Find the balance and embrace the journey!

GROUP FOCUS: My focus is to assist you with race preparation/schedules, fitness/injury prevention, and nutrition. In addition, I have found it extremely helpful to have a place where people understand the pressures of training + family/friends + work.

NAME: Simply2fab / Tim

STORY: I have been a member of BT for 7.5 years and have progressed from just finishing a sprint tri to being competitive in the Olympic distances to now training for 1/2 IMs. I have been a runner since high school and have raced a number of 5k, 10k, and multi-day team running races. Unfortunately, lower back pain caused me to focus more on cycling over the course of the past few years competing in criteriums, cyclocross, and century races. Thankfully, due to physical therapy and strength conditioning, I am back running with the hopes to competing in an Oly and maybe a 1/2 IM this season. I work closely with a high school swim team, so have gotten more adept in the pool, as well. Lastly, along with becoming a better triathlete, I have also adjusted the way I eat so that my performance and recovery are not hampered by my nutrition. I have been a vegetarian for a number of years, with the goal of eating as clean as possible.

FAMILY STATUS: Married with two great kids - daughter (14) and son (10) from the Midwest, so I can speak to trying to train during what feels like a never-ending winter.

CURRENT TRAINING: I am currently combining running and biking with Crossfit. Due to injuries, I have needed to focus on being less quad dominant and really become a more well-balanced athlete. I have incorporated yoga and stretching (although never enough) into my routine since starting tris seven years ago. Our pool is under construction, so that has put me at a disadvantage getting training, but I plan to build a solid running/cycling base so that by late March and April, when I can get back into the pool, I will be able to focus on honing my stroke in-time for races in June - September. I also believe in the less-can-be-more approach, so I focus on interval training, speed work, and strength/conditioning training.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Last year's highlights were podiums in a number of local criterium races and a 4:25 hour team century race.

2014 RACES: Overcoming running injuries has been a focal point of my training, so my tri race schedule has been abbreviated by that. Now that I am finally running again, I am working on enjoying the journey and less concerned with the number of races. I am emphasizing training smart so that I can continue this passion for years to come. That being said, I am targeting a Oly in Chicago in June and maybe again in August. If I have the fitness, a 1/2 IM might be a possibility in August or September. There will probably be a number of cycling races and some sprints sprinkled in between.


WEIGHTLOSS: My focus is more on performance and recovery than weight-loss, but I know that a number of people enter the sport with goals of losing weight. I will never claim to be an expert, but can certainly share my experience and help you find the tools if weight-loss is a primary goal.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTOR:
I am passionate about this sport and love the opportunity to assist those that are either just beginning or want someone to share their journey with them.

Here is what I hope to do for you as a mentor:
1. Be your cheerleader if that is what you desire. It's nice to have someone there at the finish, but it's really helpful to have someone there after an interval session on the basement trainer during the winter months or when you PR a training route.

2. To be your advocate. I understand the demands of training, how spouses might not always understand, how friends/co-workers don't always share the passion, how kid's school/schedules can take priority, and how it can be a challenge to find someone that know what you are going through.

3. With regards to nutrition, to meet you where you are. If you prescribe by a different diet that works for you, I will provide any assistance and encouragement to help. Vegetarians sometimes get a bad wrap for looking down on how others eat. I am merely here to offer support, and having tried a number of things to achieve peak nutritional performance, I can share what has worked for me, but only if you are interested.

4. Finally, if you are experienced or not and just get geeked out about training, gear, trends, races, etc, then I will be more than happy to monitor your progress and share my passion for the sport of triathlon.