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

I think one of the biggest issues is; most people are using workouts as the test rather than the information for the test. What you learn from your workout is how you grow and develop both the physical, and mental knowledge to take and pass your test. And in our opinion the best way to do this is to relax, let the workout unfold, record the data and use it for moving forward.

First relax and build you aerobic base. During the process of base building, whether it be running, biking or swimming, the ability to develop will depend on how aerobically and bio-mechanically efficient you become. You can develop your efficiency by practicing your form. Your best form is a relaxed form! Yes there are certain basic physical postures you should be in for all three disciplines, but the key to making them work right for you is to relax, visualize and let it happen.

I once read that Butch Harmon, famed golf swing coach for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson teaches them visualization of ball flight. He says if they are thinking of all the things they need to do right, one is sure to go wrong, and cause bad ball strike, flight and direction. So they stand behind the ball visualize the motion and flight and then hit away.

This is a practice that you as runners and triathletes should do. Picture yourself with great body position, relaxed form and easy breathing and then let it happen. As a runner listen and feel your feet. Are they light, fast, quite. As a cyclist listen to your wheels spin and feel your feet spinning in circles. As a swimmer picture yourself rolling and gliding naturally in the water taking smooth efficient breathes. Don’t under emphasize the importance of visualizing.

The other key to relaxing is take the stress out of your training by having a plan in place. If coaching is not option for you, do a little research and find a training plan that works best for you! We always tell our teammates let me do the thinking and you do the training. This means all they have to do is read the workout step out the door and go. The stress of developing a plan, and finding the time to execute it is added stress that will take some of the enjoyment out of your training.

So in essence, set a reachable goal. Get a plan that works best for you! Don’t over think your training. Learn the basics of good form, visualize and let it happen.  If it feels natural, pretty good chance it is natural. And as always….

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Coach Jeff and Diane

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!

Swimming Drills from Jeff Kline on Vimeo.