Matt Myers
Matt Meyers is an excellent example of where hard work and dedication can take you! He has steadily been building fitness through the season, focusing on IM NC 70.3 while putting some solid racing under his belt. He has BUSTED through his previous time trial records recently, gaining over 40 watts on the bike test and crushing a two mile time trial by over 30 seconds! When his coaches ask him to “Bring It!” he always does, it’s been amazing watching him improve every week. His positive attitude makes him unstoppable and his fun personality brings a lot to the team! Matt is definitely going to finish out his season with a BIG BANG! Nice job Matt!
How long have you been coached by Endorphin Fitness? “2 years this coming December.”
What made you decide to join EF? “I had been running 5ks, 10ks and had completed a couple of half marathons. I was stuck in a rut and felt like my results were actually getting worse no matter what I did to prepare for the races. I came out for the free trial at EF and knew this was the place for me–the coaches were knowledgeable and friendly, and all of the EF athletes were so welcoming.”
Tell me a little bit about your fitness / triathlon journey from start to finish. “I grew up playing team sports (basketball/soccer) and swam for fun in the summers. After college, I ran occasionally and swam a couple times a week to try to stay active. I started running some local races for fun and to give me a goal to work towards to maintain my fitness. After the Richmond Half Marathon a couple years ago (where my time was actually worse than the year before), I decided I wanted to try something new so I signed up for a sprint triathlon with absolutely no training. It wasn’t pretty, but the sport definitely had my attention. I started training with EF during the offseason and after my first few races in the spring, I was hooked. Since then, I have been increasing my distances while continuing to improve my speed for the sprints. The next goal on the horizon is to complete a full Ironman.”
How has Endorphin Fitness taught you to be more? “Sally and Ryan, and Parker before, have always set the bar higher than I thought I could reach but then they encourage me and push me and celebrate with me as I achieve those goals and continue to challenge me, never settling for less than my best efforts. It is incredible to look back and see how far I have come and I know that I couldn’t do it without the coaches and teammates.”
Which race distances have you done and what is your favorite? “I have done super sprint (ECTF), sprints, olympic and just recently completed my first half ironman in June. My favorite distance is sprint because it is all out from start to finish!”
What are your main goals this season? “Complete my first half ironman (checked that one off in June) and now build off of that and improve my time for my second half ironman in October. Continue to improve in all areas, but especially my bike and my run.”
How has your season gone this far this year? “Overall, this season is going very well. I have placed in the top 3 of my age group for a few races and I achieved one of my goals for the season when I completed my first half ironman in Syracuse this summer. I didn’t get the results I wanted in that race, but learned exactly what I needed to focus on the rest of the season to prepare for the next one. My fitness level has been progressing well through the season, so I am excited for the last few races to finish the season on a high note.”
Tell me about your favorite and least favorite race experience. “Favorite: Powersprint this year. After putting in a lot of work in the offseason, everything came together and I had my most complete race to date and ended up taking 2nd in my age group and dropping a lot of time in all 3 phases of the race.
Least Favorite: The run at Syracuse 70.3 in June. It was super hilly and temperatures got over 90 degrees during the run. I was basically on my goal pace until the back half of the run and ended up falling short of my pre-race goals.”
What is your favorite part about triathlon? “Training with my coaches and teammates. I love seeing everyone push themselves day in and day out as well as pushing each other. The best part is seeing those results for everyone on race days.”
Greatest advice to beginners? “Don’t let your mind get in the way of what your body is capable of accomplishing. It will tell you that you are tired or that you can’t go any faster or that the workout is too tough or the intervals are too hard. If you put in the efforts, the results will come–sometimes quickly and usually little by little. The biggest lesson I have learned is to trust your past training and preparation and always push yourself to realize your full potential.”
