|
In my former career after graduating from Harvard Business School I became a "successful" investment banker. Unfortunately I was working 70-80 hours a week, traveling more than I care to remember, stressed out, completely out of shape and not much fun to be around for my wife and children. Then I discovered triathlon. To say it changed/saved my life would not be an overstatement. In the Spring of 2001 a good friend and coworker told me that he was going to sign up for the Los Angeles Triathlon and asked if I was interested. I had always been intrigued by the Ironman and figured doing a triathlon would be a good way to motivate myself to get into shape. At the time I weighed about 200 pounds and couldn’t run more than two miles without stopping to walk. When I started training, I didn’t have any real goals for the race other than to finish. By the race date I had dropped around 30 pounds and felt better mentally and physically than I had since high school. I found that regular exercise not only helped me lose weight it also made me happier, more productive at work and dramatically reduced my level of stress. I ended up having a great race, far exceeding my expectations. In an endorphin induced haze I proceeded to sign up for Ironman USA Lake Placid the next week. I then went to work learning everything I could about triathlon in general and Ironman racing specifically. I read books, talked with successful athletes, spent time on the internet and managed to cobble together a successful training program that resulted in a great race for me at Lake Placid in 2002. Since then I’ve completed seven more Ironman races including the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii (twice), continued to grow my knowledge of triathlon through further research, coursework in exercise physiology, attendance at coaching clinics, discussions with fellow athletes and the help of my coach of the past three years, Ironman World Champion Scott Molina. After using the knowledge I’ve acquired to advise friends and family on an informal basis, I decided to commit to coaching on a full time basis and secured my USAT certification in May 2005. I love to race and will continue to do so, but I find it equally satisfying to assist others in realizing their full potential. Coaching Philosophy As an investment banker advising companies on multi-million dollar mergers, I worked in a culture that was obsessed with customer service, attention to detail, and the highest quality standards. I now bring that same level of commitment to my coaching clients. My view is that you are entrusting me with your most valuable resource, your time. If you are going to trust me to assist you in best utilizing the significant amount of time it takes to train for an endurance event, then I am going to commit to doing everything in my power to support you in achieving your goals. How do I do that? When I was an investment banker, we always began a new assignment by conducting a due diligence review of the client’s company and spending time with the client to understand his or her objectives. I do the same thing with my coaching clients. I want to know their goals, but I also want to learn as much as I possibly can about their athletic history, personal and professional commitments, schedule, diet, injury history, and anything else that may be relevant. You are hiring a coach to develop a customized plan that will be updated as needed, not to photocopy the most recent training plan from a magazine. To do that effectively I need to understand your life situation in as much detail as possible. That’s why it’s so important to invest the time up front to develop this knowledge. Once I understand your goals and situation, I will develop a customized training plan for you based upon sound scientific principles and practical experience. Coaching is both an art and a science. While I’ve taken coursework in exercise physiology and read everything I can get my hands on, I rely equally upon the practical experience of myself and the numerous fellow coaches and athletes I’ve consulted with in the past. I also understand the realities of working, having a family and trying to achieve your goals in triathlon. As a happily married father of two who also worked a very full-time job while training for my first Ironman, I appreciate the need for balance between training, family, work and rest. It’s important to remember that training plans are not set in stone. As they say, plans are the first casualty of war. The plan is a guide, but it is subject to continuous revision based on how your body is responding to the plan and the other things going on in your life (illness or injury and work and personal commitments). In order to do this effectively, I need to communicate with my athletes on a regular basis concerning their progress. This is accomplished via email, phone, and training logs. D3 Multisport's technology makes this process very efficient and also provides excellent tools for analyzing quantitative data. I also should mention that I’m a big believer in the mental side of triathlon and life in general. Too many athletes spend thousands of hours preparing their bodies to race only to have their minds let them down at the first sign of adversity. We must be equally committed to preparing ourselves mentally as we are to preparing physically. Enhancing our mental skills requires the same type of disciplined, structured, consistent training as our physical skills. I hope that we will have a chance to work together to make your dreams a reality. Whether you are a first timer just looking to finish a race or an experienced athlete seeking to take your training and results to the next level, I have the knowledge and personal experience to assist you. Rest assured that given the opportunity to work with you, I will treat your goals as my own and bring the same dedication and commitment to your success that I bring to my own training and racing. Biography
|
 
|