Rockstar Triathlete; Javier Torres, A personal record at every distance in 2018

Coach’s Notes: Javier is a serious Rockstar Triathlete to have PR’s in every distance race from sprint to Ironman in 2018.  Possibly my shyest quietest athlete, he proved there is a lion under all that calm demeanor.  When he sets his mind to it he gets it done despite a busy travel schedule and being a great dad and husband.  If he had a niggling possible injury he let me know right away and then did what it took to stay on track.  This dedication is what it takes to get it right.  I couldn’t be more proud of you Javier, and it only took me a month of begging to get him to talk about himself.  Thanks for doing this, it just might motivate someone else to believe they can do it too!

Age: 35

Profession:  Software Engineer

Why you chose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey? I was transitioning from another training team and my prior coach suggested I reach out to Full Circle.  Erinne was recommended for her depth of experience, knowledge and long history in triathlon training.

What is your “A” race for this season? Ironman Florida, 2018

Please share your BIG goals:  This year I want to finish an Ironman distance race, not with a specific time goal but to just finish it without feeling completely depleted.  A secondary goal was to finish a 70.3 race under 6 hours.  Going forward, my medium term goal is to improve my 70.3 time (targeting under 5:30) and improve my marathon times (hopefully somewhere in the 3:50 range); longer term goal is to qualify for Nationals’/Worlds.

Tell me about your successes so far:  I attempted my first sprint triathlon back in 2013 (Escape to Miami, in which I was not able to even finish the swim), to this year finishing my first Ironman distance event.  I think one of the more subtle successes over that time has been in the confidence going into races.  Where before, my mindset was just “get through” the swim and “do what I can” on the bike, now I feel more confidence going into races.  In retrospect, the other success over this past year has been in the ability to recover after races. Before joining Full Circle, it felt as though it would take 5 – 7 days to start feeling normal after a race. Now I feel ready to train a day or two after an event.

What were some of your biggest improvements in performance for the each of the following?  Swim, Bike, Run, Nutrition/Health:  Please include any personal records and goals achieved.  The largest improvement for me has been in the swimming and biking.  Not just in time/speed but also an improvement in form.  On the sprint distance, I have dropped between 8 – 10 minutes, finishing in under an hour for the first time this year. On the 70.3 distance, I have managed to drop approximately 45 minutes since joining with Full Circle.  I believe one of the biggest factors in those improvements has been understanding pacing.  Through coaching and training, I have a better sense of what I am capable of in each discipline and how to put those together along with nutrition to have a solid race.

Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey:
1. The Full Circle team –  From team mates that push you during training, to team mates that come to races to cheer for you and others, the full circle team provides both a sense of comfort and desire to perform better.

2. Consistent training. Having a detailed training plan to follow that is tailored to my goals, as well as the ability to ask the coaches questions about the workouts and for advice on any slight tweaks.

What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon?  The personal challenge of the sport as well as the variety in challenge from course to course and day to day. You can do a long distance event and experience a different challenge from doing a short course event.  Or, the challenge of completing a hard swim, a hilly bike, etc.  I’m personally still at the point where there is excitement in seeing if I can go faster over the last race, track day, etc.

What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program?  I believe there is always room for improvement and having coaches that are objective, highly skilled and highly experienced are what’s going to drive those improvements. @Erinneguthrie  and the coaches at Full Circle @danielamontiel will provide the training plans and guidance to meet your goals, but also go the extra mile to get you there (down to coming to your house the night before a race to fix a bike issue – Thank You @DennisPhipps)!

P.S.  This could be you!  If you are interested in learning more about Full Circle Coaching, call us at 786-586-6057 today or click this link to schedule a complimentary triathlon strategy call:  http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Level 2 Master’s Swim Coach, competed in both Sprint Draft Legal short course and ITU Long Course World Championships on Team USA 2016 and 2018, 150+ triathlon, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.