Hello Team!
Planning for 2019 Malone Coaching Team is in full swing. There are still a lot of details to be worked out but I wanted to give you a heads up on things you can look forward to.
Garmins
Garmin or other downloadable heart rate based watches are REQUIRED for 2019. I can’t effectively coach without your pacing and heart rate. If you don’t know which ones you need. Ask me!
Bike Computers
You MUST HAVE CADENCE that you can download. Cadence is a VERY important element of my coaching. Your bike computer must be MOUNTED ON YOUR BIKE. Looking at your wrist when you are trying to ride is not safe or effective.
Bike Power
while this is optional I highly recommend getting a power meter for your bike or investing in a power -based trainer. I like the Wahoo (either the Snap or the Kickr) at Greenville Cycling Center or the Tacx brand at Carolina Triathlon. I use a lot of power based trainer workouts over the winter. For those of you who want to see a jump in performance this is something you should take advantage of!
Communication is KEY!
In order to get the absolute most out of your coaching you need to communicate with me. If you feel a twinge or tweak in a muscle: TEXT ME immediately! I am here to help you adjust and ideally keep you from being injured. I welcome calls but often if I am meeting with folks I can’t answer so TEXTING IS THE BEST way to get an immediate response.
Texting
this is for short question and answers and will get answered quickly during business hours. Please refrain from writing me a book in a text. If you have “essay questions” those are appropriate for e-mail or scheduling a call.
I normally check e-mail in the early morning hours. I might not be back to e-mail at all the rest of the day so if you have something urgent a TEXT message for a heads up would be great.
Calls
Due to the nature of what I do, I am not always at my desk. If you have a concern that you would like to discuss or you just want to chat we simply need to schedule a call time.
Communication Limits
I have never had limits because I think when you need to ask a question you should be able to, at the same time please be reasonable.
Newsletter
I will be sending this out monthly next year. It will have more details and information about what we are doing and what is going on. For those of you who are not on Facebook it will keep you in the loop.
Website
The new website is here! But it will be better in the next few weeks. I will be able to keep a calendar here as well as links to helpful information.
We have a private Facebook group where I will post a lot of information. I will attempt to capture the same information in the newsletter as well but it is really helpful (and fun) to be a member of Facebook to communicate and get to know fellow team-members. It is also useful for connecting on group workouts etc. While I am active on Facebook please do not communicate about coaching or ask questions about your workouts (unless it applies to everyone) in this venue.
Training Peaks
Training Peaks is the software I use to organize your training. Your coaching comes with a Premium Account that I pay for. Often the workouts in there are YOUR custom workouts and I do not have copies. Please DO NOT DELETE workouts. I encourage you to drag and drop workouts to the days you actually do them. Please do not log your yoga session into a run workout and vice versa. I pull reports on your training, which are derived from what is logged in so it is important that everything is as accurate as possible.
I will be transitioning to doing all schedules mid-week and in two-week blocks starting immediately. What this means is that it is very important that you communicate your travel plans (vacation or work) or other appointments ahead of time. Ideally, these are added into Training Peaks as “other” workout with the heading VACATION on each day or TRAVEL DAY. If you can workout please add that you have access to a pool or gym or that you can only run. If you work shift work you will add in WORK 3AM – 10AM. Failure on your part to add these details will not allow me to build the most effective schedule possible for you. I will no longer revise schedules due to failure to communicate schedule changes in a timely manner.
Training Peaks Feedback
In the past I have commented on almost all workouts. Moving forward I will only comment on key workouts for the week and/or workouts where you have left me comments. YOUR COMMENTS are imperative for me to understand your workouts and to be able to give you useful feedback. If I ask you questions in my feedback please respond via e-mail so that I don’t have to go back and look through all your workouts again. I ask questions about workouts so I can understand what you are doing and responding is important!
Race Reports
Racing is where you learn the most about where you are in your training and it is where I see what we need to focus on. Race reports, or at least some comments from each race you do, are MANDATORY! There is no way you can race and not have thoughts on your race. These thoughts need to be shared with me so that we can work together to make improvements, which is the goal of coaching!
Race Results
I keep track of your race results so please include your race TIME and your place in your category within the event in Training Peaks. This is very simple to do. It is your responsibility to post these!
One-on-One Training Sessions
If you need a session these will still be available but on a more limited basis than before. I like to offer these from time to time so that I can connect with you and really understand your needs. You can request one or sometimes I might suggest one based on your comments in Training Peaks. This is included in your coaching fee. This is something that is NOT customary for coaches to do, but something I feel strongly about including in my coaching.
Group Training – In 2019 we will be offering more than ever before! The schedule below is not final but it will give you a pretty good idea of what we will be doing:
Swimming
January, February & March on Sunday’s at 4:00 @ Middle Tyger YMCA in Duncan for all levels. I will be on the deck coaching this.
February
we will have the swim challenge again this year where I pair you with another team member for 2 weeks so that you can work together for the win. This was a lot of fun last year!
Mid April – End of September – Open Water Swimming every other Monday at 6:30 PM followed by dinner afterwards. This year this will ONLY be open to Malone Coaching Athletes or those who purchase the open water swim package.
Cycling
January – we will be offering power based trainer workouts on Saturday mornings at Carolina Triathlon – time TBD.
January 12th – 12PM-3PM Cycling Handling Skills Clinic with Steve Baker and Sam Smith – somewhere in the Greenville area. *There will be a small $25 fee for this clinic.
*Snow date – Sunday, Jan 27th.
January – 1-2 group mountain bike rides to prepare for the Winter Challenge Race!
Running
January, February, March – there will be a few group track workouts but I am not entirely sure when and where at the moment. I would also like to include a few longer runs on the Tryon Half Marathon course over the winter.
Camps
Chattanooga 70.3 CAMP – April 5-7 (Arrive on the 5th and train on the 6th and 7th). More details to come on this soon! *There will be an additional fee for this.
Tryon Training CAMP – May 10 & 11 – I plan to have options for all skill levels here. We will be swimming, biking, running and have some great food, lectures and team bonding . *There will be an additional fee for this. Lodging options will be available as well. More details coming soon.
There will be one more CAMP weekend but date and location are TBD.
Group Races
Currently our big group race is:
May 19th – Chattanooga 70.3 – if you still want to do this race please register NOW as it will fill up very soon!
Other group races are:
March 30th – Race to the Head of the Class 5K & 10K (Tryon, NC) – this will not only be a group race but will serve as your end of winter testing. With free child care and an amazing breakfast afterwards this is one not to miss!
August 11th – Andy’s Race AKA Greenville Sprint. This race has been renamed in honor of one of our team members that we tragically lost in an accident a few years ago. We have been working since then to have the race re-named. It was just announced a few weeks ago that this race will now be Andy’s Race. I would like to see every person from our team who is physically able out there racing or volunteering!
Uniforms
the 2019 uniforms will be from Wattie Ink again this year. I will update the sponsors so there will be some slight changes but the colors will all stay the same. We will also be ordering cycling gear this year. Ideally we will place orders in the beginning of December 2018. Please plan on that and set some money aside for any pieces you want.
The uniforms are important because they give us, as well as our sponsors, visibility at races and connect us together at the big races. It is part of the fun of being part of a team – especially at Chattanooga 70.3 this year!
Ironman Club
we are an official Ironman Club. More info to come on this soon.
USAT CLUB
we are an official USA-Triathlon Club for insurance purposes.
Make sure when you register for events that when they ask for your club affiliation you use Malone Coaching. I will have more information about this on the website when it is complete.
Business
Payments for coaching are due at the beginning of your month of coaching which might start on the 1st or on the 15th of the month. You can pay in the following ways:
- Direct Withdrawal from your bank. I send you the paperwork to set this up.
- Send me a check
- Credit Card on file and charged by Square + 3% transaction fee
- Cash – always welcome!
*If you want a payment that is on the 15th but you are starting on the 1st I will simply pro-rate your first month to be 6 weeks and then you will be paying on the 15th of the month every month going forward.
Coaching
$200 per month for triathletes
$150 single sport athletes
$100 for a season of open water swims – due to insurance I must start charging.
The only discount I offer is 10% off if you pay 6 months in advance, which comes to a savings of $120.
Sponsors for 2019 are still being finalized. Once complete I will send out a list along with discount codes.
It has been brought to my attention that very few people actually know my qualifications!
I have been a level 1 USAT certified triathlon coach for almost 16 years now. For some of that time I raced as a professional triathlete and for that entire time I have been coaching full time. Yes, I raced in Kona (The Ironman World Championships) years ago but where my wealth of knowledge comes from is coaching literally hundreds of age group athletes. My athletes have taught me more than any book or seminar ever could. My goal is to always continue learning and improving as a coach. While I am currently the only coach at Malone Coaching I have spent years building an extended team of professionals to serve you. I am excited that you have chosen Malone Coaching for your 2019 coaching needs.