Miscellaneous | The Blog of David Glover - Athlete, Coach and Writer

cat-right

Vineman – a Beautiful Race

Vineman – a Beautiful Race...

I felt the fingers brushing my feet every few minutes when I slowed to pop my head up to breathe during the 2.4-mile swim, but I was content to lead the two swimmers I towed behind me. “I’m happy! I’m happy! I'm happy!” I kept repeating this phrase to myself again and again on the 112-mile bike. I smiled at the photographers and, on my second bike loop, I greeted as many athletes that I passed...

First Impressions of Boulder

First Impressions of Boulder...

I have been in Boulder, Colorado, for almost two weeks now since arriving here with Krista and Princess (my Dalmatian) pulling a small U-haul trailer behind my Volvo wagon. Here are my first impressions on a city that many consider the epicenter of triathlon. No matter where I am standing in Boulder, I can see the mountains. I'm sitting her typing this blog article and looking out at the mountains. I...

Advice from a River – Go with the Flow

Advice from a River – Go with the Flow...

From Advice From a River by Ilan Shamir: Live simply and gracefully in Your own True Nature moving, flowing, allowing, serene and on course It takes time to carve the beauty of the canyon rough waters become smooth Go around the obstacles Stay current The beauty is in the journey! My goal race and focus for this year is a sub-9 hour race at Ironman Coeur d'Alene (2.4-mile swim / 112-mile bike / 26.2-mile...

Focus – Nothing Else Matters

Focus – Nothing Else Matters...

"Nothing else matters." - Metallica This quote is written across the bottom of my triathlon "Vision Sheet" – my written statement of what I want to accomplish this year in the sport of triathlon and that I have pasted to my bathroom mirror so that I see it every single day. My written statement is my dream I will realize if my hundreds of hours of training and single-minded focus converge...

The Commitment Continuum: Where Do You Fall?

The Commitment Continuum: Where Do You Fall?...

“It’s not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.” — Paul William “Bear” Bryant (1913-1983), former Univ. of Alabama football coach with 6 national & 13 conference championships As an athlete, I ask myself directly, and as a coach, I ask my athletes indirectly: “What is your level of commitment?” It’s easy to say, “I’d like to try an...

Have a Coach. Be a Coach.

Have a Coach. Be a Coach....

My client and friend, Peter O'Dunne (picture at right from Ironman Lake Placid), wants to qualify for Hawaii and, as his triathlon coach, I'm going to help him get there. Like Peter, I also have a coach - pro German triathlete Olaf Sabatschus who coaches me for triathlon. From Olaf's guidance and 20+ years of experience including Ironman wins at Brazil and China, I've learned a tremendous...

True Desire is Never Borrowed

True Desire is Never Borrowed...

A few weeks ago, I started "word of the week" with one of my coaching clients, Peter. Peter, like many of my clients, wants to get to Kona and the Ironman World Championship. He wants to take the more difficult path and qualify by finishing near the top of his age group in another 140.5-mile Ironman race. As his triathlon coach, I'm going to help him get there. The idea behind "word...

Setting Marathon Goals: Client Perspective

Setting Marathon Goals: Client Perspective...

This winter in the Baltimore and Washington DC area – as well as much of the U.S. – has been especially tough for training for longer events like marathons and Ironman triathlons, as we’ve had three snow storms since December and temperatures that have stayed around the freezing mark, making riding and running outdoors difficult and sometimes impossible. Throw in a demanding job (think “constant...

Sometimes We Lose Sight of the Big Picture in Triathlon

Sometimes We Lose Sight of the Big Picture in Tria...

Sometimes we lose sight of the "big picture" when it comes to doing well in the sport of triathlon — it's not about upgrading to the latest and greatest equipment as the means to success. I know I've been guilty in the past of upgrading my triathlon bike every year or two so understand that urge. This funny video pokes fun at the "need" to upgrade. Enjoy! Thank you to Dave...

The Basics of Monitoring Heart Rate when Exercising

The Basics of Monitoring Heart Rate when Exercisin...

By Krista A. Schultz, MEd, CSCS, Director of Total Performance, Inc. If your goal is weight loss or improved fitness monitoring your heart rate can help you achieve success. How fast or how hard should I go? I frequently start working with women who have been going too fast or too slow during their workouts to get the most benefit from each session. Furthermore, there are many popular formulas for determining exercise...

Your Best 2010!

Your Best 2010!...

The best way to begin the New Year is with this little ritual. This is the second part of the New Year Ritual from my friend and executive coach Margarita Rozenfeld, founder of YES!Circle and Incite International. This ritual is a fun and powerful exercise that can be applied to any and all aspects of your life. I covered the first part of the exercise, Reflecting Back on 2009, in an earlier blog post. ...

Reflecting back on 2009

Reflecting back on 2009...

With the end of 2009 and the beginning of a New Year fast approaching, now is the time to reflect on 2009 and start looking ahead to 2010. This reflection ritual below is one I received from my friend and executivecoach Margarita Rozenfeld, founder of YES!Circle and Incite International, who I've worked with on and off over the past few years. This ritual is a powerful exercise that can be applied to...

A Navy SEAL and the Ironman Triathlon

A Navy SEAL and the Ironman Triathlon...

As a Naval Academy Graduate (Class of '93) and former Navy submarine officer, I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the Navy SEALs. In my mind, they represent the ultimate in endurance fitness as they train for their missions on the SEa, Air and Land (SEAL). On the navyathletes.com website, which promotes the Navy and especially the Navy's Special Warfare/Operations communities,...

Begin with the End in Mind: Create and Face the Vision

Begin with the End in Mind: Create and Face the Vi...

If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? You won't. Stephen Covey's second habit from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is to "begin with the end in mind." A simple but effective mental preparation tool that I began using a few years ago to help me with my own triathlon goals is a Vision Sheet - a one page sheet, which summarizes my vision of what I...

Lessons Learned from Kona Rookie Bill Beyer

Lessons Learned from Kona Rookie Bill Beyer...

My client Bill Beyer (be sure to read about the Beyer Project) who competed in the Ironman World Championship on October 11 shared some wise and entertaining insights about racing in the ocean and lava fields at Kona: Pre-race: Bring support [family, friends] for the week. When preparing, leave the AC off in the room at night and open the windows. [David's comment: Best way to acclimatize is to arrive Kona...

The Selfishness of Triathlon…or Not?

The Selfishness of Triathlon…or Not?...

Is triathlon a selfish sport…or not? One of my clients who is training for Ironman Arizona on November emailed me the other day regarding his struggle with the "selfishness" of the sport: I have been struggling lately when I realize that the sport we are involved in can be selfish. I train a lot and hence don't give back as often as I should. I took a group of church kids to the Comcast center yesterday...

Race Report: Christiana goes 10:39 at Roth

Race Report: Christiana goes 10:39 at Roth...

Christiana is one of my Ironman coaching clients who I've worked with since 2007. She had qualified and competed in Ironman Hawaii in 2006, incredibly finishing the race while running with a stress fracture. Rather than have me tell her story about her recent 10:39 PR at the Quelle Challenge Ironman in Roth Germany on July 12th, I'd like to share her race write up. If you're even thinking about doing an...

Beyer Project success: Bill earns his Kona slot!

Beyer Project success: Bill earns his Kona slot!...

Ironman Coeur d'Alene on June 21, 2009 marked the final stage in a triathlon coaching and social experiment called the "Beyer Project." UPDATE: Download my article that appeared in the Winter 2010 issue of Tri-DC Magazine HERE. For 6 months beginning in January 2009, I was Bill Beyer’s "live-in" triathlon coach: working with Bill one-on-one, providing accountability, giving him real-time...

From Coach to Athlete before the big race

From Coach to Athlete before the big race...

What should a coach say to his client the day before the most important triathlon of his life? My client, Bill Beyer, recently competed in Ironman Couer d’Alene (2.4-mile swim / 112-mile bike / 26.2-mile run) on June 21st. This was Bill’s first Ironman in 2 years after a foot injury in 2007 and surgery in 2008. Here’s what I said to Bill before the race: One more thought. You’ve done most of...

So how does one gain entry into Ironman Hawaii?

So how does one gain entry into Ironman Hawaii?...

For those who are unfamiliar with how to gain entry into the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, here’s a brief summary of how it works: An athlete either has to: Be a celebrity, Win a slot in the Ironman Lottery or Earn a qualifying slot at another Ironman race. The Ironman Lottery Program offers the chance to win one of 150 slots for citizens of the United States or 50 slots to international competitors...

« Previous Entries