Planning and Preparation | The Blog of David Glover

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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...

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...

Example Analysis of an Ironman Athlete’s Training Schedule

Example Analysis of an Ironman Athlete’s Tra...

One value that a coach provide even an experienced athlete is objective feedback via a consultation. A friend of a friend of mine (let's call him Jim) is training for Ironman Utah (St. George) on May 1st. Jim's concern is that because of the recent weather we've been having in Maryland that he has not had the opportunity to do enough riding outside. He recalled that when he was training for a previous...

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. ...

My Road Back to Kona: On Deck for 2010

My Road Back to Kona: On Deck for 2010...

When I raced at the Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2002, I suffered like a dog. I left with no immediate desire to come back. Just a few weeks prior to the race, I had broken the 9-hour mark in an Ironman for the first time at the inaugural Blue Devil Triathlon in Durham, NC. I put everything I had into that race and it left my physically, mentally and emotionally drained. At the time, Kona...

Client Success at Beach2Battleship Ironman

Client Success at Beach2Battleship Ironman...

As a triathlon coach, it's always rewarding to see my clients succeed in their goals. When I sit down and think about what my client Dan Head accomplished at Beach2Battleship on November 7th, I am truly amazed. Beach2Battleship in Wilmington, NC was Dan's first Ironman triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run), and he finished in an amazing time of 10:59. What makes Dan's finish...

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,...

Transitioning Between Triathlon Seasons: Three Purposes

Transitioning Between Triathlon Seasons: Three Pur...

With the triathlon season winding down for most of us in North America with the exception of a few late season races like Ironman Florida, Beach to Battleship and Ironman Arizona, it's a good time to think about what to do next. Bears hibernate in winter so why shouldn't we? Nature sets a great example of what to do during the colder winter months (i.e. slow down activity) but hibernation is a little too...

My race prediction for Vineman: Indeterminate

My race prediction for Vineman: Indeterminate...

My race prediction for myself at Vineman on August 1st can be summed up as: Indeterminate. This year's race is the 20th Anniversary of the event – the longest running Ironman distance triathlon in the continental U.S. This year will be my 6th time racing the full Ironman distance event (2.4-mile swim / 112-mile bike / 26.2-mile run). In my five prior races, I have 2 x 1st places finishes (2001, 2007), 2 x 2nd...

Crafting a pre-race plan: Make your pre-race goals your race day reality

Crafting a pre-race plan: Make your pre-race goals...

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower, American President and General My client, LtCol Tom Impellitteri, USMC, is competing in his first Ironman (Ironman USA in Lake Placid, NY) this weekend. I’ve been working with Tom since January this year in his quest to hear the magic words from Mike Reilly, “You are an...

My client Fabrice finishes Ironman France in 11:29!

My client Fabrice finishes Ironman France in 11:29...

My client Fabrice Guillaume completed his first Iroman last weekend – Ironman France in Nice, France, finishing in a time of 11:29:51 on arguably one of the hilliest Ironman courses in the Ironman series. As his triathlon coach, I consulted with Fabrice approximately once a month since late last year as he first created a high level triathlon training plan with distinct training periods (e.g. off season, base building,...

Choosing an Ironman race – which one?

Choosing an Ironman race – which one?...

A client asked me recently about choosing which Ironman distance race (2.4-mile swim / 112-mile bike / 26.2-mile run) to compete in: Just thought I'd reach out and get your input for choosing your first Ironman and how to go about registering. I've decided I'm going to do a Half Ironman this summer/fall, complete a marathon in late fall, and then try to tackle an Ironman next year. I've heard of the...

Create Your Reality Through Visualization

Create Your Reality Through Visualization...

I’ve heard it said that racing an Ironman is 50% physical and 50% mental. I don’t agree with that ratio for everyone but I do believe mental preparation and the right mental attitude on race day can mean the difference between a poor race and a great race for anyone. I wrote the following article about how to create a “great race” through visualization. The article appeared on the USA Triathlon...

Running through Lists: Being Speedy

Running through Lists: Being Speedy...

David being speedy at the Quelle Challenge in 2007Vickie Elmer from the Washington Post interviewed me recently about being a “speedy” entrepreneur – how do I find time to be an athlete, coach, race director, author, boyfriend, dog owner, etc? How do I be speedy? I create the big picture first - I literally like to draw a picture on a piece of paper – a vision of where I want to be and what I...

Planning Your Triathlon Season: Goal Setting

Planning Your Triathlon Season: Goal Setting...

Revolution3 TriathlonBelow is part 1 of a series of articles that I recently wrote for the Revolution3 Triathlon blog about Planning a Triathlon Season. The Revolution3 Triathlon is a brand new half iron distance triathlon (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run) in Middlebury, CT on June 7, 2009 that Krista and I both plan to race in this year. Be sure to check out the race website for more information about the...

Get Your Rear in Gear: Goal-Setting for 2009

Get Your Rear in Gear: Goal-Setting for 2009...

With the start of the New Year and early beginning of the triathlon season, now is an excellent time to think about goals for 2009 – and not just triathlon goals. Lee Knight, Overachiever CoachLast week I sat down with my friend and life coach, Lee Knight, the Overachiever Coach. Lee’s niche, not surprising, is working with overachievers. In my experience, most triathletes tend to be overachievers –...

The 4-Hour Workweek: a Must Read for All Time-starved Triathletes (and Others)

The 4-Hour Workweek: a Must Read for All Time-star...

“Thanks to Tim Ferriss, I have more time in my life to travel, spend time with family, and write book blurbs. This is a dazzling and highly useful work.” - A. J. Jacobs, editor-at-large of Esquire Magazine and author of The Know-It-All At a holiday party in December, I was telling telling a friend about a few of the great books I had recently read like Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly...

Happy New Year! ….looking forward to 2008 (part 2)

Happy New Year! ….looking forward to 2008 (part ...

I feel good. I have my health. I have no injuries. I have a positive outlook. I’m excited about the new year and the experiences it will bring. My goals for the upcoming year are quite simple: Finish an Ironman-distance race in 8:2X (under 8:30) – that’s the time I want to see on the finish line clock when I cross the line. This is an objective goal that is easily measurable – either I make...

Happy New Year! Reflecting back on 2007 and …. (part 1)

Happy New Year! Reflecting back on 2007 and ̷...

Now that the holiday parties, gluttonous meals and family travel are finally over, I have some time to reflect back on 2007 and start thinking ahead to what I want to accomplish in 2008. 2007 was a good year for me: I remain in excellent health; I set some new personal best times while helping others reach their own triathlon goals; and I still work from home as a small business owner (EnduranceWorks, LLC). Highlights...

Managing the "seam" – transitioning from unstructured to purposeful training

Managing the "seam" – transitionin...

By “seam,” I mean the transition period from unfocused, unstructured fitness training (i.e. training for general fitness) to focused, structured fitness training (i.e. training with a purpose for a specific event or events). Photo: Me at the Disney Half Marathon in 2007 I am in the seam right now. My triathlon season effectively ended with Ironman Louisville on August 26. Since then, I have “bounced”...

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