Before I started coaching, I had a job that worked me 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. I was on my feet literally all day and spent the majority of my time interacting with customers and staff. I was training for my first Ironman race, had only been married a couple of years, and my husband was working full-time while finishing up his master’s degree. To say our life was busy would be very accurate! That year was a test to my ability to plan and schedule as I had to figure out how to balance work a full training load and family time around two very hectic schedules. This is where having a coach really helped.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That’s the saying right? Well life has given us lemons post Age Group Nationals, but Kelly and I are going to make lemonade out of it! Let’s fill you in.

In prep for my athletes "A” races for the year, I encourage them to race throughout the season in their build up. I think it is super beneficial for a few reasons. First, it breaks up the monotony of training throughout the year and gives the athlete something to look forward to as they build.

One of Kelly’s season goals was to raise his FTP and really develop his power on the bike. After months of base building and endurance miles, it was time to ratchet up the bike focus and dive into more intense bike sessions to help him meet this goal. We began a block of high intensity bike work to boost his FTP. Since training for Ironman is still his priority, we’ve been careful in how we go about doing this.