Why do I need a coach?
Most age group athletes are busy in their professional and familial lives. They barely have time to squeeze in enough training to make competition a reality. Coaches design plans using their education and experience to take one more piece of stress off your plate. A coach acts as a sounding board, giving you the ability to talk through your ideas and concerns you may have.
In addition, there are so many aspects to proper training and racing which you don’t realize until you start becoming competitive. Your coach can guide you in such areas as proper gear, what to eat prior and during a race, how to properly stretch and cross train to avoid injury as your mileage and endurance increase to achieve, and even what to pack on race day. There are so many aspects to being properly prepared when you get to your goal race that having a knowledgeable coach guiding you is by far your best investment.
Don’t I need to be really good to have a coach?
Absolutely not! Everyone from beginners to experienced athletes can benefit from the insight of a personal coach. We have coached every kind of athlete for every distance.
Where do I even start?
Check us out on Facebook. Talk to our athletes and then shoot us an email or give us a call. We often prefer a quick face-to-face contact over a cup of coffee or a good run on the trail. If you are out of town, contact us in whatever medium you find useful.
Do I have to sign a monthly contract?
This is not a cell phone company! We will structure your plan based on your “A” race goal with a 12 week or longer training program. We can do shorter plans but realize that 12 weeks is the smallest block we prefer to use. If, after a 12 week block you want to do something else, no problem!
What is an “A” race?
Typically, it is the reason you are contacting us. If you really want to do a certain race with a goal in mind (even if the goal is simply to complete!), that is the event we will call your “A” Race and we will build your personalized plan with that race as your focal point.
What do I get with Grim Reaper Fitness?
You get access to your weekly-personalized training plan via Trainingpeaks.com software. You get to attend all of our group workouts, our educational meetings on nutrition, yoga, proper shoe purchase, etc and also have access to a number of coaches in our company to help you with any issue. We provide guidance and motivation throughout your training program. Not to mention, you get great discounts and contacts with our local and national sponsors. We car pool to races, we get together for social functions and better yet, we win lots of awards!
What if I am already working with another coach?
Then you must terminate that relationship prior to coming to us. Coaches respect the athlete/coach relationship and do not want to cause any problems with other coaches. Athletes are free to choose anyone to coach with, we prefer to earn your respect and have you choose to wear the black and pink and be proud!
I am not in good shape right now? Can I still join?
Heck yeah! We have worked with all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels. We want to work with anyone that has the commitment to try an endurance sport.
Do you coach more than triathlons?
Absolutely. We coach all single sports (swim, bike, run), as well as Xterra (off-road tri), trail running, open water swimming, mountain climbing, OCR (obstacle course racing), ultra racing, and anything else you can think of!
Do you still coach in the off-season?
It can be easily argued that there is really no such thing as an off-season any more. If by off-season you mean, non-competition months, yes of course! We have partnered with the Athlete Factory to bring you and endurance strength training camp (see Facebook and the web posts). When the racing stops, we don’t take a break!
Do you train kids?
This is the fastest growing segment of USAT and we are committed to working with youth 5-15, and junior 16-19. We are also the coaches for the Illinois State University triathlon club! Yes, we train all ages.
