USAT Coaching Symposium

As part of being a certified USA Triathlon and Cycling coach, we are required to attend sessions for continuing education credits to improve our industry knowledge. This is very similar to doctors, realtors….Especially in the field of human fitness it’s hugely important to stay on the leading edge of information and studies. The symposium was 3 days of great presentations and seminars on everything triathlon. This is all great information that we can use in working with our clients and helping them achieve their bests.
Some of the highlights included:
- Mark Allen- 6 time Ironman champion. He had some good thoughts on the mental aspect of training/racing. One of the big points made was getting athletes to race 1/4 mile past the finish line. You’ll notice racers in Kona collapsing prior to the finish due to them mentally shutting down before the finish line. Great advice!
- Training with GPS devices for running. With the advent of all the running devices, there is a wealth on information that can be used for helping athletes peak prior to big events. The big challenge is collecting years of data to get a good base of information. I’ve been using the Garmin for this purpose in combination with WKO to really dial in my performance.
- Paratriathletes. This is a growing class and you’ll start to see more at events.
- Youth and Junior Elites. Youth contributes 20% of the annual USAT memberships. This is where our pipeline for the future of the sport starts. Our company is going to be doing a lot more work in the future in this area.

We were also blessed to be in the presence of some great non technical speakers, including:

- Johan Bruyneel.  Team manager for Lance’s 7 wins.   His major message included to live your life’s passion, but use your head.   In other words, do what you love, but be smart about it.   He had some good stories also, but he was politically correct in not giving us any Tour dirt. 

-Eric Weinheimer.  First blind man to summit Everest and the 7 summits.   What an awesome story.   If you think your life is plagued with problems, you need to hear him speak and it puts it all in perspective. 

Lastly, the coach has been selected by USAT as one of five coaches in the US this year to be part of their collegiate recruitment program.  We’ve been working with a high level young athlete who is looking to potentially be part of the 2016 or beyond Olympic team.  This is an awesome opportunity and it’s been a real pleasure working with their coordinator, Mrs. Barb Lindquist.    Barb is a former Olympian, but better than that she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.   Barb was inaugurated into the USAT Hall of Fame this weekend.   You won’t meet any better person on this planet. 

We had the opportunity to participate in a 5K fun run on Saturday.   Keep in mind, coming from sea level, this was interesting.   Colorado Springs has some good hills and altitude.   I was sucking my air through a straw, so it reminded me that I won’t be doing any races at this level any time soon!   In addition, I got to set a new 5k PW (Personal Worst).   Although, nothing beats winters in Colorado for fresh air and mountains.   This really is God’s country.