QT2 News/Blogs

When I first entered the world of triathlon almost two decades ago, I followed the path of so many - I dove in head first, not knowing what I was taking on.  My first race was an Olympic Distance, followed quickly by a Half Ironman Distance, and then by an Ironman distance.  Although an athlete growing up, more than 10 years had passed since my high school glory days, and to say that I lived a sedentary lifestyle was an under-estimation.  I was an attorney in New York City and all what I did was work.  But as I approached 30, I became tired of being stressed and unfit, so in January of 2000 I hopped on the treadmill and did a two mile run.  It nearly killed me.  

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a variety of athletes, their abilities ranging from beginner triathletes participating in their first event to experienced, elite age group athletes. Regardless of their experience or ability level, the common thread for all is their pursuit of a personal goal.  Being integral to helping athletes achieve their personal athletic successes is highly rewarding. What makes it such a positive challenge is the fact that every athlete is different. Each athlete has different means and availability for training, differing levels of motivation, and individual attributes that make them respond to training stimulus differently. What is consistent, however, are a number of factors I believe will result in individual success. Outlined below are what I consider these top eleven factors to be. Why eleven?  Because we know that #11 always misses out on the top 10 list.

Rest in peace old friend…I know nothing of the man, other than what was available, to me, on Wikipedia. He was an author, and he died in 1936. I didn’t get much further than that. Having said that, he helped me to, in a single line, sum up what coaching is really all about. At least to me, and all of us at QT2 Systems, OutRival Racing, The Run Formula, and The Cycling Formula.

Being in sport, especially triathlon, requires much from the body.  We do what we can to recover well, rest, prehab before we rehab, foam roll, stretch; but sometimes, injury creeps up, and BAAM, the season has been diverted or finished before due time.  Our grandeur thoughts and visualizations of an epic race season do not come to culmination, and will most likely NOT happen.  It will happen to anyone in sport.  I guarantee it.  A setback or injury will sideline us from either a short term, or the long-term goal. 

Running the Boston Marathon this year?  Join our Run Formula community of athletes!  Let us help you get to the finish line, with our 2019 Boston Marathon Mission Plan Package!

Winter can be depressing for many runners, cyclists and triathletes. It can often mean more time on the “dreadmill”, the indoor trainer and/or bundled up for slippery runs. I’m not going to lie I spent many years doing that- hours upon hours on the trainer in the winter, running on the dreadmill several times a week when conditions were nasty outside. However too much of this indoor training over time can eventually burn you out. If it hasn’t happened already consider yourself lucky. If you live in an area that sees a fair amount of snow there are other options you can build in to supplement your base training that will not only offset the boredom factor of indoor training and be a lot more fun, but also can build significant fitness! Wherever possible I try to build adventure into my own training and the athletes I coach.

Talking to other athletes (pro and amateur) and poking around on message boards, one of the most common things I hear when it comes to Ironman training is people saying “I don’t want to train for Ironman because it will make me slow.”  This statement drives me crazy, and it’s time to rant about it…

We bought a studio! Sorry, let me rephrase…QT2 Systems, LLC bought a studio! A cycling studio. Ok, so I’m a little late with this. We bought it a year ago. It is exactly what we always wanted to do, but simply never saw as a feasible option, because the start-up costs would be such a tremendous obstacle. Well, sometimes feasibility has a way of working itself out. Somebody builds it out, exactly as you would have wanted it, creates a business around it, runs it, and then comes to a point where life simply takes them in a different direction than originally planned. That’s pretty much how we found ourselves with a studio.

Ironman training and racing can bring with it, a dark side, and bright side. Both a beginner, and seasoned veteran, should be aware of both.  The demands of Ironman changes lives, but it is the responsibly of coach and athlete, to ensure the change is going to make the life during and after Ironman healthy. The health of the athlete should be physical, but also mentally and socially.  There will be a time, when swim/bike/run will not be part of the prescription for the day.  Hopefully, this isn’t during a training block, but it ultimately will be a prescription someday once the athlete moves on from the Ironman lifestyle.  As I navigated through my own racing career, and continue to navigate life without Ironman training in it, the bright and dark lessons learned along the way have become clear.  I move athletes through training to gain faster splits, but also pay close attention to the impact this training has on the circle of life that surrounds them.

For a very limited time, QT2 Systems is offering a Kona sale on its Annual Mission Plan service! Sign up for a QT2 Mission Plan before October 23rd, and get special pricing of $99/28-days. No discount code necessary! Just purchase, and get the savings. Normally $124/28-days, this is our lowest Mission Plan pricing, ever, so don't miss out. Mission Plans are a fully customized and supported training program, built around your specific limiters and race schedule. To read more about Mission Plans and to sign up, click HERE.