— Coaches Notes: Trish approached me with the goal of improving her speed to complete the 8-mile Alligator Lighthouse swim as part of a relay team. We began with a comprehensive 2-hour swim video analysis, where I recorded her freestyle technique from both above and below the water, capturing every angle. Next, we evaluated her strength and mobility from head to toe, identifying areas of strength and flexibility, as well as areas that required improvement—specifically her ankles, hips, core, thoracic spine, neck, and shoulders.
These key areas are crucial for enhancing swimming speed but are often overlooked in training. From this assessment, I developed a personalized training program focused on increasing her speed, strength, and endurance in the water, while also improving her mobility and strength on land. We initiated the program with a 400/200 speed test, which we retest every 6-8 weeks to track progress. Trish diligently followed her training plan, and the results have been impressive!
She improved her pace from 3:25 per 100 yards to an astonishing 2:20 per 100 yards in just a few months. But we’re not done yet! We’ve now incorporated run training, using a similar approach to what we applied for swimming. I’m incredibly proud of you, Trish! Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention—Trish lost 15 lbs along the way and looks fantastic in her Full Circle Coaching bathing suit. Keep up the amazing work, Trish!
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Meet Patricia 69 Year old Triathlete. I did my first triathlon at 67 years old. Triathlon helped me believe in myself and what was possible at this age. Running is my weakest of the 3 sports and I always get pain in my piriformis. So, I decided to focus on swimming for a while.
Where were you with your swimming before Full Circle Coaching?
I was working with another coach who is a great coach but I wasn’t progressing. We did a lot of speed drills but I never got faster, only frustrated with no improvement on my 100m swim pace stuck at 3:25. I was able to swim longer but not faster. None of my Triathlon times improved.
What was holding you back? What were your goals and why?
My goal was to become a faster open-water swimmer…. Which I couldn’t do with my other coach. He recommended one of his past athletes who became a coach. I worked with her to overcome my HUGE fear of drowning, using a wet suit, swimming in dark water, and not being eaten by an alligator. My next goal was to work with a coach who could help me prepare for the alligator Lighthouse and swim in the ocean.
How did you find Erinne?
I scoured the Alligator Lighthouse website about 18 months ago to start looking for help. Earlier this year, I read someone’s post mentioning Coach Erinne. I reached out and we started working together!
Top 3 things that improved from the Full Circle Coaching swim Essentials program.
I was always looking at my hands underwater and not straight down.
Breathing: with a better head position my breath work became easier. I also have been able to swim up to 7 strokes without taking a breath and this was huge for me. Now when I swim and I am relaxed I can easily swim, breathing every 5 strokes without stressing. But I focus on breathing every 2 strokes to make sure more oxygen is coming in so I can think about my swim technique. And I alternate each lap so I am good at breathing to both sides.
Hand position: although I know to keep my hands entering the water at 11:00 and 1:00, apparently I was still crossing over. The other coach tried to work on that with me but using the Full Circle Coaching Swim Stick-for catch-up drills was key to really improving that. it wasn’t long until I was more aware of hand placement and proper entry in the water and no longer cross over my midline.
My Catch: I am also improving my catch…. Still a long way to go but Erinne had a well-rounded pool training plan and the swim specific core strengthening, squats, lunges, planks, and pushups are helping my arms become stronger. I was missing this from my previous coaching.
My endurance improved, I can swim 3 miles nonstop. My 3:30, 100 meter pace has dropped to about 2:20 with a best time of 2:05/ 100. My technique has improved as well as my strength.
What’s Next?I am not sure about repeating the alligator, but I do want to continue with open-water swimming events and restart my Triathlon training. I always would suffer from a piriformis injury so I would have to walk the run during my triathlons…its hard to podium like that. I have started to train with Erinne to help me get back to running and continue to improve my swimming and do a 70.3 in 2025.
Do you want results like these?
Click this link: http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU to schedule your FREE Triathlon Transformation Session today!
Erinne Guthrie has been 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 Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, and more.
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