Overall a Really Good Experience; Rockstar Triathlete Wendy Whitlow

Overall a really good experience; Rockstar Triathlete Wendy Whitlow

Coach’s Notes:

Wendy, YOU DID IT, You’re a triathlete! As a total beginner Wendy is an awesome coachable athlete. Showing up to training and coach calls, taking notes asking questions, she was here for business.

She also had a lot of FEAR about what was possible for her.

As her coaches explained to her, skill and repetition yield confidence and motivation, with consistency you get better and better!

Such is the case with Wendy!

She mentions terrible results with regard to the amount of time parts of the race as compared with other athletes… but I want to remind you Wendy, this is a competition against yourself and seeing you come from zero to crossing the finish line was so sweet!

Please own that and never forget that you can do anything you set your mind to. Thanks for choosing Full Circle Coaching for your journey!

Age:

55

Profession:

Training Manager at a call center

Why you chose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey?

It has been on my bucket list to complete a triathlon for over 5 years. After successfully losing a significant amount of weight… 150 pounds to be exact, with my best friend’s encouragement, we agreed to seek professional training. Her research led us to FCC.

What is your “A” race for this season?

The Miami 305 Sprint TRI

Please share your BIG goals:

Honestly my biggest goal was to make it out of the swim without having to be pulled out.

And if I made it out, my other fear was conquering the Rickenbacker Causeway bridge. I had only done it once with Coach Jacqueline. Well twice over and back. I freaked out and walked my bike down the remaining way and she stayed by my side on the return. So my goal was to successfully complete without her or my best friend.

Tell me about your successes so far:

I made it out of the water and over the bridge. Times were terrible but my run was decent.

What were some of your biggest Improvements in performance for the each of the following? Swim, Bike, Run, and Nutrition/Health. Please include any Personal Records and Goals achieved:

Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey:

  1. Speed and run drills helped improve my running
  2. While I still have panic in the water, I have a better understanding of the mechanics and believe with practice I will only get better.

What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon?

The ability to push myself beyond what my brain thinks I could accomplish and being around a community of other athletes that are so supportive.

What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program?

I say if you can afford the investment, it is worth it, especially if you live in the Miami area. I had hoped to spend more time training with others for the accountability. Virtual training is good if it’s what you have to work with but I like someone who can give immediate feedback or corrections. When alone I didn’t have that. Overall, a really great experience.

The group calls are great! I accomplished what I didn’t believe was possible. Especially with my swimming, learning to breathe properly is everything. I feel prepared and confident to complete a sprint distance triathlon!”

– Wendy Whitlow

Curious about Full Circle’s Beginner Triathlete Program?

You too can become the triathlete you always dreamed of!

Use this link to learn about our 6 week program to get ready for the July 4th Integrity Multisport Sprint Triathlon

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. Creator of Triathlon Transformation. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, Mermaid and much much more.

How do you know?

How do you know?

So many of my swimmers join my program and say
“Wow, I did not know, I didn’t know how to swim!”

So how do I evaluate if you can swim or not from a coach perspective ?

I assess you!
First with a swim test (if you have the endurance and fitness to do so).

Here’s the test:
After a short 10 min warm up in the water,
Swim a 400 (16 laps in a 25 meter or yard pool) for time
Rest 10 minutes
Swim a 200 for time

These numbers tell me what the focus of your swim training should be. Even if I don’t see you swim!

If your 400 is over 6 minutes or over 3 minutes for the 200
I know that technique work should be your focus.

I actually don’t recommend longer swims for swimmers in this situation, as I want them to focus on correcting bad form techniques, rather than reinforcing bad technique with longer swims!

How do I correct form?
2nd with a Video analysis.

The camera never lies!
And as humans our body awareness in the water is skewed because it’s not our natural habitat!

I like to see video of you swimming from each side for a full length of the pool, from the front and back, moving to and from the camera and underwater from the front and sides.

From there I can create a program of step by step exercises, drills and corrections to improve your swim!

Then it’s up to you to get in the water and do your homework!

It’s not a miracle solution; nothing will change unless you do the work. It’s not hard work;- it’s just time in the pool and on land!  Doing swim specific strength and stretch is essential to becoming a better swimmer
But the key is also going slow, being intentional with your movements in the water with the drills I prescribe.

Does it work? Hell yes!!
Every single one of my athletes just retested their 400 and 200 from earlier in the year and many are under that 6 and 3 min goal.
Others are getting closer!!

Want to learn more about your swimming…
Check out my open water swim clinic on June 4th / REGISTER HERE

It’s 3 hours of coached training in the open water with our coaches!
Plus, access to our online platform and video analysis.

Swim Essentials Open Water is for you if you want to:

Swim faster than you are now.

Conserve energy as you learn how to swim with less effort.

Understand exactly what you need to do with your head, hands, eyes, arms, body, legs and feet to be able to swim better.

Invest in quality time with coaches in and out of the water for 3 fun-filled hours of swim training.

End your struggle with swimming and learn to LOVE swimming in the water.

Eliminate anxiety and breathing problems in the water.

Learn how to train properly during and after this class is over.

Discounts on future swim coaching to guarantee and ensure success.

Become the swimmer you have always dreamed of.

Get all the magic…
The exact swim mechanics you need for your best swim ever!

And get access to all my pool training when you join!

See you in the water!! REGISTER HERE!

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. Creator of Triathlon Transformation. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, Mermaid and much much more.