"What attracted me to Lisa was her positive attitude, her ability to train winners, her willingness to train back-of-the-packers, her knowledge of heat training, and finally, her having run and trained others for Western States."
My Personal Quest
Lisa did a fantastic job of assisting me in my personal quest, the completion the 2006 Western States (WS) 100 Mile Endurance Run. The odds were not good. I was a 51 year old rookie running my first 100 miler, and it was WS to boot! (18,000 elev. gain, 22,000 elev. loss) My two road 50-milers and one hilly 50K were all the ultra experience I had before enlisting Lisa’s help. But I was successful. While only 53% of the entrants finished this year due to course changes, snow, and high temperatures, I completed the run in 26:50 and could’ve kept going (but was glad I didn’t have to!).
Lisa Helped Me Get Ready - FAST!
It came to me a little over four months prior to the race that while I was training well and had upped my base mileage significantly, I didn’t know how to finish off the training. I had four main questions that I didn’t feel comfortable answering:
1) What should my pace be in terms of heart rate?
2) Was 24 hrs.possible or should I be aiming for 28 hrs.?
3) What “races” should I run prior to WS and at what intensity?
4) What should be the main thrust of my training in the last four months? Long runs or speed work?
WS is hard to get into (there’s a lottery) and I wanted to make the most of this opportunity. I felt that I would have a much better chance of success with professional help.
Lisa is a Coach I Trust
Lisa was a great fit for me and came through 100%. She answered my questions - and there were a lot more than my Big Four! She gave me varied running workouts that incorporated different run/walk strategies (a key to my WS success), she introduced me to spin classes and yoga (neither of which I had ever done before), and revamped my fueling schedule and products.
Having a coach that I trusted did two specific things for me. I could just concentrate on doing the workouts – this was much easier than making them and then second guessing them. Also, I felt accountable (you can tell that Lisa cares) to do them right, and this helped me to not skip them or just go through the motions.
Lisa Helped Me Get to the Race Start with Confidence
The bottom line was that when I started my run at 5am in Squaw Valley, I felt great. My questions were answered; I had a game plan, and I had done an incredible amount of training while remaining injury free. I knew I was prepared to fulfill my crazy dream of running 100 miles, and a lot of the credit for this confidence is due to Lisa. I’m forever grateful. |