Coach Erinne Guthries Notes:
From swimming 2:40/100 yards to 1:30/100yards; Getting average speed on a 25-mile bike ride from 15mph to 21mph, A PR on a half marathon at 9:02 per mile (1:58:18). And losing 30+ pounds over the last few years to achieve all these amazing accomplishes is truly awesome. I am so proud of your drive and dedication to combine time in your life for your family, work and sport so well. You should be so proud Lewis. Way to go. You have taken my advice of becoming strong before going long. Long Course 70.3 is next, I know you are going to kill it!
Age: 39
Profession: Senior Technology Manager at a Market Research Firm
Why you chose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey?
Because after trying a few different coaches in the area, I had no doubt Full Circle and Erinne were the perfect leaders and mentors for me after I had a chance to meet her and her team. I noticed from our first meeting that Erinne had the energy, the technique, the knowledge, and the power to not only help me become an athlete again but to also help me become a better person.
What is your “A” race for this season?
Vineyard Half Triathlon on September 8.
Please share your BIG goals:
To stay healthy and live another day to enjoy another training day, another race day and another family day while building good memories for the heart. I dream of the day I get to race with both of my kids on a triathlon team relay.
Tell me about your successes so far:
Losing some serious weight in a healthy long journey that started back on 2010 at 198 pounds with my first triathlon to a healthier older 147 pounds sportsperson. Now I can run, catch me if you can! Erinne has been an incredible help along the journey with the workouts, the customized nutrition plan and guidance in and out of the course.
Other big milestones have been getting off medication for heart conditions and other overweight related symptoms, 100% thanks to the sport and the nutritional changes. Definitively have gotten faster on the swim, the bike and the run, a lot more agile and energetic. Year after year I have been able to improve my timings and PRs at many events, from 5K runs, 10Ks, half marathons, 1-mile OWS, 5K OWS swims, sprint triathlons, international and Olympic triathlons. I feel I am getting better with age thanks to the help and dedication from Erinne and her team of professionals.
What were some of your biggest Improvements in performance for the each of the following? Swim: Bike: Run: Nutrition/Health: Please include any Personal Records and Goals achieved:
My swim has gotten much better. From swimming 2:40/100 yards to 1:30/100yards and proving myself that I can swim 5K non-stop open water has been one of my more remarkable achievements. Getting my average speed on a 25-mile bike ride from 15mph to 21mph average also seemed impossible at times. More remarkable was learning how to run. For me, it was not as easy as just grabbing some running shoes and going out the door, I truly needed Erin to teach me how to run. First time I tried running my pace was 18:39 per mile. Things got better with time but now that I am better prepared and have been receiving the knowledge and training in needed my new PR on a half marathon is 9:02 per mile (1:58:18). My customized nutrition plan has guide me to a healthier life style allowing me to be a better athlete and lose a lot of weight along the way.
Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey:
1. The nutrition plan. Big balance and key support element.
2. The training environment, compatible people training with the same goal and treasuring the time training together looking for the perfect balance in life, family, work, the sport, physical health, and mental health.
3. Working with a set of coaches that take the time to observer and listen. I am very appreciative of the time and dedication to teach us, help us correct our techniques and work on our weaknesses.
What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon?
Triathlons for me are an enormous compilation of personal goals. Every race is a chance to a new adventure, a chance to do better than last year’s event, yet not every race is the same. There is always a challenge, something new, something harder, something emotional and no-matter the event or event type it always ends up being an invaluable accomplishment and a party of happy emotions at the end.
What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program?
Is the best healthy addiction you could ever have and living the journey requires having the right group of people to guide you through it. The best of triathlon is that you have a perfect balance for your body, multiple sports to practice that allows you to be active every single day of the week. It allows you to recuperate a set of muscles while you work with another set the next day.
Thanks, Erinne and team for coaching me and supporting me throughout the years. I have quite a book of memories in my heart!
Way to go Urs, I am so happy to have the chance to get you stronger and faster despite your injuries. On a tough day and with way worse conditions than previous years, you killed it! Way to go! Super impressed with your ability to squeeze everything out of the training plan and apply it to your life; that takes a special kind of athlete. Looking forward to the big Miami Man goal with more continued success!
Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne Guthrie
Urs Brunner is part of my online/weekend group. I have never even seen him swim and he still followed the program to get the results. This program isn’t for everyone but at a lower price point if you are motivated you can get these kind of results too. It includes online, video group conference calls every 2 weeks, daily training in Training Peaks and weekend workouts with the team. Please reach out if you want these kinds of results!
Age: 56
Profession: General Manager North America at Pro Med Instruments
Why you chose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey? I saw Erinne present at the Miami Man 2017 and I was totally convinced that her energy and her experience would help me get faster and stronger.
What is your “A” race for this season? Miami Man Half Iron
Please share your BIG goals: My biggest goal in triathlon and life in general is “beat yesterday”. Meaning that I want to better myself in all aspects; sports, professional and personal life.
Tell me about your successes so far: In 2017 I did my first long course Tri (Miami Man International Distance). Unfortunately I got hurt and had to plan my training accordingly. I set a new goal of improving my time at the South Beach Tri (Classic) and I did achieve that with the help of FC.
What were some of your biggest Improvements in performance for the each of the following? Swim: Bike: Run: Nutrition/Health: Please include any Personal Records and Goals achieved:
In swimming I gained confidence in Open Water. I have always been a pretty good pool swimmer and with all the open water swimming, I feel much better prepared for the ocean races.
I have done a lot of biking with EBC and feel good in groups. What I have learned since I joined FC is to fight the wind by myself (not drafting). It has strengthened my power.
Running has been the discipline I have done the most. It is easy to do and I can always do it when traveling. That said, I have gained in endurance as of late mainly by adding specific strength training.
Nutrition/Health is somewhat new to me. I have always eaten carefully and now I am even more conscious of the food choices I make. I haven’t started with supplements yet but already had some conversations with FC and want to look more at this side of preparation.
I would actually add another topic, which is mental strength. It is an area I feel I am good at. I do a lot of visualization and putting things like work-life balance in context. Having a strong mental plan I think is very critical to conquer these tough longer courses. I always try to see the positive and the opportunity.
Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey:
1.A training plan (Training Peaks)
2.Positive encouragement and being held accountable
3.Being surrounded by other like-minded people
What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon? I like the challenge of endurance racing and I also like the technicality of the different transitions. My other hobbies are mountaineering and regatta sailing. Both of those also demand endurance and technical savvy.
What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program?
Just do it! Sounds like a cliche but it is so true. There is nothing to loose. If you keep doing what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten. Beat yesterday. Carpe Diem!
I’m always on a quest for self improvement and I wanted to share a key concept that will determine your ability to grow.
The concept of the Teachability Index is something I’ve been exploring, and I think it’s really relevant and fascinating for people looking to change their bodies and lifestyles.
So let me explain…
Two primary factors play a role in determining how teachable and susceptible to growth we are at any given time:
1. Our willingness to learn
2. Our willingness to accept change
Both the willingness to learn and acceptance to change things are massively important to understand and check in with if you really want to create long-term change.
In each area, rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 (1 being absolutely NOT and 10 being ALL IN!)
Willingness to learn – How much time, money, and serious effort do you put into reaching your health and fitness goals?
Are you trying to go it alone or do you have a coach? Are you trying to figure it out yourself or do you seek support in areas that will help you grow? Do you find yourself spending time and money in areas that aren’t essential or do you even know what areas are essential to focus on?
Where are you on a scale of 1-10 in your willingness to learn?
Willingness to accept change – You can learn and know things all day long, but until you commit to true change, it’s irrelevant. Maybe it’s spending that money you’ve told yourself you don’t have to get the coach you know you need. Maybe it’s changing your approach that just isn’t working. Maybe it’s tuning out the noise about what works and what doesn’t and not doing the diet/training program just because your friend is or some fit person posted it on Facebook.
In order to grow, we must be willing to accept change in every area of life. And given that our brains are designed to resist and protect us from change, these choices must be conscious! Pay attention to the reasons “why not” that your brain likes to trick you with and make those conscious decisions to choose to change and do things differently.
Where are you on a scale of 1-10 in your willingness to change?
To determine where you are on the scales, you can consider:
The above combined with our willingness to accept change and our willingness to learn make up the Teachability Index.
Here’s the thing…
It’s OK if you’re not 10/10 on both scales! We aren’t going to be there 100% of the time. It’s a place to strive to be because that’s where new levels of success are reached. Bringing consciousness to where you are now will allow you to determine the actions you need to take and the ways in which you need to adjust your thoughts to move higher on the Teachability Index, the place that we have tremendous growth.
I’d love to know if you have questions about this or how it resonates. And if you’re ready to scale up your Teachability Index, I am here to help. Simply click here to let me know, and I’ll be back in touch ASAP.
Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997 and is currently taking a recovery year after two consecutive years racing at Long and Short Course World Championships. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim COach, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.
Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne
Full Circle Coaching 786-586-6057
Where Performance Meets Balance
Many triathletes get really excited about training and tend to train, train and train until they get injured or sick or both. Training can get addictive especially after you start to see results. It just feels so good when you have a hard workout and see your times getting faster. However, it is equally important to rest and recover on a regular basis. By scheduling in planned recovery days you allow your body to absorb the training you have been doing and then get back to training and ramp it up a little more. By having recovery and taper days planned ahead of time, you won’t run into the common problem of getting sick or minor over use injuries.
A Taper week is a week or few days to reduce training volume leading up to a race. During this taper week, you want to reduce volume to as little as 25% -75% of normal training volume depending if this is an “A” race or “C” race, or a long course or short course race (“A” race means that it is a really important race that you want to peak for and really do well. “B” and “C” races are less important and can be used for training).
The shorter the race, the shorter the taper. This is also athlete dependent. Some athletes do better with longer tapers than others. The key is to try different length tapers and see how you perform on race day. It may take a few taper weeks leading into races to find the right recipe for you. I’ve had athletes do great on a 2 day taper for a sprint race but need a whole week for a half Ironman® and as many as two weeks for a full Ironman®. Age is also a factor here. The older you are the more recovery time you tend to need but not always!
The 2 things to keep in mind during all tapers is to include a little intensity in the workouts and to resist the urge to do completely nothing!!!
You will actually feel worse and come back weaker if you take an entire week off and eat crappy. Aim to get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep each night as well!
For taper week training get 20-45 min of movement in during the 5-6 of the 7 days leading up to the race. Include a few pick-ups in intensity which I like to call ORPS – Over Race Pace Pick-ups to prevent your body from feeling stale and sticky.
A typical taper week might include the following:
Monday– Full day off of cardio but include 40-45 minutes of foam rolling and stretching, or some yoga and working IN and lots of water with a pinch of sea salt in each glass along with clean eating, good protein and veggies. Write out your race plan and send to your coach. (see other blogs to see what a race plan is). Visualize and imagine the details of your successful race daily to ensure the results you desire.
Tuesday– light 30 minute swim around 1200-1500 yards- Include some fast 25’s and 50’s with lots of rest.
Wednesday– 30-45 minute easy spin on the bike, stretch use your compression socks after and get a full body massage.
Thursday– 20-30 min run with 4 x 1-4 min at over race pace intensity with lots of recovery after each one and an easy 30-45 min spin with 4 x 1-4 min ORPS again. Drop your bike off for tune up and maintenance.
Friday- mental and physical rest day- finalize your race plan pack for your race etc.
Saturday– pre- race brick- 15 minute swim, 20 minute spin on bike and 15 minute run, all very easy with 1-4 min ORPS.
Sunday- Race Day; get a good warm up in pre- race, shorter races require longer warm ups.
A Recovery Week or Few Days – Is when you reduce volume, similar to taper week but there is no race. It’s just a few days of rest and recovery to help your body assimilate all the training and then go back to training for another 2-3 weeks, typically ramping up the volume and intensity to get you ready for your next race in a few more weeks or months. Again, you don’t want to be completely lazy during this time. Doing yoga or a few days of really light intensity can make a huge difference in your mental and physical ability to handle the next training block. Recovery days are essential and must be taken and planned for so your body doesn’t break down and dictate the recovery by getting sick with something much worse than a little cold or minor injury.
I can speak first hand of this. I trained my way into 18 months of recovery because I went 6 months on 5 hours of sleep, while working full time, training hard- 12 hours a week, breast feeding and just plain over doing it. It took me way too long to recover because I was not getting adequate sleep and taking those planned recovery days as often as I needed to! I didn’t want to miss out on training hard but, I learned my lesson. Now I have planned recovery days and will take them sooner than later if my body is telling me to. So, do yourself a favor and take the recovery and taper week or days and watch and feel your body respond with more energy. strength and speed every time!
Please let me know if you liked this Blog and if there are any topics you’d like me to write about in the future.
Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997 and is currently taking a recovery year after two consecutive years racing at Long and Short Course World Championships. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim COach, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.
Coach Erinne
Full Circle Coaching
Where Performance Meets Balance
Coach Erinne’s Notes: Christian Crews has accomplished so much in such a short time. He fits it all in while being a great husband, dad to two kids and entrepreneur. Riding his bike to the pool and back, trading training mornings with his wife and living his new healthy lifestyle. I couldn’t be more proud of his drive and performance.
The sky is the limit Christian; Way to go and only 1 triathlon done, so much more to come!!!
Meet CHRISTIAN CREWS, Full Circle Coaching Rockstar Triathlete
Age: 45
Profession: Jack of all Trades Master of None…entrepreneur/angelWhy you chose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey? By pure chance and a great fortune!
What is your “A” race for this season? Miami Man – November Int’l Triathlon.
Please share your BIG goals: Do a Full Ironman® by the time I am 50 yrs old.
Tell me about your successes so far: What were some of your biggest Improvements in performance for the each of the following? Swim: Bike: Run: Nutrition/Health: Please include any Personal Records and Goals achieved:
One year ago I smoked, was overweight, and was very stressed with a new start-up. On June 30, 2017, I decided that health and family life was to be my focus going forward, so that day I smoked my last cigarette as my family and I started a long overdue family vacation. After 2 weeks of smoking detox, I felt I needed a “carrot” to keep me from smoking so I signed up for a sprint triathlon (Key West Tri). The idea being that the training would keep me from smoking. So I googled a Tri Training Plan for newbies and joined Erinne’s Swim Masters class in October of 2017, later to realize I needed a team to train with so I joined Full Circle in December. It only took a running evaluation by Coach Erinne in December, to get me running a 5k without stopping/walking and I was hooked on Full Circle and Tri Training.
I consider doing and finishing the Las Olas Sprint Tri a huge success and I now have a benchmark to beat on future sprints planned for the year. Another big success so far, is completing a 5k race this weekend without walking with a PR of 27:10!
Swim – I am swimming faster and longer than ever; Bike – from never riding a road bike (I didn’t know how/why to use bike gears) to a 19.1 mph average in Las Olas Sprint Tri; Run – from the KB Lighthouse Run 5k time of 31:05 (run/walk) to the Patches 5k time of 27:10 (PR) without walking!!!
On the Health/Nutrition side I am still smoke free, did Erinne’s prescribed “Gut Cleanse” in January and have lost 10 lbs since October of last year. In terms of biggest Goal achieved – finishing my first triathlon (Las Olas Sprint) in under 1 hr and 30 min, which I finished in 1 hr 24 min.
Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey:
1. Erinne’s evaluations, especially the swimming and running.
2. The “Gut Cleanse” to start the year.
3. Training with my new family, the Full Circle Team, which supports, pushes and encourages you to get better and faster while still having fun.What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon? Being called an “athlete” 🙂
What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program?
“Just do it,” it will change your life for the better.
P.S. This could be you! If you are interested in learning more about Full Circle Coaching call us at 786-586-6057 today or check out our website www.fullcirclecoaching.co, or follow us on your favorite social media:
"11 Ways to Get Faster at Triathlon Now,"
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