Join Startline Coaching to build a strong cycling foundation to carry you into your early season events and beyond.
A structured and time efficient training plan, fellow athletes to work out with, and direct instruction from a professional coach are game changers for athletes of all levels.
- 10 Wk – Indoor cycling FTP builder – 1/16/23 – 3/26/23 – $345
Join us! Register today!
2 weeks left before the off season run & bike programs start.
Coached, weekly group training sessions (in Prospect Park for runners and on Zwift for cyclists) build camaraderie, accountability, and learning.
All programs offer structured workouts via Training Peaks, along with regular testing to set benchmarks for each athlete’s zones and efforts.
Races are included for goal-setting and testing our mettle.
Run:
- 10 Week – 10k / 10 M PR – $265
- 24 Week – Spring Marathon Prep – $620
- Starts Nov 9
Bike:
- 10 Week – FTP Builder – $345
- 20 Week – Extended cycling program for distance events – $640
- Starts Nov 8
Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to set a foundation for next years racing!
It’s marathon season in NY. In three weeks, marathoners across the world will toe the line in Staten Island to race the NYC marathon. Inspired to try a marathon yourself by watching others prepare? Spring marathons are a great option but the challenge is often training into the colder months when the park becomes more lonely. Seeking a group to keep you motivated as the weather gets cold?
Startline Coaching offers a group training program for beginning & intermediate marathoners. Group training kickoff is Nov 9, 2022. The race target is the popular NYCRUNS Brooklyn Marathon on April 23, 2023. Athletes can choose any alternative race that is within a few weeks of this target date.
- 24 Week Program – $620
Join us…
In the Northeast, bringing athletes inside to work together as a group in Zwift and simultaneously on Zoom has been a game changer.
Athletes get so much more out of every workout because they can interact, ride as a group, and execute a workout that is specific to them – all while being coached and able to raise questions as they occur.
Unlike group rides where strong riders tend to pull away from weaker riders, Zwift meetups with group together mode hold the entire group together even if the group possesses vastly different abilities. Each person works at their level of capability without fear of being dropped. Athletes in a virtual group can even be executing different workouts. All impossible in the outdoors!
Startline Coaching offers fall & winter cycling programs over Zwift. Be professionally coached this winter and come out next year ready to ride.
- 10 Week program – $345
- 20 Week program – $640
Visualize your swim leg. How will it feel?
Too often, the swim portion of a triathlon is viewed as a survival leg. Athletes use brute strength, endurance, and grit to get through it. But if you want faster bike and run legs, then learn to swim without draining your energy and building excess fatigue.
Triathlon swimming is all about:
- Efficient technique
- Open water savvy & confidence
- Pacing control
Our swim camps will get you out of the water ready to race vs. ready to recover:
- Receive direct instruction from expert triathlon swim coaches
- See your self and others on video with coach feedback
- Understand what it is about your freestyle stroke that is holding you back
- Learn effective drills for you that will help you correct your flaws
- Develop open water skills & confidence
- Understand pacing for your workouts
Camp #1 – March 25-27
- 3 spots left
- Price: $625 until Feb 28
- Registration closes March 19
Camp #2 – May 13-15
- Only 10 spots left
- Price: $600 initial registration price extended through Feb 28
Join us & transform your swim.
3 Day Triathlon Swim Camp in St. Petersburg, Florida | $600 price increases midnight 1/31 | Max occupancy: 30 Athletes
We’d love to see you and want to be sure you don’t miss out on registering before the price increases tonight.
Sunshine. World class pool facility on the water. Amazing coaching.
All this & more awaits you at the Startline Coaching Swim Camp in St. Petersburg Florida. The perfect kick off to your summer and your season and the best way to take your swimming to the next level.
Join us in St. Petersburg Florida April 14-16!
Head coaches: Earl Walton & Peter Helling
Spring and summer 2022 races are open for registration. The off season is behind us and it is time to get ready to race! Join Startline Coaching to build a strong endurance foundation to carry you into your early season races and beyond. A structured and time efficient training plan, fellow athletes to work out with, and direct instruction from a professional coach are game changers for athletes of all levels.
Join us! Register today
Spring Triathlon programs – Peak for Spring/Summer races!
- 22 Wk Triathlon Training program – 1/22/22 – 6/26/22
- 26 Wk Extended Triathlon Training program – 1/22/22 – 7/24/22
Running programs – Peak for the Brooklyn Half!
- 13 Wk Half Marathon preparation program – 1/22/22 – 4/24/22
Cycling programs – Develop power!
- 12 Wk – Indoor cycling FTP builder – 1/18/22 – 4/10/22
Our Approach
Athletes are streamed into training progressions based upon current fitness and capability. All programs offer structured workouts via Training Peaks, along with regular testing to set benchmarks for each athlete’s zones and efforts. Coached, weekly group training sessions (in Prospect Park for runners & triathletes, and on Zwift for cyclists) build camaraderie, accountability, and learning. Each athlete is equally valued by the group. We cheer one another on, offer support when the going gets tough and the spirit lags, and celebrate successes and breakthroughs.
Not sure which option is best for your upcoming season? Hit the “Click to Schedule” button to schedule a call with Coach Peter.
3 Day Triathlon Swim Camps in St. Petersburg, Florida | 2 camps available |
black Friday registration price – $550 available until midnight | Max occupancy: 30 Athletes
25 people arrive at a pool – Some want to qualify for the World Championships, some want to race their first triathlon. Some of those folks were talked into the Swim Camp by a significant other. All left the pool swimming better, with new friends, a little suntan and a chance to thrive not just survive the first leg of their triathlon.
Swimming is a life skill and a doorway to fitness and new experiences – we can’t wait to get you in the pool and show you what is possible!
Coaches Peter Helling and Earl Walton have a combined 50 years of coaching between them and look forward to helping you reach your goals this season.
Join us in sunny St. Petersburg Florida for the Startline Coaching Swim Camp and bring your goals.
Use the coupon code “blacktriday” during registration. The coupon is valid through 11/30.
The first workout for the bike focus program is tomorrow! Set your alarm! Tomorrow’s ride will be on Zwift @6:30 am. Be sure you connect 5+ mins early so you do not miss the meet up and so you can load the workout. Let’s get ready to go.
Those of you who are considering a bike focus for the next few months and have not pulled the trigger, there is still time to sign up. Be coached through a comprehensive progression of indoor & outdoor workouts designed to develop your power and stamina on the bike.
Develop the confidence to ride hilly terrain. Understand your capabilities so that when faced with challenging terrain, you know when to press and for how long. Learn to pace others and pace yourself in a group. Take on KOM/QOM segments. Measure and follow your progress through the next 12 weeks and start next years training season stronger. 3 coached group workouts per week + solo workouts
If you miss tomorrow’s workout no big deal. But don’t let the train pull away from the station without you. Move fast! The train is starting to move.
More questions contact Startline Coaching.
Coach Peter
2020 has been a challenging year for endurance athletes, leaving athletes with big questions like what next? and should I even bother? All of the race uncertainty has left many athletes feeling that they don’t want to invest in training if the race turns out not to happen. This can lead to frustration, burn out, and possibly throwing in the towel and de-training altogether.
At Startline Coaching, our recommendation is to think of the summer of 2020 as a unique opportunity to put some space in your life to:
A) Focus on family, new adventures, work, or other passions, but do so in a way where you maintain a productive level of fitness, strength, & mobility so that you can return to training in the fall healthy & motivated. For those you who fall into this bucket, Startline Coaching is offering a brand new ‘strengthen my base’ group training program that will keep you strong & robust while giving you time & flexibility to pursue other areas of interest.
B) Focus on a specific performance limiter. Rarely are we given the gift of time to make concrete progress on a key weakness in a truly dedicated way. The summer of 2020 is a rare opportunity to accelerate your athletic progress in a key discipline, such as biking or running, without the pressure of needing to prepare for a race. For those of you who are in this bucket, Startline Coaching offers individualized custom coaching programs to support you throughout the summer.
Whatever you choose to do, just keep moving! It’s great for the body – and for the spirit, too.
Coach Peter.
A week ago, Startline Coaching athletes ran the Run the Blue Point Brewery 10 miler. This year, 16 athletes completed the race on long Island, NY and celebrated with a morning beer. The Blue Point Brewery always puts on a good show, with great food, a band, a warm tent and, yes, great beer. My thanks to #GLIRC for as always running a great race. This is the 10th year of the race and 6th time Startline Coaching athletes have been to the race.
This race is a team favorite capping off a 12 week run/strength training block before we move into triathlon training. We were 16/16 on completing the race with negative splits and many with significant improvements over the prior year. Developing speed and pacing control was a central theme over these past 12 weeks. You should all feel so pleased with your results.
Way to execute!
Coach Peter
Few things strike fear into the hearts of athletes than the dreaded run time trail that a coach has placed onto athletes training calendar. There is no question that these efforts are really very tough. They are also extremely valuable by providing insight into each athletes speed potential & athletic improvement. It is direct feedback to both coach & athlete on improvement. Moreover, they allow more accurate setting of training zones so training can be targeted more effectively.
This week, Startline athletes face their first Run TT test session of the training year. It is a preliminary test to capture where they stand today so that base training begins on a firm footing. Here is guidance for them and others undertaking these tests.
The test is simple. After a good 20 min warm-up and some pre-race facilitation drills and dynamic stretches, run as quickly as you can for 30 minutes. The goal is to cover as much ground as possible. Here are some key tips:
- Time trials are your fastest sustainable effort without injury. This is not the be all and end all run effort you will ever do. No good is ever done by running past your ability to absorb the effort. While the test is to see how fast you can run, it makes little sense to do yourself a mischief.
- Go out a little slower than you think you can run. A time trail does not really start to reveal itself in terms of perceived exertion until 4-5 mins into the run. Too often I have seen athletes fade about 4-5 minutes out. It is better to negative split and learn from that for next time. An overly explosive start followed by a fade is much less meaningful. Close hard is my best advice, just as in races.
- Use the same time, protocol, and route every time. To create meaningful data that shows progress over time, you need to do your level best to replicate your time trails. Be sure to be fairly well rested. If done in the morning, always do them in the morning. If evening, stick with that. Follow the same warm up routine. I like to use the same routine for races as well. If you intend to race with a wrist based HRM, then use that in the time trail. Finally, run the same route. Of course, there are many variables you cannot control that will vary between TT efforts, but by minimizing variation you will be able to see change in performance more clearly.
- You get better at this over time. Just like racing, time trials take practice and, with time, become increasingly manageable. Focus on the process, and understand the relationship between perceived effort, pace and duration vs. the absolute performance. This is especially true if you are new to doing these kinds of tests. Focus on mastery and if you have a bad test, move on. Trust me another test is coming in 4-6 weeks. Over time, you do learn to suffer and as every athlete will tell you, your ability to manage suffering is central to every race effort.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. The old adage that which gets measured improves does apply here. You must continually reassess for two reasons 1) to ensure training zones are reflective of your fitness and performance and 2) to ensure that your training is delivering results. While performance improvement is not linear, a regular TT ensures that both you and your coach have time to reflect and be purposeful about next steps. I like to retest athletes every 4-6 weeks.
For more details on setting heart rate & pace training based upon run time trial efforts checkout this article from Joe Friel at Training Peaks.
Coach Peter
Photo Credit: Larry Rosa photography