Getting Started

I like to work with an athlete for a year, a season or a goal race. That way it gives me a better understanding of what the athlete's overall goal is. From here, I can break down the season into segments and then re-adjust the program as the athlete makes progress toward his/her goal.

My work with an athlete begins when I receive the Sign Up form in my in box. I carefully look over all the information the athlete has sent me and then I devise a program. I take into account how many hours a person works, what their family commitments are, how long they have been training, previous injuries, race goals, and many others.

The next step is to evaluate the athlete's current fitness level. There are a variety of ways of doing this but the one I like to use most often is by using a RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scale. This is a simple scale from 1-10 (10 being the hardest) that tells me how hard the athlete is working during the scheduled workouts. It usually takes a few weeks to determine the correct heart rate training zones for athletes, so this takes a time commitment from the coach and the athlete. We will determine RPE and heart training zones for cycling and running as well swim pacing times.

Once I have the athlete's baseline fitness determined, we work together through the different training cycles to help the athlete reach his/her goals. I use the 'Periodization' method to develop my athlete's programs. This is not written in stone as there are situations that arise and things change. I am pretty flexible on re-adjusting the schedule to fit around the athlete's life.

Once we get into a good rhythm of training we will consistently test and re-evaluate the program.

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Philosophy

When I first started racing I applied the theory that endurance training is a very basic three step process; build aerobic base, incorporate strength training, and add some speed before the peak race. To this day I still use that as the basis for all my coaching. The coaches I have learned the most from are:

• Rick Niles, author of Time-Saving Training for Multisport Athletes
• Ray Browning and Rob Sleamaker, authors of, SERIOUS Training for Endurance Athletes
• Joe Friel, author of The Triathlete’s Training Bible and the series of Training Bible books.

Here is a short version of how I set up an athlete’s program:

• Aerobic Base - In order to become faster and stronger as an endurance athlete the first step is creating a sufficient aerobic base. Before my athletes ever start high intensity training I am certain that their aerobic fitness level can handle the greater demands on their systems. This can last from twelve to twenty four weeks.

• Strength Phase - The athlete then moves into the strength phase which involves increased strength demands on the athlete. This may include hill training and moving to heavier weights for the weight training phase of the program. This is also the period where sustained workouts would be added, which would have the athlete training at closer to a race pace type effort for a pre-determined amount of time.

• Speed Phase - The third phase of my philosophy involves bringing the Aerobic Base, Strength, and finally Speed all together. Speed is done at the very end to get the athlete to their peak.

Testing - When measuring improvements on an athlete, I have an athlete perform a sustained effort every few weeks (anywhere from 4 – 6 weeks) to determine if the workouts have been benefiting the athlete. This may be a 5k run, a 10 mile time trial on the bike, or a 500 yard swim. These tests become important in measuring what works for individual athletes and more importantly, what doesn’t. I keep all athlete data logged so it can be used for future reference.

Strengths/Weaknesses - Once we determine what an athlete’s specific strength or weakness is, (i.e. climbing hills, low endurance at the end of the run, swim power etc) we can start to get into specific workouts that will enable that athlete to turn those weaknesses into strengths.

Mental Preparation - For today’s athletes, the challenge lies within the mental aspect of training. Generally speaking, athletes can do the physical training; it’s the ones who are mentally tough that separate themselves from the rest. My career in the Marine Corps taught me about adversity and giving that last bit of effort that gets you to where you want to be. I think this is where I benefit my athlete’s the most. I work hard at getting them prepared not only physically but mentally as well.

I work with each athlete personally and my goal is your goal. If you want to race faster then the last time, we’ll work toward that. If you want to step up in race distance, we can work toward that too. I like to see people improve and reach whatever goal they set for themselves. Please feel free to email me at Mike@D3multisport.com anytime. I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, train safely, and train smartly.

Best Regards,
Mike

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Biography

Beginnings:

Baseball, football in high school. In 1989, was a walk-on in College Track and Cross-Country (Division II School)

First Triathlon:

Barrington Triathlon - 1st race in 1988, finished 175th. . Did this every year until 1995, finishing as high as 3rd

Ironmans:

7 – Best finish was 2001 Ironman CA - 10:30

Half-Ironmans:

10 – Best finish was 4:35 at Fort Morgan in 2002

Marathons: 7 –

Best finish was 2:59 at the Last Train to Boston in 2001

Equipment

Wetsuit: Xterra

Bike: Dean - www.deanbikes.com

Bike Wheels: Hed 3

Shoes: Saucony

Favorites

Favorite Food: Steak, mashed potatoes, and vegetables

Favorite ice cream: Ben & Jerry's NY Super Fudge Chunk

Favorite sports to watch: Baseball and Hockey

Favorite TV show: King of Queens, Raymond, ESPN, ALIAS

Favorite Race: Barrington Triathlon - 1st race in ‘88. After that it's the Glenwood Springs

Favorite Non-Pro Triathlete: Anyone who’s out there putting in the time.

Favorite Male Pro Triathlete: Dave Scott - When I was 13, I read about Dave in 'Triathlon Today'. That's when I decided to be a Triathlete. Reading that magazine was one of THE most defining moments in my life.

Favorite Female Pro Triathlete: Karen Smyers. She is a hard working New England girl who knows how to enjoy what she does. Getting hit by a truck, cancer, childbirth; nothing slows this woman down. She is inspiration to all of us!

Favorite Workouts: Swimming: Fast sets of 100s. Biking: Climbing to Ward, CO (elevation 9,800 feet) and then riding Peak-to-Peak highway to Estes Park. Another great ride is riding up The Big Thompson River. It’s just awesome riding anywhere in CO. Running: Anything on the track that involves going fast, especially 200s - 800s.

Favorite Triathlon Moment: During the 1994 NBC IM Hawaii telecast when a 40 yr old Dave Scott took the lead on the bike and Mark Allen, who was doing commentary, said, "Dave Scott is back at the front just like he never left".

Favorite Car: 1968 Ford Mustang Convertible

Personal

Birthdate: April 1968

Wife: Melanie

Education: BS Bryant College, Smithfield, RI

MBA Regis University, Denver, CO

Military: Served in the United States Marine Corps from 1987-1993.

Veteran of Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield, 1990-1991, Saudi Arabia.

Received Honorable Discharge in 1994

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