Rockstar Triathlete: Lily Harris

Rockstar Triathlete: Lily Harris

Coach’s Comments: Lily was a part of my kids’ triathlon group in 2015. Her mom started training with me a few years ago and during Lily’s break from college, she decided to give triathlon a go again.  I’m so happy she did!

Coming into the group as the youngest can be a bit intimidating, but she never misses a practice.  In fact, we have to force her to rest and recover.  I am so super proud of her journey in so many ways.  Her confidence in every aspect of the sport has improved 100%.  She came in to the group unsure of her abilities. Learning to battle your demons of how you think you should be and accepting where you are and then improving from there, is something every athlete struggles with whether we talk about it or not!

Sometimes when there are big struggles, people just quit!, but not Lily!  She showed up, listened, implemented and is literally killing it in all 3 sports after just a few months.

This weekend is her 1st 70.3, in Sebring. I’m so excited to see her joy across the finish line after all the hard work.  Not many 20 year olds that I know are showing up to train at 6AM, six days a week.

Way to go Lily, you can do anything you set your mind to; Believe it!!! (tap, tap, tap! 😉

Age: 20

Profession: Student

Why you chose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey?
I’ve known Erinne since I did a triathlon camp with her in 2013. I absolutely loved the camp, but only saw it as what it was–a summer camp, not anything I would continue as a 12-year-old. Over the past couple years, since my mom started training with Full Circle Coaching, it was all she would talk about. She was always encouraging me to go to practices and telling me how much I would love it and improve from it. It wasn’t until February of this year, that I worked up the courage to show up and I ended up falling in love with the training and the whole team instantly.

What is your “A” race for this season?
I would say my A race is the Sebring 70.3 on May 2nd. It will be my first half iron distance and only second race ever (after challenge Miami sprint). However, after Sebring, I want to focus on speed to improve my sprint/Olympic times.

Please share your BIG goals:
My goals for this year are to not only improve my athletic ability over all the disciplines but improve my mental strength and confidence. I hope to become more familiar with racing, longer distances, pushing myself (in a healthy and safe way of course) and all-around health and nutrition. 

Tell me about your successes so far:
The most success I’ve had since joining Full Circle, I wouldn’t say is based on any numbers or times. The past couple months, I’ve stepped far outside my comfort zone and with the help of Erinne, Jac, all the other coaches AND my teammates, I’ve been able to get past a lot that was holding me back from success.

What were some of your biggest Improvements in performance for the each of the following? 
Swim: learning how to swim properly and take fewer, longer strokes rather than short choppy ones.
Bike: since I joined FCC never having really biked or done any long rides, I feel more comfortable now doing longer distances; also learned how to shift my gears and bike in a group (safely!!!)
Run: my form has improved a lot. I also have better understanding of how to take it slow in long runs and keep my HR down (still not perfect but working on it)
Nutrition/Health: Learned about how to fuel myself properly and get the complete proteins my body needs!! Like meat and chicken.

Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey:
1. All the support and help from the coaches. Erinne, Jac, Dennis, Domingos, they’ve all made a huge impact in my journey. 
2. All the friends I’ve made on the team who inspire me to push myself in triathlon and in life.
3. Learning about how to train safely and effectively.

What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon?
Waking up each morning and training with the most amazing group of people. I love getting to practice and seeing everyone’s beautiful faces so (not) bright and early!

What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program?
Full Circle Coaching is honestly life changing. They are the most amazing, brilliant, caring coaches who take time for each and every athlete. You’ll meet the best people who get you excited to go to practice each morning. Whether your goals are to run a mile, finish a race, win a TRIPLE iron man, or go pro in the sport, every single person is there to support you and help achieve your goals.