First Impressions of Team ET by Tony B.
After two years of doing triathlons with nothing but a homemade training plan, a fake mustache, a tuxedo jersey, and little improvement, I decided to hire Coach Craig Strong from Experience Triathlon. He helped me put together a training plan for my biggest race season yet (4 Olympic distance triathlons, a 10 mile run, a 200 mile relay, and a half ironman) and was flexible around my travel and time constraints. It was easy to access the online training log and Coach Craig was always able to make recommendations if I fell off the wagon or needed to switch my schedule around. I also did some individual swim coaching with Craig and I went from a poor fake-mustached swimmer to a much more respectable fake-mustached fish-like human.
So after training hard, but not as hard as I could have, I was off to Memphis for my first tri of 2009 with my fake mustache and tuxedo jersey in hand. I was a bit nervous, not knowing the course, but Coach Craig calmed me down before I flew out and told me he was confident I was ready to go. I need to thank Coach Joe and Coach Suzy for taking my bike down to Memphis for me. It was a huge help! Apparently when you're seven feet tall your bike doesn't fit in a normal bike case for travel and thankfully, Coach Craig was able to get my bike in Coach Joe's car. Upon arriving in Memphis, Coach Joe and the ET crew were all hanging out in his room and talking about the race. Coach Joe explained everything and really calmed my nerves. Not to mention that the group of athletes coached by ET were a ton of fun and so supportive.
Race day came with some cool morning weather and we met as a team in the lobby of our hotel. Sara, an ET athlete, made everyone PB and J sandwiches for a pre race meal and we were off to the course. Coach Joe checked out my transition area, gave me some words of encouragement, and the next thing I knew I was racing. I came out of the water 6 minutes faster than I ever had before! I thought my watch was broken, but then realized that I was a fake-mustached fish-like human. The bike was hell because of some ridiculous head winds and not having aero bars, and being seven feet tall does not make head winds fun. The run went well, and to make a long story short, I finished my first race of the season with a new personal best.
Coach Craig has already pointed out areas where he knows I can improve on that time. I'm excited for my next race and happy that I have a great coach and team on my side in ExperienceTriathlon.
Enjoy photos from our annual team road trip to Memphis on ET-Photo.
