Phantom in the wings

There have been a growing number of HVT athletes who have achieved a wide variety of personal, and professional accolades with the help/guidance of HVT. I've really come to both appreciate, and relish the feeling I get of not having the spotlight, and being that "X" factor behind the scenes.

I've come to not mind when people overlook the seemingly small contributions that have been made by either my company, or myself. I've grown to realize that there are many individuals out there who don't realize that sometimes, it's that little pin, that's keeping the whole house from falling down.

But you know what? I truly enjoy being able to sit back in my shiny new beach chair, and reflect on what has been accomplished, and being able to say: "I had the knowledge, skill, adeptness, and consciousness to know when/where to put that little pin, and because of that, I can enjoy the huge building that is now towering before us all. And the best part is? Only I knew it, and still do. What an incredibly positive impact, on so many people, such a small act was able to have!"

Make a small difference in someone Else's life. Hold a door open, pass along a smile, help someone open the car door when their hands are full with their kids and groceries, make a behind the scenes/anonymous contribution to a group you care about, and marvel at the impact that your small good deed, had for so many others.

Practice RAK, and the world will be better for it.
Even if they don't know it :-)

sometimes the best ideas,....

Occur at the oddest of times.

When that happens, one needs to take a step back, and take a moment to gather oneself, and ensure that they capture these ideas, in written, or electronic form.

After all, didn't Thomas Edison wake up one night with the moon cloaked by the clouds,realize he was out of matches, stub his toe on the spinning wheel on his way to count out his 67 beans for his perfect cup of coffee, and have the idea for an "electronic candle"?

Thank you Mr. Edison, Thank you.

Some lead, others follow

"It's the simple things in life that turn the peasants into leaders..."

what is it that turns on our switch to become a leader? Is it a single event? Afeeling of responsibility? Or perhaps knowing that we are the ones who possess the knowledge or experience for that situation?

Regardless of what may turn that switch on, there can be times after we have elected to make ourselves leaders, that we may forget the role which we are in.

Too often it seems as though today's leaders forget that leaders need to lead, not only in words spoken, but in actions taken.

It's not easy to know and realize that one needs to take time out of their sport, in the meat of the season, in order to continue to make progress. While it absolutely sucks to be off the bike, and not running (although only 3 -5 miles a week, trail running is my other release), I have found, yet again, that leading by example has brought out more positives in the athletes I coach.

What actions, small or large, do you NEED to take in your life to lead by example, and will you commit to doing the right thing, or the easy thing?

The meaning of life

Some days you're flying along, others you're at the back of the pack.
Don't forget the Big Idea.....HAVE FUN!!! That's what you put all those hours in for!

And irregardless of where you are in the race, Sprint for that line, no matter how tired you are, whether at the back, or at the front, you still have to have that passion inside you, that wants to beat whoever is around you...even if it is the wind pushing a candy wrapper.

No petty bullshit, There's too much more important in life

This past week, my extended family had a tragedy strike. A wonderful, flourishing, young life was cut short, in an act of violence.

Although the details are still under investigation, this act of violence is a stark reminder to some of the core values I hold:

1. Don't Bullshit.
There is far too much in this life that is more important that ones' work, or busy-ness. Yes, Busy-ness. Think about the word business. It directly refers to what one keeps themselves busy with. While many of us in todays' fast paced world are so engulfed in work, trying to make that "Almighty Dollar", we are fast to lose sight of what really matters: Family and Friends. For at the end of the day, when the money is all gone, they're all we have.

2. Drop the petty stuff.
Whether it's who washed the dishes (or didn't), or who didn't do the job to your spec's. It's all petty. You have to be able to move on. Address it, and move on.
Perhaps most importantly, if you REALLY want to move on, you need to address it. To its face. Keeping what's upsetting you tucked inside, and boiling under the surface, does NOTHING for you.

This is why I call it how I see it. And admit either if I am wrong, or if someone else, with a different perspective, has a good point of view. you have to stand behind your beliefs, but also be open to seeing the beliefs of others, and perhaps, that sometimes their beliefs may be right- more right- than yours.

Learn from others mistakes, and don't bring petty bullshit into your life. It does nothing but waste your time, energy, and focus, and take you away from things that really matter.

Live smarter. Live for family and friends. Enjoy life wisely. We don't know what our future holds: be it health or disease, Life or death, fortune or famine.

Love thyself, and thy neighbors will too.

Where the battle to get stronger is oft lost

“For want of the nail, the shoe was lost, for want of the shoe, the horse was lost, for want of the horse, the ride was lost, for want of the rider, the battle was lost, for want of the battle, the kingdom was lost, and all for the want of a nail the kingdom lost…..”

I find it incredibly surprising that todays athletes still struggle to understand and comprehend, that REST and proper nutrition are so integral to success, and building strength. While most have come to realize that keeping in top shape, and building towards a stronger athlete includes variety and diversity in their training, it seems as though few have come to the same conclusion about rest and recovery.

This is an often critical mistake, leaving many of those athletes going through their seasons either hurt, or under-recovered, and thus under-performing (not to mention the increased risk for serious injury!).

To keep this post short, I’m going to break down recovery into 2 “bins”:

Short-term recovery: Within zero to 96 hours

Long term recovery: Periods that are designed to allow for recovery within a block training program (monthly and yearly)

Both are equally important in the big picture of things. Short-term recovery includes nutrition, rest, and active recovery immediately following a workout.
Active recovery includes a cool-down (this seems to elude many runners and cyclists, as they like to “go hard till the line”), allowing the body to return blood flow from the extremities at a slow to moderate pace, thus allowing more “waste” from the working muscles to be “cleaned up” to a better degree.

Nutrition should speak for itself. However, I have found more frequently than ever before, that more and more athletes are waiting LONGER than 30 minutes to eat something post-workout. Regardless of the continually growing number of research done finding that eating something within 30 min of an exercise session helps decrease recovery time.

I have had a few of my athletes say “all I have is a Cliff bar, or a bottle of sports drink.” And they decide not to eat it. SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING! But if you CAN prepare a post-workout meal, it should contain foods with complex carbs, and high-quality protein, and don’t forget the water!

Blood is technically a “connective tissue” and carries nutrients to and from the working muscles. In order to make the body as efficient as possibly, we need to ensure that the blood volume stays up. To give you an idea, for an individual exercising indoors for 1 hour, they should drink at least 16-24 oz. for that session + another 80-96 oz through the rest of the day.

Long term recovery, in my book, are those periods which are built into seasonal, and yearly training plans. When building a training plan for any athlete, this can be the most difficult part of any block to get an athlete to adhere to. Many athletes still feel strong coming off of a good series of blocks, and don’t understand why time is scheduled off when they feel strongest. It’s important to take breaks between seasons, and (especially for triathletes and cyclists) during long seasons.
Todays cyclists and triathletes are more and more frequently looking to compete in seasons lasting from April to October. For these athletes, most of whom are considered “amateur athletes”, and most of whom do NOT have a coach, or knowledge of sports training deep enough to understand season planning/ block training, this can, and often does, lead to Over-reaching to the Nth degree, and even Overtraining.

Part of this built-in recovery, should include an EARLIER bed time (by 30-60 min), especially for those who “regularly” get less than 7-8hrs of sleep a night. Personally, I consider hours of sleep before midnight to be 2x as valuable as those after midnight. There is a good bit of research out there to suggest/support the notion that our hormone levels do better to adjust in the hours of shut-eye before
midnight.

I can personally attest to the devastating effects of sleep deprivation, and its negative impact on performance, and ones abilities to recover. This April, I was coming off of my best training block to date. I was riding with some of my athletes who were CAT 2 cyclists, and were considerably stronger than myself, and I was keeping up, and even making them hurt at times (albeit short, and only on the first effort, after that first effort they hurt me). Things looked solid for the season…. Then I picked up regular 24 hour shifts on Fridays and Sundays, working on the ambulance. Over the next 2 weeks the time needed to recovery fully between sessions began to grow. And grow fast. Those intense sessions that I had been recovering within 12-18 hours, began to grow to 36+ hours. My fitness began to decline, and by the end of my 3 months on that rotation, my fitness had dropped considerably.

Think about YOUR routine. What time are you getting to bed? Are you sleeping through the night? Do you have a stressful job? Etc. etc.

A few things that can help speed up, and enhance recovery:
Cooldown!!!!!! As mentioned before, this goes a LONG way towards helping the body remove the “energy system wastes” that accrued during exercises, and allow ones heart rate to return to a normal resting rate.

Stretch! A dynamic warm-up before an exercise session can help activate the muscles and neuromuscular system. While static stretching post-exercise can help the body remove waste, and possibly even allow the muscles to move to a “longer resting length” (this is still in debate).

Massage! While I personally believe that massage can be good after hard blocks, there are those out here who strongly believe that massage on a regular basis (as often as weekly), can go a long way towards aiding circulation and helping muscles from tightening up.
I do recommend using the Foam Roller, or “The Stick” after all, if not most workouts, but am more wary about recommending paying for a personal massage on a basis beyond once a month, or twice during hard training blocks.

The big message to take out of all this: Recovery and nutrition are often overlooked/ undervalued. Listen to your body, and be smart! Gone are the days of mindlessly “going hard or go home”, and “all out every time”. By all means, give your best for each workout, BUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WORKOUTS GOAL!!!!! DON’T turn your Endurance training ride/run into a race-pace, balls to the walls group ride/run.

If you have a coach, you need to TRUST them. If you have concerns about the timing of your rest, or even the amount of rest, start a running dialogue with your coach! One of the biggest indicators of a good coach, is their ability to listen to each athlete, acknowledge their concerns, and explain the reasoning/ thought process behind the training plan.

But the bottom line remains: you have to be SMART.

Train SMARTER, NOT harder.

We are human beings, we are NOT machines. We need rest/recovery in order to get stronger. Be sure that you give your all for each of your workouts, and HOW they are to be executed, and then give it your all on the sofa with that Hot Choclate and bowl of oatmeal.
So go ahead, throw those feet up, and show off your Bart Simpson slippers. You deserve it.

The worst part of being a coach....

As a coach, over the last decade, I have been both fortunate and blessed, to work with athletes of all backgrounds and capabilities. From those in the top ranks of their sport, to those who have mastered the art of juggling a quality home life, a full time job, and training and racing for Half-Ironman triathlons.

I have learned an incredible amount from each and every coach & athlete with which I have worked, and will continue to learn even more through the athletes I currently coach, and those I will come to coach in the future.

But one of the most important things I learned, was what it means to be an "Elite level coach", from the best of the best in their field. And the cornerstone of being an elite level coach, is to tell the truth, and to call it how it is. This can be one of the most difficult things to do, but those at the top of their fields do it time and again. I find this is now more true than ever, that I have moved into coaching endurance athletes.

When coaching basketball, volleyball, or power-lifting, it's always been easy for me to tell an athlete that they aren't cutting it, they're not doing their job, or they need to take some time to re-learn, or to take time off. Calling it like I see it has always been a large part of who I am, as a coach, and as a person.

But when it comes to endurance sports, one of the worst feelings I will ever have, is needing to tell an athlete that they need to skip a race, or stop training all-together, due to injury, or risk of serious damage to themselves (and sometimes their relationships).

Endurance athletes are a special breed. They thrive on competition, and pushing their limits. I know this, because I am one myself. Pushing limits is what we are made to do. It's a large part of why we train so much, putting ourselves through pain, that normal folk would keel over at, or call it quits well before we would say we are even beginning to work.

I pride myself on my athletes remaining healthy and able-bodied, reaching the finish line of their event in their peak fitness, and with as few interruptions in their training (due to injury), as possible.

Fortunately, I can count the number of athletes whom I have coached and trained over the years, who have been injured to the point of skipping their goal event(s), on 1 hand. Of those, all contributed their injury to either deviating from their plans, or neglecting their strengthening exercises. (I'm also very lucky to have athletes who understand the who's whats and why's of what I do, and are very involved in their training!).

Don't get me wrong, there have been "small" injuries over the years. From some Morton's Neuromas, to Swimmers shoulder and sprained ankles, to pulled muscles, blisters, and sprained knees, there have been incidences. But with attentiveness, usage of the sports medicine team at the right times, and having each and every athletes full trust in our guidance, we were able to get all those other "small" injuries healed, and each athlete to their start, and most importantly, the finish, of their goal event.

I've learned from the past experiences, and will at times be preemptive with referring an athlete to a member of the sports medicine team. Although these times are few and far between, it's paid off nearly every time I have done so, as we are able to "nip it in the bud" and correct the problem, as well as prevent future issues pertaining to the onset of the current one.


I can tell you that hands down, there is nothing more I hate, than seeing an athlete get injured, or not reach their goal event's starting line. There have been a few times that I have had to tell an athlete to stop training, either for their event, or all together, until their issues are addressed.

It is one of the worst feelings I have to endure as a coach. But it also goes with one of the most relieving experiences I have had; knowing I have given the right advice (no matter how crappy I feel doing so), and guided my athlete down the right road. When an athlete follows this advice, and heals from whatever it is that ails them, it is one of the best feelings in the world. Especially when they come back to kick serious butt the next year, or at a new "goal event" for that year.

It's one of the hardest things in life to stop working towards something you have been striving for months, or perhaps even years. But who ever said that making the right decision is always easy?

It's the right thing to tell someone how it is, especially when it involves their health in the long term. It's the hardest thing to watch someone hurt themselves, possibly beyond repair, and to see them lose physical ability to do the things we all take fore granted on a daily basis.

The big message?

Listen to your body. You're only given one for your life. The more you listen to it, the better off you're going to be.

Treat it right. Remember that you're NOT getting stronger when you are out there putting in the work, but rather when you are resting. "Small injuries" are our bodies trying to tell us that it needs rest, and some TLC.

It sucks to miss a key event, or even a build event. It sucks a lot more to cause permanent injury, or to have to take a year off from something you love. Listen to your body.

I'll end again with "Why waddle on, when you can run on".


Eat right. Train Smarter, not harder.