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Our Coaches
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Meet Coach Trey
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Coaching Qualifications
- USAT Level 1 Certified Coach
- Playtri Triathlon Coach for 4 years
- Team in Training Mentor for 2 years
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Educational Background:
- B.S. Business Administration, Finance - University of Kansas
- M.B.A. Strategy and Entrepreneurship - Southern Methodist University
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Growing up in Oklahoma, I was not much of an athlete. Although I participated in several sports in high school, I never hit the game-winning homerun or voted “most athletic.” In college, my athletic experience was limited to a few intramural games. It was not until years later that I realized I had a passion for endurance sports.
I worked with a friend who participated in adventure races and asked me to team up with him for his next race (bike, run, kayak). At that point I did not even own a bike. All the same, I had nothing to lose so I bought a mountain bike and began my training. I use the word “training” loosely because to prepare for that race, I rode 3 or 4 times, ran 5 or 6 times, and never even practiced kayaking. Needless to say, the first race was difficult because I was unprepared, but it made me want to train harder and improve my performance.
My other friends began to take notice of my new hobby and they suggested that we train for a triathlon together. So, like before, I set out to buy a triathlon bike and train for my first triathlon. Only this time I had to contend with a swim portion in a race. At this point, I only knew enough about swimming as not to drown. My first practice swim lasted about 15 minutes as I could not make it from one end of the pool to the other without stopping in the middle to breathe. The good news was that my first race was a pool swim, rather than open water, so I could stand up to breathe if I had to—which I did. Although I was nearly the last finisher on that summer day in Rockwall, Texas, I had completed my first triathlon and I was hooked! From that point on all I could think about was how great it felt to cross the finish line and how I wanted to do it faster.
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I knew of an organization called Team in Training and decided to enlist their help. This organization provides triathlon training for beginners and, in exchange, the athletes agree to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I decided that with my training in place that I would sign up for a Half Ironman. Little did I know that the race I selected—the St. Croix Half Ironman—is known as the second hardest Half Ironman in the world. Needless to say, I was a little unprepared for that much of a challenge but I finished the race. After surviving my first Half Ironman, I immediately knew that I wanted to race again and to do it faster.
I then decided to take my training to the next level. I hired Coach Ahmed with Playtri and asked him to train me for Ironman Coeur d’Alene. I spent the next ten months training harder than I had ever thought possible. Within a relatively short amount of time, I became conditioned and started to get faster. In fact, I began to place in overall standings and won my age group on several occasions. I learned a great deal about myself during that ten-month period. The Ironman—both the training and event itself—improved my training and lifestyle by requiring commitment, discipline and sacrifice.
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Although I continued to train and race with Coach Ahmed, I decided that I wanted to give back to the sport that had given so much to me. I wanted to make triathlon more than just a hobby, but something that I could share with others. I enrolled in the USA Triathlon Coaching Certification program and became a USAT Level 1 Certified Coach. Simultaneously, I went through a certification program with Coach Ahmed to become a Playtri Certified Coach. I learned about physiology, nutrition, periodization and what really makes athletes perform at their highest levels.
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After several years of coaching athletes of all ages and experience levels, I decided to start FitTrac so that I could share my experiences and coaching philosophy. I believe that people genuinely want to get better at whatever they do—whether it is their job, family, losing weight, or training for a triathlon. The key is to show them how and to keep them accountable to those goals. The one thing that works for me and my clients, time and time again, is explaining in a very clear and concise way what it is they need to do, how to do it, and an assurance that I will be keeping them accountable to their goals but also making adjustments for life along the way. That’s it. It is really that simple. What to do. How to do it. With accountability and adjustments along the way.
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Meet Coach Michael
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Coaching Qualifications
- USAT Level 1 Certified Coach
- USATF Level 1 Certified Coach
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Educational Background:
- B.S. Industrial Technology – University of Texas at Tyler
- M.S. Human Resources and Development – University of Texas at Tyler
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I grew up in East Texas and participated in recreational soccer, competitive soccer, and track and field. I have always enjoyed being outdoors and competing at any stage. I ran track in college in the 4 x 400 meter relay and the 800 meter events. I was selected as the Academic All-Conference on the men’s track and field team my senior year of graduate school. A couple of my friends that I ran track with were talking about participating in triathlons and I decided that I wanted to give it a try. My first race was Rivercities Sprint Triathlon in Louisiana. It was an open water swim and I was a little intimated by the all the athletes. The bike and run went smooth and I knew after I finished that race that I was hooked. I raced for another three seasons and then decided that I wanted to become a coach.
This will be my fourth season in the sport and my focus for this season is long course races. I plan on racing in three half Ironmans: New Orleans, Buffalo Springs, and Longhorn (Austin). In addition I also plan on racing in some local short course races for my training workouts. My goal for the 2012 season is to race in an Ironman.
After I completed the requirements for the USAT Level 1 certification I decided that I needed a mentor so I asked my coach Trey Yost if he would be interested in mentoring me. Fortunately, he said yes, and welcomed me into the FitTrac network as a coach. Trey has been racing for about ten years and has raced long and short courses. I am planning on using his wealth of knowledge to improve my own coaching services. I am also a member of the East Texas Triatheletes Club and live in Tyler, Texas.
I am looking forward in helping any multisport athlete in reaching their potential goals.
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Meet Coach Teri
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Coaching Qualifications
- USAT Level 1 Certified Coach
I grew up in southern Louisiana playing team sports as a kid. After high school, I shifted my focus to individual sports starting with cycling and followed quickly by running, rock climbing, and ultimately triathlon. In 1997 I relocated to Dallas and became involved in the cycling community here through Team in Training. I hired a coach in 2005 to help me achieve my triathlon goals. I discovered how valuable my coach was to me. My coach provided structure to my training. I was pushed when I needed pushing, and I was told to rest when I might have pushed too hard. Having young, active kids and a husband who runs, I have come to understand the care required to maintain a balanced life while striving for personal achievement. Healthy, active living is at the center of our family dynamic.
My coaching philosophy is based on maintaining a balanced life and is rooted in consistency and communication. I believe that all of our goals are within reach if we strive to understand ourselves. As a coach, I want to know you - not only who you are and what you can do, but what is important to you. Whether your goal is to finish your first sprint tri or to pursue the Ironman, a successful experience can be achieved with a custom training plan carefully crafted for you. Every athlete is an individual. We all have unique gifts and strengths as well as limiting factors. As your coach I will work to keep your training plan in line with your changing needs. I want to help you discover what drives you to success and work with you to create a training plan that will achieve your personal goals.
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Meet Stacy
Social Coordinator & FitTrac Ambassador
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I have always been an active person whether it’s playing team sports or doing step aerobics at the gym. I decided I needed to do something big for my 40th birthday, like run a marathon. I joined DRC running club and ran my first marathon in 2009. A few months later a friend talked me into doing the MS150 so I bought my first road bike, trained about a month and completed the MS150. Another friend said I should do a triathlon, but I was not a great swimmer. So, I took the swim basic class with DAM, Dallas Aquatic Masters, and signed up for my first sprint triathlon. From there I was hooked! I have since done a few sprints and Olympic distance races. I have also done two half Ironman events and I am currently training for my third in September. I am training for the 2012 Ironman Florida. The best part of doing all this is all the great friends I have made along the way. I meet several new friends each week and just love it.
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Meet Gayle
Triathlon Coach
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I worked full-time throughout my education so my love of endurance sports came later in life. Ten years ago, I discovered running and, shortly thereafter, I began coaching beginner runners with Luke's Locker. In 2003, I bought some goggles and a bike and participated in several sprint and Olympic distance triathlons. I qualified and participated in the Age Group National Championship. In 2004, I became a team leader with DAM / Luke's Triathlon Program and participated in my first two 70.3 races and the Age Group Nationals again.
I became a triathlon coach in 2005 and have coached triathletes through all distances, including the Ironman. Since 2008, I have coached swim practice at the Tom Landry Fitness Center and have participated in over a dozen Half Ironman distance races and completed three Ironmans. My focus in coaching has been to introduce new participants to the sport and to assist them to the finish line of their first triathlon. I believe that competing gives us an incentive for self-improvement, and that setting personal goals and competing with oneself provides motivation to reach those goals. I love helping athletes achieve their personal goals.
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Meet Michael
Triathlon Coach
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About seven years ago, I began riding and have not stopped pedaling. After rekindling the enjoyment of cycling as an adult, I decided to push to achieve the next adventure: triathlon. Participation in an event in which one was asked to conquer the three separate disciplines of swim, bike, and run was far beyond the realm of a personal achievement . . . or so I thought!
As a coach, I am always willing to share my experiences and use the knowledge I possess to help accomplish your own goals. If I could share one thing to all participants in the sport of triathlon, it would be that you need to work with your coach to formulate a plan. Every coach has a technique of training that has worked in the past, but just because it worked before does not make it law. As coaches, we want to assist in your decision making progress but, ultimately, you must make the decision to execute and complete a race plan. We merely provide the tools you require to do so. We have the experience and we will share our experience in hopes that it will assist an athlete in accomplishing his/her goals.
I have competed in many triathlons of all distances: Sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman, and Ironman. I have been fortunate enough to have finished first overall, many podium finishes, Masters Overall, World Championship Qualifier at the 70.3 distance, USAT All American Honorable Mention. I have a PR in the 70.3 of 4hr 36mins and a PR at the Ironman distance of 10hr 36mins. I continue to compete in bike road races in which I have had many top 10 crit and road race finishes including a finish in the top 10 State of Texas Cat 5 Crit Championships.
When I am not busy training or helping others achieve life long goals, I can be found playing with puppies while skipping through bluebonnet fields wearing my favorite speedo.
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