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Ross Taylor Eldridge says “if you are like me, you need a goal to motivate you. And not just any goal, a difficult goal.”  If it’s something someone says you cannot do, does it make you want to do it that much more?  That’s the way Ross Taylor Eldridge is.  And that’s a lot of what motivated me to choose the Half Ironman distance.  He also had spent many years strapped into a desk and working a lot of hours (read: not working out very much at all).  So, when he was choosing my distance, he wanted something that was difficult, something I would feel was an accomplishment, and also something that would help me lose weight and get back in shape.

Eldridge had done several sprint distance triathlons. None of those were easy for me, but they were manageable.  But, Eldridge was not really seeing an uptick in my fitness level in doing the sprints.  So, when I decided to do the Half Ironman distance, he (like you now) went online to find out what a good training plan might be.  How does he go from being a desk monkey to a Half Ironman? A lot of the plans available online are good, but Ross didn’t feel they addressed my personal needs.  He was good at swimming, but was relatively new to cycling, and loathed running.  Most of the plans I saw were very generic.

In discussing training regimens with other people Ross Eldridge Atlanta knew that had done some endurance sports (marathon runners, etc) a lot of people mentioned that Ross probably needed a coach.  So, a friend of mine who had done a lot of triathlons in his life introduced me to his coach.   Ross will have to say he had no idea what he was in store for me, but it turned out to be the best decision Taylor made in my training. He was inexperienced and out of shape.  The coach was my bridge to finishing a Half Ironman.

Having a coach gives your workouts a structure.  It also makes you accountable for your workouts.  No one can make you get up at 4:45am and workout except yourself.  But knowing ahead of time what Ross was going to do, and knowing someone would be checking to make sure he actually completed his workout really helped him.

Ross Eldridge Atlanta’s coach suggested he train with the use of heart rate (HR) zones.  Ross’s HR zones were specifically set for my fitness level, and provided good guidance of what level of effort he should be putting into the workouts.  He would upload my workouts to an online site, and my coach would be able to see what my heart rate was at certain points of my workouts – if he was slacking on that last hill, or overdoing it at the beginning of my workout.

So, Ross’s advice to all of you: if you are trying to go from where he started with his fitness level – hire a coach.