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Xtri Chats With Coach Troy Jacobson
By Betsy Delcour
3/19/2009 |
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Perhaps most famous for being the creator of Spinervals and its sister DVD Runnervals, Troy Jacobson can be credited as one of the founders of remote coaching in the triathlon industry. A football player-turned-pro triathlete back in the late 80s, Troy started his revolution a few years later with the then-high-tech Fax-A-Coach business...and things took off from there! Here's what Troy had to say about life for pro's these days, compared to the 90s, his recent post as National Director of Endurance Training at Life Time Fitness, and who's tougher: football players or triathletes...
Hi Coach Troy, thanks for chatting with us! Can you tell us how you got involved in triathlon? How’d you make the transition from 220 lb. football player/wrestler to pro Triathlete? What kinds of advice did Ken Glah and Jeff Devlin give you?
I got involved in triathlon in the summer of 1987. I had just graduated from HS where I played football and wrestled heavyweight. I was headed to West Chester University in PA, a Division II football powerhouse and was going to walk on. I was a good football player in HS (captain of the team, All County, etc.) but lacked the size and speed to really go anywhere with it. A lifelong athlete and fitness enthusiast, I knew I'd want to do something to stay competitive through college so started running and cycling that summer to get fit for Fall football camp. I loved it and felt great and was in the best overall shape of my life. I did play football that first year in college, but realized that my football career was over so decided to turn my full attention to triathlon training, school and partying.
I discovered that some of the best triathletes in the world at the time, guys from the now defunct Team Fox Catcher Tri Team (including Ken Glah, Jeff Devlin, Brooks Clark, Steve Fitch and Freddy Klevan) all lived and trained in West Chester. I was fortunate to have Ken, his wife Jan Wanklyn (an Australian pro), Jeff and Fred 'mentor' me in those early years... and I'll always be grateful. I always say that I went to West Chester, not to study in a traditional sense, but to study triathlon. The biggest piece of advice I gleaned from them was this: Go really hard on your quality days and really easy on your recovery days and don't spend too much time in the 'gray zone'.
My first tri was in 1988 at the Columbia Triathlon in Maryland, directed by top East Coast RD , Bob Vigorito. I finished 10th Overall in 2:08 on a tough course, winning my age group by over 20 minutes. The 'hook was set' at that point!
So what was it like racing as a pro in the 90s? How was it better or worse than it is for today’s pros, in your opinion?
I was what you'd call a '2nd Tier Pro', capable of going under 4 hours for the half Ironman (now 70.3) and under 9 hours for Ironman. Today, the pro field is so deep with talent and experience because the men and women grow up with the right backgrounds in swimming, cycling and running. Back in the 1990's, you had athletes with solid single sport backgrounds who developed into really solid triathletes. Nowadays, many of the top tier pro's are national caliber in all three sports, which is amazing. But as in all sports, things evolve in regard to the science of training, equipment nutrition, etc. That fact coupled with a greater depth of talent and focus on the sport make it incredibly competitive at all levels -- but it's all relative, I guess.
Back in 1992, you started your own business, called Fax-A-Coach. How did you come up with that concept and how did it grow into its present-day form?
I was a 'starving triathlete' at that time, doing some personal training, racing a lot and just scraping by. I had worked for a stint as a consultant for my father’s business consulting company and got some interesting real-world experience in that field. One day, a local runner asked me to write a workout for them, but they were on the other side of town... so I faxed the workout to them. I think I charged $30 per month, and that included the monthly training plan plus a phone call each month to discuss training progress. I thought, 'hmm....this is an interesting way to personal train someone.' I then put out a bunch of flyers at local bike shops promoting my 'FAX A COACH' program and started getting a few clients here and there.
In 1995, I started working as Fitness Director at Meadowbrook Aquatic Center (training home of Michael Phelps) and invested in a 2 inch marketplace ad in TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE promoting my coaching programs. My first out of state client was doing Powerman Zofingen, and from there ... my reputation grew and so did my business! It was at that time I realized one could make a very good living by coaching triathletes.
Tell us how Spinervals and Runnervals came about! Who are these dvd’s aimed at?
Spinervals started as 'cycleaerobic' in 1992. I was hanging up my shingle as a coach at the time and one of my clients, a local pro mountain bike racer and manager of the local Performance Bike Shop, a man named Rodger Bird, told me I could come to his store on a Wednesday evening and hold an indoor cycling class. As an avid cyclist and triathlete, my style was to walk around with a stopwatch and motivate the riders versus sitting on a bike in front of the group. So, local cyclists started coming to my classes on Wed. nights for $3 per class. It started with 3 people, then quickly grew to over 30 people in a class. I started doing classes throughout the area at local bike shops almost every weeknight during the winter and my classes grew.
Then in 1994, an advertising agency executive, who represented a new indoor trainer company based in New York City, called Cycle-ops, did one of my classes and approached me afterwards about possibly making an indoor cycling video for competitive cyclists. I had always wanted to do just that, but didn't have the funds or the know how... so after several meetings, Cycle-ops owner decided to finance a video production in Beaver Creek, CO featuring me as the coach and several of the world’s best cyclists and triathletes at that time. It was incredible as Ironman winners Karen Smyers and Greg Welch were in the video, as were cycling stars Tyler Hamilton, Scott Moninger and others. That video, called 'Cyclrobx', was the first indoor cycling workout video (on VHS) ever created for cyclists and received worldwide distribution for many years. You should check out the hair styles!
Cycle-Ops changed ownership and in 1997, I found my own investors to start my own brand of indoor cycling videos called Spinervals. This business then grew organically, but rapidly, and paved the way for the various indoor cycling video companies out there today. We now have over 50 titles in our library and distribution throughout the world.
These days you travel the country for training camps, seminars, expos, etc. Can you tell us what’s ahead this year?
I do travel quite often, giving training seminars for clubs, speaking to corporate entities about success and achievement ,etc. This year my schedule is very busy, including our upcoming camp in Tucson Arizona, our 9th Annual Lake Placid Camp in June and our 3rd Annual Louisville KY Training camp in July, among several others.
You were also recently named National Director of Endurance Training at Life Time Fitness. Can you tell us how this came to be? What’s involved with this position?
This opportunity came to me in the summer of 2008 when Fitness VP, Mark Thom approached me about starting a new Endurance Training Department at Life Time Fitness. Mark and the other executives at the company are all endurance sport enthusiasts so they all 'get it' and they see the opportunity in the realm of offering endurance sports training services. In fact, Mark is an Ironman Hawaii finisher, so his enthusiasm for the sport is incredibly high!
My job as National Director is to build an endurance sports training culture at LTF and to develop a coaching staff of qualified professionals who can assist LTF members and non-members alike. With over 80 clubs throughout the country, each with swimming pools, indoor cycling studios and banks of treadmills, the potential to get several of our over 1 Million members involved in endurance sports training and participation is incredible. Right now, we're focused on supporting Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series events (www.ltftriathlon.com), including the major U.S. races and the incredible Indoor Triathlon Series. We're building a staff of coaches, both internally and online, who are doing a great job of promoting all things endurance and helping people achieve both their fitness and competitive athletic goals.
As a family man and business man, how do you balance the travel, training, family and work?
This is tough at times but my wife Brook is very supportive and knows I'm happiest when I'm busy and trying to 'raise the bar'. I have the great fortune to work from my home in Tucson, which makes things much easier, and I make it an absolute priority to spend as much quality time as possible with my two little girls, Hope and Chloe.
You’re one of the first, if not THE first, person to come up with the idea of remote coaching. Do you think this industry has helped in the growth of triathlon? Are there any ways that remote coaching has hurt the sport? What should people look for in a coach?
Yes, I do feel it has helped the growth of the sport. In fact, when George Dallam and the executives at USAT decided to initiate a coaching certification program for triathlon back in the mid-1990's, I believe this to be one of the largest catalysts for the growth of triathlon. All of a sudden, you go from a few coaches, such as myself, doing it full time to lots of 'foot soldiers' in the field promoting triathlon to their friends, co-workers and family members as 'coaches'. This really helped to build the sport. But as in all new industries, there are some coaches who should not be offering advice to others. I always encourage clients to do a thorough background check on their coach...looking at their history and track record. Does the coach 'walk the walk'? What kind of references do they have? Results with athletes of varying ages? Talent levels? Athletic backgrounds? These things are important as it is to remember that just because an athlete was an 'elite' , or even if someone has several advanced degrees, it's their ability to blend the science and the art of training for an individual, that makes a program a success or a failure.
Are there any popular or recent training theories of which you’re a fan, or are there any popular training ideas out there now that you disagree with? What are some common mistakes that age group triathletes make?
One phrase: K.I.S.S. "Keep it Simple Speedy". Stick to the fundamentals of a sound training program. Forget the bells and whistles. Most age group athletes have not even scratched the surface of their potential. When you're at 99.8% of your potential, then start to get fancy with your training to find that extra .5%. Otherwise, focus on building your aerobic base with lower intensity work, add hard work when appropriate and don't spend too much time in the 'gray zone'.
OK, you’ve been on both sides of the athletic spectrum. Which sport is harder: football, or triathlon? Who’s tougher – a college football player, or a collegiate Triathlete? I’ve personally gotten into debates with many (non-triathlete) guys before and need to know the answer!
Each sport is hard for different reasons. I would say that triathlon is harder in the sense that your suffering on race day can last for many hours... whereas it's only one hit to the next on the football field.
Thanks Coach Troy!
For more info, please visit CoachTroy.com. |
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