Featured Athletes
Racing & Training Stories | Brian Shields | Chad Fisher | Dale Nelson | Kim McDonald | Rachel Corey | Ryan Kelly
Dale Nelson, Triathlete
As a middle-aged, middle-of-the-pack, age-grouper, I am an example of how a structured training program can help anyone!
My first endurance sport experience was in the mid-1980s when my wife and I, on a total whim (and a beer!), entered the Seattle Emerald City Marathon despite our lack of serious training. Call it "beginner’s luck" - our experiences were positive enough to try it again the following year. With no more training than before, this second marathon ended my “lucky” streak as I hit the wall around Mile 20. My wife, on the other hand, finished quite strong! For some reason I lost interest in running after that!
Golf came next…that is until I skied into a tree which resulted in a broken elbow. While rehabbing my elbow I decided to go back to running and qualified for Boston in 2005. It was such a great experience that I wanted to qualify again. But after numerous frustrating attempts, I just couldn’t do it. I’d heard the benefits of cross training on run performance so I decided to give triathlons a try. My first triathlon was a Seattle Olympic distance race. I will always remember the swim—excitement to thrashing to total panic to exhaustion. Luckily the bike and run were much more enjoyable and in the end, I was hooked!
Two years ago I decided to get a bit more serious about my training and hired Coach Michelle. Together, we devised a training plan to meet my goals of qualifying for Boston and doing the Ironman 70.3 Boise triathlon. Michelle brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her athletes along with great connections: FLOW Aquatics for swim technique, Endurance Training for all things cycling, and Therapeutic Associates for management of aches and pains.
The Performance High coaching program has worked very well for me. Last season I ran two qualifying marathon times and successfully completed two Half-distance tri’s. I must admit, I am still mystified as to why the training program works so well, but I am middle-aged proof that it does work!
2009 Highlights
- Yakima River Canyon Marathon
- Boise 70.3
- Lake Stevens 70.3
- Portland Marathon