Rockstar Triathlete 3x’s Daniel Kaminstein
Coach’s Notes: Daniel holds a special place in my career as a triathlon coach because he was already a super fast athlete who was on the podium in almost every race he participated. But he wanted to be 1st overall and go to World Championships. We met at the race I have every year (The Ride On Ryan Triathlon in honor of my deceased boyfriend Ryan Williams) and he was 3rd place overall.
We connected over the phone during our Discovery Session and got to work long distance. Daniel lives in Georgia and I’m in Miami, so I train him online. I will tell you a huge part of Daniel’s success with my training program is our communication and his attention to detail. He is a full time physician, husband and father to 4 kids under the age of 12!
He asks the right questions, never misses a coach call or video analysis review and every week all you see is GREEN in Training Peaks. We have tweaked every detail of his training and equipment and video analyze several times every year. The improvements Daniel has made over the last three years is really amazing and I am super proud of these accomplishments as I know he is, although he does not mention any numbers below, I will!
1:15/100 for a 1500 Meter swim test 2 weeks before Switzerland World Champs, 23 MPH average speed on an extremely hilly and technical 40K bike course and running a 39 min 10k off the bike to come in 1st American in the 40-44 age group! Way to go Man, I know you have more, Ready when you are!
Age: 41
Profession: Emergency Medicine Physician
Why you chose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey? Three years ago when I was first looking for a coach I wanted someone who would help me in my development as an athlete in all three disciplines while allowing me to balance all of the other priorities in my life. I wanted to be able to train hard but I did not have four or five hours a day to dedicate to training. I had been a successful age group triathlete for years but I wanted a coach that could get me to the next level. My priority was finding a coach that was personally committed to me as an athlete and could design an efficient training program that would allow me to improve without requiring massive amounts of training volume. After meeting Erinne in person and talking to her on the phone I was impressed at FCC had to offer. Erinne’s investment in her athletes lives from both a training standpoint but also a health/wellness mindset is what convinced me that FCC would be the right choice for me.
What is your “A” race for this season? My A race this year was ITU age group world championships in Switzerland. I race the international distance.
Please share your BIG goals: My BIG goal was to finish as top 5 in the world in my age group. My other BIG goal is to have the fastest bike split in my age group at every race that I do.
Tell me about your successes so far: I am not all the way there for either of my BIG goals. This year I did have major success in both of these areas. I was 15th in my age group at worlds and only 5 minutes off the fastest bike split. I have made huge progress in the last 2 years. It has been incredible to see the improvement and to enjoy the journey not just the destination. Some other successes in the past three years with FCC have been several overall victories in local triathlons. I was always in the top 10 but I am now consistently winning not just my age group but overall which is not bad for a 40 year old in my view. I think my improvement in my bike split and swim form have also been huge successes that I am extremely proud of.
What were some of your biggest Improvements in performance for the each of the following? Swim: Bike: Run:
Bike – Consistently being one of the top bikers in my age group at every race – this is big step up from where I was two years ago
Swim – My technique has improved dramatically. I was always a strong swimmer but I can feel myself going faster based on technique improvements that Erinne and I have refined over the past few years.
Run – this has been the biggest challenge for me – my run speed has been solid but working more on staying injury free when my run volume ramps up. This year it was down to the wire before my big race but turned out amazing. Was helpful to have a coach who knew my injury history and could help me stay on track even when I couldn’t do all of the run workouts I wanted to.
Nutrition/Health: Please include any Personal Records and Goals achieved:
Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey:
1. Eating healthier – this has been huge. I went from a relatively healthy eater to someone who thinks quite a bit more about how I am fueling myself. It made a huge difference in my energy levels and my ability to perform on hard workouts and race day. I have avoided the “easy” carbs and now focus quite a bit more on good protein sources, healthy fats and a modest amount of more complex carbs.
2. General focus on mental skills has been a huge help as well. Focusing on the mental side of racing at the high end of the support has made me enjoy the races more but also made me faster.
What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon? I love that it is both a team and individual support. You can be racing someone but also encourage them at the same time. I also enjoy the complexity of the sport. There are so many different aspects of being a good triathlete so there is always an area to improve. It is not just about being fast on the swim, bike, run. Knowing your equipment, knowing the race course, getting fast through transition are all essential components of making you faster. No matter how long I compete in triathlon there will always be more to learn and improve on which makes it a great life-long pursuit. I have also loved seeing my kids get involved. My three oldest have all competed in triathlons and it is now the family sport.
What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program? Almost all of the coaching I have had through FCC has been remote. I have had some in-person coaching sessions but most of what I have accomplished with FCC has been a combination of great planning, great communication and dedication to an individual approach to my training and racing. There are lots of programs and coaches out there but if you truly want to improve in this sport you need someone who sees you as an individual and thinks holistically about your progression as an athlete. FCC does an incredible job on all of these accounts. If you are local to Miami you have a huge opportunity to train and race with some of the best of our sport. If you are thinking about joining and doing most of your coaching and training remotely I can attest that Erinne and her team can make it work for you!
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, Member of Team USA and Competed in over 150 races. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Level 2 Master’s Swim Coach, Metabolic Efficiency Expert and Motivational Speaker, Mom, and much much more.
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