Oh yea, that's the same Susan Williams who won the Bronze Medal at the 2004 Olympic Triathlon in Athens, Greece! She found a new love being on trails!
Congrats Susan!
Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
Shout Out!
I wanted to give a shout out to Susan Williams for dominating at the Buffalo Creek XTERRA race last weekend. She is in training for the Leadville 100 mile mountain bike in August and is doing great!
Bob on 9News!
My friend Barry Siff (race director for the 5430 Triathlon race series and an all around great guy) invited me to be on 9News this morning with Susie Wargin to speak about nutrition. After a few email exchanges with Barry and Susie, we decided that it would be best for me to whip up a batch of my super oatmeal live on the air.
I had been looking forward to this all week. I mean, what a great opportunity to meet Susie, a triathlete and fellow Colorado State University graduate, and be on television to spread the word about a good pre- and post-workout or competition meal that is quick and easy.
It felt like it was race morning. I got up without an alarm because I was so excited, left the house at 5:20am and was at the 9News studio just before 6:00am. Susie greeted us in the lobby and then it was off to the studio where I set up and did my thing. It was only about a 2-3 minute clip but it was great! The link to watch it is below. This was only my second time being on live television...hope you can't tell!
Enjoy!
Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
Triathlon Olympic Trials
What a weekend!
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the third triathlon Olympic Trials race this weekend in Des Moines, Iowa and what a phenomenal two races it was (men and women)!
My colleagues at USAT were kind enough to get me an all access credential which allowed me access to everywhere (thanks Linda at USAT!). My main role was as the personal coach for Sarah Haskins. Sarah asked me to be her coach in early May and I of course accepted with great honor. It has been an absolute blessing working with Sarah as she is the most kind and modest person I have ever met. To boot, she is a phenomenal athlete both physically and mentally. So, six weeks ago we set out on the journey to get her the third spot on the team and fulfill her childhood dream of going to the Olympics.
We had a brief stop at the World Championships along the way in which she took home the silver medal for the U.S. Her best result at a World Championship had been 10th so this 2nd place was huge for her! With that bit of confidence and some smart training thrown in by her coach, we were able to peak her just right for the third trials this weekend.
The race day conditions were amazing. High 70s, low humidity and many spectators, including about 50 from Sarah and her husband Nate's family. The swim was a non-wetsuit, two loop course. The bike was a technical eight loop course and the run was a four loop course. I planted myself on the first big hill on the bike so I couldn't see the swim (it was a split transition area race). Once she passed by me, I ran to my next station to give her some race strategies and encouragement. After the third lap of the bike, I moved to the next strategic location of the bike course, the hill, to get better positioning for her. Nate and I were on the radio's constantly discussing what the pack was doing and what strategy we would choose but in the end, a pack of 10 girls stayed together nicely almost the entire course.
After the race, I met her at the finish line, gave her a big hug and told her how proud of her I was. I then witnessed the craze of reporters rushing to her for stories. After that calmed down a bit, we walked to the hospitality tent to grab some nutrition, she sat in the ice bath, got a massage and then we walked over to drug testing. This next part was truly an overwhelming experience. As we walked out of drug testing, we were told that her family was waiting for her in the VIP grandstands. Now, she had told me how many people had come to watch her but I don't think I truly appreciated the quantity of family members ranging from babies to grandparents that made the trip to watch their Sarah achieve her dream. As we walked up the stairs to the VIP area, I was caught with tears in my eyes (and even as I write this sentence) as I witnessed the standing ovation of love Sarah received from her family members. "Wow!" is the only word that came to mind.
After she signed autographs for about an hour, we watched the finish of the mens race then went down to the awards and the USAT photo shoot with all of the Olympic Team members and the alternates. I thought all of the excitement was over until I was told that we were going to the Haskins family party. Now, I grew up in an Italian family and was used to the close bond and the frequent family get togethers but as we pulled into this particular hotel parking lot with the Haskins RV parked in the middle and the mass of family surrounding it, I knew this would be different and exciting!
The celebration party was unbelievable! Sarah's dad, Brian, led the festivities by standing on top of his RV with a bullhorn sounding the siren and introducing some members of the family. We later followed that by engaging in great social time and of course the champagne toast given by Sarah's husband Nate. I witnessed firsthand the love and support that Sarah has grown up with and now understand why she is such a genuinely nice and caring person. Great job to Mom and Dad Haskins! Especially Mom for passing on the endurance genes to Sarah!
Thanks for reading and I will post some photos of the weekend in the next blog.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the third triathlon Olympic Trials race this weekend in Des Moines, Iowa and what a phenomenal two races it was (men and women)!
My colleagues at USAT were kind enough to get me an all access credential which allowed me access to everywhere (thanks Linda at USAT!). My main role was as the personal coach for Sarah Haskins. Sarah asked me to be her coach in early May and I of course accepted with great honor. It has been an absolute blessing working with Sarah as she is the most kind and modest person I have ever met. To boot, she is a phenomenal athlete both physically and mentally. So, six weeks ago we set out on the journey to get her the third spot on the team and fulfill her childhood dream of going to the Olympics.
We had a brief stop at the World Championships along the way in which she took home the silver medal for the U.S. Her best result at a World Championship had been 10th so this 2nd place was huge for her! With that bit of confidence and some smart training thrown in by her coach, we were able to peak her just right for the third trials this weekend.
The race day conditions were amazing. High 70s, low humidity and many spectators, including about 50 from Sarah and her husband Nate's family. The swim was a non-wetsuit, two loop course. The bike was a technical eight loop course and the run was a four loop course. I planted myself on the first big hill on the bike so I couldn't see the swim (it was a split transition area race). Once she passed by me, I ran to my next station to give her some race strategies and encouragement. After the third lap of the bike, I moved to the next strategic location of the bike course, the hill, to get better positioning for her. Nate and I were on the radio's constantly discussing what the pack was doing and what strategy we would choose but in the end, a pack of 10 girls stayed together nicely almost the entire course.
It wasn't until the last lap on the last hill before going into T2 that Sarah made her break past the group. Nobody responded to her attack and she went into T2 with a 3 second lead (just as planned!). She came out of T2 very fast (as we have been working on in training) and maintained her great pace for the 4 laps. Each time I saw her, she looked smooth, relaxed and focused. Almost looking like she was not working hard. In the end, she accomplished what she needed to and took the second U.S. finishing spot and sixth overall which soundly established her position on the 2008 Olympic Team.
After the race, I met her at the finish line, gave her a big hug and told her how proud of her I was. I then witnessed the craze of reporters rushing to her for stories. After that calmed down a bit, we walked to the hospitality tent to grab some nutrition, she sat in the ice bath, got a massage and then we walked over to drug testing. This next part was truly an overwhelming experience. As we walked out of drug testing, we were told that her family was waiting for her in the VIP grandstands. Now, she had told me how many people had come to watch her but I don't think I truly appreciated the quantity of family members ranging from babies to grandparents that made the trip to watch their Sarah achieve her dream. As we walked up the stairs to the VIP area, I was caught with tears in my eyes (and even as I write this sentence) as I witnessed the standing ovation of love Sarah received from her family members. "Wow!" is the only word that came to mind.
After she signed autographs for about an hour, we watched the finish of the mens race then went down to the awards and the USAT photo shoot with all of the Olympic Team members and the alternates. I thought all of the excitement was over until I was told that we were going to the Haskins family party. Now, I grew up in an Italian family and was used to the close bond and the frequent family get togethers but as we pulled into this particular hotel parking lot with the Haskins RV parked in the middle and the mass of family surrounding it, I knew this would be different and exciting!
The celebration party was unbelievable! Sarah's dad, Brian, led the festivities by standing on top of his RV with a bullhorn sounding the siren and introducing some members of the family. We later followed that by engaging in great social time and of course the champagne toast given by Sarah's husband Nate. I witnessed firsthand the love and support that Sarah has grown up with and now understand why she is such a genuinely nice and caring person. Great job to Mom and Dad Haskins! Especially Mom for passing on the endurance genes to Sarah!
I am so incredibly proud of Sarah and her efforts. If you ever meet her, you will realize what a great person she is and is almost never without a smile from ear to ear (even after particularly grueling training sessions!).
Sarah is enjoying some much needed downtime with her family now and will return back home in a few days. It is only 8 weeks from today until the womens Olympic Triathlon so we will hit the ground running (literally) when she gets back in hopes of getting her on the podium in Beijing!
Thanks for reading and I will post some photos of the weekend in the next blog.
Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
Shout out
Here's a loud shout to the following Fuel4mance athletes for a great effort at their races this weekend:
Julie for finishing the Kansas 70.3, second in her age-group
David for finishing the Kansas 70.3, his first half-Ironman
Kylie (professional) for finishing the Kansas 70.3, her first half-Ironman
Kristin (professional) for finishing the Battle at Midway triathlon with a good field of pro's
Congrats to all!
Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
Six mountain bike rides...REALLY?
Ah, what a great week it was. No, the Achilles is not better (yet) but it does seem like it is progessing closer to getting me on my trails again. I think it would speed the healing process if I were sedentary for a while but that's just not going to happen! I have been finding my other love on the mountain bike and thoroughly enjoying the fact that I live in Colorado nestled on the foothills of some awesome mountain biking!
I put in six rides this week (holy cow!). Five were on my mountain bike and one little session on my PowerCranks. About half of the rides were on true trails and the other half were close to work on bike paths. I made sure I maximized that time by riding in my bigger gears to get some good leg strength built!
It's not running but it is keeping me from going crazy! I did, per the request of my awesome PT Stuart Wilson at Champion Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, get my first ever pair of motion control shoes. Boy oh boy do they look heavy and very different from my normal stability and trail shoes but I'm all for anything that will help me get back running again. I have the shoes in my home office just staring at me. Probably not a good idea but it's a bit of a motivator! I hope to start some shorter runs towards the end of the month if all goes well!
Enjoy a few photos that I took today during a hike with my family in Roxborough Park in Littleton to celebrate Father's Day. It exemplifies the reason I live in Colorado as I am sure you will see by the breathtaking red rock formations!
And yes, my nose and face are fully healed! The scabs were coming off this weekend so I helped them a bit and gave them to my oldest boy. He got a kick out of that but we grossed out his mommy!
Until next time...
Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
5 weeks takes so long!
It's been 5 weeks since I have run and while I am not going stir crazy just yet, it is starting to get to me just a bit with the beautiful Colorado weather that has been around. Just a quick update on my Achilles...it is actually getting better believe it or not! I have been pretty sedentary (based on what I usually do) which has helped the healing process but I just couldn't stand it any longer last week so I dusted off the mountain bike and swim goggles and started to crosstrain.
I was able to get in the water once and wow, did I forget how much swimming "hurts" when you haven't done it in a while! My muscles were fried after a 2000m swim but it did feel great to get back in the water again!
My biggest progression has been on the mountain bike. I stuck my bike in the back of my car last week so I could ride it during lunches whenever possible. I got out three times to explore the "trails" around the Olympic Training Center and after talking to some of the locals, I happened on a great trail that I have to go back and explore. It's not the singletrack that I am used to around my house but it will certainly do because there is some good climbing and that's what I'm all about now!
I was able to log in 4 rides so far this week for a total of about 5.5 hours in the saddle. Not too shabby. The body feels great and my Achilles only bothers me slightly after the rides. I do have to say that I have been tempted to go out and try a short, flat run but figured I would actually be smart and practice what I preach and lay low for a while longer.
My ride today took me up 1600 vertical feet on a great singletrack trail with amazing views of the Colorado mountains. I told my wife that I would be back in 2 hours and I clocked in at 1:58:54! How's that for timing?! And considering I took a nice tree branch to my nose and forehead that knocked my glasses off my head, that's not too shabby! A little blood lost and some good wounds to show off at work on Monday but it was well worth it. For, I am on the trails again and that is living the good life! There's a good photo that shows the damage at the bottom of this blog.
And yes, I'll be on my bike again tomorrow for sure! Just have to figure out how to get my sunglasses and helmet to sit just right without opening up the battle wounds of today!
Enjoy!
Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
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