Go Fast
So here is the deal. As soon as one becomes hooked to the sport of triathlon there is one question that an athlete will invariably ask, "how can I go faster?". Everyone that becomes entrenched in this triathlon culture seeks out ways to improve upon their previous times. Evidence of this can found in any forum you visit when the following question is asked, "if I buy this $10,000 bike how many minutes will it take off my time?" This question is immediately followed by a slew of sarcastic answers. Ladies and gentlemen a $10g bike or a $5g set of race wheels, the most minimalist sneaker or $1000 wetsuit is not going to make you markedly faster. If you want to become faster take your money elsewhere. The overwhelming consensus is that if you want to become faster the best place to invest your money is in a coach. And I, like every other triathlete has the desire to become faster and as such I have picked up a coach.
I selected my coach based off of friends recommendations, his accomplishments as a triathlete, his track record with other athletes and several first hand experiences with him. I could have gone with several other coaches but I felt that he was the best fit.
I initially reached out to Matt on a local triathlon forum when I was just looking for someone to ride with. He stepped up and we made plans for a ride. Little did I know what type of athlete he was. I worked my ass off just to keep his back in my sights. This guy was a beast on the bike. Despite playing chase for a few hours I has a great time and I kept in contact with him. A few months later I was one of the athletes in his first training camp in Vermont. This was where I really cemented my opinions of Matt and his abilities, on all fronts. I approached him several times during that camp about coaching and how I could get him as a coach. I'm not sure how serious he thought I was. He would soon find out.
Shortly after that camp my body shut down from over training and who did I get a random email from? Matt. This guy heard through friends what happened to me and took time out of his life to write me an very empathetic and supportive email. I HAD TO GET THIS GUY AS A COACH! I replied to the email thanking him and we communicated a few additional times and I'm pretty sure each time I asked for him to be my coach. And I'm sure that each time he was like, yeah sure we can talk about it. Man, why won't this guy just say, "hell yeah, let's do this!"?
Fast forward to Timberman 70.3 in NH and we once again crossed paths. What can I say with out being a certifiable psycho that I want to buy what he is selling. We chatted some but there was nothing set in stone about coaching.
Finally after recovering from overtraining I emailed him and said lets do this! Actually I more like asked him if he has room for me as a triathlete and would he be willing to coach me. He said that he gives priority to his current athletes and that he reserved three special spots and one of those spots was for me! He did take me seriously! THIS GUY NEEDS TO BE MY COACH! He emailed me some preliminary paperwork to fill out to get the ball rolling. Let me tell you I was like a kid Christmas morning when that paperwork came. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Each page asked me questions about triathlon, my heart rate, type of gear, goals etc. This was so awesome. You want me to fill out and answer questions about triathlon, fine!
I told him I wanted to start November 1st to have time to prepare for Vineman 70.3 in California. So we scheduled to meet a few weeks before to really talk shop and to get involved. Once again I got fired up from our conversation. I could talk about triathlon all day long and the best part about it was that he was just as excited! This is a match made in heaven.
Currently it is a few days before November first and I'm rearing to go. I can't wait to get that first workout and see my overall schedule for the year. I'm so ready to charge ahead and take a huge step forward in reaching my potential as an age group triathlete.
I selected my coach based off of friends recommendations, his accomplishments as a triathlete, his track record with other athletes and several first hand experiences with him. I could have gone with several other coaches but I felt that he was the best fit.
I initially reached out to Matt on a local triathlon forum when I was just looking for someone to ride with. He stepped up and we made plans for a ride. Little did I know what type of athlete he was. I worked my ass off just to keep his back in my sights. This guy was a beast on the bike. Despite playing chase for a few hours I has a great time and I kept in contact with him. A few months later I was one of the athletes in his first training camp in Vermont. This was where I really cemented my opinions of Matt and his abilities, on all fronts. I approached him several times during that camp about coaching and how I could get him as a coach. I'm not sure how serious he thought I was. He would soon find out.
Shortly after that camp my body shut down from over training and who did I get a random email from? Matt. This guy heard through friends what happened to me and took time out of his life to write me an very empathetic and supportive email. I HAD TO GET THIS GUY AS A COACH! I replied to the email thanking him and we communicated a few additional times and I'm pretty sure each time I asked for him to be my coach. And I'm sure that each time he was like, yeah sure we can talk about it. Man, why won't this guy just say, "hell yeah, let's do this!"?
Fast forward to Timberman 70.3 in NH and we once again crossed paths. What can I say with out being a certifiable psycho that I want to buy what he is selling. We chatted some but there was nothing set in stone about coaching.
Finally after recovering from overtraining I emailed him and said lets do this! Actually I more like asked him if he has room for me as a triathlete and would he be willing to coach me. He said that he gives priority to his current athletes and that he reserved three special spots and one of those spots was for me! He did take me seriously! THIS GUY NEEDS TO BE MY COACH! He emailed me some preliminary paperwork to fill out to get the ball rolling. Let me tell you I was like a kid Christmas morning when that paperwork came. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Each page asked me questions about triathlon, my heart rate, type of gear, goals etc. This was so awesome. You want me to fill out and answer questions about triathlon, fine!
I told him I wanted to start November 1st to have time to prepare for Vineman 70.3 in California. So we scheduled to meet a few weeks before to really talk shop and to get involved. Once again I got fired up from our conversation. I could talk about triathlon all day long and the best part about it was that he was just as excited! This is a match made in heaven.
Currently it is a few days before November first and I'm rearing to go. I can't wait to get that first workout and see my overall schedule for the year. I'm so ready to charge ahead and take a huge step forward in reaching my potential as an age group triathlete.
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