Proud to Be Coaching

The month of April has stacked up to be a great month for 3SF athletes. Just check out some of these highlights.

Mark Montalto - 8th overall at MaxTrax Duathlon
Jamie Conrad - 1st in AG at MaxTrax Duathlon
Cynthia Shelby - 3rd in AG at MaxTrax Duathlon

The "Montalto Destruction" (Mark & Jimmy) - 3rd & 4th overall at Garnett Duathlon
Your Old Coach - 6th overall at Garnett Duathlon - I had to race against the "Destruction" - no fair! :)

Sara Plunkett - PR at OKC Marathon - top 15 finish in her AG (now less than 4minutes away from qualifying for Boston!!)
Whit Plunkett - PR at OKC Half Marathon
Jamie Conrad - Races Garnett Du on 4/26 & then turns out < 2hr OKC Half Marathon on 4/27 - MACHINE!!!

Jenny Wise-Cook - AG leader for Mara Grand Prix Series - leading by 26 points (shes gonna win it this year!!!)

Starting Them Young

OK...as a trainer & coach one of my biggest soap box issues is physical inactivity & obesity among today's youth. Today, nearly 20% of all kids between the age of 2-19yrs are overweight. That is a whopping 12.5 MILLION children in our country. So here goes...there is something terribly wrong with that picture! Many readers will remember how you spent your summer days out running, riding your bike, & swimming at the local pool or "swimming hole." Today many children don't own a bike, never learn how to swim, and run only to sit down in front of a video game or TV. So what do we do? We start them early. I am not saying you should try and make your kid the next Tiger Woods, Hunter Kemper, or Payton Manning. What I am saying is just take them along...let them see what you do, stand back and watch how they will adopt an active lifestyle. Next week in Columbia, MO we honor "Bike, Walk, & Wheel Week." It is a huge community initiative where everyone is encouraged to be more active. So if you are reading, I challenge you to create your own "Bike, Walk, & Wheel Week." Get those kids going! If this really interests you, check out my youth health initiative program at http://www.alivewithmissionme.org/.

Success at MaxTrax!

The multisport season is officially underway for 3SF athletes! This weekend six 3SF athletes (Whit, Mark, Jamie, John, Anne, & Cynthia) braved cold rainy conditions and completed the MaxTrax Duathlon in Columbia, MO. We had great success! Our standout athlete this race was Mark Montalto. He complete the LC in a blistering 1:17 and some change. Mark dropped his first mile on R1 at roadrunner speed of 5:36/mile and he did not slow down much from there, completing all of his run miles at less than 7:00/mile. Mark finished 8th overall & 1st in his age group! Mark passed me on the bike like I was standing still. So much for the old coach keeping up with the fast young athletes! Jamie finished 1st in her age group in the LC, while Cynthia grabbed 3rd in her age group in the LC. This was Whit, John, and Anne's introduction to multisport racing & all of them looked very strong. Everyone reported they had a great time & no doubt, based on the opening 2008 race we are going to have a great racing season. Next up...the Garnett, KS duathlon. Let's take 'em by storm.

Cross-Training is Key!

One of the biggest things I struggle with as a coach is getting my athletes to cross-train. Many of them think that more swimming, biking, & running leads to better performance, & to some degree that is true. However, some of the best training a multisport athlete can do is done out of the water, off the bike, and opposite of the run. Don't be afraid to mix it up. Things like boot camp class, pilates, yoga, hiking, jump rope, and traditional sports like golf, basketball, baseball, softball, & soccer can help you engage different muscle groups and muscle fiber types which can lead to better performance during multisport events. Yeah...even pogo stick jumping can be a good form of cross-training. Don't believe me...try it out for yourself!

Cold Day for the Jay Dix 10K

We were out for "family support" at the Jay Dix 10K. My wife bundled up and tackled the race while Braeden & I provided support. She did great! She is gearing up for the 2008 Hospital Hill (HH) Half-Marathon. This will be Marian's 2nd year to be a pacer for this race. Since having Braeden and finishing up her Ph.D. in Clinic Health Psychology, she has little time to train for running & multisport events. Just "two training runs a week plus quality x-training" I told her. "That will give you all you need." Like other females, my wife tends to see increased injury rates with added volume and I believe this is primarily due to the size of her Q angle. But not to be discouraged. It is only a limiter for females who are training with too much volume without constant monitoring of their overall training load. Last year Marian was more than ready for HH, & she will be again this year. Ask me more about the "Q angle" if you are interested.

Headed to Ft. Worth

Making a quick 3-day trip to Ft. Worth, TX for the AAHPERD Conference. I will be presenting the Alive With Mission Me! (AMM) Elementary, High School, and Clinic/Camp health initiative programs. I have been involved with this project since 2003 and have recently become the Senior Vice-President and Clinic Director for the company. We are partnering with USAT and EKHO Heart Rate Monitors to try and help win the battle against childhood physical inactivity and obesity. If you do not know about AMM check it out at http://www.alivewithmissionme.org/. It is definitely worth reviewing. Everyone on this project has worked very hard to develop lots of good stuff to help teachers, trainers, and multisport coaches provide children with effective & stimulating activites to help increase childhood physical activity. More updates and pics to come! Yes...that's me with long hair!

OK to Grab It!

I never thought when I got into this sport that I would become less modest! I am a pretty laid back person, but to "grab it" in public...well I thought that was something I would never do. Then I was introduced to "Mr. Wetsuit." I call him "Mr. Wetsuit" because if not given the attention & respect required he will/can present real problems in T1 (transition 1: swim-to-bike). Over the years, I've learned to rely less on "Mr. Wetsuit" & just tweak my swimming and T1 skills. However there are times when he is needed (e.g. early season races, long distance races, and confidence booster). So if you are going to call on "Mr. Wetsuit" here are some things to make him & you happy. Trust me...I had too many early career races where I looked more like a dysfunctional Batman than a stellar triathlete. Follow these tips to improve your T1 times:

1. Make sure to use a lubricant (body glide is my favorite) to increase ease of: putting on your suit, shedding your suit, & decrease chaffing during your race.


2. Use a suit that is a two-piece vs. one-piece. I like Desoto because the top is separate from the bottoms and (in my opinion) easier to get on & off. Plus you can only wear the top without the bottoms if the water is cool, but you really don't need your entire suit.


3. Limit the use of suits. Unlike our superhero Batman, our skills are primarily based based on our human ability, not equipment. Sure we could debate all day about this one, but when it comes down to it, the fast triathletes are not fast because of their equipment, they're fast because they do the RIGHT kind of training.

So in short, go ahead a grab it! Of course I am talking about the wetsuit. Just remember, people are watching and in all my years of experience I have learned there are times and races when it is best to leave "Mr. Wetsuit" at home.

Working With MY Webmaster!!!

Today has been a great day in the 3SF business. My great friend, and points leader in the Mara Grand Prix age group of 45-49, Jenny Cook is getting this thing up & going! I am so happy to have her on board. Just for all of you reader out there...she is great and can take of all your web management needs! Plus, she is REALLY FAST!