From Mid-Life Fitness Goal to Coaching Triathlon: Coach Ryan's Story Ep 62

Every endurance athlete remembers the moment when things finally click. Your swim feels smoother, your pacing makes sense, your fueling works, and suddenly the sport feels not only easier, but more fun. And for many athletes, that moment happens at training camp. That's exactly why we created the Endurance Edge Triathlon Training Camp happening April 22nd through 26th at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. For 4 incredible days, you'll train in a small group with expert coaches, sports nutrition support, and sports psychology guidance, all designed to help you train smarter, race stronger, and finally connect the dots in your performance. We swim in crystal clear mountain water, ride beautiful and challenging roads, run scenic trails, and spend the rest of the time recovering, learning, laughing, and eating some seriously amazing chef-prepared food. Mm-hmm. Camp is intentionally small, just 20 athletes, so you get real coaching, true connection, and amazing breakthroughs. So if you want an experience that can transform your entire season, we invite you to join us. Head to theenduranceedge.com and click training camp and reserve your spot with just a $100 deposit. Come train hard, learn a ton, and leave stronger than you ever imagined. I'll see you there. All right, welcome back. Find Your Edge Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Chris, and I have Coach Ryan here today. Very excited for you guys to get to know our coaches. What's up, Ryan?

Hey, making it work. Let's get to it.

Woo. All right, so yes, we waste no time. How did you get into triathlon?

I started triathlon around 35, 36 years old. So I'm a bunting 45-year-old right now. So almost a decade working on a decade. I started because I wanted to try something different. I was looking for an opportunity to get fit because I was very not fit and a lot of goals didn't really bring me to the table of trying. It just really wasn't scary enough. I didn't want to join like a men's soccer league and really be like a beer league. Like running would have been a fine idea, but it just didn't really excite me. And triathlon was something that I had a friend that was doing. I didn't really know much about it and I didn't know how to do any of the things. So, I mean, I figured I could run because I was an athlete growing up as a soccer player and track athlete and golf and things like that. Like I, but I didn't. Never rode a bike on the road. I never swam. So I figured if I wanted to try to do something, it would be better if I could try to learn something new because I knew if I didn't, then I wouldn't be able to accomplish that goal.

So would you say this was like a midlife dad health thing?

Yeah, it's a great way of putting that right into a box, you know, right way to read right through that situation.

But I mean, you know, that's where a lot of people are coming from.

Yeah, definitely. Like, you know, that's kind of just where the fitness was going, was just sort of like managing your career, your home life, growing a family and things of that nature where you just didn't really kind of engage in that competitive side of your personality very much because just priorities in life and trying to like sort of like reinvest in yourself in that kind of way and make it about me, I think was a was a big contributor.

How did you then piggyback that with getting into coaching?

I think when I finished my first Half Ironman, and my only Half Ironman, that I was looking for the next step again. Like, where is this going to go? Is this something that I, I want to continue to do? I didn't really get like a big kickback when I finished that race. A lot of people get the bug and they're like, oh, I got to sign up for the next thing or I'm going to go for a full or what's the next, you know, and I didn't really gain that kind of experience. So I was a little bit waffling around of how I was going to continue to participate in the sport. I'm also a counselor and I was looking into like how to become like in private practice and it was— I hit a lot of walls there that would involve like going back to school. So I wasn't interested in doing that to advance my career. And I was thinking about triathlon and how to get better. I looked into like getting a coach and what that might mean. And then I decided that once again, I could sort of look into something where like I'm investing in myself. Where can I learn something? How would I have to be responsible to actually get better at something? And I started thinking about coaching and, and those programs. And actually I reached out to Chris Newport here, who was somebody I only ran into a couple of times and just thought she was a nice person. And I was like, well, if I'm going to try to sign up for a coaching program to learn how to be a coach, then I reached out to Kris by sending her a message and said, hey, maybe I could talk to you about that just because I don't know very much about it. So she got back to me immediately, like 3 weeks later. And that was a joke, Kris, you missed it. And she said, hey—

I just don't like how you're talking about me, like in the third person.

I know. But to me. Yep. Talking, talking to you. I said, I'm interested in coaching. I was wondering if I could have a conversation with you. And then Chris said, I am recruiting coaches. Would you like to talk? And I said, I am not a coach, but sure, I'll talk. And then we ended up talking and Chris gave me a conditional offer, which was like, once you pass your licensing or certification, whatever it is, then I'd be interested in you working for the Endurance Edge. I think she said something like, I can teach people how to write a plan, but I can't teach somebody how to talk to somebody else. And I remember that.

Okay. All right. I always find it fascinating what people remember of what I say and then what they regurgitate back to me. And I'm like, did I say that? Okay, cool. So now that you've got a couple of years of coaching under your belt, and what I find unique about our coaching group is that we meet on a weekly basis to, like, review each other's training plans and help each other out with different athletes. What do you think has grown from that into your philosophy or sort of style of coaching?

Well, first, that network has been awesome because like I do have my biases of, of coaching styles and what I think athletes need, but also what my limitations are with what I can offer. So when we have a group that meets and we can talk about our athletes almost like case management, then you just get— it's not even pushback, it's just networking with ideas and trying to make sure that our athletes are getting the things that maybe we couldn't offer independently by ourselves. So like, for example, this season I've been coaching an athlete for a full-distance Ironman. And I've not completed a full distance Ironman myself. And also this athlete is stronger and quicker and more capable than I am as well. So like trying to understand her development as an athlete and what she needs versus my own experiences are a lot different because I can't really quite think of the volume or that amount of pace when I think about it through my own lens. So it's like a 3-hour workout doesn't sound so bad, but her 3-hour workout is like 13 miles. And it's like, how does that— that's just, that doesn't really quite compute for me, but it does for her. And it does for other people in the room when we meet. So it helps to be able to fill in those gaps. And then my athlete can still feel very supported both by my relationship with her, but also the detailed sports science aspects of things that other people in the room have to offer.

Which, when you said 3 hours and 13 miles, I think you meant 23 miles.

Yeah.

Yeah. It's OK. It's OK. Yes, she is a very talented athlete. So do you have a memorable success story or achievement either for yourself or something that you've experienced with any of your athletes' like breakthrough moments?

It's really fun to see people grow, to go from not really understanding a lot of things and then making connections with other people and trying to do the next challenge, take on the next, next risk, get into some new equipment, accomplish a, you know, a personal best. Just even on a workout, like I coach track sessions on the weekdays and That kind of ranges from 3 to 4 miles depending on how the, how the 1-hour program is structured. But I have athletes there that weren't able to complete a workout before, you know, they came, they tried, they left defeated. And then when they say, I actually finished the workout today and I didn't do anything different, I didn't differentiate it, I didn't drop the bar, make it easier for them. I just, they just rose. Eventually to the occasion. Those are the kinds of experiences that I really enjoy. I think it'd be an easy answer to say, oh, seeing somebody cross the finish line or myself, you know, crossing the finish line and things like that. But it's really more of the, the miniature accomplishments along the way that I think are much more entertaining to me. And for my own personal sake too, like I picked up a couple of podiums here and there, but what I remember most about them was that my swim was the best swim or my transitions. I'm pretty fast with my transitions, so I'll, I'll pull everybody's reports and I'll be like, oh, I maybe finished like 6th or 7th in my age group out of 6 or 7. But for my transitions, I was like number 1 in my age group or maybe even like number 5 overall. So like those kinds of things are pretty exciting. To me because there's always just these different opportunities to get a win out of something, which really goes back to my philosophy that I kind of glazed over, which is about the relational journey of things that come into getting fitter, getting stronger, and trying to be a part of that. That's what I like from the coaching side of things is trying to find weekly things or daily things that make you feel a little bit better, a little bit stronger, a little bit more confident. You're taking this big, huge accomplishment and cutting up into 1,000 pieces. And every one of those pieces is, is a bit of success.

That's really cool. Also, based on your saying that you're real good at transitions, I think that I need to declare a, like, transition-only contest.

A challenge? Just coaches?

Yes, just coaches.

Well, maybe we could have, like, coaches, but they're like teams. So it can be like our 3 athletes versus your 3 athletes versus those 3 athletes.

That sounds crazy fun.

Yeah. Yeah. We can definitely do that.

That would not be that hard to do.

That would not be that hard to do. We could make it hard. We can make it harder on ourselves by complicating it. I think it would not be the hardest thing.

I think we do, just like we do everything else. We just need to like try it and see how it goes. And then it could be like an annual, you know, like a, like a 3-legged race. We're just going to do Transition Competition. Now it needs a name. OK, so if anybody thinks of a good name, let me know. OK, so we're going to stay on track because we're always so good at staying on track. Rapid fire questions is up next. You ready? But I will say, so you're the 4th interview I've had. None of them have been rapid fire. But that's OK. Maybe we'll change that now.

OK, so it's a quick answer, long explanation.

Yes. Theoretically. That's okay. We're, you know, at the end of the day, this is all for people to get to know you a little bit better. And cuz coaching is a very deeply connected service in my opinion. And, um, it sometimes makes me sad when people are like, you know, I'm like, where's your coach? They're like, oh, they're across the country or something like that. I'm like, oh, do you ever get to see them? Or, you know, even if it's virtually, I find that that's so important. At least with our business model of connecting.

Some of the people that I coach and also the people that are on the team that, that have other one-to-one coaching relationships with their coaches, they're like a fan base also. They're just like happy to be around. Like one of my last races, like a couple of my athletes, they did the Olympic on Saturday and I did the sprint on Sunday and they just happened to stick around and stay. And they like popped up and showed up and had like signs with my big— with my face on it and like teased me and harassed me along the way and everything. So that's— it's a good group. I don't— I've tried to explain Endurance Edge to other people that are just not in our environment. And one of the things I just can't imagine exists in too many other universes is the team component that we have with like 50-something athletes. A calendar of activities 6 or 7 days out of the week, always something going on, socials, team kits. Like, it's like a— if you're looking for a community, you just don't have to look anywhere else. There's a lot of great people that provide coaching, that know a lot of stuff and can really support you along the way. I can't imagine there being another team-like component that could compare.

Thanks, Ryan.

Yay.

It is really fun though. It is such a diverse and wonderful group of human beings. I feel very blessed in that aspect. Okay. Rapid fire. You ready?

Okay.

Let's do this. Bike brand or brands.

I have a Cervélo.

You got a couple in the, in the wheelhouse.

I have a Cervélo P2. It's like a 2010, 2012 model I bought from a friend who didn't do triathlons anymore. And it's the first bike that I owned. The other ones were loaners before I got that one. So I remember when I first rode that bike and it was in the aero position. The previous bike was like a '92 or an '88 steel road racing bike with down—

with shifters on the downtube. Yeah.

And it was probably like 3 sizes too big. I was like all stretched out, but that's what I rode on first. And then I bought this bike from a friend and it's a great, great bike. I love the Cervélo brand. My Look pedals, uh, as the other brand on there. And I just remember riding on my aero bars for the first time and it was super windy out too. And I had no idea what I was doing. And my experience was, I call them, oh shit moments. So I was like, yes.

Okay. Yeah. So more questions, right? You're going to build a bike too, right?

Yeah, I'm working on building a bike. We'll see how that goes. I want to learn how to strip all the paint off and do like a custom paint job. So that's like something to learn I've never done before. And then I have to take everything off of another bike and put it on there. So it's like changing engines, basically, like to take an engine out of a car and put it on another car. That's basically what I'm doing with the bike components. But there's a lot to learn, a lot of little tinkering and things like that. So I'm not sure how far it's gonna go, but I'm excited to do that.

Yeah, you should try it. I think that tends to be a weakness, generally speaking, in triathlete. When I worked at a bike shop many years ago, they would joke with me. They're like, triathletes just use a bike as like a getting from the swim to the run versus like a quote unquote true cyclist is like very into their gear. They know all the intricacies of all the different things. And triathletes are like, oh, that's not working. Okay, can you just fix it? And I just kept reminding them, I'm like, this is job security for you also. Yeah. But the more you get to know your bike over time, the better of, I feel like it's an improved experience of just understanding, or I mean, I've had a derailleur get sheared off in the middle of a race. I didn't know how to fix it.

Mm-hmm.

That was, that was a long day getting off the trails. And then had I known, obviously now I know how to sit, had I known how to fix it in the moment, it would've been a lot better experience.

I'll take pictures along the way.

That'll be cool. Okay, favorite— what is your favorite distance to race?

Sprint distance is my favorite distance to race. It takes less than 2 hours, you know, an hour and a half on a good day, hour and 45 minutes on a realistic day. But the environment— you get everything that you asked for. It's hard work, you get to wear your cool race kit, get to do all 3 things. I mean, triathlon in general is like the best day for like a 10-year-old. So you're telling me I get to swim and then I can ride my bike as fast as I can, and then when I'm done, like, we get to like chase each other? Like, that's like the best day ever, right? So we're really just old gross men out there doing that. Not exclusively, but mostly. That's really where it's at. So you get all the environment, you get to do all of the things, it's positive, and then it's over. If you really want to take it to another level, then it's not so much an endurance event as it is like a redlining event. So sure, if you are just entering into the sport, a 2-hour event is an endurance event. Like, you have to like kind of like learn your pacing and get your heart rates and have enough fitness to do that. After a while, you start focusing on just building strength and skill and efficiency and speed, which is a totally different type of training method.

Yeah.

Right now I like that the most. Cool. But I do feel there's some wanting for some longer distances. I'm just not sure that it's for me yet.

And that's okay.

It is.

Do you have a favorite race?

A favorite race, like a race location? White Lake. Comes around twice a year. So that's a great place. That's with our friends that set up events, and that's a really easy place to get to. I've gone and I've camped there the night before. I've gone there just the day of, just early rise, 1.5-hour ride to get there. It's accessible and it's well done. So I think what—

it's affordable.

Yep, it's affordable. And they have a lot of different types of races there. So in the spring They have a half distance variety and then they have the Olympic and the sprint. And then just last weekend, even though I bailed and I didn't go, they still had the Olympic race. And instead of a traditional sprint, they did a double sprint. Oh, cool. Which is really neat. I did one of those a few years ago at Carolina Beach and that doesn't exist anymore. But yeah, in that event, for those that don't know, you swim And then you run and then you bike and then you run again and then you swim again. So that's pretty intense.

Yes. I loved that race. Do you have a pet peeve as an athlete or a pet peeve as a coach or both?

So my pet peeve for triathletes is people that act like they're pros in an amateur environment. It just is really not that appealing. It almost feels like— I think a lot of triathletes are, or people that are interested in becoming triathletes, are intimidated by this culture of people that are high performing, and that, that, that's most of the people. And then if you come in, you're a novice, you feel like you don't belong. But it's— that is not representative of the environment at all. But those 10 people do aggravate me. Like, one, because They're really just pretending like they're professionals, but if they raced against a professional, they would get eaten up. Um, so really they're just better than recreational athletes. And then two, I'm also just jealous of them.

That's fair.

Yeah. And then for athletes, they don't, I don't think I have pet peeves for athletes. I think they can, they can frustrate me or they can anger me, but I don't think it's on the, on the pet peeve scale. Like there's no, like. Thing that they do that makes me mad.

Okay. Do you have a favorite workout that you like to either do or program?

I really enjoy creating the workouts for a track every Tuesday. Um, that's kind of like different because it's just playing with different types of intervals and different types of paces. They all go around in a circle, so they always come back. Um, I had to keep up with them or anything like that. Yeah.

Over and over and over again.

The other day they were running and they were running in the normal direction and I walked in the opposite direction. So every time they passed me, they had to do something different. So that was kind of fun. Other time is I have these cones and the cones all have like a different distance and pace on them or like zone, like zone or threshold kind of thing. So when they come and they finish up a lap, they have to trade— all of the cones are 400 meters, so it's one lap. So when they come around with the lap, they have to trade out a cone, but they don't know what it is until they pick it up and then they have to do that run. So once in a while they get stuck with something like next thing you know, they've done like 3 threshold laps in a row and they're like desperate for something else. So that's kind of fun for myself. Same kind of thing, like just doing lots of like 90-second sort of threshold type sprint works with breaks in between. That's probably my favorite type of workout or swimming in the open water. That's just swimming in the open water. That's one of my favorite things to do.

Yeah. Do you have a least favorite workout?

Long and slow.

Okay. So maybe short course is your jam, Ryan, and that is fine.

Yeah. Yeah.

If it makes you feel any better, anytime I'm out by myself for a certain period of time, I just— obviously being a dietitian and just loving food, I just start thinking about food too much, and it's just best for everyone if I just go home.

I think a 30— I think a 25 to 30 mile bike ride is just about right for me too. Yeah, yeah, like a little bit Less than that, it kind of feels like maybe I didn't really accomplish much. And more than that makes me feel like I don't want to be out there anymore.

Yeah.

But the 30-mile mark, that 20, 25, 30-mile, that's a, that's a good spot to be.

Yeah.

That's an hour and a half, you know, start to finish, including like gear setup and stuff.

Oh, and it's also nice.

90-minute work— 90-minute workouts are good in general.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is also great for like the midlife dad doing things that, you know, you're not 6 or 7 hours on the golf course. You can—

that's not my favorite label, but I guess it is what it is.

Sorry I've labeled you as that.

Hey, if there's anybody out there that wants coaching and they kind of empathize with that, that label, then maybe it would work.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's been very rewarding to also see you grow as a coach.

Oh, thanks.

And to your point of like, it's nice to get other people's perspectives when it's such an opportunity that otherwise you would be in a silo of like, I'm going off of my own experience, I'm going off of what I know from a textbook, and I'm learning along the way. It's so nice to have other people to bounce ideas off of and learn and grow from there. Any other gold stars you want to give yourself?

Gold stars for myself? I really like working with beginner folks. I think that's like, I'm big on return on your investment. So it's like if I, as a coach, put in tons and tons of work on an athlete, but that athlete is kind of at a plateau looking for minimal gains. So we both did a ton of work. And their pace is now like 3 seconds faster, you know, after a season. Like, that's cool, but that, that effort and that return, that doesn't just— it just doesn't drive me back to the table. But for somebody that couldn't run a mile and then after 2 months they can run a few miles and they're feeling good about themselves, like that's a good return on your effort, as is also like a, like a knowledge base kind of gain too. Like people come in and they just, they don't even know where to start. They don't know the language, they don't know the gear, the technical stuff. They don't know how deep down the rabbit hole I need to go. And just seeing people sort of fill in those gaps. And then one of the things— oh, here's one that I like. When I have like my little Ryanisms, I tell people stuff and it helps them like sort of conceptualize an idea. And then I hear them share that same little nugget of information with somebody else who they were like, so now they're like applying what I taught them to somebody else. That feels really, that feels really good.

Yeah. So do we need some Ryanisms on like a coffee mug or a race bottle?

You wouldn't have enough. You don't have enough room in your cabinet.

There's too many. Okay, we'll save that for another podcast. Awesome. Thank you, Ryan. And to everyone else out there, if you wanna work with Ryan, be sure to visit us at theenduranceedge.com/triathloncoaching. We're gonna be accepting a whole bunch of new athletes for the 2025 season. If you wanna work with Ryan, you gotta apply. Thank you, Ryan.

Yay. Be good. Thanks.

Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at The Endurance Edge. Thanks again, and we'll catch you next time.