JUST DO IT! Says Rockstar Triathlete Jennifer Rico; You’re never too old, too fat, or too broken to try something new that will change your lifestyle for the better

JUST DO IT! Says Rockstar Triathlete, Jennifer Rico;
You’re never too old, too fat, or too broken to try something new that will change your lifestyle for the better.

Coach’s Notes:
Jenn although you ended up doing a duathlon FOR NOW, triathlon is just around the corner as your swim is getting stronger by the day.  Thanks for being a part of my first Couch to Tri program and proving that it works!  TWO, podiums in 8 weeks…….. Amazing!  I can see how hard you worked to accomplish your goals.  Way to go girl!  See you at training! – Coach Erinne Guthrie

 

Age:
40

Profession:
Finance Manager for the Department of OBGYN at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Why you chose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey?
I was in an exercise slump and wanted to do something different to re-energize my workout routine.  I was about to rejoin a Crossfit gym right around July 4th, by chance, we had some friends over for dinner and the conversation of triathlon came up (he competed in ironman and such).  Training or even doing a triathlon had never crossed my mind, but after that night I thought why not!!! So for the next few days, I contacted different training groups and Erinne provided the best coaching advice and strategies, and she invited me to try it out for a week.  After a few days of training, I was hooked!

 

What is your “A” race for this season?
Since I didn’t start training till mid summer, I’ve only had the chance to compete in 2 duathlon races; Trilogy #3 and Trilogy Bonus.  I’d say Trilogy #3 was my “A” race this season because that was my first race, EVER! All I wanted to do was to finish the race.  But when I ended up on the podium in 3rd place of my age group, I just couldn’t believe it!

Please share your BIG goals:
Within the next 4 years, I want to take first place in age group in the Trilogy race series

Tell me about your successes so far:
2 for 2 on the podium and PR all around, notbad for a newbie!  3rd place in my first duathlon race and 2nd place in my second duathlon race (I was 25 seconds behind first place finisher, need to work on my strategies).

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: 

Swim I started out as a non-swimmer and could barely doggie paddle my way across the pool.  After 2 months with Full Circle, I now can swim freestyle properly and successfully swim 50-100m without stopping.

Bike – I knew how to ride a beach bike but training on a road was a different story.  The nuances of constantly changing gears and the tricks to balance on the bike while taking a drink a of water, all new to me.  After the first race, I realized that I needed to work on my cycling speed because I was only averaging 14.1 mph. I Worked hard for the following 4 weeks and improved to 16.5 mph on the second race.

Run – Running was something I picked up about 7 years ago (all thanks to Crossfit), I used to hate running before that.  I knew I could do the sprint distance, I just needed to work on my pace.  Because I have a dance background, turning my feetoutwards was natural for me.  However, to be a proper and more efficient runner, I’ve had to be more conscience about keeping my legs and feet parallel (which feels super weird). And the difference on the 2 races were 9:07/mi to 9:01/mi and 10:13/mi to 10:10/mi, which cut the total running time down by 17 seconds. And my T2 on the second race was 1:17, that’s definitely one for the record book!

Nutrition/Health – I’ve been on Paleo/Keto for a while, so instead of the gel packets during the race, I use almond butter packets. 

Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey: 
1. Training with the Full Circle Tribe that have the same goal and are there to help/cheer/support/motivate/inspire/push/encourage each other!
2. Visible improvement of my skills in all 3 sports
3. Already planning for next season’s races

What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon?
That rush of adrenaline at the starting line and seeing fellow teammates pushing to PR.

What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program?
JUST DO IT!  You’re never too old, too fat, or too broken to try something new that will change your lifestyle 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 click this link to schedule a complimentary triathlon strategy call:  http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

Don’t forget to visit us on your favorite social media where we post tons of videos, information about triathlon events and training and nutrition tips.

Why They Sabotage You

Why They Sabotage You

If you’ve ever been on a powerful mission to get healthier, eat better, and be consistent with your exercise routine, you may have noticed that certain friends and family aren’t in love with your new-found dedication.

And it’s not because they don’t love you. It’s because it’s hard for them to see you change.

Maybe they think you won’t be able to have as much fun because you’ll stop being as social. Maybe they’re irritated by your refusal to eat something they just baked. Maybe they’re upset that you declined Saturday morning mimosas in favor of hitting the gym.

I’m here to tell you that this is normal, that you can’t give into the pressure, and to

help you understand why this is happening.

First, when your decisions aren’t aligned with what they desire from you, people can get upset. But this isn’t about you, it’s about them. Hold your ground and lovingly explain WHY you’ve made your choices. It’s then up to them as to whether or not they choose to accept it.

Second, it holds up a mirror to them. It makes them consider their own shortcomings or failure to stick with routines or focus on healthy habits. This is very uncomfortable for people when they aren’t ready to receive it.

As a friend, lover, or family member, one of the best things you can do for others is take care of yourself and become the best version of YOU. The next best thing you can do is invite them along for the ride.

So, does this remind you of anyone in your life right now? Is there a conversation you need to have?

For those of you who are already working with us here at Full Circle Coaching, we want to make life easier on you and better for them. Bring him or her in for a workout with you. We promise to care for them and give them an amazing experience. And hopefully, we even give them an “aha moment” that gets them excited about pursuing goals similar to you.

If you’re training with us, hit reply and tell us a little bit about how this resonates (if it does), and if you aren’t training with us, we’d love to have you in for a free week/session. Just reply and let us know you’d like to take advantage of this. We’re here to support you and those you care about!

Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne

If you can relate in any way, I invite you to link here and schedule a call with me today or, text me at 786-586-6057 to request an appointment.

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.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.

Buffer Foods vs. Trigger Foods

Buffer Foods vs. Trigger Foods

When it comes to dealing with cravings there are two approaches I like to take with clients (in addition to simple prevention strategies).
I want to make you aware of two food classifications that can either make or break your ability to stay on track with your nutrition and avoid giving into cravings: buffer foods and trigger foods.
Buffer foods are foods that allow you to, with a small amount of indulgence, get rid of the cravings and thereby take in far fewer calories than you would have if you gave into the craving. Buffer foods typically include things like peanut butter, green smoothies, extra dark chocolate (or other items with cocoa). Think foods that give you the sweet or fat sensation but that you don’t want to eat a whole lot of.
Trigger foods typically increase cravings and caloric intake. For example, if you give into a craving for pancakes for breakfast in the morning, your blood sugar will spike and crash. You’ll get hungrier faster, eat more throughout the day, and have stronger cravings for starches and sugars.
Try replacing your trigger foods with buffer foods and see how your cravings and hunger are affected. Another option is adding more nutrients to your trigger foods. For example, make your pancakes with almond flour or add grass fed collagen, or greens powder to your normal pancake batter. See a recipe below on what I like to do.
What buffer food or added nutrients  are you going to try?
Eat with grass fed butter and real maple syrup or raw honey instead of synthetic sweeteners.
For added blood sugar stabilization have 1-2 capsules of  Himalaya bitter melon extract
Wishing You Well,
Coach Erinne Guthrie
I invite you to link here and schedule a call with me today or, text me at 786-586-6057 to request an appointment.
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.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.

P.S. I am putting together a 6 week Holistic Lifestyle Online Workshop. Please reply here if you want to be notified when I send out the information.

Should I Go Long?

Should I Go Long?

That is always the question of many newbie triathletes after their first season of triathlon or even after their first sprint. Well…… It depends…….. on a lot of things.

If you are looking to get faster in a sprint distance triathlon then the answer is no and yes!

If your main goal is to get faster for a sprint triathlon riding over 50 miles and running over 8-9 miles is kind of over kill and can actually lead to undue fatigue so that you are unable to get the speed work that is necessary to actually get faster at the sprint distance.

Every once in a while, going longer is great but there are guidelines. If you go too long too soon you can suffer and injury which will then set you back.

So, when you are not racing long it’s a is a waste of precious time and effort that could be spent on more quality training to go too long.

Shorter and faster training you can recover from quickly will get you faster, in less time. But at the same time 1 weekly long swim, bike and run at zone 1 is absolutely essential to improve your aerobic capacity and speed but too long is not appropriate when racing short.

Now, if you are training long course which is a 70.3 or IRONMAN then yes you must go longer. However, so many athletes go too long too soon and too fast without building up strength and speed first.

Many long course athletes wonder why they can’t get faster at the long course distance and it’s because they are fatigued from all the volume.

If you never train fast you are not likely to race fast at any distance.

Adding 30 min each week to a long ride and 10 minutes to your long run can be a good rule of thumb to follow. These are meant to be easy low zone 1/2 efforts to improve aerobic capacity and aerobic threshold.

Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne Guthrie

I invite you to link here and schedule a call with me today or,
text me at 786-586-6057 to request an appointment.

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.

How to Succeed

In his book Eat that Frog, author Brian Tracey suggests tackling the biggest, hardest challenge you face each day first thing– this is the FROG.

For you, it may be a work project, a difficult conversation, or something else you’re potentially less than excited about.

If that challenge for you is getting your workout in, consider doing it first thing in the morning. And if you’re not a morning person, I get it. However, if morning is the only time you are guaranteed to get it done (with a little willpower when you hear your alarm clock), it’s something you should strongly consider. Science and physiology proves that cortisol levels are highest in the morning and you will have more energy for a better quality more productive workout in the morning. See this chart to show natural cortisol and melatonin hormones in a balanced body. The key is getting to bed early enough to get the minimum 7, preferable 8-9 hours of sleep.  This is also why I have all my training sessions in the morning!

Some of Tracey’s other recommendations are to spend a few minutes pre-planning each week and each day for maximum productivity. What we don’t realize is that a little bit of planning can literally save us hours and hours every week and help us get it all done when getting it all done feels nearly impossible.

So, how can you better plan each day and each week?

Do you need to consider your workouts as the FROG you eat each morning so that it’s out of the way?
Let me know your thoughts by replying!

Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne Guthrie

I invite you to link here and schedule a call with me today or,
text me at 786-586-6057 to request an appointment.

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.

Dime, Le Vas a la Rueda?

Dime, le vas a la rueda?  Pregunto si conduces extremamente pegadito al ciclista que tienes al frente para beneficiar de su velocidad?

En el mundo de ciclismo el tema y definación de “Drafting o Slipstreaming” / “ir a la rueda” es una técnica a la cual dos objetos en movimiento se alinean en grupo para reducir el gasto de energía para mantener velocidad con menos esfuerzo.

Entiendo que nuestro tono puede sonar un poco agresivo y por esto demoré meses en publicar este escrito, pues no es mi entención ofender a nadie, pero me siento un poco cansada de aguantar mis sentimientos y he decidido utilizar este escrito como una oportunidad de enseñanza.

“Yendo al la rueda” como ciclista en un triatlón que sea “Non-draft legal” es hacer trampa, y NO existe ninguna exepción ha esta regla.  Estoy cansada de ver ciclistas de buen atletisismo aprovecharse de ir a la rueda cuando los oficiales no están mirando y se aprovechan.  Me enfurece cuando veo que un atleta de ciclismo lo hace, ni hablar cuando noto que un grupo de ciclistas lo están haciendo durante una carrera.

Cuando vuelan pasandome u otro ciclista les hago saber que están yendo la rueda me responden con las escusas como “No lo puedo ayudar” o “Todos los de mas lo hacen.”

Es una j****a pena que estas personas no respetan las reglas y en vez escogen hacer trampa.  Y me enfurece mas cuando los veo parados en el podio celebrando su victoria cuando en actualidad les han robado el puesto a otros.  Ustedes saben quienes son, y seguramente no es solo esto en sus vida que actúan deshonestos!

Yo tengo una solucion que quizas los directores de carrera deberían considerar e invertir.  Cada chip de sincronizacion  puede tener un “GPS” y durante la carrera cada ciclista que se pegue  dentro de tres largos de bicicleta por mas the 15 segundos recibirá una penalidad (esta idea me la propuso mi compañero) y me encantó!

No tomen esto a mal, a mi me encanta “ir a la rueda” per solo en carreras que son especificamente carreras designadas de “ir a la rueda.”  Tambien utilizo esta técnica durante prácticas en grupo y para mi propio entrenamiento.  Pienso que se debe practicar esta técnica durante el entrenamiento ambos ciclismo y triatlon.  Pero la verdad es que es triste cuando estoy en medio de una carrera y otro ciclista o grupo de ellos me van a la rueda y pasan volando en frente de mí.  Yo podría seguirlos y hacer lo mismo, y tal vez usar la misma escusa que ellos, pero no lo hago, y no lo haré nunca, ni siquiera por el costo del podio.

Pienso que otra solución seria hacer todas las carreras de triatlón legal “ir a la rueda.”  Pero tambien es mas peligroso conducir de esta manera con “aero-bars,” así que no creó que esto suceda pronto.

Ya que me desaogué…
Por favor mire este enlace que contiene una lista de las reglas más violadas durante carreras de triatlón.

Espero que no haya ofendido a nadie, solamente deséo educarlos sobre las reglas, y no se preocupe que si los véo “yendo la rueda” durante una carrera, se los recordaré!

Si desea saber mas sobre nuestro programa sobre ciclismo esencial haga una cita telefonica usando este enlace.

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.

Do You Suck?

Please see this exact post in Spanish for all my Hispanic friends!!!

Do You Suck? You Know, Suck Wheel?  –  I mean draft, on your bike very close behind another cyclist so that you benefit from having less resistance behind the cyclist in front of you.

Official Definition in Wikipedia of Drafting or Slipstreaming –  a technique where two vehicles or other moving objects are caused to align in a close group reducing the overall effect of drag due to exploiting the lead object’s slipstream. Especially when high speeds are involved, as in motor racing and cycling, drafting can significantly reduce the paceline‘s average energy expenditure required to maintain a certain speed and can also slightly reduce the energy expenditure of the lead vehicle or object.

I have been hesitant to write this blog for many months because I’m afraid my assertive tone might offend you, but I’m tired of holding back on how I truly feel so I decided to make it a teaching/coaching opportunity.

Drafting in a non-draft legal triathlon is CHEATING, there are NO exceptions to this rule and I’m tired of seeing able bodied cyclists taking advantage of drafting when race officials are not looking and just plain cheating.  It pisses me off when I see anyone drafting let alone a pack of cyclists doing it during a non draft legal race.

My favorite excuse that I hear when I remind someone that they are drafting off of me or another cyclist as they fly by me is “I can’t help it” or “Everyone else is doing it.”

It’s a f*****g shame and disgraceful that people cannot hold themselves accountable to the rules of the race and choose not to cheat.  It makes me even more angry when those exact cheaters are up on the podium hooting and hollering about their victory when they have robbed an honest racer from their spot on the stage!  You know who you are!  And it is probably not the only thing in your life you’re dishonest about.

But I have a solution that race directors could invest in; Every timing chip could have a GPS in it and any racer within 3 bike lengths for longer than 15 seconds automatically gets a penalty!!

Don’t get me wrong, I love to draft.  I race in draft legal races and use it for group rides and my own triathlon/ cycling training.  I think it’s an important part of conditioning for cycling and triathlon events.  It just sucks when I am out there racing my race and another racer or group of racers are drafting on me or blowing by me in a draft pack.  I could jump on with the other cheaters, sighting one of the excuses above but I don’t and I won’t, even at the cost of a podium spot!

I’m thinking another solution to this problem is to make all triathlons draft legal! But it is more dangerous to be riding in a pack on a time trial bike with aero-bars, so not sure that will happen anytime soon.

So now that I’m off my soap box…
Please check out the PDF that has a list of the Most Violated USA Triathlon Rules for Racing.

I hope I didn’t offend anyone, I only want to educate you about the rules, but don’t worry if I see you out there drafting in a non-drafting race- I will happily remind you!

Please see this exact post in Spanish for all my Hispanic friends!!!
Happy racing!

If you you want to learn more about my Bike Essentials program so you don’t have to draft, schedule your call with me here!

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.

Did you agree with this post, or not? Please comment below and if you have any coaching questions please reach out to schedule a call.

No Pain, No Gain is Not What You Think It Is

Pain is your friend and a personal guide to listen to and you need to listen to it just as you would listen to a person who is a friend.  It communicates with you, it can help you in many ways.

The term “No Pain, No Gain” is a term that gets misused a lot.  Yes, it’s true that to get stronger and faster you may have to push through some discomfort or pain to go beyond what you thought was possible for yourself.  In fact, there is an awesome book called “How Bad Do You Want It” where the author sites that in scientific studies with athletes pushing hard in a sports event, the brain signals to back off because of pain or discomfort but in reality the athlete can have as much as 40% more to give.

It’s important as an athlete to test your limits in a smart and safe way to get stronger and faster.  Where the “No Pain, No Gain” slogan does not work is when you feel like you may have an injury.  If your body is giving you pain signals that you may have hurt yourself, it really is NOT wise to push through and keep training.  This kind of pain is your body giving you feedback to pay attention to the problem.  If you listen and back off, tell your coach about it or get an evaluation from a physical therapist or other sports professional you can usually fix the issue rather than pushing through and ultimately making it worse.

I use a number scale for myself and my athletes.  You can have an injury and still train.  Doing nothing is actually really bad advice (more on that later)  The pain just needs to be a 5 or less on a 1-10 pain scale.  One, is zero pain, 10 is something is broken or torn.  With a five or less, you can do good pre-hab exercises and dynamic stretching and or foam rolling so you can still train.  If the pain gets higher than a five, you stop!  If it stays less than five, or ideally getting back to zero, you can keep training.  Stress plus rest equals growth…

Another book recommendation;
Peak Performance: 

Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success

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
786-586-6057

Got questions regarding triathlon?  Drop me an email to erinne@fullcirclecoaching.co or schedule a call at this link: http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

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Marine Biologist Benefits From Training Like An Athlete

Even though Bradley doesn’t consider himself an athlete he most assuredly is!  His commitment and desire to adopt a healthy lifestyle with nutrient dense foods, swimming and running has had some great results that I hope he will take with him for a lifetime.  I am so happy I could help you do your job with more swim skill and confidence and help you in your journey.  I wish you all the best and hope to see you out there swimming soon! – Coach Erinne Guthrie

Rockstar Bradley Strickland

Age: 28
Profession: Biologist

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

My research requires me to swim and dive for equipment that we keep at the bottom of rivers, streams, and bays in the Everglades to track the movements of sharks, alligators, snook, and several other large predators.  Full Circle Coaching was recommended as a coaching group that could help me learn to be more comfortable in the water and become a more efficient swimmer and free diver.

Tell me about your successes so far:

I am happy to report that the last round of fieldwork went incredibly well.  I could tell a huge difference in my ability to dive and swim after spending the last four months with Full Circle.

Please share your BIG goals:

As a beginner, I wanted to be able to swim a mile.  With Erinne’s help, I’ve shattered that goal.  Now I would like to be able to go for a 2 mile swim!

What were some of your biggest improvements in performance for the each of the following?

Swim: Before FCC, I could swim a couple of laps and just be exhausted.  Now I routinely swim 2000m in a practice and am much faster and more efficient. 
Run: Before Full Circle, I was intensely over-striding and heel-striking. Now my technique is safer and I am much faster.  I’ve moved from roughly an 8 minute mile to a best 7 minute mile. 
Nutrition/Health: I eat cleaner and do my best to plan my meals around proteins.  I’ve learned that a snack doesn’t have to be junk food. 

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

  1. Even though I was focused on my swim, Erinne spent weeks improving my flexibility and giving me strength training exercises focused on body resistance.  This emphasis on whole body training has helped me even beyond swimming.
  1. We moved my nutrition away from a carb heavy diet to one balanced with protein and fat.  This really increased my stamina and energy level throughout the day and in workouts.

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

With the program, you learn how to train correctly to minimize the risk of injury and how to “train smarter, not harder.”  These are things that you will keep with you for as long as you are able to keep training.

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 click this link to schedule a complimentary triathlon strategy call:  http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

Don’t forget to visit us on your favorite social media where we post tons of videos, information about triathlon events and training and nutrition tips.

Success in Swim, Bike, Run and Nutrition – Amazing Story from our latest Rockstar Triathlete Lewis Perez

Success in Swim, Bike, Run and Nutrition – Amazing Story from our latest Rockstar Triathlete Lewis Perez

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!

 

Lewis Perez, Rockstar Triathlete – 

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!