Mark Decker
Endurance athletes tend to be very goal oriented and find challenge irresistible. The day I finished my first short course triathlon I wanted to move up to the Half Ironman distance. The day I finished my first Half I wanted to move up to Ironman. The day I finished my first Ironman I wanted to qualify for Hawaii. I trained harder and longer and I got fitter. I also got sick a lot. "Tired" became my standard response when people asked me how I was feeling. With a busy career and a (naive?) notion that I should be able to retain some semblance of balance in my life, this was not a good way to be. I made three attempts to qualify for Kona and came pretty close. On my first attempt I started the race sick from over-training, on the second I raced at the wrong intensity and on the third I was fit but physically and mentally flat.
I started training with Nigel two years ago. I have learned that getting it right on race day is a process that takes many months of carefully crafted training and preparation. Nigel created a very progressive, precise program for me. The lactate testing and analysis has meant that my training is more efficient and targeted than it has ever been. I am very pleased with the results and I recently qualified for Kona in 2004. It's still hard to find balance but we're working on it.
Mark J. Decker
