One Step Beyond Coaches and History
Coach Marty Gaal has been coaching triathletes, swimmers, and runners since 2002. His athletes come from all walks of life and live across the globe. Some are looking to qualify for Kona or Boston, while others just want to finish their race with a sense of satisfaction and a smile. Coach Marty encourages his athletes to achieve goals that will make them happy...not someone else. Marty continues to study both the science and application of training methods and works to educate all his athletes in both the why and how of endurance training.
Marty's coaching specialty is working with time-constrained athletes towards personal or competitive race goals. Marty has coached first-time Ironman athletes to success with under ten hours average per week training, as well as competitive triathletes who manage work and family demands while qualifying for World Championship events.
Marty's personal training and coaching philosophies can be summed up with just a few thoughts - Training smart; having fun; learning from experience; mental toughness; proper nutrition; and excellent athlete-coach communication. Marty works to bring out the best in his athletes through positive motivation and feedback, intelligent application of training methods, and constant, ongoing support.
You can watch Marty on youtube explain a few training & coaching concepts here:
periodization + tapering
coaching relationships
younger vs older athletes
nutrition
energy systems
training to lose weight
mental aspects of racing & other things
"My goal at OSB is simple. I want to help you improve your performance, learn how to train effectively, and have a good time. It's not rocket science!"
Marty is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is a registered coach with USA Triathlon. In a previous life, he has an MBA and an MA in Technical Writing, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology.
Marty is also a US Masters Swimming Coach through the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA). One Step Beyond produces the Powerstroke: Speed through force and form swim instruction DVD.
As an athlete Marty has qualified for the Boston Marathon and Ironman World Championships. Marty finished third overall at USA Triathlon Olympic Distance Nationals in 2003 and remains competitive as a triathlete in North Carolina. He finished second in the North Carolina Triathlon Series in 2007 and first overall in the FS Triathlon Series in 2016.
Marty served as the head coach of boys and girls cross-country at Raleigh Charter High School from 2010 through 2015 and as an assistant in 2016-17.
You can keep up with Marty's blog or follow Marty on Twitter. He doesn't always talk about racing and training!
Coach Marty doesn't believe that being a good athlete automatically makes a good coach - knowledge, wisdom, the ability to listen, and coaching experience do. However, if you're into it, some of his PRs are below.
Ironman triathlon - 9:27 (2002)
Ironman World Champs (Hawaii 2005) - 10:53
Half-Ironman (70.3) - 4:17.53 (Eagleman 2007)
Half-Marathon - 1:22 (2001)
Marathon - 3:08 (1995)
Olympic distance triathlon - 1:56.20 (2003)
10k run - 35:25 (2003)
5k run - 16:52 (2003)
1,000 yard freestyle - 9:40 (1990)
200 yard free - 1:45.58 (1989)
Marty's 2016 personal racing highlights:
Cary Sprint Duathlon - 2nd overall
3 Little Pigs Sprint Tri - 2nd overall
Ironman Chattanooga - 39th AG, 12:07 (super hot, rough day)
Swim the Loop 3.5 mile open water - 7th OA
Marty's 2015 personal racing highlights:
Lake Logan Half Triathlon - 5th OA
Swim the Loop 3.5 mile open water - 3rd OA
3 Little Pigs Sprint Triathlon - 2nd OA
Marty's 2014 personal racing highlights:
Wilmington YMCA triathlon - 12th OA
Swim the Loop 3.5 mile open water - 5th OA
TOA Sprint Triathlon - 1st OA
Marty's 2013 personal racing highlights:
Wilmington YMCA triathlon - 10th OA
Swim the Loop 3.5 mile open water - 5th OA
Rex Wellness Sprint Wakefield - 3rd OA
Ironman Raleigh 70.3 - 13th AG (world qualifier rolldown)
Please email Marty a t t osbmultisport dot com to get started today.