In 2005, I had the privilege to meet the most dominant triathlete in U.S. history, Scott Molina.  I was still in the Marines and was preparing for my first Ironman.  I was at a camp/ironman seminar and I was intrigued by his methods of training and coaching, so intrigued that 10 months later I asked him to guide me in my pursuit of achieving my potential in triathlon.  My method of selecting a coach looked like this:

#1- I had met him and enjoyed his personality.

#2-  He could kick my ass or at one time could have kicked my ass.

#3- He had mentored and coached athletes similar to me.

Scott easily fit these parameters, and for three years I confidently hung, on his every word and guidance.  I learned so many details around the sport and learned to push new limits of training and racing.   I made gains all around even as I increased my training when I left the Marines and entered the pro ranks.  I had seen many guys go backwards, and I was happy to qualify for Kona my first year as a pro.  However, I continued to have a sub-par run (relative to perceived potential) and a general plateau at the Ironman distance.   It is great to never have gone over 9:35 for an Ironman, but frustrating to only improve by 1% over three years of hard work.  I am certain the frustration was mutual. Some friends have asked me why I moved on, so I wanted to share and explain that it was time to find a way off the plateau. To be associated with an amazing talent, innovator,  and mentor like Scott was invaluable.

So, my parameters changed as I moved forward:

#1- I had met him and enjoyed his personality.

#2- He understood the sport (hopefully through participation)

#3- He could talk circles around me on the physiology side and could explain how to achieve my goals through very detailed training.

In departing Scott’s guidance, he left me with two areas where I need work (my swim and nailing the details around my troublesome hammy).    The parting shots were most helpful and know that I am taking them forward.  It would be silly for me to go into detail as to how my amazing new training approach is guaranteed to take me to a new level.  With accuracy, I can let my friends and supporters know, the detailed training with Dr. Phil Skiba, M.D. (www.physfarm.com) has begun, and it will be months before we know if it is really working.

The view has been great from the high plateau, but it is time to see what it looks like from a higher peak.

Rock On!

later,

billy