by Jeff R.

I had been a self-coached triathlete for over 5 years. I saw nice progress, finished two 70.3 races, was serious about training, and generally thought I didn’t need a coach – I was doing fine on my own. But to do this, I spent hours every day looking up training resources, planning my week, and tinkering with my training plan. I constantly worried – was I doing too much, not enough, was my speed work too intense, or should I be doing more.

The 2020 race season was thrown into chaos because of the coronavirus, but I found a live triathlon taking place in Springfield. My training was going well, but I was feeling burned out and worn down as the race approached. The conditions for race day were rough – high 80s and lots of humidity. Still I stubbornly stuck to my original plan and determined to make no adjustments to my gameplan. The race turned into a disaster during the run and I left the course in tears.

A few days later, I reached out to Coach Joe of Experience Triathlon Coaching Services and said I wanted him to take me where I didn’t think I could go on my own. In just two months, Joe has taught me a lot about run speed workouts and improving form and efficiency on the bike. But most importantly Joe took away the worry I had with my training. I didn’t have to tinker anymore. All I had to do was read the workout for the day and go out and execute. I immediately saw huge improvements in my cycling and running. And I wasn’t spending hours each day staring at my training plan spreadsheet. My mind was free to just go swim, cycle, or run.

Before I always had doubts going into race week. But going into the Prairie State Half Marathon, I had none. I trusted the work Joe and I had done and knew I was primed for a good race. I was so relaxed on race morning and went out and ran my best half marathon ever. I had tears in my eyes at the end, but they were tears of joy.

My journey is just getting started and I have big plans for 2021 and 2022, but I’m not worried. I’m ready to go out and execute.