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ERIC DYNER - Upgrading
his bike technology and fit! "I was about to upgrade my aluminum Cervelo road bike to a carbon fiber (size 58) when a friend of mine made a sheepish comment saying that he thought that the existing frame was too small for me. After doing a lot of research on the net and reviewing my print-outs from bikefit.com (for a TT set-up), I concluded that I was more lost than when I started. I needed someone who could provide me with simple advice – what size and what is the optimal set-up (for both Tri and Road bike). I hired Steve to guide me through these questions. By sending him many pictures and asking/responding to many questions I felt very comfortable when I placed an order for a 61cm Cervelo R3 (ie. no doubts that the 58cm was too small!). However, what I most liked about working with Steve was two areas:
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CHRISTEEN HODGE - Qualified
for Team USA at her first OD Nationals! "After completing the first triathlon of the season in April I wanted to see how good I could be. I have a swimming background so that part was easy, but I knew nothing about biking. I decided to hire a coach to help me improve my training. After doing lots of research of coaches online, I decided to contact Coach Steve not only because of his experience with biking and triathlons, but also because he was affordable and his schedules were personalized. This season he has helped me buy a new tri bike and fit me to it through pictures online. He helped me with race day nutrition, cycling and run technique, and quicker transitions. The workouts were planned around my crazy work schedule. He taught me to become more consistent with my training. As the season progressed so did the intensity to help me prepare for Nationals—including time trials on the bike which was new to me. He answered all my emails with questions about training and racing quickly, and always returned by phone calls within 24 hours. My goal for the season was to make Team USA for OD Worlds and Age Group Nationals was only my second OD event, but I felt prepared. I made the pass down list and was offered a spot on Team USA. I’m very excited to go to Budapest, Hungary! It’s only been 3 months since I started working with Coach Steve, I’ve improved a lot, and since this is only my second season I know I can go faster. I’m excited to work with Coach Steve through the off-season to improve my cycling and running, and into next season. I still have lots to learn and I’m looking forward to learning from Coach Steve." |
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MICHAEL VAN SKAIK - Just
finished his first IronMan at Coeur d'Alene! "Coach Steve's wisdom and training schedules have helped me improve in each of the 3 disciplines. In each subsequent race this season I've moved up the results page! I just finished my first 1/2 IronMan and his nutrition advice in particular was spot on for the longer race. I'm very much looking forward to my second season with him guiding my progress for my first full IronMan at Coeur de Alene. I feel like with Coach Steve I'm in very good hands to reach my triathlon goals." |
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LOUKIA LOUKOPOULOS - Won
AG at European Duathlon Championship! "I was very skeptical about an 'ecoach' on the other side of the globe, yet I was in dire need for a fresh approach having tried a number of coaching options both here in Greece and in the US. Motivation has never been a problem, but moderate success in recent races left me with the feeling that I needed to shift gears and take my training a notch higher. One telephone call was all it took. Coach Steve endured a flood of questions without flinching—and to my surprise—answered them all with patience and a sense of humor. Now I'm on the podium at my target races and not burnt out. Coach Steve’s approach is simple—a balanced and challenging schedule structured around quality and variety rather than volume. But even better, the entire schedule is flexible and adaptable to changing abilities and needs. Coach Steve actually listens! I've tortured him with daily emails; changes to my work and travel schedule; complaints about the challenges of riding my bike in Athens, even the occasional injury. In response he suggested alternatives and offered advice about technical, medical, and psychological issues in a helpful yet not artificially supportive manner. He even fit me to my bike based on photos. Coach Steve is an unending resource of information and has an awesome ability to transmit it. The rest is...well, all up to you!" |
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DAVID SIMS - Just
got back from Kona with a PR! "I've been working with Coach Steve for 18 months now and the results have been fantastic. I'm an Aussie living in Tokyo so almost all of our communication has been via email, yet no worries at all. I've been racing at various distances from Olympic to IronMan and I've managed to stay equally competitive at all with Steve's tuning of the schedule. Working with Steve has allowed me to fit in a solid, efficient, tailored training program into a long work week and to shave 40-minutes off my Ironman time in between Ironman Japan in July 2007 and Kona in Oct 2008 on a significantly tougher course. All questions I've had have been answered quickly and his tips on nutrition in particular have been invaluable for my ironman training and race days." Note that David's race at Kona raised $3000 for 20-year old Nina Deane who suddenly contracted HLH [hemophagocytic lympohistiocytosis] while training for a career as a nurse at Narita Japan. Well done David — racing for a cause! |
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KATIE JOHNSON - Back
on the podium after time off! "I have been racing triathlons since 1986, always self-coached until now. After surviving a life threatening health issue in 2006, I decided I wanted to get serious again about my chosen sport. After a lot of research I decided to train under the guidance of Steve Pyle. I travel extensively, and as a masters' athlete with Steve’s coaching and infinite patience, I was able to return to the podium in 4 out of my 6 races in 2008. I finished-off the season by setting a 50-minute personal best at Ironman Arizona!!! I will train with Steve in 2009 and continue to appreciate his professional manner, quick feedback and dry wit." |
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SEAN THOMPSON - First
time Olympic Distance World Championship finisher!
"It's been exactly one year since I started with Steve as my coach. I had been away from triathlons with recurring injuries for six years. Every time I re-started running, nagging injuries would return. I had a friend coached by Steve and was amazed at the low mileage she was running and still getting results. Then I met Steve at Olympic Distance Nationals, and we decided that if I could actually train for the run I might be able to race the following year's Nationals, maybe even make Team USA to the World Championships. Early on I had some hamstring issues, but the right 'prescription' from Steve got me back on track. This season I raced two duathlons placing first and second, and eight triathlons, winning my age group in four. Without a doubt if I self-coached I'd be DNS for many races this season. I qualified for OD Nationals and made the World Championship Team! In Hamburg I was quite proud to finish mid-pack considering the caliber of athletes competing. This past weekend I challenged myself with a 15k. I had never raced that distance, and at this point last year had no idea I would be able to run more than ten miles a week, much less compete at that distance. I was second overall, first master, and negative split the race. More than Nationals or Worlds, that race points to my success under Steve's coaching practices and philosophies." |
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BEN WOODARD - Finished
Wildflower, his first 1/2 IronMan! "In my rookie year doing anything even remotely competitive, Steve's been there done that experience and up-to-date but traditionally grounded coaching philosophy kept me on track for my goals and guided me away from the many 'new revolutionary training technique' fads that I would have been apt to fall into. He took what seemed to me to be a practically impossible pipe dream of mine and laid out the training path to achieve it so clearly that the event actually seemed rather anticlimactic. As an online coach, Steve also provided a good value. In comparison to other online coaches, he provided a level of direct interaction and personal customization I only found in other services costing twice as much." |
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CAROL WILKE - Eleventh
place at her first Olympic Distance World Championship!
"I started working with Coach Steve in March 2007 for my upcoming second season of triathlon, and I couldn’t be happier. One of the most valuable benefits of working with Steve is the combination of his extensive knowledge of all three sports in triathlon and his many years of experience as an athlete. He is a wealth of information on everything ranging from race strategy to injury advice. He recently gave me a tip on my swim stroke when I told him my shoulder and elbow were hurting. He was exactly right, and my stroke is now stronger and pain-free. My main goal for the 2007 season was to compete in OD Nationals and make Team USA for the World Championships in Hamburg. I couldn’t have been more pleased with my results. I made Team USA, and in Hamburg finished 11th in my age group overall, 3rd of the U.S. women in my age group. Other highlights of the season included overall wins at several regional events. My primary reason for deciding to hire a coach was to take the guesswork out of training. I was looking for someone who would design a training program specific to me and my race goals/distance plans. Steve’s workout plans are client-specific; it’s not a pre-packaged program where only the name of the client is changed. The workouts are easy to understand, and you can look at the whole month to see how the training will progress/change with upcoming races etc. Steve makes the workouts easy to follow. Moreover, something that was very important to me was the fact that Steve is very careful about not overtraining. Through years of experience, he knows what it takes from a training perspective for specific distances, which eliminates the tendency of triathletes to overtrain. I am excited to train for another season with Coach Steve." |
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CHUCK GRAF - Won
his age group at every event! "I have been a triathlete since 1998, and up until this past season had always been self-coached. I had reasonably good results over the years, but in the last few seasons had seen my performances plateau. I decided to look into online coaching, and was attracted to Coach Steve initially by the wealth of resources on his website, and by his promise of a personalized training program and unlimited phone and email contact. Before I decided to go with Coach Steve last October, he spent 30 minutes on the phone with me, discussing my past performances and training, my strengths and weaknesses, and my athletic goals. He adapted my workouts to my busy family schedule and frequent travel for work. I emailed Coach Steve often, and always received prompt and helpful feedback on equipment and bike fit issues, training questions and performance, and race strategy and performance. I also had regular calls with Steve to discuss particular aspects of my training and racing in more detail. During these calls – one of which he even took while in the middle of grocery shopping – Coach Steve gave me critical insights into training and racing, but in particular into cycling training, which had been my area of weakness in triathlon. Finally, and very importantly, Coach Steve never let me become satisfied with either my training or racing performance. He was always looking for ways that I could train smarter if my schedule would not allow me to train longer. He introduced very intense cycling time trial workouts during my season to help boost my cycling performance as much as possible without riding 150 miles a week. The results speak for themselves. I had by far the best season of my triathlon career, making huge gains in cycling and running. At the age of 42, my year started with a personal best time by five minutes and age group win at the Columbia Triathlon, and ended with a third-place overall finish at the Nation’s Triathlon in Washington, D.C. (including a 1:01 split for the 40K ride). In between, I had age group wins at three other races, including the New York City Tri, where I was able to back up a strong bike leg with a 39:30 10K on a very hot and humid day. Without Coach Steve’s guidance, none of this would have been possible. His training plan and sage advice allowed me to bring my triathlon performance to a new level." |
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KATHY SALVADORE - Moving
up the results page at all distances! "As I reflect back on my race season, I look at what helped me succeed, stay motivated, as well as my weaknesses. Coach Steve was there to motivate me, keep me focused, and give me the feeling that someone was there to push me forward. I also became aware of my weaknesses which I plan to conquer next season! I decided to try Steve’s coaching regime after an early season swim session where his pointers resulted in a significant drop in my swim times. Swim tips, goals for bike mileage, and speed workouts on the track kept me focused and motivated throughout the season. I feel working with Coach Steve this season helped me in many areas of my triathlon competitions. I followed his concise, direct, and 'to the point' workouts. They were easy to adhere to, and I enjoyed having a set plan each day with a workout that was geared specifically for me. I also enjoyed Steve’s 'no fluff' approach and prompt responses. I trusted his expertise and knowledge in part due to his years of race experience. If you're looking for a coach who gives you high goals to strive for and leaves the cheerleading for high school football games, Steve is the coach for you!" |
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ED BEUSSE - Set
a new IronMan PR in Canada! "I heard of Coach Steve through friends in my triathlon club who had success with his coaching. After several Ironman races and no significant improvement, it was time to try something new, so I signed up with Coach Steve almost a year ago. I told him my goals and what I felt my strengths and weaknesses were (also gave the other requisite info like age, weight and heart rates), and he gave me a training program with specific times and heart rates—I followed it (or so he thinks). Seriously, I followed it with about 85 to 90% accuracy. The part I missed was mostly due to work and family getting in the way, and some old—bad—habits. I just got back from Ironman Canada where I set a PR by almost an hour! I was thrilled. I also set PRs at the Olympic and Half Iron distance this year with Steve's coaching. I felt the key to what Coach Steve gave me was the consistency and frequency of workouts. He established a base for me, manageable builds, tempo and speedwork, then eventually high volume leading up to the IronMan and it worked. On race day I relaxed, had fun, followed his nutrition suggestions and went as hard as I could—within what I knew I could do as proved in training. I feel I can improve from here with Steve's help!" |
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JAY CARNEY - Moving
up the results page with each subsequent event! “As a newbie asking a lot of questions, I was advised by more seasoned triathletes to get a coach. I asked around, interviewed a couple, and decided to hire Steve. I was afraid a long distance coaching relationship would be very generic and not meet my unique needs. I found that with Steve it only took a few questions and answers to build a personal and trusted relationship. Although I had only been doing triathlon for three years I decided to complete my first Ironman. Steve got me to the start line with all the confidence and conditioning to finish; I RAN the entire marathon and did not walk any of it. Steve will be my coach for next year's ½ IronMan in St.Croix and I expect he will have me ready to ride the Beast." |
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SONJA FEUTH - Qualified
for Duathlon World Championship and set a 10k PR! "I started training with Steve in November and have since been sticking to him like glue. I've seen a great improvement in my times since I started training according to his training programme as it was specifically designed according to my ability. I got to know Steve via the internet, as I was looking for a coach who could give me feedback on my training. I got in touch with Steve by e-mailing him and he replied back to me straight away. Coach Steve is very specific in each of his workouts and techniques which were great as I saw great improvements on my time from the first triathlon I did. He was also wonderful in helping me find the right bike and setting up the proper fit. I was disappointed in my cycle times so he taught me techniques of efficient riding which improved my times. He always was on the other side to hear of my complaints of illness and training and always gave an encouraging word or two. He gave me nutritional advice which also helped me greatly. I lost weight and became leaner, healthier, and stronger. I've achieved a lot in one year of just training according to Steve's programme; I came 1st in my first triathlon, 1st in my regional champs as well as in the top 10 for RSA Champs. For duathlon I came 1st in my first duathlon, then 6th at RSA Champs and was selected to go to Worlds. I've even broken my personal best time for the 10km, getting my time down to 37:30. I'm always speaking about Steve as he has done a lot for me even though that I live in South Africa, it is like he is with me all the time. He is just a phone call away if I need to talk to him." |
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KEVIN 'WOODY' WALSH - Set
a PR at Gulf Coast 1/2 IM! "After stumbling through my first 3 triathlon seasons doing sprints and Olympics on friendly advice and magazine articles, I was advised by a top age group top finisher to get a professional coach. She told me her coach, Steve Pyle, is the best in the area and I was so impressed by her personal records and emphatic recommendation that I emailed Coach Steve the next day. He helped me with swim and bike technique and created a workout schedule based on my training availability. Coach Steve helped me with goal setting for both short-term accomplishments and long-term results. Almost immediately I began to feel the difference with my workouts, and it showed in my fitness level at my first race of the year, Gulf Coast 1/2 Ironman in May. I continued to train with Coach Steve for the whole year through my first IronMan in Florida. I emailed my race reports and workout questions or concerns and he responded that day. I often added a race here or there and Coach Steve would modify my training schedule to accommodate. He was willing to discuss any nutritional questions I came up with. Coach Steve got me to the start line prepared and ready, and I finished my first Ironman that November in the top 40%. I'm looking forward to this year's season and anticipate improvements." |
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KEVIN CUNNINGHAM - Raced
in Kona after qualifying at IronMan Lake Placid! "When I first started working with Steve 5 years ago, I just wanted a coach to give me a training schedule, getting me to the finish line of an IronMan I just wanted to train and let someone else figure out what, when, and how much. What I received from Coach Steve was so much more! As I've eased into my third year under Steve's tutelage, his program for me has evolved to build and improve upon the base developed last year and results have followed. Recently, I set a PR at the ½ IM distance with a 12% improvement over the previous year's time. Steve is there to answer every question by phone or email. Beyond the personalized training programs, he provides assistance with nutrition, injuries, race strategy, post-race analysis, proper technique, and state-of-the-art equipment advice. He even showed up at a recent event to encourage and make sure I got to the start line on time! I feel like I have access to Steve 100% of the time - as if I'm his only client. Because of the individualized schedule and instruction, I never think of him as an "on-line" coach. His coaching has already far-exceeded my expectations. Perhaps best of all - I trust Steve." |
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