Darren Nix, San Francisco , CA
" I learned to swim freestyle in 2012 so that I could get through a 400m swim in my first ever sprint triathlon. I managed to "swim" the first 100m and then doggy paddled the rest. Over the next two seasons I got some lessons here and there and put in a lot of pool hours, but I wasn't happy with the results. I was consistently in the bottom 10% of my age group for the swim -- my best swim performance was a 2:15/100m pace at Wildflower.
So, this season I wanted to finally get out of the back of the pack. I had heard about TI and watched the video of Shinji Takeuchi about a dozen times, so I decided to really invest in my swimming. I bought the videos in early May and played them on a laptop beside a tiny backyard pool (it was long enough for about 3 strokes) and tried to teach myself the 2-beat kick... it seemed so weird. My progress was slow, so I went looking for coaching and registered for Mandy's 2-day workshop at the College of San Mateo on May 28.
The workshop was exactly what I needed. By the end I, was swimming noticeably faster and easier and when I went back to practicing on my own, my 100m lap times were consistently sub 2:00. I could feel things that were still wrong with my stroke and breathing, though. So, I booked a five-pack of individual coaching sessions with Mandy. Fast forward to this weekend, I competed in Tri Santa Cruz and completed the 1500m swim leg at a 1:41/100m pace. That was enough to keep me in the middle of the pack on the swim -- success! Since I wasn't weighed down by an awful swim, I went out hard on the bike and run and finished 2nd overall in my age group!
Mandy is a phenomenal coach and I credit her with helping me get this far. My new goal is to get down to a 1:30/100m over 4000m distance, and I'm confident that I can do that with her help and a lot more pool hours."
So, this season I wanted to finally get out of the back of the pack. I had heard about TI and watched the video of Shinji Takeuchi about a dozen times, so I decided to really invest in my swimming. I bought the videos in early May and played them on a laptop beside a tiny backyard pool (it was long enough for about 3 strokes) and tried to teach myself the 2-beat kick... it seemed so weird. My progress was slow, so I went looking for coaching and registered for Mandy's 2-day workshop at the College of San Mateo on May 28.
The workshop was exactly what I needed. By the end I, was swimming noticeably faster and easier and when I went back to practicing on my own, my 100m lap times were consistently sub 2:00. I could feel things that were still wrong with my stroke and breathing, though. So, I booked a five-pack of individual coaching sessions with Mandy. Fast forward to this weekend, I competed in Tri Santa Cruz and completed the 1500m swim leg at a 1:41/100m pace. That was enough to keep me in the middle of the pack on the swim -- success! Since I wasn't weighed down by an awful swim, I went out hard on the bike and run and finished 2nd overall in my age group!
Mandy is a phenomenal coach and I credit her with helping me get this far. My new goal is to get down to a 1:30/100m over 4000m distance, and I'm confident that I can do that with her help and a lot more pool hours."
-Artem Gassan SF Tri Club
"When you are training with Coach Mandy, you will accomplish amazing results, super fast! As long as you are willing to listen to her and put your trust in her experience and abilities, you will get maximum benefits with minimal effort.
Personally, I was able (in only one month of working with Coach Mandy) to increase my swim pace from 2:35 to 2:10, beating my personal triathlon record. For me, I was a bit hardheaded and needed to fail first before I began to trust and relate to every instruction Coach Mandy shared.
If you push yourself, listen to your Coach, do your home work and keep practicing the drills, you will be amazed at how fast you will achieve your goals.
It felt amazing when I finished my swim race and checked my Garmin watch. I could not believe I had dropped 10 minutes from my last open water swim! Then even more astonished when I realized at T1 there were still a bunch of bikes on the racks! Plus, most importantly, I had plenty of energy! Not anywhere near as tired as I had been after the swim of my past races at all which helped me to outperform on my bike and get another personal best record! Even better, it felt so good to compete with my age group rather than being part of the women's wave or the 60 and over crowd. Lol! At the finish, I was 13 out of 31 in my age group, wow!!!
I can't thank you enough Coaches Mandy and Stu for helping me achieve such amazing results in such a short time! FYI: I could not swim 25 meters 14 months ago! I can't wait to get back in the water!
Trust me, if you want to improve your race and are lucky enough to get on Coach Mandy's private training calendar you will not be disappointed, she is worth your investment! "
Shashidhar Dakuri Silicon Valley, CA Team ASHA
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