Bradbury Fitness, founded by Team USA triathlete and USAT-certified coach Mary Bradbury, is still accepting a limited number of athletes for their individualized coaching program. Structured training and technical instruction can help you get faster, fitter, and better whether you’re a first-timer or an elite competitor. Train smart, race fast! Sign-up now!
Sorry for the lack of activity here, we’ve been in Africa studying the running techniques of the speedy Cheetah. Ok, so not exactly. Thanks to my MIL, we spent an incredible vacation full of game drives in Kenya and Tanzania. Stay tuned, more soon!
I’ve asked around for some fun blog ideas and a few people mentioned I should just state some interesting facts about Coach Mary. So, in no particular order, here we go:
1- The first parade I participated in, I twirled a baton (age 6 or so). The last one (sophomore year of high school), I played the clarinet.
2- While growing up, I wanted to be PI, thanks in part to Hart to Hart and the like. ;)
2a- I also wanted to be a veterinarian…until I took my dog for a shot and nearly passed out.
2b- Dancing is another career I wanted to pursue. I recall watching music videos such as Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation and I so wanted to dance like that. Unfortunately I never even had the guts to take a class, I still don’t.
3- I hate that I waste some of my precious time watching Housewives shows on occasion.
4-U2 is our favorite band. One year, pre-kids, I saw them in concert 7 times. Our dog is even named Clayton after band member Adam Clayton. (Bono was too obvious).
5-My favorite post race splurge is Hostess Powdered Donnettes. (I only do this after A races though, well, usually)!
6-I started doing triathlons in ’97, seriously and consistently since ’03.
7-I won the 200 free (the only race I KNEW I was going to win) at the Illinois High School State meet in ’89 and placed 2nd in the 100. Had you ever told me I’d ever swim an event over 500 yards some day, I would have laughed. Now I much prefer longer distances.
8-Being adopted was the greatest gift ever! Thanks mom and dad, I love you oodles and oodles!
9- In college I wanted a tattoo, but didn’t get one in fear of regretting it a few years later. Once I turned 30, I realized I still wanted one and finally got inked! I am interested in getting another one too!
10-I’m really scared of heights, yet loved skydiving! I would never bungee jump though.
11-Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, and Washington are all states I’ve lived in.
12- My husband Scott has been my triathlon coach since ’03. Contact him if you need one, he is looking for a few clients!
13- Homecoming Princess was a title I obtained in high school, Student Congress President too. And because of it, I have a friend who calls me gerd (combo of geek and nerd).
14- I took the Pepsi Challenge twice and Coke was the winner both times.
15- I majored in Sociology with a minor in Criminology, yet somehow managed to have a strong 10 year career in accounting. I worked with companies such as Danzas, T-Mobile (managed their debt), Washington Mutual (worked in mortgage-backed securities), CSC, etc.
16- Yes, I am a certified Ham operator. (I once worked with Icom America and it was required).
17- One of my biggest pet peeves is ending a sentence with a preposition, especially with the word ‘at.’ Ok, so you don’t need to say, ‘where’s it at,’ say, ‘where is it,’ please. ;)
18- I never had a drug until I tried Nutella last year. BIG mistake, BIG!!!
19- The Smithereens was the first band I saw in concert.
20- I moved from Wisconsin to Illinois in the middle of 3rd grade. During the first week at my new school, Wayne Cunningham asked, ‘will go with me?’ I replied, ‘go where?’ Ah, my first boyfriend!
21- Age 4 is when I participated in my first swim meet! It’s amazing I still love the sport!
22- I don’t care for brussel sprouts, olives, or blue cheese. (I try them at least annually too). I LOVE cheese, red wine, sushi, dates, deep dish pizza, chocolate, filet mignon, peanut butter, guacamole, garlic pasta, chai tea, ice cream, brownies, and so much more.
23- I had terrible postpartum for a few months.
24- I have a MAJOR phobia of public speaking and have worked very hard just so I can talk as a coach.
25– I love my family, my jobs, and my life!!! I am very fortunate and appreciate all of it too.
So many ideas as to what to write so here is a hodge podge of thoughts and updates:
1) Last week I signed up Sarah and Court for Kindergarten, I can’t believe it!
2) For nearly 2 weeks, my back has been much better, yay! Of course, now my colon has been acting up. Oy, at least I’m healthy overall.
3) My best friend is pregnant with twins and is doing great with less than a couple months to go!
4) I’m stoked as we are departing for an African safari in a couple weeks thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law! And Im just as thankful that the other grandparents will be staying back to watch all the kids. We are SO fortunate!
5) I’m finally back to training after a 4 month hiatus. I am so out of shape, but am loving it all. I’m not taking anything for granted.
6) I have the BEST running coach EVER, Janet Smith-Leet. Look her up if you need help, I know you do, we all do!!!
7) Even prior to having sponsorship with Runners High n Tri, I told everyone how impressed I was by their store and staff, Pom especially. She is the best shoe fitter EVER! Go see them: http://www.runnershigh-n-tri.com
8) Back to #5, I’ve been doing mainly drills in the pool and on the run the past couple months, but very little actual swimming or running. And although I am out of shape, these have paid off. For example, after a swim set of 12×100′s the other day, my lane mate said, ‘wow, you were flying.’ I practice what I preach, efficiency creates speed. The same for running. I did a 5 mile slow run the other day and my pace was 30 seconds per mile faster than what my slow run pace was when I was in shape.
9) I find it odd that so many people think they are good to go after taking a few lessons in a sport, a couple of clinics, or the like and then are frustrated they aren’t more efficient and/or faster. Think of any good athlete in any sport. Do you think they’ve only had a couple of lessons? Most have had several years of lessons and/or coached workouts. Keep the perspective, if you really want to improve, you’ll take the time to practice efficiency, and do so consistently. There are no shortcuts.
10) Listen to your body!!! If you are injured or coming off an injury, slowly ease back into your training, no matter how good you may feel…unless you want to really increase the risk of prolonging your recovery time.
11) If it’s important to you, you’ll find the time.
“Why do I need a coach? What will a coach bring to the mix? How will they help me?” I’m asked these questions all the time and have my own answer…but the post below from one of my clients gives you an athlete’s perspective.
Albert Einstein once noted that the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Yet many athletes do the same workouts week after week, year after year, and wonder why they don’t improve.
Excellence in endurance athletics isn’t about having a breakthrough day or hoping you can push through the pain. It’s about discipline and structured training, based on proven principles and scientific research. Athletes improve their performance because they prepare to improve.
Preparation is why if you’re serious about improving your performance, you should consider a hiring a coach.
A qualified coach will help you structure your training towards specific goals. He or she will work with you to plan your season, plan your schedule, and tailor a plan to help you achieve your goal – whether it’s qualifying for the world championships or making it across your first finish line.
A good coach is part scientist, part time management professional, part cheerleader, and part shrink. A coach will help apply the tested and proven principles of periodization, task-specfic stress and training, and planned rest and recovery into your plan in a way that works for your life and goals. A coach will encourage you to push yourself in the right ways and at the right times. He or she will help you develop a plan for race week and race day. And, importantly, your coach will help you work through the setbacks and disappointments that naturally come into any athlete’s training and race plan.
Most importantly, though, your coach will help apply the Goldilocks principle to your training – ensuring that it’s not too little or too much for what you’re trying to accomplish…but that it’s just right.
Working with a coach isn’t always easy for competitive athletes because it requires a leap of faith. Your coach will ask you to do things that are new, different, uncomfortable, and even counterintuitive. Rest more. Go slower so you can go faster. Lift weights. Do core work. Stretch. Cross train. Eat different foods. Think different thoughts. Do different things.
If you’re serious about changing the results of your training, you need to change your training. And, much as you would hire someone to install a new furnace because someone else knows more about how to do it than you probably do (you could probably figure it out…but why?!), you should consider hiring someone who knows how to train an athlete to make you faster, stronger, more focused, and more race ready.
Case in point: I hired my first coach in 2000. He made me go slower – much slower than I’d gone historically – for the base training period of the season. I hated it, but followed his plan – I was paying for it after all…might as well try it. The day of the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle I was scheduled to do a 90 minute aerobic run. I did my first hour as a slow run along the lakefront, and figured I’d do the last part of the run as a participant (not competitor) in the race, on a supported course, in a big group. Thirty seconds after the gun went off I threw caution to the wind and went hard instead of staying aerobic. Cruise through a race?! I PRed at 8K that day…after a 60 minute warm up. My coach was right. Going slower made me faster. I was hooked.
The following year I was 39 years old and training for my first Ironman. I had followed my coach’s plan to the letter. He had tapered me for one of my three “A” races (the Cleveland Triathlon), and at the swim start I felt like a well-trained racehorse coming out of the starting gate. I followed my coach’s plan in each of the three disciplines, and I was first in my age group in each. I finished first in my age group in all three events – a first. I was the fifth person across the line even though I was in the second wave. When the results were posted, I learned that I was the overall winner. At age 39.
I called my coach to thank him. “Congratulations” he said. “But it’s a team effort. I helped you do the right workouts. You actually did them. This really does work.”
It does. But it is a team effort. Your coach will help you plan your work. It’s up to you to work your plan, to have the mental and physical discipline to do the workouts, make the intervals, get the rest, and stick to the plan. Don’t do more because you feel great. Don’t do less because you feel tired. Don’t change the workout because you think you know better. Racehorses don’t do more or less than their trainers ask of them. They rely upon their trainers to get them ready the right way. It’s why they run well. It’s the same way with a coached athlete.
It’s a leap of faith, but it works.
I took a few years off from being “serious” and then decided that as I approached a key age milestone it was time to play hard again. Last year, I hired Mary Bradbury. At the age of 48 I put up my third best time ever at Olympic distance. I was back on the podium.
It works.
As I look ahead to the 2012 season, I know that Mary knows precisely what I want to accomplish, that she has worked within my time, age, and life constraints to put together a plan that will help me get there, and that she’ll encourage me to do whatever I can – with her guidance – to achieve those goals. They’re ambitious. They require work and discipline. And I have every bit of confidence that if I follow the plan, I can hit them.
Tired of getting what you’ve been getting? Want to get better? Consider professional help. Hire a coach.
-Stephen P. Ban
Ah, motivation. Many people have inquired as to how to keep it during the dreary winter months. If only I could provide a blanket answer, but we are all motivated by different things. Regardless, there are always ebbs and flows, but one factor all successful people share is simple, goals.
So let’s start by creating some. Choose short-term and long so you’ll have some by week, month, and year. Motivation will be certain to wane if only long-term goals are set. It’s just so far away. Having weekly and monthly goals will help keep you focused and consistent. It’s more about the process anyways. If you solely focus on your long-term goal, you are sure to lack some motivation as well as miss the benefits of the journey, which could ultimately make you less successful.
Another factor for success, and a huge one, is desire. Talking the talk is one thing, walking the walk is another. If you truly desire your goal, you’ll put your money where your mouth is.
In the end, it’s up to you, but here are some tips to help with motivation:
1) Have a plan. Imagine how difficult it would be to start a business, lose weight, train or race, etc without one. A plan will help you stay organized, focused, and motivated.
2) Write down why you desire this goal. More desire=more motivation=more likely to achieve goal.
3) Be accountable. Tell family and friends about your goals. The more people you tell, the more likely you are to stay motivated. Plus they’ll be a good support group.
4) Jot down some motivational quotes, thoughts, or music. Post them where you can see them daily.
5) Remember, setbacks are ok, in fact, expect them. What you learn from them and how quickly you bounce back can make all the difference.
6) Most likely, you will need to make some changes in order to achieve your goal. On that note, here is a good question I just read somewhere: ’If you continue to follow the same patterns, what are the chances you’ll ever experience the things you want to do and ever become the person you hope to be?’
7) Take stock. At the end of every day, ask yourself what you did well, where you could improve, what would you have done differently.
8) Stay positive. No one is motivated 100% of the time so don’t beat yourself up if you stray on occasion. On the flip side, if you find yourself off track more often than not, you need to reassess your goals.
9) Will your way. Visualization can be of great benefit! Frequently take time to sit down, close your eyes, and envision yourself accomplishing your goal using as many details as possible.
Now get after it!!!
With New Years resolutions abound, you’d think there would be plans to coincide. How often have you heard resolutions such as; I am going to lose xx pounds, I’m going to start a business, I’m going to go get a best time in a race, I’m going to do an Ironman, I’m going to get out of debt, etc? No doubt, these are great goals, but HOW will they be met? A well thought out plan is the best way. Unfortunately, many people don’t have any semblance of a plan. Think about it, what steps do you need to take in order to accomplish your goal? Is it indeed a true goal or an unrealistic dream? The deciding factor may simply come down to how committed you are. Are you willing to make some sacrifices? Are you willing to put in the time it takes? Are you willing to make some possible lifestyle changes? Are you willing to make and stick to a plan? Most likely, you won’t meet your goals if you don’t make some changes. If you’re not willing to make them, then make your goal more attainable, easier, or change it all together. Being realistic about all this is often the most difficult part.
Now, if you have a goal you really want to attain, then get out there and create a plan…and stick to it as best as you can! Good luck!
