Coaching
As a coach I have experience working with all types of endurance athletes. I have worked with triathletes, runners, cyclists, adventure racers, and general fitness athletes. I have coached a variety of athletes from 5k runners to ultra runners, and from beginner triathletes to advanced triathletes. In addition, I work with pure cyclists, mountain bikers and cylcocross racers.
All of my coaching is done online through Training Peaks. Training Peaks is a useful tool allowing me to keep open communication with my athletes. Daily e-mails direct my athletes on their next workout and I receive e-mails whenever a workout is entered in the training log. My monthly coaching fee is $200 per month which includes the Training Peaks subscription and contact via phone and e-mail.
Education
In March 2012 I will complete my second degree in the field, a Masters in Human Movement from A.T. Still University. My undergraduate degree is a BS in Health Promotion and Rehabilitation with a major in Health Fitness and a minor in Science from Central Michigan University. I have been certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist for over 10 years and recently completed the NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist certification exam. My coaching philosophy is based on an evidence-based training approach as well as intense personal experience.
Coaching Philosophy
Everyone can improve. No matter who you are, there are always ways to train smarter. For some it may just be a little structure and for others it may mean a complete re-education on how to train at the right intensity levels.
Training plans need to be individual. People have different time commitments and have different athletic backgrounds. I tailor programs to be progressive based on their training history, strengths and weaknesses. The goal for each athlete is to find a balance between training and recovery.
A training plan needs to address mode, frequency, duration, and intensity. Volume will vary from person to person, but the proper intensity is the variable that will allow an athlete to make the most of their training time. This can be based on heart rate, wattage, pace, and/or perceived exertion. Training should be cyclical and based on supercompensation cycles with periodic recovery weeks.
Training needs to be periodized and specific. If trained properly an endurance athlete should continue improving for years. I don’t subscribe to the traditional periodization model which allows for only a short peaking phase. Instead I believe in concentrated blocks of training, arranged sequentially and arranged in an undulating manner, to keep all target abilities within a narrow range. This allows for multiple peak performances and avoids the pitfalls of overtraining. Increased economy of motion, increased aerobic capacity, increased functional strength, injury prevention, and race specific energy system training result in traveling from point A to point B faster.
Finally, your training plan should be such that you stay interested, motivated, and have fun. After all, training is just a grown-up form of play.