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2020. The PBC Recap.

Well, we all know that 2020 was a tough year. For some, it was very difficult with sick family members, lost businesses and jobs, social isolation, and more. Covid-19 was not something many of us ever planned for in our lifetime. Right as Covid-19 hit the US I was about to travel to Mexico for a 70.3. Without much knowledge about the virus or how the rest of the year would play out, I made a tough decision to stay home and not travel.

Personally, after that I went through so many different emotions as the new reality started to become difficult to deny or avoid. I found myself hoping it would just go away. In fact, I can honestly say that much of the end of March and all of April I was pretty paralyzed in my response to the changing world. I didn’t adapt as quickly as I wish I would have. I woke up every single day and surfed the various news outlets, hoping for a miracle cure, or a drastic drop in positive cases. I was resisting the idea that this new reality could actually happen.

When May rolled around and everything continued down the path of canceled events, no social gatherings, virtual school, and virtual work, I started to realize that if I didn’t make some changes to my training, my coaching, and my attitude, I would spend the rest of the pandemic unhappy and possibly losing everything I spent years to build. I also felt a huge sense of responsibility to my athletes. I needed to be supportive, realistic, and find ways to keep them focused on the controllable aspects of their life and fitness. I won’t go into all of the details of how I worked through that with my athletes, but I will say that it was highly individual. Some struggled, others stayed very motivated. In some ways, the ones I thought would handle it best had the hardest time. When you have 20hr/wk elite athletes struggling to get out of bed for a workout, it’s not always easy for them to admit their momentary weakness. As a coach it was a balance between leniency, understanding, and accountability. We all truly discovered what was at the core of our motivation in sport this year. If that was racing, you probably had some mental hurdles to overcome. In the end, most of PBC was able to cling to the lifestyle of being an endurance athlete and could see the bigger picture far down the road. 2020 was one of those roads where you feel like the destination is never getting closer…. but if you’re enjoying the drive, it doesn’t seem to matter as much. Turn up the music and set the cruise control.

At some point, with the help of Kitty, I decided to create something for my athletes that could not be taken away or canceled. That’s where the idea of the PBC Triple Crown was born. We created a 3 race Sprint Tri Series for Team PBC athletes, based on variations of my favorite Race Day Events Wisconsin Triathlon Series courses. These were small events, 10-15 athletes, and had well executed COVID-19 safety protocols.

FAKE MILLZ (originally the Wisconsin World Championships in Lake Mills, WI) 

CORONA TRITERIUM (originally the Verona Triterium)

DEVILS CAKE (originally Devils Lake Tri)

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The series was a success in that it was fun, we got to test ourselves, and nobody got sick. It was great to get a bit of that “race feeling” back and also create little rivalries amongst ourselves to get the competitive itch. The distances across these events were pretty similar, so it was also good to measure some improvement in a low pressure situation. Most of all, it was just nice to be amongst the team and see everyone smiling and enjoying triathlon in its purest form. All athletes got a T-shirt and hat at the final event to commemorate the series.

When it was all said and done, we still faced many more months of shut downs, social distancing, and canceled events. We saw a few races go off in Florida, but overall there was nothing reliable to train for and still no confidence that we were nearing a return to “normal” anytime soon. We remain resilient and focused on the big picture of what our journey holds in this sport. Everything that we do today will help us tomorrow. That doesn’t change, even if there is no date on the calendar to test ourselves in a race format.

I’m grateful to my athletes for staying so driven and adaptable during these tough times. As an athlete myself, I know it isn’t always easy to get up and work every day when you don’t really know exactly what you’re working towards. As a coach, I’m very fortunate to have a high retention and head into 2021 with close to a full roster.

The lesson here is that you always have to be open to change. The ability to adapt is ever important. Whether it’s in life, training, business, or racing. We have to be able to make changes as the things we can not control change. Speaking of change… stay tuned for some exciting new announcements from PBC in 2021.

-Coach PB

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Winter Training Camp: RV in LA

Last January I was introduced to the great cycling in the Santa Monica Mountains by friend and athlete, Revere Greist. The riding there is absolutely incredible, with coastal views, great canyon climbing, and some excellent weather, especially when compared to January in Wisconsin. Revere and I had a great time riding, and he enjoyed being able to show me around a place he lived and rode for 3+ years. It was later in 2015 that we decided to head back again to break up the winter routine and enjoy the LA sun once again. This time I would be going for 2 weeks, the first 9 days solo, and meeting Revere and the rest of the Great Dane Velo Club P12 team for the final 5 days. Here is a little recap with photos of the trip:

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My arrival at LAX was wet. The previous day LA had experienced some long overdue rain, only maybe a little too much this time. Some flooding closed certain parts of the highway and threatened my riding in the early part of the trip. Fortunately for me, the rain slowed after the first day and the weather was manageable. With my carry on and my bike bag I called an Uber and made my way to my AirBnb, which was the cheapest AirBnb you will ever find in Brentwood, CA… a 1979 RV parked one block from where OJ Simpson “didn’t” kill Nicole Brown Simpson. Very classy.

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Yeah, this thing was awesome mainly because of how bad it was. The slant made it impossible to stand in with cycling shoes. Peeing in the bathroom required aiming far right and letting gravity do the work. Sleeping was always a decision of whether to elevate  my legs or my head, as well as trying my best to convince myself that a plywood mattress is good for my back. It became clear that this RV was strictly for sleeping. The rest of the trip would be spent either training or working in a cafe.

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After settling into the RV, building my bike, and learning my surroundings, I was in full training mode. Because cooking in the RV was nearly impossible I was going to need to find a way to eat, and eat a lot, on a budget. That isn’t easy in LA. I was able to find an IHOP a mile away that became my morning hang out for the next 8 days. For $6.99 I was able to get 2 eggs, 2 bacon, hash browns, and all you can eat pancakes. Such a deal. Especially compared to the closer cafe that was $15 for 2 pancakes and $6 for a latte. Every morning I woke up, rolled out of the RV, made my way to IHOP, sat in the same booth, and ate as many pancakes as I could to fuel the day. By day 3 they knew my name. Potential sponsor?

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After my IHOP breaky it was back to the RV to jump on the bike. I ended up doing a lot of riding, especially for this time of year. It was hard not to ride that much when you know back home its 50 degrees colder and the trainer is calling your name. I was fairly smart about how much intensity I would do each day in order to not overtrain and get sick or injured. It can be easy to over do it and end up sick halfway through the trip. Also, I wasn’t just riding. I did a fair amount of trail running no San Vicente Blvd and swam every evening. The PALI pool in Pacific Palisades was my end of the day routine because I needed to keep up the swim volume AND the RV shower was not an enjoyable experience… so I finished with a swim every day. Oh and now I know why some people shave in the pool locker room… Maybe they live in an RV too.

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My home each night. Awesome to be swimming outdoors in January.

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The coast after a nice mid January ride. So great to soak up some sun.

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The Trek Emonda SLR did the job on some big days of climbing. 8ooo feet of elevation on this sunny day.

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Post ride coastal bike shot on a cloudy day. Always taking some time to look around and take it all in.

Without getting into the gritty day to day details, that’s about it for the first 9 days. I woke up, ate pancakes, rode my bike, ate more, ran on San Vicente Blvd, ate Whole Foods hot bar, swam at PALI, ate Chipotle, and fell asleep around 8-9pm on a plywood bed in an old RV. It was awesome. Training was going very well and I was able to maintain a pretty high volume, especially on the bike. Then, the GDVC guys arrived. Ready to go!

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One of the best parts about being out here again was that I could compare fitness from this January to last January. It was very motivating to see PR’s across the board on every climb I had done in 2015. Including an 8min PR up Full Latigo Canyon Climb, going 38:11 on day 10 of the trip, and my 3rd time up Latigo that week. That was one of the highlights for me. On a coaching note, PBC athlete Revere Greist came out flying on day 1 with a great climb up Latigo in 36:45. That’s 20th on the Strava leaderboard… out of like 6000… without a pull or a group… behind the likes of Levi Leipheimer and many other pros. Sorry, but this was a proud coach moment for me. Any local Strava users know how strong Revere is. He practically owns this area in terms of KOMs and he is still getting better at age 42. Revere has been an athlete I’ve worked with for just over a year and it’s been great to see the gains and the way his cycling continues to evolve. He’s a great example of what hard work, dedication to the plan, and strong coach-athlete communication will do for your fitness and reaching goals.

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Unfortunately on day 2 of the camp Revere had a low speed slip on a slippery descent during a large group ride and left some skin on the road. After lightly tweaking his hip flexor and some road rash he still was able to stay with us and ride strong the rest of the camp. John K in the background proving that when the sun’s out, the tongue’s out.

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The rest of the lads, John, Julian, and Dave all rode really well. We all took turns throwing punches up climbs as one by one we all dropped off, in different orders each time, really going at each other to ride hard to each summit. “Young Julian” really gave Revere and I a taste of punishment on the Fernwood to Saddle Peak climb, forcing us to ride upwards of 360w for 15mins or so (on day 4 tired legs!). Thank God we called a truce before the false flats!

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Here’s a shot up the backside of Stundt as we rode through a foggy mist up in the clouds, about 10mins after Young Julian had me keeled over my handlebars gasping for air.

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By day 5 (my day 14), we had enough of the punishment and road pretty easy-moderate up the PCH to Big Rock. Revere survived the crash, John was fighting a cold, Dave was heading home, Young Julian handled the verbal punishment that comes with being the baby of the group, and I was pretty toast. 75 fairly flat miles doing some pace line work was exactly what I needed. We ran into Caitlyn Jenner at Starbucks in Trancas (what an athletic specimen), that’s my 1 celebrity sighting. After the coffee break we had a serious conversation about a 25 mile Uber ride home. Instead we just relaxed for an hour or so and soft pedaled back. Good decision.

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Trek Emonda SLR DA9000 Di2 Bontrager Aeolus 5 D3 TLR. Seriously, if you want an awesome ride, check out Trek Bicycle Store of Madison now.

Our group met up with another couple Madison area cyclist, Narayan Mahon and Rod Duncan, who were out there for their 2nd January trip to LA. Revere cooked a nice dinner, we had some laughs, and talked about our riding. Good times!

And that about does it. I caught a flight back to MSN after 14 days, 720 bike miles, 55,000 feet of elevation, 67 miles of running, 36,000yd swimming, 20+ pancakes, some good friends, great memories, and an awesome start to 2016. IMG_5055

Thanks for reading. Happy training!

Coach PB
Cycling and Triathlon Coach, Madison, WI

 

 

 

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Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Suffering

The streets of Madison have been sprinkled with happy cyclists logging unexpected and welcomed winter miles. We have had a number unseasonably warm days so far this season and our science friends are calling 2015 the warmest year on record.

cold riding

That all ends today, as we are being hit with our largest snow storm of the season to date. Fortunately, we are able to move training operations indoors. I coach a number of athletes who work at Trek Bicycle HQ in Waterloo, WI. It’s about a 30 minute drive through the country and the only traffic jam you’ll encounter en route is the occasional tractor. I’ve been lucky enough to coach cycling classes for Trek twice per week this winter again. Not only do they know about bikes, but they know how to ride them. Even indoors. I must apologize to the Train Dirty class, which follows my cycling class, as they are routinely left to work out in a hot, stinky room full of puddles of sweat (we clean up, I promise).

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halls of trek

My non-Trek coached athletes have had the pleasure of enjoying 2-hour indoor cycling sessions at Paceline Indoor Cycling in Madison on Sunday mornings at 9:00am. One of these athletes recently posted his ride to Strava and titled it “Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Suffering”. Sounds about right. They are a tough group.

We’ve been putting the miles in at the pool and taking some off-season time to really focus on technique and drills. Swimming in groups has been beneficial and we’ve pushed each other to finish sets when it just sounded better to go home and eat more Christmas cookies. I recently invested in an underwater GoPro camera, which I’ve used to film athletes and evaluate stroke technique. It’s been well worth the investment.

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Lastly, PBC water bottles are in! Get your hydration situation in order for the 2016 season. Email patrickbradycoaching@gmail.com to purchase. They are $5 each.

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Happy New Year to all. 2016 promises to be the best season yet.

 

Coach PB
Cycling and Triathlon Coach, Madison, WI

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Introducing OWS Coaching

FullSizeRenderYou can’t win the race in the swim, but you can definitely lose it.

If open water swimming is your weakness or if you simply wish to have an open water group to train with next summer, join me for the inaugural year of PBC Open Water Swim Coaching.

Coaching sessions will be instructed by PBC athlete, distance freestyle specialist, and Ohio State Swim Team Captain & Alumni, Andrew Keily. Take this opportunity to work with an experienced NCAA swimmer to improve your open water swimming. Learn how to swim the shortest distance. Practice drafting to save energy and gain speed. Experience the open water in various conditions. Overcome your fears and anxieties about racing in a mass start swim.

There are so many benefits to this program. Andrew is an incredibly qualified swimmer and coach. He has the insight of a trained distance freestyle swimmer, not just a triathlete. So often we wetsuit up and swim around a few buoys without any structured plan when open water swimming. Having a workout for open water swimming is just as important as it is in the pool, but you should focus on different things.

Coaching Sessions will include:

  • full SUP support
  • structured group workouts
  • OWS training and race tactics
  • stroke technique and sighting instruction
  • video analysis
  • 1:1 instruction
  • triathlon entry and exits

Hour long coached sessions will be held in Lake Monona every Tuesday/Thursday at 6am starting June 2 and will run right up to Ironman Wisconsin with the last session being September 6. There will be twenty eight sessions in total. All ability levels are welcome.

For information on pricing structure and to sign up, click through to the OWS tab on my website.

**I am so confident in the value of OWS Coaching that the program will be included for free as an additional benefit for all non-remote coached athletes with a 9 mo+ contract.**

About the instructor: Andrew Keily is an All-American HS, 4 year Ohio State University Varsity distance freestyle swimmer and served as Captain his Senior year. In the pool, he has a personal best of 15:58 for the 1500 Meter Freestyle. In his first year of triathlon, Andrew had numerous overall wins, first overall swim splits, and swam a 25:05 in Galveston, beating all but 7 Professionals. On the coaching side, Andrew brings 20 years of swimming instruction experience. He combines a hands-on approach with video analysis to assist athletes in their specific needs as a swimmer. Andrew has led swim camps and taught 1-1 lessons for experienced swimmers and beginners.

andrewAndrew Keily exiting the water in first place at the 2015 Olympic Distance Capitol View Triathlon in Madison, WI, with a swim time of 17:28 for 1500m (1:04/100yd).

 

Coach PB
Cycling and Triathlon Coach, Madison, WI

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Inspired

Spots for the 2016 Team PBC Ironman Wisconsin roster are filling up. Every day I continued to be more and more inspired by people’s stories, commitment, energy, and drive. 2016 is going to be a great year for Team PBC and I’m already looking forward to team camps and training sessions. Furthermore, I’ve had a number of athletes commit to doing Ironman Wisconsin in 2017! I feel so fortunate to be a part of this journey for so many inspiring and motivated athletes.

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A handful of spots are still open for the 2016 Ironman Wisconsin roster. I’m offering a special from now through the end of September. Any athlete who signs a 12 month contract will receive a discounted monthly coaching price, a free 1 piece PBC tri suit, a free PBC t-shirt of your choice, and a free PBC hat.

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See you all soon,

Coach PB
Cycling and Triathlon Coach, Madison, WI

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Team PBC Ironman Wisconsin Race Recap

Competing in Ironman Wisconsin can be described as… challenging, empowering, enlightening, and inspiring. This year I didn’t compete but had 6 athletes out there on race day and I felt all those same emotions secondhand. I was thrilled to be a part of the journey and very proud of what everyone accomplished. Some moments left me considering getting teary-eyed. Being able to see the athletes I have trained through thick and thin for the past year reach their goals… it simply cannot be described in words, which is why I will do so in pictures…

Team PBC Ironman Wisconsin Race Report

The morning started with dropping my out of town athletes at transition then heading up to the square to get some Colectivo Coffee… everyone must have read my blog on Discover Wisconsin about spectating on race day because the line was literally out the door. In any case, a latte and a PB walnut chocolate chip muffin later I was back at the swim start herding my athletes down to the water. One thing I’ve always loved about the PBC kits is you can see the stars on the back when your wetsuit is open…

colectivokits backwalt austin pb before swimPer usual the sunrise was beautiful and made for an epic start…

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Team PBC had a solid performance in the swim and athletes exited looking happy and laser focused. Off to the bike!

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The weather conditions continued to be perfect for the bike with temperatures around 70* at the high and a cool breeze for the afternoon. I watched from the top of “The Hill” on Timber Lane with a crowd of enthusiastic fans, including those dressed scantily clad and a kind father daughter duo handing out free brats.

fans brats anyone

I was anxiously awaiting my athletes, checking time splits on my phone and getting race updates from friends elsewhere on the course.

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They all showed up looking strong and taking no prisoners on The Hill!

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After a quick fro-yo stop (guilty) it was back to the run course to cheer my athletes across the finish line. Everyone looked strong on the run. I stuck around past midnight to see the last finishers and help peel athletes off the concrete and load them into cars… and I can tell you that last hour gives me goosebumps every year.

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walt finish

I couldn’t be more proud of how Team PBC performed at Ironman Wisconsin. Everyone left their hearts out there. One athlete in particular was rewarded for her effort with a Kona slot. Congrats to Annie Hughes!

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For those of you interested in signing up for Ironman Wisconsin for 2016, I am offering an Ironman Wisconsin Exclusive coaching deal from now through the end of September. Sign up for 1 year of comprehensive coaching and received a discounted monthly rate as well as a complimentary PBC hat, t-shirt, and a `1 piece race kit. Email patrickbradycoaching@gmail.com to inquire.

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On a final note I want to thank all my athletes for the pleasure of being a part of your journey. You did it! You’re Ironmen(women)! That is something only a small percentage of people can say. It’s something no one can every take away from you. You’ll have it forever. And I’ll always be grateful that you took me along for the ride. Congratulations!

Coach PB
Cycling and Triathlon Coach, Madison, WI

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The Benefit of Group Sessions

Triathlon is an interesting sport in that we compete alone as individuals yet train as a team. I can’t say enough about the benefits of training as a group. Every week this summer I’ve held on average 2 group sessions, whether it be open water swimming, biking, or running. Additionally we have had a few Ironman Wisconsin specific prep sessions on weekend days. I love group trainings because athletes are able to gather and exchange stories, training data, discuss race plans, and encourage each other to get through tough workouts. Everyone is someone’s pace and everyone can be challenged to be better by those around them.

Join us this week Thursday, 6pm, Vilas Zoo lot. I’ll be hosting a run session for Team PBC, but this week open to the public with free drop-in. 

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Hope to see you there,

Coach PB
Cycling and Triathlon Coach, Madison, WI

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The Gear is Here

We now have PBC t-shirts (standard American Apparel 50/50 blend) and hats available for order.

I will have samples available for viewing and ordering at the seminar next Wednesday, October 29 7pm at Trek Bicycle Store Madison East.

Don’t forget to pick up a sticker while you’re there.

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Coach PB
Cycling and USAT Triathlon Coach, Madison, WI

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The Launch

Welcome to PBC!

 

I am excited to announce the official launch of Patrick Brady Coaching. Launching this team has been a dream of mine since I first started in endurance sports in 2007. Through the past couple years I have built a strong team of highly motivated and elite athletes who have found great success under my coaching style. I am very personally invested in the progression of my athletes. Their goals are my goals. I treat their success and their short falls as my own. Together, as a united team, we make PBC a reality.

 

Here at PBC, I use an analytical approach to training combined with a strong level of communication and accountability. I don’t write cookie cutter plans. Every athlete receives individualized and ever-evolving training programs based on their abilities, goals, schedules, and response to training stress. Whether you are looking for a coach who understands power based cycling training, heart rate training, or an RPE approach, PBC can do it all.

 

Thank you for visiting the website. Feel free to browse around to learn more about myself, the team, and my coaching philosophy.

 

Patrick Brady

 

Professional Triathlete
Owner – PB Coaching, LLC
Cycling – Triathlon Coach | USAC III

 

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