding. You can also tape salt tabs to aerobars, use an empty water bottle to hold a spare tube, C02 cartridge and tire levers. Come up with clever ways to secure necessary items to your bike so you carry less on your body, more on your bike as aerodynamically as possible.

Race Belt
It’s as simple as that – wear a race belt! Secure your number to the belt with several pins. Then, before the swim roll your number up under your shorts/suit and keep it there until you need it for the bike or run. No need to fiddle with it in transition. Practice this in training to be sure pins stay closed and it doesn’t chafe your waist. If you put on your race belt in transition, you can also pin or rubberband gels or baggies to the belt for easy carry of necessary items.

Spring Cleaning
Before race season begins, take your bike to a reputable shop for a clean up/tune up. Replace the chain, cables, and check that tires have no holes. Clean your bike regularly – after riding in rain, sand, dirt be sure to clean the frame and chain. Think of all the time and money you spend training and traveling for a race. Spending the extra time now to clean and prepare your bike will save you from the costly “DNF” on race day.

Gear Up
The right gearing can make or break your race. Do a tooth count for your gears. On the rear wheel of your bike, count the teeth on the biggest and smallest cassettes. If you have a triple ring, you do not need to do this. You are prepared for any course. If you have a double ring (big & small), you will need to do this. Consider the courses you are doing this year – if you are doing mostly flat courses, you should having gearing around 11 – 23 or 12 – 23. If you are doing moderately hilly courses, you should be equipped with a 12 – 25. If you are doing extremely hilly courses (ie., Ironman Wisconsin, St. Croix), you may be wise to have a 12 – 27. Having the wrong gears for the course will mean that you will be working harder or mashing your gears when you could be conserving energy for your run.

Fast Toys
Athletes often ask about toys that give ‘free speed’. Above all, your commitment to a logical training program is the most important toy you will have. From there, you will find certain toys can shave time off your race. However, none of these replace months of hard work (plus the hard work is a much cheaper approach).

Bike fit: The single most important thing you can buy to make yourself fast is a proper bike fit from a reputable professional. Keep in mind that an ‘aero’ position is not necessarily the fastest position. If you are so low and aero that you are not comfortable, you will not go fast and you might even get injured over time. Look to local top performers for a recommendation on reputable bike fit professionals/shops.

Wheels: Other than body position, nothing but wheels will take off as much time. Race wheels are generally lighter. However, this comes at the cost of the cost. Race wheels are not cheap. Plus, race wheels may present difficulties with handling in certain weather conditions. A disc wheel is generally faster but is not the most nimble wheel and can handle differently in winds. Clincher vs tubular – depends on what you are most comfortable with changing in a race condition. Fast doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t change a flat. Above all, look for the most versatile race wheels to get the most out of your investment.

Aero frame: Obviously a lightweight aero frame looks cool but that alone will not make you fast. Bike weight is the least important of all factors that increase speed. If a new bike is not in your budget, consider keeping your bike clean and properly functioning to gain speed.

Aero bars: Your body creates a great deal of drag, reduce the frontal area that hits the wind and you’ll reduce drag. Clearly, getting aero in aero bars is ‘faster’ than sitting up because it reduces that frontal area. However, not all frames are designed for aero bars. Nor is everyone’s body designed to hold that position. Above all, comfort is key. If you are not comfortable in aero bars they will not make you faster.

Aero helmet: Simply put, aero helmets reduce drag. Regular vented helmets produce 400 percent more drag than an aero helmet. As a result, the time you save with an aero helmet will add up. The longer the course, the more savings you’ll make. Speed does come at a cost; for speed you do give up ventilation and these helmets aren’t cheap. Most aero helmets include very few vents. Since cycling is good for cooling the body overall overheating is generally not a problem but it might be something to consider if your race is very hot.

Enjoy a little free speed this season. Above all, keep your equipment functioning and your body following a smart training plan to be as fast as you can be this year.