Mark H. Wilson is a highly-accomplished triathlete and coach with more than 20 years of experience. As an athlete, Mark has achieved success as an Ironman 70.3 World Championship Finisher and was a seven-time finisher in the Ironman USA Lake Placid with a P.R. of 10:59:40. Other career highlights include eight-time finisher in the S.O.S (Survival of the Shawangunks), Escape from Alcatraz Qualifier – Westchester Triathlon and he was also a six-time USAT All-American.

Being a competitive runner since the age of 12, Mark was excited about the prospect of being as fit as the triathletes he had seen in national magazines. They seemed like the fittest people on the planet. Having already done several marathons, it seemed feasible to Mark to jump right into the half-distance triathlon; it went very well and lead to a lifelong interest/profession in the sport.

As a professional coach, Mark has performed countless triathlon training camps all over the United States as a USAT Level I and lI Certified Coach and thousands of hours of individual training with more than one thousand athletes. His coaching honors run the gamut and include Ironman Triathlon World Championship, Ironman 70.3 World Championship, ITU Olympic Triathlon World Championship, ITU Sprint Triathlon World Championship, Lifetime Fitness National Championship, USAT Age-Group All-Americans, ITU World Championship Qualifier – Athena Champion, and USAT Ironman National Championship – Athena Champion, as well as Hudson Valley Magazine 2008 Triathlon Coach of the Year, just to name a few.

Mark is also a Professional Life Coach and the Founder/President of the Hudson Valley Triathlon Club, which has more than 100 annual members. His contagious positive energy and passion for triathlon has made him one of the most beloved coaches in the sport. One of Mark’s coaching mantras perhaps sums it up best: Participating in the sport of triathlon and HVTC may cause radiant health and spiritual well-being.

Through his uncanny motivational and training skills, Mark has inspired hundreds of athletes to pursue their dreams and personal goals. It is this very reason why Tom Struzzieri, HITS, Inc. President & CEO, was moved to joined forces with Mark to introduce the all-new HITS Triathlon Series. The combination of Tom’s skills in the world event management and Mark’s endless knowledge of triathlon make them a perfect duo to bring forth a fresh, innovative concept that will engage existing athletes and help to inspire new ones to grow the sport.

From the minds of Tom Struzzieri and Mark H. Wilson, we are proud to introduce the HITS Triathlon Series: A distance for everyone!^TM

A great Monday night discussion on various training topics.

This week we talk about how to manage your training time with your goals and life schedule.

This week we discussed how to build a successful training plan. From base to speed. For runners and triathletes!

Running can have a high rate of over-use injuries: Shin splints, plantar facitis, palellofemoral pain,  commonly referred to as runner’s knee, and Achilles tendonitis. All of these injuries can be avoided by taking the five components of fitness and incorporating them into training plans.

There was a time when “strength training” was looked on as almost taboo for the runner. Some runners today still avoid the weight room as much as possible for fear of weight gain through additional muscle mass. Do not make this mistake!

I incorporate a muscular strength, muscular endurance, and core strength plan in every training program I design for every person I train. I am convinced beyond a shadow of doubt, through personal experience and by monitoring the results of my clients, that runners who adhere to the simple strength programs I have designed, (and are contained in my book) suffer 95% fewer injuries. In fact, a recent study of runners that introduced a weight program to their training reported not only a reduction of injury but also an increased time to muscle exhaustion on their runs. The people in this study ran farther at a measured intensity level following a strength program for just a few weeks.

Your slow twitch muscles, or your endurance muscles, gain strength from weightlifting allowing them to carry more of the workload than your fast twitch muscles. Since your fast twitch muscles burn more glycogen and produce more lactic acid, your endurance benefits from the increased strength of your slow twitch muscles. The most recent studies show that runners who added a strength program to their training regimen show endurance improvements ranging from 10-35%

In short, adding a weight training and core strength program to your training and race preparation will increase your endurance, greatly reduce your risk of overuse injuries, give you overall body fitness and add a nice variation to your weekly training routine.

“Unleash Your Potential”

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Coach Jeff

Make your goals possibilities not expectations. Many times, we are disappointed when we do not achieve our expectations. However, possibilities are always there to work toward regardless of the results. Write down your goals! Post those on your refrigerator, your computer at work, share them with a friend a family member or business associate. Being aware of your goals will keep you committed to the process of reaching them. Once you start to see the successes, they will keep you motivated and moving forward. More importantly be consistent, let your training become a part of your daily routine.

Consistency is by far the best and safest way to attain the results you are looking for. Consistency does not mean over training, but it does mean establishing a pattern of training that allows you to achieve the most improvement with the least amount of focused effort. Most coaches today, myself included, support the training philosophy that small fitness gains over long periods of time are far better than large gains over short periods. It is your consistency that allows you to practice moderation in training, and coupled with periodic rest days that will contribute to long-term gains and lack of injury.

Are your support systems in place? My guess is, if you are reading this post you are not training to make the next Olympic team or earning your income from endorsements. Like most people, you have a family, a job, and the daily responsibilities that life brings. Take the time to talk to your family, friends and business associates about your goals. Let them become a part of your efforts to make positive physical changes in your life that will carry over into a more positive and productive personal life. If you are training for a marathon, it will require weekend long runs. Have the family meet you at the end of your run for a nice cool down hike or walk. If you train in an area where it is safe for your kids to ride bikes, take them along on your runs. Whatever it is make it a team effort. The rewards are worth it.

Keeping your goals realistic is important. You want your goals to be challenging, but if they are too high, they may only lead to failure and disappointment that may discourage you from continuing. Make sure your goals are specific. By setting short-term goals that keep you focused and motivated, you will not loose sight of your ultimate goal. Being able to measure your goals allows you to monitor your progress. It is imperative to log your training. Keeping a log provides an invaluable resource in pinpointing which workouts are working best for you. It has been my experience that runners who keep a log are far more focused and achieve much higher levels of success than those who do not.

Make sure your log contains the following details:

1. Workout specifics (type, distance, intensity)
2. Pace
3. Time of day
4. Weather conditions
5. Nutritional information (before, during and after workouts)
6. Heart rates (morning resting and heart rates during your run)
7. Sleep patterns
8. Daily stress levels
9. Workout summary of how you feel

I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to have fun and find some kind of entertainment value in your training. Always look for new ways to make your training fun and interesting. Vary your workouts never do the same training week back to back. A fresh approach means a fresh attitude, and this can carry over into every aspect of your life.

“Unleash Your Potential
Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun
Coach Jeff

Basic Strength and Core Exercises from Jeff Kline on Vimeo.