Coaching

Hello! My name is Tim Coffey and I am 18 years. I race mountain, road, and cyclocross. In the fall I will be attending Brevard College in Brevard, NC to be on the cycling team. I am new to Team Athletic Mentors and am excited to by supported and surrounded by such awesome people.

So as I wrapped up my season last fall I started figuring out ways I could race in the winter. I made some phone calls and send some emails and ended up racing Fat Bikes for a custom bike company, which was pretty cool but it was only a 4 month deal. During this time of freezing my butt off everyday riding in northern Michigan I started to look for a team I could join. I had frequented the Team Athletic Mentors website over the years because I enjoyed reading the blogs which is ironic because I’m writing one now. Anyway, when looking for a team I kept finding myself back to the Team Athletic Mentors website. I decided to send in an application and the rest is history.

Fast forward a couple of months. It was my first day of training camp in Brevard. After talking to Terry Ritter on the phone a couple of times and texting camp details back and forth I wasn’t quite sure what the dude would be like. We were standing in the kitchen making breakfast, having conversation about the days ride, and Terry was weighting his strawberry. I looked at him and went “Terry, what are you doing” in that (I’m 18 and I know everything about everything voice). He went on to tell me about his stuff with measuring his food, tracking everything, and his masters degree in food (nutrition). I knew he had coached people in the past and as the week went on I realized this dude knows his stuff. Short after camp I asked Terry to start coaching me and it’s pretty cool.

After about a month of being coached,here are my reasons why you should get a coach:

1.Ever ride had a purpose. Something that purpose hurts and other times is all about having fun.

2.You will get faster. Doing threshold or Vo2 Max intervals may not be fun but they will make you faster.

3.You have someone to ask questions to. Having someone you can text who has been racing bikes for several years is so helpful when you need answers.

4.You’ll have someone to watch you and tell you what you’re doing well on and what you can improve on.

5.You learn to recover better off and on the bike. Either in between intervals or when you’re in street clothes you’ll take every moment you can to recover.

6.It gives you a plan. Whether it’s long-term or short-term you’ll have a plan laid out of where you want to go and how you’re going to get there.

7.It’s cool. Having someone to give you workouts is simply cool.

8.Gives you excuses. When you’re on your next fast group ride or in a practice race and someone wants you to pull you can pull the famous “sorry, coach says I have to keep my heart rate below 150 today.”

9.You open doors. “Every person you meet knows someone you don’t”. Your coach will have connections and know a lot of people in the cycling industry that you don’t. Use them and build some bridges.

All in all, you can’t go wrong with asking someone for help. Some people consider asking for help is only for the week but when that help is a coach, you will only get stronger.

By Michelle Dalton, Athletic Mentors Coach and Triathlete

You did it!! Whether it was your first or 50th race, the sense of accomplishment, of having achieved something difficult, is hard to replicate. The training, the sacrifices, the doubts, the injuries, the pain are all forgotten once you cross the finish line.

And then….what? How do you get back to “normal” after you’ve spent so much time preparing for the race? What is “normal”? What do you do with your Saturdays now that you don’t have to get up for run camp or complete long training runs? How do you make sure you never forget that feeling?

The answer’s really quite simple: you plan the next race! Though the medal may still be around your neck and the chafing lingering like an unwanted house guest – get the calendar out and begin planning.

First, figure out exactly what you’re looking for. Some people choose the same distance just to prove it wasn’t a one-time thing, while others opt for a new challenge, either distance or time. Some people choose races based on destination and others like to keep it local.You might even ride the wave of confidence and try an event that you’ve found intimidating (triathlon anyone?), but regardless of which you choose, register. Pick a race that fits your needs and goals and book it. Right now, your motivation is high; the endorphins are still pumping. This is the best time to commit to another race. I have seen many people complete one race and then wait too long between races, only to lose momentum.

Start asking yourself: When is the race? How much time do I have to train? How much time do I need? Who can I train with? Where can I get a plan and some advice on how to go longer, faster, and injury free?

Recruit your Saturday gang to go with you, or find another group of runners to be your new people. There are plenty of groups out there. Get connected with the amazing local running community and make a commitment to yourself and to a race.

We are lucky here in Michigan that we have so many race options over the coming months. And, you’re also in luck because Athletic Mentors can help you get to the finish. Whether you’re looking to get there faster, or fitter, or simply aiming for a finish that’s farther, we’ve got the coach, and the plan, to help you do it.   If you don’t consider yourself a runner (yet), check out our Functional Fitness Program or the Coached Gym.

If you have any question, please don’t hesitate to contact us; we can help.

Now go book that next race!

Athletes enjoy year-to-year improvement, and constantly seek ways to achieve gains through changes to things like their training, nutrition, or tactics. But the closer an athlete gets to his or her full potential, the more challenging it becomes to continue the trajectory of improvement. Knowing that you “don’t know what you don’t know” and turning to an experienced coach can make a world of difference. Such was the case with Daniel Yankus, an Athletic Mentors athlete, Elite Team Priority Health cyclist and cross country skier. In his case, working with an experienced coach made for an outstanding season, with several podium finishes in Pro Mountain Bike events and Pro/1/2 road events.

Yankus’ started racing when he was 13, but at 19 took a near decade-long hiatus before coming back to skiing and cycling. His talent was obvious, and he progressed to the top state level of both sports in little more than a year. The first two seasons at that level were educational.

“In cycling, I tried to get used to field size and positioning,” Yankus said. “The next year I transitioned from surviving a race to (occasionally) dictating how things went, while also learning how to become a good teammate.” He also picked up a second place finish that second year, his best result so far.

“I definitely felt I was progressing,” he said.

Before the start of his third cycling season, Yankus was determined to try something he’d done for the first time during his preceding ski season: Get some professional coaching. Though he’d gained a lot of understanding about himself and success using a moderately priced training plan service for skiing, a more one-on-one approach was what he was after for cycling.

“I was looking for someone to find my weaknesses. A stand-alone training plan still puts too much control with the athlete,” Yankus said.

Yankus found the interaction he was looking for with AM coach, Terry Ritter.

“Discussing training philosophies and credentials, it became very obvious Terry was the right coach for me.”

He also learned quickly that his limited training knowledge had mislead him in assessing his weaknesses.

“I had always assumed my 3-5 min condition was lacking because I couldn’t recover well after hard efforts of that length in races,” Yankus said. “And, I assumed my aerobic endurance was a strength. In three weeks Terry proved all my assumptions were wrong. I quickly saw race improvements because my workouts now addressed what were really my weaknesses.”

Even though Yankus competes at a high level, he often finds his competitors training noticeably longer than he does for a given week. This is a direct result of a quality versus quantity approach his busy life requires.

“Terry taught me the difference between a workout and a quality workout. He also showed me that some goals were going to be hard to obtain and keep a balance, and my plan reflected that,” Yankus stated.

Being a two-sport athlete, and also enjoying MTB, cyclocross, and time trialing, Yankus needed a coach that could work with that profile.

“Coach Terry has a multi-sport background and strong exercise science knowledge and was able to integrate my two seasons (skiing and cycling) to compliment each other, while also working with my other cycling sports.”

Ultimately, Yankus has enjoyed the interaction and knowledge he’s gained from working with coach Ritter, and looks at it as a multi-year journey.

“Terry really cares about his athletes and wants them to succeed,” Yankus said. “Working with him improved my bike performance, but also my understanding of what my training is supposed to do for me. The investment we have made this season will help my future seasons.”