Meet the Team

When I started this journey I had little knowledge of how I was going to get this body back into shape, or how long to expect it to take. I knew behind every great professional athlete there is a team of people to assist with all the different aspects of training. While I know there is no chance of becoming a professional, I also knew I needed a support team that had the knowledge. Mix that knowledge of the support team with my determination and I would achieve my goals. Here is a quick look at who are the members of my support team and why they are with me. I really believe this is a team of the highest quality that any professional athlete would love to have and I am lucky to have each and every one to lean on when support or guidance is needed.

Danielle B.

The very first member of the team, and my physical therapist for my shoulder rehab. Doing the exercises during my therapy sessions is what started the want to work out again. She gave me the idea to use the couch to 5k app and helped along the way with all the aches and pains this fat man felt when getting started. She was also the one who started me with the diet information, things like which protein bars are good and taste good. I know Danielle could train with me if she wanted too, she is in awesome shape. Still working on her to start training with me and she is still there if I have any issues along the way with my training.

Shannon Tipton

Once I was fully released from physical therapy I joined the gym so I could still fully rehab the shoulder using the program Danielle designed for me and at this point I needed a treadmill due to the beating my legs were taking on the pavement. While there I kept hearing the bootcamp class was intense and if you want to train to race there was only one trainer to have, but you better bring your "A" game because Shannon don't play. Took a couple of weeks but I finally managed the intestinal fortitude to hit a bootcamp class. Struggled from the first warm up run through out the entire hour of class, but walked out knowing I would be back next week. I enjoyed how Shannon would take you to out of your comfort zone and had no issues telling you to suck it up along the way. If you want a calm, soft-spoken trainer than she is not for you, but if you want someone who sees your potential and will do what is necessary to push you then Shannon is a perfect fit. Next step was working out individually with Shannon and I have not looked back since. She has kept me to a lean, high protein, clean eating diet by using my food log to verify along the way. Bi-weekly weigh ins and has taken the time to set me up with more weight circuits than I care to count. She is also the one to help me realize that I can do this triathlon thing. Not sure were I will end up in my journey but I know she will be there every step of the way.

Hampton Roads Tri-Group

Shannon invited me to this Facebook page so I could meet some of the other local athletes. Maybe they would have a different perspective or ways to train, and it would be beneficial to have some friends who were like-minded with what their goals are. I went to a gathering at East Coast Bicycles that was put together by Mozilla and hosted by Mike Shipp. There I got to meet a wide array of people who were all veterans of training, some actively training for their first full Ironman. Loved hearing the stories and Mozilla took the time to hook me up with Mike afterwards so we could start talking bikes, as I didn't have one at this time. Mike took awesome care of me by giving me one heck of a deal on a bike that was better than what I wanted to start with and everything I would need to start training without totally breaking the bank. Mozilla was also the one to take me on my first ride, showing me some of the signals, flaws in my form, and pushing me farther than I have gone on my own.

Fat Frogs Tri-Group

On a long run I met Peggy who told me she coached a tri-team at Fat Frogs. I liked her demeanor and positive attitude, but was not sure if a team was right for me till I got the chance to talk to Shannon. Turns out they were acquaintances and Shannon was all about me joining a team. So I went to the Chesapeake Fat Frogs location and talked to Walt, who is the other coach for this team, gathered the paperwork and investigated the team. While I was at the bike shop I noticed the scheduled group rides through the week. Decided that could be fun, and I couldn't have been more right. Technically I have not joined this team, yet. I have to get some things in order in my personal life but this will be happening in the next couple of weeks. I am thinking the team atmosphere will be awesome for motivating and educating me. Add the fact that Peggy and Walt are both dedicated veterans of the sport and I can't find a reason why this will be a bad choice.

Family and Friends

Anyone who has trained for an event knows there are highs and lows, good days and bad. Even before this blog I have gone out of my way to post every workout I have done on my Facebook account. I did this for several reasons, one being that I was hoping that if I kept this public then I would have to continue or be embarrassed when I quit. Embarrassment can be quite a motivator! Another reason was so that I could get motivation and advice when I needed it. Motivational posts from people I have not talked to since highschool (15+ years) to people I see on a daily basis, have kept me going through a lot of the darkest of training days. The last reason to make this so public was actually Shannon's idea. As you have read about this great team you can see how lucky I am to have these people to educate, motivate, and show me the right way to go. It is important for me to pay this forward, if seeing or reading about my journey gets one person off the couch and at least attempt to start the journey for themselves than this was all worth it to me.