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Athlete Spotlight: Will Hart

Athlete Spotlight: Will Hart
November 12, 2019 Michael Harlow

When asked what motivates him, Will Hart says, “I can’t get out of bed without a deadline. I love to race and compete, so I use those dates on the calendar to keep up with my training and to stay fit and healthy.”  I think many of us can relate to the power of races to do just that.  Will got into triathlons when his crew teammates encouraged him to give it a try and has been accomplishing big things ever since.  Read Will’s story in his own words below…

 

Tell us about your journey to endurance sports.  How did you get started?

 

I was a rower (crew) in high school and college and several of my teammates spent the offseason training for and competing in triathlons. They invited me to join them for a race after my freshman year of college. I’ve done 21 tris since then including distances from sprint to half Ironman.

 

When was your first race?  Tell us about it.

 

My first triathlon was the Aspen High Country Triathlon in the summer of 1998. It was a sprint distance tri in the beautiful mountains above the town of Aspen, Colorado. The swim was in a pool and the bike was straight up to the Maroon Bells. I was using a borrowed road bike that felt like it weighed about 100 lbs. but I managed to finish. I was hooked on tri the moment I crossed the finish line.

 

What is your greatest accomplishment in the sport? 

 

It’s a tie. Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon (2010) – with a frigid swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco. The other is the Colorado Triple Bypass bike ride (2019) – from Evergreen, CO near Denver to Avon near Vail. The ride was 120 miles and ~10,000 feet of climbing over 3 mountain passes – most of it over 8,000 feet in elevation with one pass reaching nearly 12,000 feet.

 

What is your biggest goal right now? 

 

I’m thinking this upcoming year is going to be the year of the 13.1 for me. I’d like to use 2020 to beat my half marathon PR, set back in 2013.

 

What motivates you? 

 

I can’t get out of bed without a deadline. I love to race and compete so I use those dates on the calendar to keep up with my training and to stay fit and healthy.

 

Outside of training and racing, what are other important things in your life?

 

My family is the most important thing to me. My wife Robin and I have a 10-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. They encourage my training and racing and always come cheer for me.

 

How has training and racing impacted the rest of your life?

 

I scaled way back on training and racing when my kids were very young and time was scarce. Now that they are a little bit older, getting back into a training routine has been a great thing for me. Having a clear plan designed for me and the accountability of a coach watching my progress has forced me to be much more disciplined about training. The health and fitness gains that have come with training have improved all parts of my life.

 

Why did you choose to train with Endorphin Fitness?

 

My teammate at the local swim club growing up, Ben Graham, is a coach for Endorphin Fitness. He told me about the organization and I’m happy he did. The program works incredibly well for my schedule and the way I like to train.

 

What do you love most about training with Endorphin Fitness?

 

Two things – using data to train smart and the flexibility to get the work done on my own schedule:

 

Data – quant approach: I have found that the way my coach (Ryan Middleton) programs workouts is done in a way that is far more effective than self-coaching or other programs. Workouts that I can program into my Garmin devices make the work clear and attainable. Clear interval goals, zones, power ranges make it really clear where I am making progress and where I am falling short. Ryan is able to use Training Peaks to see the data and see how I’m doing and quickly calibrate future workouts accordingly. This quantitative approach is extremely effective for me.

 

Flexibility: I travel constantly for work so I love the flexibility of being able to do the workouts when and where I want. If I know I will be in a new city, I will plan in advance to find the best places to run. This has the combined benefit of getting the workouts done while getting to see some new places at the same time.

 

Anything you would like to add?

 

It’s been great working with Ryan. I’m psyched for 2020!

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