We all know that life happens. It just does whether or not we want it to. It happens for me, it happens for you, and it happens for each one of my athletes. I have been coaching "officially" since 2006. One thing that still remains the same is; as a coach, we can only control so many things. As an athlete, we can only control so many things. The goal is to control what we can and be prepared to handle what cards are dealt on that day. Each weekend that athletes head out to various races around the country, I know that some will do well, and some might not. This is just part of racing, our bodies, the environment, etc.
Just over a week ago, I had 5 athletes participating in their "A" races for the season. I had Mike, Greg, and Brandon at Leadville 100 MTB, Nate Dressel at Rev3 Wisconsin Dells and Brian Nath at USAT AG Nationals. I always prepare my athletes to be ready for the "big day" and then as a Coach, I have to just sit back and watch. I was pitting for my Leadville Athletes and knew the day was off to an incredible start with each one coming in ahead of predicted splits through the first two aids. With the way I train my riders, I was confident in their pacing at altitude and wasn't overly concerned about the pacing and was confident in the second half would progress appropriately... other than the unpredictable; mechanical, detours, etc. As I worked my way back to the Leadville finish line I had spotters on course giving me updates as my riders would pass through various points. I knew it was going to finish out very well in Leadville this year! Mike Staffieri rolled in at 7:22 breaking his goal of 7:30 (with a 1 mile detour) placing 27th overall and 3rd AG behind two pro's! Greg Francis followed with a 8:11 finish beating his goal by 20+ minutes (with a 2 mile detour). Brandon Hodges wrapped up the group with an 8:13 finish beating his goal by 33+ minutes; bringing all of Team iTz in under the 8:15 mark! As a coach, I was beyond elated with the performances I watched unfold. It was a fantastic showing on their part, executing the race strategy and nutrition plan perfectly on top of acclimating to the altitude. Not a stone was left un turned and it paid off in a big way!
In other parts of the country that weekend, I had Nate Dressel chomping at the bit to qualify for his professional licence which has been a Monkey on his back for a couple of years. He began working with me just a couple months ago and we ironed out a few things for him and BAM! He nailed it in his second attempt after joining Team iTz. Wowzers! It's a good weekend!
After all the good news, I had one more result I as waiting on. Brian Nath was racing Sprint Nationals in Milwaukee. The day before he was racing the Olympic and flatted right out of transition. The quarter size puncture was unrepairable in time to nail his goal. So he opted out for the remainder of the race. Brian has been trying to qualify for Team USA for 3 years. He has always managed a freak accident that has put him out of racing it. This year we decided to give the back to back races a whirl to increase his chances. Thank goodness we did! After spending much time repairing the tubular before having to get his bike checked back in for Sunday, he was optimistic about his fresh legs going into the Sprint. Brian finished 11th securing his spot on Team USA for Edmonton ITU Grand Finale!
Well, that was five for five that day. I can't even tell you what cloud I was on, it was way above 9 for sure. It's kind of a big deal when athletes entrust you with their dreams; I take it very seriously. All of it came together that day and the hard work paid off.
*top photo is Saturday morning in Leadville, when my 17 yr old daughter snapped it, she said... "Lol, nervous?" My response was.. "Not at all ;)" GO TEAM iTz!!!
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