How many age group athletes look at the intensive training schedules and workouts of elite athletes and think "I could be that fast, if only..." If only I didn't have to work 50 hours a week, I could spend more time training. If I didn't have to deal with family responsibilities as much, I would be able to train more. That's why I'm not as fast as the other athletes I'm racing against. I don't have the time to train as much as everyone else. So we try to replicate the elite schedules the best we can, with pre-dawn swims, lunchtime runs and evening rides on the trainer after dark. Every minute of every day is planned around the workouts. The weekends come and instead of rejuvenation from the stress of the week, more stress is piled on in the form of long rides, long runs and open water swims. And even with all the training and hard workouts, the results aren't there. So instead of going back to the drawing board, the most common "fix" is t...

I'm happy to announce that Thelen Coaching is the official coaching partner of 24 Hours in the Sage for the 2015 race. This is one of the best 24 hour races out there, held on August 22/23 at Hartman's Rocks in Gunnison, CO. The race is based out of the Gunnison KOA, which means full access to all the amities of the campground - power for charging lights, warm showers and no pit area is more then a few minutes from the exchange tent. It also means that the entire campground is devoted to the race, with the staff serving up hot meals nearly around the clock. As for the course, it is a small sample of the fun that can be had at Hartman's Rocks. There is really something for everyone - from the technical rocks of Rocky Ridge to the sweeping, flowing fun of Sea of Sage. We've been doing the race since 2008 and it's gotten better every year. As the official coaching partner of the race, I would like to offer all racers in both the 12 hour and the 24 hour races a disco...