Fat kid in junior high. That's right, I was the chubby kid on the short bus. I got pant legs shut in the locker and beat up on the playground. I was teased for being the fat kid (I was 30-40 lbs heavier when I was 6 inches shorter), and I remember the emotional pain and frustrated wondering how to get in shape. In gym class, I was last place in the mile run.
Being slow, being last...high school and college track/XC. In 9th grade I went out for the wrestling team, realized I was a better runner than wrestler, and then started running track...poorly. I remember looking at the varsity team runners wishing I was fast like them. I never got medals, I never placed, I never went to state.
For some reason I wanted to keep running, so I went to a small college in Iowa and really got my eyes opened. I went from middle of the pack in high school straight back to last place on the college team. I still don't know what I was even doing there. I came into my freshman year 10 lbs overweight and really slow for someone trying to run in college.
College running taught me about training techniques, mental toughness, and the importance of team camraderie. Four years of small, incremental improvements culminated my senior year when I scored a single varsity point in a collegiate 10K track race.
By this point I had experienced being overweight and in last place; working my way up the pecking order in the face of all adversity, and even a little taste of success. Most of all I knew that success takes hard work. But it was not until after college when I started racing triathlon and....
Winning. It didn't happen at first. In fact it took me three years to win a triathlon. But my lessons from running--combined with a lot of hard work on swimming and biking--led me to a position where I could win a triathlon. And in fact the wins started coming steadily. During the first few years all I raced was sprint and olympic tris. I got good at winning these distance races. I even won the Heart of America Triathlon Series in 2000, and came back to defend it in 2001. That was hard. This required the ability to race well all summer long. Subsequently I have won an iron distance triathlon, two half irons, and even marathon and a 50K runs.
Kona Hawaii Ironman World Championship. I qualified for Kona at the inaugural Ironman Wisconsin, where I also won the Ironman NA Collegiate Championship. I raced Kona in 2003.
Age Group World Championships. Kona is the World Championship for Ironman; Age Group Worlds is the same thing for Olympic Distance. I qualified for AG Worlds in 2007 and raced Vancouver in 2008. I placed 11th out of ~85 racers in my division there.
Ultra Marathon. Needing a break from triathlon, I spent a two-year period focusing on ultramarathon trail racing with considerable success. I won Chattanooga's Stump Jump and have placed top 3 in most races I've done, up to 50 milers.
Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology. Before I became a fitness trainer and endurance coach, I thought I wanted to be a psychologist. Little did I know that I would put this education to good use helping my clients master the mental side of their challenges.
Certifications: USA Triathon, USA Cycling, Certified Personal Trainer, Postural Analysis and Program Design, FIST Certified Triathlon Bike Fitting
Beach 2 Battleship. This is my most recent race, but it is also significant. I think one of the biggest challenges in triathlon is to have a "perfect" iron distance. After six years and 5 attempts, I did a 9:17 iron distance. If you want to "master" 140.6 miles worth of triathlon I can be someone to help you.
10 years as an endurance coach and fitness trainer. From a young age I knew I wanted to work in a helping profession, and it did not take me long to determine that fitness coaching would be a great way to do this. I have been leading training groups, coaching individuals, and doing personal fitness training for a decade now. Trust me, you do not want a novice coach no matter how much experience they have personally. It is one thing to get some good advice from someone with experience. A coach who can lay out a plan to systematically achieve your goal is a different matter all together.
Helping lots of people reach their dreams. This is what gives me the confidence I have as a coach. I've trained geriatric clients before and after joint replacements. I've helped people start running in their 60's. I've coached people from the couch to marathons and ironmans. Your goals are not too modest for me to help, and your goals are not to ambitious either.
I am ready to partner with you in your journey. When evaluating your options for coaching, some coaches may claim to be better with "beginners" or people who are just training "for fun." Others may tout national or world-caliber racing experience; I would place my experience alongside theirs. My system of coaching can be fine-tuned to fit your needs what ever your goal or dream. Remember, I've experienced both ends of the continuum (BOP and FOP) myself.
Photo: I have been doing triathlon since ALL the dudes wore speedos and mankinis.
Photo: I have been doing triathlon since ALL the dudes wore speedos and mankinis.
Photo: I coach groups such as the Music City Runners.
Photo: The people I coached for JCC Triathlon. I have dozens of pictures like this one with the athletes I have helped prepare for events.
Photo: This was an open water training group I used to coach...10 years ago.
Photo: Leading a practice session with children before the Middle Tennessee Youth Triathon.
Photo: Team Magic trusts me to lead their pre-race clinics. They are the premier multisport race producers in TN and AL.
Photo: Leading a training camp with University of Iowa Triathlon Club in 2000. Bonus points for anyone who can answer this question: Who am I doing a bike fit with in this picture?
Photo: My most important client is YOU.
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