Coach Melissa Hall

What I Bring To You As A Coach:

I have been a coached athlete for many years. I think that this is a huge positive in your favor. I know what it is like to be on the receiving end of a training plan and to have expectations of my coach. I am a complete geek when it comes to nutrition and physiology. I have read every book ever written by the God of Endurance Sports, Edmund Burke, and countless others. I pay a great deal of attention to detail, especially when it comes to nutrition. I bring a plethora of experience from having raced in many different disciplines: adventure races, mountain bike races, marathons, road bike races, duathlons, and triathlons. My most significant moment of learning came from the biggest heartache I have suffered as an athlete: severe overtraining. This lead to nearly complete failure of several major systems of my body. My only option was to take time off. Unfortunately, the extent of my injury had me out for nearly 2 years. To take you to your limit while responsibly keeping you out of overtraining is one of my major tenets of coaching.

My Coaching Philosophy:

Every athlete is equally important whether they are a front or back of the packer, a sprint or Ironman triathlete, roadie or Xterra. My goal is to teach you not only physical but also mental tenacity – to show you that bounds are only in your head. I work for you which means that you set the tempo. I work with you to create a schedule that you can live (and work) with. I will push you but never over the edge. Your feedback, cares, and concerns are invaluable. Most athletes push too hard and train too much while the other half trains very inconsistently. Our goal is to have a meeting of the minds somewhere in the middle. Multisport can bring health and balance to a person’s life like nothing else – let me show you how!

My Racing Background:

I began racing late in life. The year was 1998 and adventure racing was catching on to the general public like WILDFIRE! The Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series was going all over the U.S. putting on Sprints (3-4 hours in duration) and I was at many of them. Having never raced before, I had no idea of my mountain biking talent, but after bidding by my male teammates, I began racing mountain bikes at the cross country distance. I came in second place by half a wheel at my first race. My success continued here for many years. Then, came the wave of ultra-endurance mountain bike racing. I LOVE mountain biking, so what could be better than riding one for 12 or more hours?! I did my first ultra-endurance race at the 24 Hours of Moab as a 4 person team. I quickly decided that I liked mountain biking more as an individual sport and turned solo (see below). I have completed over a dozen races of 12 hours in duration. After a two year hiatus from racing (see What I Bring To You As A Coach), I came back to life as a triathlete. Once again, I wanted to go the distance – my third tri was a Half Ironman!

Email Melissa here.