Athlete Testimonials

“I had been doing HIM for several years, just winging it on training. Lots of LSD biking and running, and disappointed that as I aged I was getting slower every year ( I was in my 30’s). I had no problem getting out the door to exercise, but I never had a plan.

Folks I had met were starting a local tri club and there I met one of the resident den mothers of EN, Linda Patch. She talked briefly about EN. I was intrigued. When a local iron distance race announced it’s debut event later that year (2008), I decided to go for it. I was terrified and wanted a coach. It was already April. I contacted a well known local coach, he charged $$$$$$$$. The response was that his roster was full and he would not take me on. So I checked into and signed on with EN. Best decision I ever made! Not only did the plan get me ready for the race, but it made me FASTER! (It’s all relative- I’m still slower than many, but I am as fast as I was 20 years ago in college).

I am a faster cyclist and runner. My swimming is very steady- again ROI. I have not lost any time/ speed despite not being in the pool for 1 year or swimming open water since 8/09.
This is my 2nd OS and 3rd race season with EN. Best dollar value anywhere. Everyday I thank my lucky stars that the $$$ coach was unavailable.”

— Michelle

“I was a closet ENer. . . While deployed to Djibouti a friend of mine convinced me to sign up for Cali 70.3 and as I was leaving Ralph Butler who was in the haus relieved me as the general surgeon at the Navy’s Expeditionary Medical Facility on the Horn of Africa. He told me about EN, and encouraged me to check out Jack Daniel’s book. I got my hands on every free resource from EN, came home in December and bought a bike and trained quasi EN for Oceanside. As a big guy (around 200 pounds) and slow runner (vDot around 40) I did Oceanside in 5:44 with pretty good execution. But I had plenty of room for improvement.

Last fall I tried to get into the Haus and failed but purchased a training plan that allowed me to join EN around the end of November. I did about 9 weeks of the Outseason with the October group, 5-6 weeks of a HIM plan with no problems increasing the volume and was able to shave 22 minutes off of my previous time for the Cali 70.3.  I shaved 9 minutes off of the bike for a 2:47 bike split – on a windy day and was also able to improve my run time by 10 minutes to a 1:56. I also saved myself 1 minute on the swim and 1 minute on T1.

After the race I hooked up with fellow ENers – Brian Massey, Peter Carroll, David Ambrose, Matt Ancona and Coach Rich – and had some great beer and pizza.  Via the forums I also had the chance to hook up with Jeff Hansen  last weekend who was visiting from Illinois  for a conference and take him on one of my favorite rides in east San Diego county up Laguna Mountain.

I am now in the midst of preparing for my first IM distance event and enjoying the resources offered by EN.  As a fairly busy surgeon and father of three young children I appreciate the real world perspective of good time management, balance and return on investment that EN promotes (I went from no swimming in the OS to 9000m a week with little difficulty).  I watch some of my friends who continue to train more than 20 hours a week (for a HIM) to qualify for Kona (and miss a spot by 2-3 minutes) and wonder how they would do with a focused intense outseason and a more intelligent approach to race prep.

Thanks Rich and Patrick!”

– Tom Nelson

“I’ve been doing tris for five or so years, and last year did my first HIM. I struggled with training because I seemed to race better when I trained hard first and then added on distance, but almost all conventional triathlon wisdom says you put in a ton of time at a low effort. So, of course, I just winged it my way. And while I had a PR on the bike, I knew that I needed a “real” training plan that would put it all together for me, especially after I signed up for IMOO 2010 (my first IM). I also did not want to be doing ridiculous amounts of training. 25+ hours a week? Please. I would like to have a life outside work and triathlon.

After some furious Googling, I came across the EN open house. EN gives you the plan, and you execute it. But even better, EN also gives you the tools and knowledge to make adjustments based on the fact that things happen in life, and you have to adjust. And RnP are constantly making adjustments and trying to make the plan better. This isn’t your basic, here’s the plan, it’s worked for lots of people, do it and it will work for you. RnP are always listening to the ENers, and I think that’s a huge benefit to being in the haus. As for adding to your tri knowledge, there is always RnP and the rest of EN to help you out when you need it. I’m not a huge poster, but I love that when I do have a question, whether for RnP or for my fellow ENers, I know that I’m going to get an answer, or multiple answers, that I can rely on. The knowledge of this group is incredible, and unlike most other triathlon forums, there’s no sifting through to find the one or two logical answers.

Overall, I can’t recommend EN enough. This past winter, I had the choice to either upgrade my road bike to a tri bike or join EN. After really researching EN during my trial I gambled that joining EN would improve my race more than a new tri bike. I can honestly say after finishing only half the OS, joining EN was obviously the best choice. I’ve already make huge improvements in my bike and run, and that’s even after I had to take a month off for an injury. Add that to the knowledge that I get from my fellow ENers and it’s no contest this was the smart decision. I’d highly recommend joining the haus!”

– Jennifer Burbatt

“I’m also an aspiring Iron Woman… and new EN’er (joined in December).  I’m relatively new to the world of triathlon, too – having only 1 full season (after my first sprint and OLY in 2008) under my belt.  In the 2009 season I did a few OLYs and a HIM and had a pretty good run of it – improving to above the middle of the pack – and that was just winging it while training for a fall marathon.  I am hooked and tris and knew I needed to find the right/smart way to train to improve.

I signed up for my first IM (IMFL in November) and knew I’d need a plan.  I asked a fellow DC Tri clubber and friend, who, BTW, had a fabulous season placing in 5 of her 6 races, what plan she followed for her first HIM last year (I did my first last year, but sort of winged it with a charity group, tweaking the program because I didn’t think it was spot on).  She told me about EN… I checked out the web page and bought 2 plans – the OS and the IM.  She encouraged me to join – for the info and the accountability but I resisted at first – because discipline has never been a problem for me; I knew I’d do the work on my own.

Anyway, in December the House had a membership sale and I figured what the heck… I’d had a bad bike crash in late August and lost some mojo and figured the support would do me some good – I’m not gonna pay and then not get my  money’s worth!    It was without a doubt the right decision!  I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of information on the webpage – not only the published plans and data but various forums with the EN team members weighing in on what works/doesn’t work.  I’ve also been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and encouragement…. I’ve never met any of my fellow January OS’ers (outseason training group) but I feel like they’re my close friends and workout partners.  When I’m dragging or having a bad day I log in and post a note and before I know it I’ve got 5 responses and my mojo is back… when I’m suffering through a workout I know that I need to get through it so I can post my results (to the cheers of my teammates).  There is something to be said for accountability… and in the House it’s a situation of all boats rise together… when one of my teammates has a great race or bumps up her VDot on a test it’s so motivating for the rest of us – we all share in each other’s success!

I’m really glad I signed up.  I’m still in OS now and it’s kicking my butt (and I’m loving it).  I’ll be transitioning to a HIM plan soon for a race in June, then doing general prep before the IM.  I am very glad that I have my teammates and the coaches (who have threads for Q&A) to lean on and ask questions – so many of these folks have been there and gone through it… and never make me feel silly for asking questions.  It’s been such a great experience for me!

– Becky Hirselj

“After squeaking through two 70.3s in 2009 without any coaching and then registering for IMLP 2010 I knew I would need coaching and guidance if I was going to pull off a full IM. I had been invited to an EN webinar months earlier and what Rich and Patrick said made a lot of sense. I read all I could on the EN blog and from their Free Resources as well as listening to the podcasts and I knew that I could not do an IM any other way than using the EN approach. I quickly purchased the OS plan and then became a full member shortly thereafter. The OS works, my FTP is up 27% from the start of the OS to week 14 tests. Rich and Patrick are incredibly smart about training for and racing long course triathlons, and moreover the help and camaraderie you get from the other EN members is really the icing on the cake.

EN has given me the confidence to know what I’ll be going up against on race day in addition to the tools to execute my best possible ironman.”

– Cary Blanco

“I am a first time IMer and ENer.  I found myself registered for IMLP with that ‘oh crap now what’ feeling.  I heard about EN from a friend on the team.  I figured since I had no plan to get me through this race that I would give it a try.  I got so much more than I bargained for.  For a newbie like me (a few sprints and one HIM under my belt) there is so much knowledge to glean from the members here, not to mention the coaches.  I’m not really a ‘joiner’ or ‘team’ person, but this seems to be the best combination of interaction, the forum, coaches hours are here if you want or you can just get your plan and go to work.  Serioulsy the best $ I have spent in prep for IMLP, which I plan to crush because of the support of EN!”

– Carly Costanza

“I came to Endurance Nation after Rich’s race execution strategies helped me erase years of frustration at Ironman. If you are early into IM or HIM training and racing, the race execution strategies and practical knowledge here is worth the price of admission many times over, and is probably more valuable to a triathlete with less than 5 years of experience than ANY training plan or piece of equipment you can buy.”

— Al Truscott

“I came to EN just after completing my first IM in 2007 at Lake Placid.  I had trained by myself using a plan from an old magazine and advice from Slowtwitch.  My goal was to get faster/race better as I ended up walking what felt like the entire second lap of the marathon, was registered for 2008 and wanted to do better.  I was not really motivated by any real time goal just thought that it could be done “better”.  While I certainly raced faster and “better” the folling year [took 50 minutes off the prior year and ran the whole thing] what I got from being apart of the Nation was much much more.  Although spread out across the country and the world, all of us were essentially doing the same workouts and posting about them in the forum.  It did not matter than many of us had never met, it was like being part of a real team.

It helped so much with motivation and accountability to know that there were others out there doing the same thing even though I was often up way too early running alone in the dark.  Also, made it much more fun.  When the team [or a small part of it anyway] gets together the Thursday night before an IM for the team dinner it is like meeting hanging out with old friends.  All weekend at the races, team EN and support crew are everywhere as are the Coaches.  As the Nation grows it just becomes more fun.  See you at the races…”

– Chris Gleason

“I think I first came across EN through Slowtwich.com.  I may have been reading a thread and what was being said about EN was making some sense.  I checked the website to find out that they were having a promotional free month trial with an option to join if there was room.  With nothing to loose I tried it.  Well, to be honest, EN has the most sensible, down-to-Earth explanations, reasoning, and time saving plans I’ve ever come across… there is no time wasted, everything here just gets down to business to give you the best bang for your buck so to speak with training.  It has also been a pleasure to be a part of a forum where people truly try to help, not simply make fun of you.

I’ve never seen a coaching site where 400+ athletes have unlimited access to their coaches.  Just ask a question or make a comment in the forums in regards to them and they get back to you.  Very user friendly, giving you all the resources possible to become your own best coach.  Absolutely perfect for the age group athlete with no time (I have a full-time job, with 3 children under the age of 6 and the plans are doable).  I am very happy, and comfortable here.  Thanks EN.

– Dan Forbes

“Easy to join for me, since I knew Pat already. Being a busy age grouper, though, I wanted a network to answer my questions and just tell me what I needed to know. However, I didn’t want to feel like I invested in such a personal coach that any day of training I missed for life things, I felt like I let the coach down. EN gives you personal attention without smothering you.”

– Clinton Fletcher

“I too, am a first time Ironman in training, and ENer. I came across EN on traithlete websites, or googling. I have done many sprints, a couple of Oly’s, and 2 half-Irons. (The halfs killed me on the bike, thus nothing left for the run!!) I couldn’t afford the one on one coaching with the ‘other coaches’, and liked the idea of the ‘team’ concept and open-ness of the team, via forums, access to coaches, etc. Aditionally, the podcasts, Wiki, and everything else RnP offer, were too attractive and smart to ignore! I joined in October on the free month basis, and haven’t left since! So many of the people in here, I have only met via cyberspace. However, some of the women with whom I converse in the women’s forum, feel like I’ve known them for years! It is nice to have others with whom you can share your experiences, ask (stoopid) questions, and no one laughs at your questions. There is such a wealth of knowledge everywhere, it is amazing! And Rich and Patrick are hands down, the best at what they do, in my humble opinion!

And I appreciate being able to still have a life, while training my tail off!  I cannot wait to meet them and members of the Haus, in person! I think it will feel like a reunion!

Assuming I enjoy my IMLOU in August, I intend to continue being a member of EN for a while to come.”

– Barbara Spitler

“First time ENer and IMer!  Joined EN to learn how to execute a long course race.  In all my previous HIM’s, I raced my legs off and died on the run….ALWAYS!  So, when I saw race execution on your website, I was compelled to check it out.  I joined in Oct of 09 and have learned so much from the coaches and all the other members from bike gearing to racing with power to being able to manage doeable training plans.  I love the EN philosophy of ROI= Return on Investment in everything we do from training smart, racing smart and buying gear smart!  And I need ROI because I am a mom of 5 with lots of life to live outside of triathlon.  The experience thus far has been worth every penny and so much more.  Thanks EN!”

– Kathy Nelson

“How many people get to train for their first IM, knowing they get to race with 17 other amazing ladies, and the impressive NIL (and beyond) Sleeper Cell support crew? And mention a coach in a pink speedo? I do!

Simply said, this place is amazing. I can ask any question and get intelligent, thoughtful answers from a number of perspectives. Because sometimes you need to hear Coach Rich, sometimes Patrick, and sometimes Linda and Nemo. One of my favorite things that happened here was John Stark conducting science experiments to find out how well the then new Garmen 310xt paired with a powertap because no one — not Saris, or Garmin, or any forum, had any insight on how these two things worked together.

This place is amazing at cheerleading squad, too. For being a virtual team, I saw teammates at every race I did last year — from Girls on the Run 5k to Steelhead, EN starred kits and spectator shirts were everywhere.

This place also has great book and food recommendations. And lots of cute pictures of dogs.”

“I came to EN in October.  I am training for my second IM but basically starting over as I have been out of the sport for 3 years and coming back off a broken leg. Last time I did the long slow distance training and it did work out for me sort of.  I over trained, was tired and injured myself working up to a 1/2 marathon.  So I got a long run of 6 miles for my IM in 2004.  I completed the race in 16:09:03, very long and very slow.

The EN philosophy appeared to be to build the fast then go far.  In 20 week I have build up good cycling speed and combined that with good running gains.  A couple of the best aspect for me is that as mentioned you are on a plan that many others are doing.  The out season motivation was great.  Additionally the coaches and other members are responsive to quesitons no matter what you ask.  Finally in the short time I have been here Coach Rich and Coach Patrick have updated, added and continue to evolved EN based on needs of the group.”

“Quickly, I just wanted to thank EN tonight was the first night I broke an 8 minute mile for 6 miles in about 5 years. I used to be an okay runner, then my family started to grow and running just wasn’t my thing. I missed it, so started again. As a result, I’ve had 2 knee surgeries and the last one (microfracture) was major in the sense I have no articular cartilage left. I trained for an IM last year with the LSD in everything, and guess what, the race was long and slow. I joined EN during a trial period around xmas but could’t swing it then. I kept doing their workouts that I had for a 6 week cycle and just added a little distance and pace every 4-6 weeks. I’ve only been running maybe 1.5x/week and my vdot has gone from 37? to 46. Since I tested almost 2 weeks ago, I find that I can almost hold my vdot pace for 10k, not just 5k. I feel like my time has been well spent, and it has!! I may limp a lot, but my body has figured out how to run by adopting “Work is speed entering the body”. I love that I can almost run again! Best training advice I’ve ever heard.”

– Dan

“Wanted to thank you for drastically changing my IM training racing. I bought the 12 week advanced IM plan last fall and have had a chance to see (and prove) the improvements your plan offers. By going harder (but shorter) training has become fun again. I just won my age group in IM New Orleans 70.3 (40-44) and will be doing IMSG this weekend. looking forward to hearing your pointers at the expo.”

– Scott Shaffer
Team Monkee Do

“Summary of my only two triathlons (both 70.3) and the training protocols for each.

Rhode Island 70.3 2009
traditional approach (base building, then some speed and distance)
avg 15-18 hrs./wk for 20 weeks
5:25 finish time

New Orleans 70.3 2010
EN training (16 weeks of OS; 4 weeks of HIM plan)
avg 7-9.5 hrs./wk for 20 weeks
5:01 and I think I actually had 4:45 in my legs if I had better swim and bike conditions. There is no more volume elephant in MY room!  EN rocks!!!”

“Some feedback on Ironman South Africa.  Last year I was pretty well prepared and did 12h50 in my first Ironman South Africa. This year followed your 12 week intermediate Ironman program as well as life allowed.  On the race also followed your calorie intake advice to the letter. Improved swim in difficult conditions by 7 minutes.  Total transitions (T1 and T2, following your less friction advice) 06min30 (3min50 T1, 2min35 T2).  Bike did my “should” rather than “could” split and came in at comfortable 06h00.  (10 minutes improvement on last year).  Used all your run advice and pacing and did a great 04h25 marathon with negative split on last 10km!  Ran last 8km at marathon pace!  (30 minute improvement on last year). So total time 11h49, broke the sub 12 barrier, and improved my standing in field from 47% last year to 28% this year.

I can honestly say all credit must go to Endurance Nation for your training program and Four Keys DVD.  That was the only thing that changed from last year to this.  Being a typical triathlete I already had all the gear!

It is also clear that distance is no issue with your internet based approach, here I am in South Africa and training just as well as if I am based in the States.  I suspect you are going to add a few more customers from South Africa as all my friends were amazed with my race and wanted to hear how I did it.  Now my goal will be to use your programs to improve my half Ironman times to 05h15-05h30 and then once that is achieved have a go at Ironman again.

Best regards and thanks again!”

– Pieter du Plessis

“Well, I did it. I ran 39:18 on Sunday. I didn’t do anything all that special in training. I ran 4�1 at race pace a couple times, and otherwise pretty much tried to follow the General Prep program while fitting in the various races I did. I PR’ed in the 10 miler a couple weeks ago, and did an Oly last weekend. (That was ugly, though. My run time was about 45 min. after a very slow bike.) The one special thing I did was buy racing flats for the first time.

The race went well despite everything working against me. I had massive stomach aches all of the night before and all day after the race, but it let up during the race. I did a hard 3 hour bike ride the day before, so there was absolutely no taper. I programmed by Garmin to pace me with Virtual Partner to exactly 40:00. It’s been acting up recently, though, and I’m not sure whether I misprogrammed it or if it’s totally broken, but after I hit the lap button at the one-mile mark, it said “Workout Complete!” So I did the rest of the race without it, which was great in retrospect. Although each mile marker had a clock, I didn’t have any other feedback so I ran by feel. I know that if the Garmin had kept working I would have run exactly 39:59, so I’m glad that I was able to let it out and beat my goal by a full 42 seconds. Each 5k half was actually a 5k PR as well. The best thing is I blew past my dad’s 39:39 he ran when he was my age.”

– Keith Buell @ Pikes Peak 10k in MD

"Hi Patrick & Rich, Just wanted to say that using your training plans for the first time, I was able to PR at Pumpkinman Half last weekend and sneak onto the podium for my age group(45-49). For me, the most important thing I got was the focus on execution. In my other races, I always felt that I was better than the result but this weekend couldn't have gone better from an execution point of view as I felt in control the whole way. Smooth on the swim, smart on the bike and strong on the run was my mantra. I had an goal of a 4:45 time excluding transitions and pretty much nailed it with a 29m swim, 2:32 bike(.8 IF) and 1:45 run. This is the first time I have gone under 5 hours with the prior PR being 5:28 at Mooseman in June. I followed the bike training real closely but deviated a lot from the run plan and instead concentrated on running 5 times a week minimum. This was mainly due being gun shy from having major calf problems which prevented me from racing anything other than aquabikes the last 2 years. I am going to work on using the outseason running plan for upcoming 5ks and see if I can increase the speed on the run and hope to come up with a 4:30. Hope to see another 30W gain on the bike again this year as well. Congrats on both your Ironman results."

-- Cheers, Ian

"I picked up your Four Keys DVD at a triathlon expo in Milwaukee this past spring. I watched it to prepare for my first ironman. I don't know that I could have finished as strong, had I not known to focus on going slow and steady on the hills of the IMWI bike course. I was able to pass about 500 people on the run and I have you to thank!! I seriously ran past men walking and talking about their fast bike splits, just like you described in the DVD! In one season, I went from a being a sprinter to an ironman finisher(12:50). Thank you so much!!!

-- Sara Hess Kohler, WI

"Patrick and Rich I just want to say THANK YOU! I had a great race on Sunday in Lake Placid. I beat my Arizona time (last 11/10) by one and a half hours! I know all IM are hard but I know that this was a more difficult course as well. Yes, work works even though it sucks a lot of the time! I loved wearing my EN shirt and getting so much support from the other EN athletes and the crowd. Near the end I kept hearing "finish strong make Patrick proud!" I also believe that the training weekend was key to the success. Riding the course several times and running and swimming the course was so important. All the tips you gave really really worked. I can't believe I stayed aero for so long. So anyway you have a great program and I am so happy to have been part of it!"

-- Karin Wollschlaeger

"Hi again! Hope you don't mind a 70.3 quick recap. 3 weeks after CDA, I competed in the ChelanMan Half-Iron, in Chelan, WA Swam 33, Biked 3:19 (4,000ft of climbing), Ran 1:43. Swim was great, got a great start, then some a-hole tried to kill me twice. Sucker damn near tried to swim through me. But, got rid of him and all was well. Ended up swimming #26 out of almost 200 entrants. Last year swam 35 and change. Bike, discouraging to say the least. Over 10 minutes slower than last year. Really don't know why. My only thought is that I did train a bit slower, if that's the word on because of the long rides for CDA. I did a 70.3, 3 weeks prior last year and my longest bike till then was only 2:30. But..it is what it is. Just stunk it up. Run...almost 5 minutes faster than last year. I used the same approach that your 70.3 slide show discussed. 3-7-3. I had 4 people FLY by me as I paced myself at 8:25, 8:15, 8:08, then I said it was time to run. Average 7:50 for the whole run and passed 22 people along the way...9 after half-way. Miles 6-10 were all sub 7:30 and miles 10-13 were all sub 7:45. Mile 11 actually 7:14. Ran the 21st fastest time. Nutrition was not an issue at all, went really well. Just wanted to say thanks again and I look forward to keeping in touch! Great job at IM Lake Placid by the way!! Sub 10!! Holy Cow!!!"

-- Eric Hisaw

"I just wanted to say thanks for the help with my Ironman CDA training this year. Although I wasn't as fast as I'd hoped, I did have an hour and 40min PR from 2008. I have emailed a few times about questions with my achilles and lack of time to train, but considering what I did have, and the fact that I set an extremely lofty goal that ended up being unrealistic I finished in 12:47. I am the Head Track and Field Coach and the Head Football Coach, while teaching in Walla Walla, Washington. I have a 9 and 6 year old playing baseball and basketball and an unreal wife!!! So, my training is somewhat limited as track ends on May 29th and spring football starts June 2nd for us. A 12 week plan is never perfect when Track starts 12 weeks prior to an Ironman...Oh well!! I swam 1:12, and it was a dream swim. I started out on the far left side by the bouys and about 4 rows of people from the water. Absolutely even split it! I thought I'd swim 1:15-1:20 and not have to even push myself, but I came through in 35 and change, and then just stayed consistent, counted strokes, and came through almost identical and felt unreal. I only swam twice a week during the entire plan, but I did stack the Mon/Tue plans a bit, and then got the other swim in for sure. My longest swim was 50 min, twice, but it was right about 3000m and because our reservoir is always below 57 degrees, I decided to go no longer than when my fingers were numb enough to not feel them and then got out. The bike was a bit disappointing, but only because I thought I was just plain faster than I was. I was hoping to bike close to 6hrs flat, but came through the first lap in 3:10-3:12...I felt I left a lot out there to negative split it, but I ended up finishing in 6:25. So, again, a pretty even split...I do believe I left time on the course, especially on the first lap. I felt really pretty good during the whole bike split. I am just not a great biker and that's frustrating. I'm actually beginning to believe it may have something to do with my road bike and not me. Although, I do know that more time training would solve problems too. But anyway...I watched the world go by me in the first 20 miles and stand on the hills, and I stayed patient, sat down, free spun up and tried to keep my watts as close to 200-220 or under on the hills for as long as possible. I did end up passing people at the end, as slow as I was, but...just wish I was faster. On the run, I thought I'd be able to be around 4:00 and so tried to pace myself to be just over 2hrs on the first half and damn if I wasnt' on the money, at just over 2hrs at the turn-around...like 2:08 I think? But....cramps, massive attacked my legs at mile twelve and that was basically it. Really, really frustrating as I felt really good up to then. I know now I ran the first 8 too fast, although I tried like hell to stay between 8:45 and 9flat. So...I ended up wallowing in self pitty for about 2.5 miles and walking/jogging around 14min miles, then a lady passed me walking and I thought to myself, hell, I can walk with her. So I did and found myself walking 13:30 paced miles until my legs loosened up and then ran for as long as I could until I'd cramp again for the last 12 miles. Sometimes it was literally 12 seconds, other times close to 2 mins. I pushed fluids, electrolytes, endurolytes, etc, to try to keep cramps away, but man, nothing worked. Hamstring, then calf, then hip flexor, groin, hamstring...and just cycled for ever. I told myself that I was going to break 13 hours with 10miles to go and was really proud of the execution from that point on. After doing the math in my head, and MAKING myself walk fast!! My last 6 miles averaged 11min miles!!! Not that that is world class, but for cramping and "slogging" I was really proud of that effort. I'm coming back next year, as the race day for CDA is on June 24......My 40th birthday! I'm going to "over the hill" and kick an Ironman in the mouth on the same day!! Thanks again for everything and I look forward to following you in the future!!!"

-- Eric Hisaw

"Patrick, Just wanted to let you know about our Eagleman results. Under the same conditions as last year (hot and non wetsuit swim) I had a 21 min. P.R. and Carol had an 18 min. P.R. Needless to say we are both very happy. Started the outseason Nov. 1st then into the 1/2 ironman plan. Great stuff!! Now a little break then onto the Ironman plan for Florida (1st one). Hope all is well."

-- Turby Wright and Carol Defazio

"I must add my plaudits to the off season program: my 5k pace went from 8.25 to 7.43 mins per mile and my bike wattage increased 10 Watts per month. I start training for Ironman Texas next week, so the 20 week program is perfect!"

-- Peter Foster

"The $100 I spend now is producing a much greater ROI than that invested with a National team coach for the last few years."

-- Christopher Rabbat

"I just wanted to let you know that I bought the outseason plan to maintain my fitness over the winter. I didn't realize how challenging it was going to be, but after only 8 weeks on the plan, I have taken a minute off my 5k run time! I will definitely be interested in the 70.3 plan for next season and the IM plan for when I do Ironman Canada in 2012! Thanks so much! Melinda It's been said many times, but the advantages of being inside include:

- A huge base of experience...to the point that it's statistically relevant. You're pretty fast - not so different than me actually - and I'm in a similar situation (though my kids are a little older...I'm 46). You and I benefit from there being a lot of people in our situation and a lot of people that have tried a lot of things...and REAL DATA that back up the answers that you will get here.
- Your local coach could be great. Don't get me wrong... but what you are getting here is not the same. It's not really 1-1 coaching. It's more like self coaching with a huge knowledge base to draw from and plans that have evolved over the years.
- If you bite on getting involved in the forums etc, than you get that same "club support" sort of thing (rah, rah sense...I've already addressed the knowledge issue) as long as you'e ok with it being n online thing.
-There are people here who are older than you and faster...people who have been in your place and gotten better.... people who will never be as fast as you, but know a hell of a lot... and a lot of people just learning together, too.
- Finally (at least on my list), you're getting a method that works and is pretty darn time efficient. Again, maybe your local coach is That Good, but my guess is that s/he just doesn't have the same experience under his/her belt as the plans and people here.
- If you're "inside", you'll find the coaches are able to help you manipulate your plan(s) in a way that's efficient as most 1-1 coaches could do... I assume you know about both the "macro" and "micro" threads.
- In addition to your club mates who may be doing your long course races, you'll have teammates from EN, and a big presence at AZ for sure.

Several things which haven't been mentioned, which I highly value in EN:

- The customer service is over the top. Rich and Patrick not only continually updarte their training plans, but also are always accessible to an unbelieveable degree online for questions, feedback. They follow the precept - delight the cutsomer by providing what's needed, BEFORE we know we need it.
- NO ONE knows how to execute a long course triathlon like the EN team. Knowing HOW to execute on race day is possibly MORE IMPORTANT than how fit you are, and no one teaches and demonstrates this better than the coaches and the athletes here - it's why I joined.
- We value smart, interactive people on our team. If you like to both learn and teach through talking with fellow athletes, you'll find a home here. Yes, I had one on one coaching before from an athlete/coach who has set 4 separate age group World Records at Kona. Tough credentials to top. He was a damn fine coach too. But I'm getting better value here and a much deeper focus on execution. I also feel part of a team and have access to far more resources. I was self coached x2 years before coming to EN. It was alright, I logged a lot of 2 hr zone 2 rides all through the weekends. Sure I got relatively faster. A few things stuck out that made me love EN. There is no real secrets here. Guys and gals are pretty open to what their goals are and they give you an objective number (ftp/vDdot). You know pretty much what it takes. Second, I learned absolutely nothing when I was 1:1 coached, nothing about race execution. If you engage yourself, read the wiki, blog posts, the forums, interact in the groups, you will be a smarter triathlete period. You will know how to train (efficiently) and how to race like a vet I expect to see a higher level of improvement from the EN plans because they are tougher and smarter than anything I got from the local coach. His base of experience just could not compare to that of RnP. I considered other lower cost online coaching resources, but the reason I joined EN is that it is not buying into a black box. You can look at sample weeks, and listen to pod casts of their philosophy and know what to expect in their training plans. With other services, there was not a comparable transparency, so I would have had to make a leap of faith. I'd rather know what I'm going to get.

Here's my own perspective on EN:

- The ROI focus here is huge for me. I am able to balance work/life/training and get the most bang for my buck at any point in the season. This is a concept that not many out there have quite gotten yet (although some are finally starting to come along). Anyway as folks above have said, even just buying the EN plans will go a long way in helping you on that front.
- Having a community of knowledgeable folks who are all playing off the same sheet of music to turn to for help is priceless. Your own Tri-Club will certainly give you some of the "rah rah" stuff and may also be there for motivation during weekly training sets. But when you have a question about how to adjust your training due to issue X or Y, the feedback you get from those folks (or folks on any open tri forum) is going to be coming from lots of different points of view. It's really helpful to be able to ask a question related to a training plan (EN or otherwise) and get a response that is consistent with the philosophy that plan was built upon. All other input is really just, well, ignorant.
- I can't say enough about the motivational benefits of training "with" other ENers. Accountability is one piece, but the other is that "we're all in this together" feeling. So when the 2x20 feels like it's gonna kick your ass, you know there are XX other ENers doing the same freakin workout that morning and somehow that helps you get through!
- The race day execution guidance (and support from this tTeam) is HUGE! Especially for a first timer. You'll be racing your first Ironman as if you already had a few under your belt. While lots of this guidance is out there in the DVD's and on the EN Blog, I can't stress enough how much more prepared ENers who are active in the forum and really absorb the EN Koolaid and then plan their races (getting lots of feedback from the team along the way) than any other first timer out there.
- Finally, as you've seen, we are all about bringing folks into the EN Team who "get" us and want to be here. Deciding this isn't for you and canceling a membership is a no hassle proposition. I'd encourage you to consider signing up and joining us in the January OS group. Just a few weeks of participating actively in the Jan OS should give you a really clear idea if this place is the right solution for you."

"I've purchased both the 20 week Out Season programme and the 12 week Advanced Ironman Programme in 2010. I live in Western Australia and completed my first Ironman on the weekend at Ironman WA Busselton. I finished in an awesome time of 10:43:21 and I followed your programme and advice to perfection. Thank you so much for making my experience so rewarding."

-- Jeff Grbelja

"Hi Rich and Patrick, I wanted to thank you and the other EN folks on the run course. I was the guy with the tapped-up dislocated shoulder and busted up hip. Nobody plans on crashing on the bike, in fact, I haven't crashed in 10 years ... go figure it happened twice in one day (the wall of dust and wet cross walk paint). Well, I executed the plan as best I could. It was far from my planned 11:30 finish but I did get the "Finisher" t-shirt and amazingly I passed literally dozens of people at mile 18. Thanks for the great plan, I really enjoyed it!"

-- Michael Kichler

"I can speak for the Endurance Nation Outseason Plan as I am in week 9 of 20 and so far, it is working. I have never been challenged more with workouts than I am now with EN. The best part of all is that I still have a life after training. Their program is geared toward real world working class people who also have a family. I am 7 weeks into my first EN OS plan and all I can say is it's the hardest training I have ever done in 4 years of long course triathlon training. I was writing checks for a modest $125/month to a coach for 2.5 years and never felt as challenged (or fit) as I have with the EN OS plan. I went to AZ Hawaiian style, Alonna, as I am in the middle of divorce and kids are young. Team EN was GREAT!!! At drinks after the race, Rich asked me if I had any family with me, I replied that “team EN is my family” and I really felt that way with new friendships made. You guys run a class act and that all flows from both of your MoJo!!! Looking forward to more good training and good times with Team EN!"

-- Scott Dinhofer

"I have gone the coach route twice. Paid anywhere from $125 to $175 per month. Just didn't work for me. I joined Team Endurance Nation and I am training more efficiently in less time and faster than I ever was with a coach and I am still getting faster. So far, the best $99 per month I have spent on training."

"Patrick & Rich: I thought that I would drop you a quick line because I “officially” became a believer at the Florida IM. In Louisville 09 I did not know anything about race execution and did everything wrong but survived (barely). This year I followed the race execution strategy to the “T”. From counting strokes during the swim, to staying in the box for the ride (including JRA for the first 30 miles), to making the race about mile 18. My time was 48 minutes faster and it was FUN. I recovered quickly and can’t wait to do another. WOW. I have attached my own race report. Enjoy."

-- Larry Friedman, Moorestown, NJ

"I'm SO HIGH right now!!! Saturday Week 6 of Oct OS... slept in and started at 5:45AM... 2x12' (4') [hit 106%, 105%], then 2x15' (2') [hit 85%, 85%] Then went outside and did 13 min just under Z2 and 12 min just under Z3! Just 3-4 months ago I had to work really hard to run 8 min miles... Now after crushing myself on my bike for 75 minutes this felt like a nice relaxing stroll in the park! I used to hate running and today it was quite relaxing! Wow! When I got home, my 4yr old was watching cartoons and my wife had just gotten up. I couldn't quite explain why I was smiling from ear-to-ear! This is Awesome! I hope the rest of you feel the same. Thanks EN!"

-- John Withrow

"Just did my second retest of my FTP yesterday. So I coming out of the VO2 max focus. Another 6% increase. That means since I started the OS program I've seen a 17% increase!!! I am stoked and motivated to keep on going with the training. Thanks again for the workouts and all the support you guys give!"

-- Elliot Cunningham

"Rich, I am writing to thank you for your programs which I have now used for a year. I began training for the Longhorn 70.3 with the OS program last October and saw significant gains in my functional threshold and VDOT by Spring. I then purchased a 70.3 plan and used that until I developed arm and shoulder problems that turned out to be a blood clot. After having the clot removed in the cardiac cat lab, doctor put me on blood thinners, demanded that I not exercise, and later took out my first rib to prevent a recurrence. So maybe I wasn't able to follow your plan to the letter, but I got back to training in August and essentially modified what you gave me into a crash 11 week plan. I was only able to do six weeks six weeks of swimming, literally starting from scratch. Your plans and materials gave me everything that I needed to train and then execute the race. I finished well ahead of my expected times in the swim and bike and then right on my run target on a very hilly course, finishing in 5:42. I thought 6:30 was possible, but not sub 6 hours after everything that happened this summer. Thanks for your product and your guidance. I can't wait to see what I can do next year!"

-- Philip

"Just letting you know how much 4 keys helped me successfully get through Kona last week. Was lotto slot winner with only short courses under my belt. Was too late at the time to join EN for training plan, but used 4 keys approach, videos, blogs, anecdotal, etc... Incorporated keys as basis for entire race execution...finished faster, stronger than ever thought possible given tri background. Great Info, great help!!"

-- Chip Truluck

"I know that this may be a little long of a post but as a new member since just this September I thought it appropriate to throw out a few props about PnR and En and the team members. First, the new My Training Plan page is awesome. If you haven't been there, Go. And I cannot believe that anyone is really gonna nat to go back to the classic version. Who wants to go from Mac OS X back to Mac Classic 9 rally anyway? Next, I want to say that I am really tired and sore from the OS plan that I am doing, and I love it. Now I admit that because of my Type A personality ( I am a triathlete don't forget) that I have added a bit to the plan ( I know, just don't yell too loudly at me) but I love the philosophy and the plan of EN. For the first time since I was skiing in college, I feel like I have a "coach" that can help me get better. I have been doing marathons tris for years but all on my own. I have tried different plans and programs and coaches over the years but I never really seemed to improve much. In just 30 days of EN I ran my fastest 5k time ever by over 3 minutes. I feel stronger already. I have no doubt that I will be able to go sub 5 hours for my HIM's this next summer with the guidance of this plan/philosophy/team. I love the feedback and the comments that I get that help me. While I am not the fastest or strongest 44 year old out there, who cares. this is a hobby for fun, and it is all about personal growth and competition against myself to make me better for me. I am confident that this plan works, alt least it sure seems so. Of course, I am a little stressed by the drastic reduction in endurance volume at this point. I do feel that I have lost my ability to go long, especially on the bike, but I am convinced it will come back. I will trust the plan. So, for any trial members out there that are still deciding what to do, stop waffling and JOIN the team. And for those out there that some times wonder if the plan is still working, it is. Keep going. Push yourself."

– Michael Cohen

"I got of the couch with 215lbs in summer of 2007 and self coached to HIM PR at the 2009 LC Nationals 4:39, 6th in AG M35-39. I also had 4:47, 4:44, 4:45......Plateau baby, big time. I have read and have every tri book under the sky and I don't ridicule any coach, not even Joe Friel. JF's approach took me to where I got, but I simply did not know how to go further. I knew what the limiters were, just did not know how much was enough. Than as I hit the plateau last Spring, and I mean bad plateau even overtraining deep, training 19hr weeks and getting worse every day, every week, I realized I had no objectivity with myself and that is where I read a bunch of EN stuff, made a lot of sense to me. Yes, you can get those training plans anywhere, but when it comes to adjusting them, bouncing ideas, asking serious training questions, being almost held accountable for completion by your team members, Endurance Nation proved invaluable to me. On September 19, 2010, 70.3 Branson EN helped me achieve my best, 5:05:16, 4th in M35-39, 39th overall, running athletes down in some pretty oppressive heat. I have to tell you, some of the EN long runs that took place this summer in brutal heat and humidity brought me almost to tears. But in the end it payed off. I did not used to be able to run over a distance like that, let alone running anything down in heat. That style of high intensity training made me mentally tougher so much more. I think yet, the biggest benefit is the time investment/management with EN, suits my life perfectly. These are all the reasons, why someone should consider EN Team, not just a plan. You are correct about Matt's book, I have it. It is great, has excellent plans that will lead to success, no doubt, but again, I made a full circle back to this. I think, there is only one thing I would consider over EN, one on one coaching or a small, competitive, coached group of athletes. I do not have that near me, nor I have the money for it, nor I can match the schedule of 5 other people in life. So, here I am, another happy member of EN team since May 2010. I think you are giving a good advice, exploring options is very important, knowing what you want.... I think EN just cuts it wright down to the point, saving time, money and effort.(well lying on effort, those FTP workouts and long runs are eyeball popping)."

-- Aleksandar Tasic

"Hi Rich and Patrick, I just wanted to say thanks for the program this year. I picked up the Outseason plan and then followed it right up with your Intermediate 12 week Half Ironman Training plan. I managed to shave 12+ minutes from my Half Ironman race on the same course as last year under nearly the same conditions and even grabbed an age group qualifying spot for Clearwater. Thanks. Your program really works! I'm putting it to use again this winter and might even pick up the advanced program for my next Half Ironman training plan. Ed Hawkins I am one of those guys who followed your posts all year and greatly benefited from a few key pieces of advice. Particularly the philosophy of Race Day Execution, which I used at Ironman Canada last weekend. Did the race in 1988 at 24, then stopped doing triathlons to have a family, work, etc. So IMC 2010 was my first triathlon in 22 years. I set the goal of beating my previous time with a body that was probably not as fit as I was, but I knew I had to be smarter to race well. What worked for me was the advice to "just run/ride along" until mile 18. I rode my "should" split on the bike (5:45), but then I passed 150 people on the run, going 1:53 out/1:55 home, and finishing in 10:49, which was 5 minutes faster than I did as a fit twenty something. Smarter, not harder, got it done race day. Thanks for the great advice guys."

-- Ron Sherman

"It's all the good work of EN. Here's the olympic progression with you guys: 2:54 last year, 2:40 early this season, 2:28 mid season, and now 2:23. Workworks!"

-- Greg Van

"I just finished Ironman Louisville, my first IM, in the 16th hour, reverse slam-dunking the finish gate at the end! One of the top-10 greatest days of my life! I am NOT YET a member of EN but plan to seek acceptance soon. IM distance races are sure to occur in the remainder of my life and I believe your guidance will be a strong key to my success. An Ironman friend of mine lent me your four-key DVD, and I watched it, listened to it, and trained to it dozens of times. This DVD along...and my wonderful supportive family of 5, provided me a relatively comfortable, smiling, fun, "cutting-up" race from swim start to 16:02:41. Why do I say all that? Not that you need it, for you are the experts, your principles are so rock-solid and guaranteed me success, for I was able to follow them the whole way. The line, much to my surprise, did not show up until mile 17.3! I had that one thing, stayed in the box, executed my race differently from everyone else, and obviously set up conditions for a GREAT (for me - slow and steady and little walking) run. I honestly expected with my fitness, even following the plan perfectly, would get me to "the line" at about mile 6 of the run. Not that day! It was great seeing you on the course Patrick... Thanks so much for your brains, wisdom and motivation. I will be seeking membership in preparation for my next 140.6 event, Arizona 2011. Your plans will likely suit a 43 year-old, Quality Assurance Manager, Assistant Scout Master, husband and father of 4."

-- Mark

"Official results have me in at 28:05. 3/5 for my age group and 13/41 overall. I am now the proud owner of my first age group hardware! This result is even more surprising when considering my swim training. For 3 weeks, I have been on Endurance Nation outseason training. Our training is unique that there is NO swimming in the out season. Crazy you say, but….well there you go. Instead of plowing lap after lap in the pool all winter, I work completely on technique once or twice a week, for about 2000 yards. Using the nation’s training plan, I have gone from zero swimming ability (literally zero) to now in 2 years. Hows that for some Endurance Nation proof. Endurance Nation: It Completes Me."

-- Greg V.