Joe: Coach, Mentor, Consultant

 

I started Endurance Company, or ECo as I have affectionately nicknamed it, in 2010. When I started ECo, it served two purposes:

  • I had just retired from competitive racing. I competed internationally as a track & field athlete (400m and 800m), raced triathlon at the professional level. Coaching helped me stay involved in the endurance world and give back to a sport that had given me so much.
  • I had been coaching since 1996, but never in a “professional” role. I have a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and a doctorate in Biomedical Science, I’ve worked with Olympic training programs, and worked with a number of high-performance athletes and coaches. ECo provided me a platform to reach athletes and relate many of the things I learned.

I spent the first half of my life pursuing athletic excellence. I studied with world experts, I  trained with Olympians, world champions, and elite athletes, I earned a master’s and doctorate degree so I could understand the science behind my athletic experiences. I went “all in” on being the best athlete I could be.

I spent the last 10 years working on ways to apply the lessons I learned to adult athletes. I wanted to provide the same culture of excellence I experienced as a 20- and 30-year old, but I wanted t0 make it appropriate for adults with families, jobs, and other priorities in life.

I now focus on working with people like me… Husband, father, employee, and all-around busy guy with a lot of different things competing or my time. I still strive for athletic excellence, even though it looks different now than it did 20 years ago.

Each of us approaches this sport with different backgrounds, priorities, and goals.  It is my job as a coach to meet you where you are and help you be the best athlete you can be.  Because of this, there is no one-size-fits all program and definitely no one-size-fits all advice.

I have developed a training system called the ECo System. It is an advanced training system based on four pillars of success I call the P.A.C.T.

Perspective   Awareness   Commitment   Training

 

In addition to being the four pillars of success, a pact is a deal you make with yourself that assures you will uphold your end of a deal. This pact is critical to achieving your athletic goals; you will NOT let yourself down!

I deliver the ECo System training program through my one-on-one coaching services. You can access my services through one of two options: Consultation and Coaching. I also provide a virtual community, the ECo Insider, so you can connect with me and other endurance athletes, join in on group training opportunities, get a discount on ECo EPIC, and  enjoy discounts on Joe’s partner products.

Click on the tabs below to learn more.

 

 

Reaching an endurance goals requires determination, fitness, and a plan. Over the past decade, I have developed a coaching philosophy that connects all of the things I love about embarking on a journey I’m passionate about:

  • Competency: Taking control over the outcomes of your efforts and the ability to make progress
  • Autonomy: Your goals are in harmony with your values
  • Relatedness: You gain a sense of connectedness and are part of something larger

 

As a husband, father, coach, business owner, teacher, and all-around highly-driven individual, I have spent a lot of time working on methods to balance my passions with life requirements. I find that when I strike a healthy balance, everything goes better. And that is a key principle that overrides all of my training programs.

My coaching philosophy is based on insights I’ve gained from my life and from experiences I have had working with adult athletes. My philosophy is ultimately rooted in interconnectedness. Our athletic goals affect everything about our life. And our life affects our ability to reach our athletic goals. Therefore, it is important to treat our athletic goals with care. My goal is to understand where your athletic goals lie and help you incorporate a wholistic training program to help you reach these goals.

To help with this, I have created the ECo System program. It is based on four pillars of success I call the P.A.C.T. 

PERSPECTIVE

Everyone who trains has some sort of motivation behind it. Some people want to get healthier, some want to lose weight, some want to prepare their bodies for some sort of physical test (like a race). For some, their motivation to complete an endurance event is a matter of life or death. For others, it is something they want to check off their bucket list. Identifying your motivation and putting it into perspective is critical to helping you identify goals, implement a routine, and adhere to a successful training plan.

  • What are your long-term life goals?
  • Where does training and racing fall in your long-term life goals?
  • What kind of time commitment are you willing to make to achieve your short-term and long-term goals?
  • What things are you willing to sacrifice to reach your goals?
  • Do you have a support system?

 

AWARENESS

I encourage my athletes to intentionally be aware of how they FEEL. In fact, one of my biggest challenges when working with new athletes is getting them to correlate data with feelings. I constantly ask my athletes, I know what the data says, but “How did that workout feel?” “How do you feel?” I spend a lot of time teaching the athlete how to correlate objective data (i.e. heart rate, power, pace) with subjective data (what was my breathing like? how did I feel? how much did my legs burn?).

Self-awareness is empowering and gives you an insight into your true self; you have both an emotional and intellectual response to stimuli.  The concept of awareness transcends physical training; awareness can provide insight into everything! Once you are subconsciously aware of “cause/effect” and subtle changes in energy, emotion, and strength, you are one step closer to unlocking your true powers.

 

COMMITMENT

Endurance sport is important to you, so you want to carve out a spot in your life to be the best endurance athlete you can be. Commit a certain amount of time each day to go all in on “training mode.” We find a daily and weekly routine that allows you to carve out time to be in “training mode.” By staying consistent, you will see great results. Also, once understand when you need to be in “training mode” and when to shut it off, you can be “all in” on family, kids, work, etc. when you aren’t training. It’s a win-win!

You may not be the fastest athlete or the most genetically talented, but here’s the thing: When you are in “training mode,” you eat, breathe, and live training you WILL achieve your goals, and your dreams will come to you. In our sport, it’s called swimming, cycling, and/or running down a dream.  Interestingly, this ‘dream come true’ is not always in the form of a spectacular race.

So, what does it mean and how do we apply it to your life? The “IT” in the previous sentence means everything of course.  IT means Dedicating (with a capital ‘D’) your life to your the things you care about (in this case, trainign) and making the necessary sacrifices in order to reach your goals and your dreams.

For a dedicated athlete, that means training hard… unbelievably hard at times.  IT means length before strength; strength before speed; speed before glory. IT means paying attention to all of the specifics with maintaining constant sight of the big picture.  IT means intensity… not just training intensity, but intense focus throughout the year, year-in and year-out! Focus is the single biggest factor to an athlete’s success. Know what you want and strive like never before.

IT also means living right, avoiding anything that will not, or cannot, propel you to becoming a better athlete. When you ingest a particular food or commit to a particular task, ask yourself, “Will this help me become a faster athlete, or will it hurt my chances?” If it helps you, then by all means, enjoy! If it doesn’t, then disregard it and discard it. Life’s little choices add up over time. So, my take on this is to always keep this question in your mind when it comes to everything: HELP or HURT?

 

TRAINING

You can’t get better if you don’t put in the work. You have to train. Proper training provides the mental and physical foundation to give you confidence and peace that you are going to be ready when it counts.

I focus on two aspects of training: Physical and Mental.

Physical:  We push our body to a limit so it can repair and go a bit farther or faster the next time. But there is an art and science to physical training. Stress, recovery, nutrition, and sleep are all critical elements of physical training. It is important to find balance so you can see long-term improvement. I use physiological testing, field testing, and lots of questions (see the Awareness pillar above) to understand how you are responding to the program. 

Mental: When we do an endurance event, we step out of our comfort zone and push the boundaries of what we previously thought possible. This journey often leads to experiences that most people won’t ever have. However, the journey takes great mental toughness and a vital sporting attribute that some say you either have or you don’t. But as with physical fitness, mental fitness can be trained and controlled. I focus on five mental practices:

  1. Self-belief
  2. Motivation and Positive Visualization
  3. Focus
  4. Handling Pressure
  5. Developing a Plan

 

 

Athletes I work with must make a PACT with themselves to adhere to the four pillars. They are the blueprint to life-long success in sport and in life. 

I’ll act as a compass and help provide the map. If you are willing to do the work and strive through good and bad times, success will find you. And interestingly, it’s right around the same time that you’ll find it.

 

 

Joe’s one-on-one coaching.

 

Joe’s programs are structured around a periodized, incremental schedule. The minimum amount of time Joe works with an athlete is 28 weeks (7 4-week blocks). For most athletes, we start with a foundation period. This may last between 8 to 16 weeks depending on your current level of fitness. We focus on technique, strength, and establishing a strong fitness base to work from. Laboratory and/or field testing will occur frequently to monitor progress and make sure the training stress is appropriate. Once you have reached certain benchmarks, we move to the build period. The build period is timed 12 to 16 weeks away from your event.

The rationale for this system is to

  1. establish an adequate level of baseline fitness so you can physically handle the training necessary to get ready for your event and
  2. allow for a systematic, safe progression to avoid injury and overtraining.

 

Here’s what you can expect from Joe’s one-on-one coaching:

Season Planning

  • Race Schedule
  • Yearly Training Plan
  • Weekly Routine
  • Phase periodization
  • Training program details are provided through the TrainingPeaks platform
  • Equipment selection

 

Performance Testing

  • Health Risk Index
  • Laboratory and/or field testing to establish fitness levels

 

Race-specific planning (fueling and pacing)

  • You will have a plan for every one of your races
  • You will have a customized fueling strategy 
  • Customized pacing strategy

 

Weekly assessment and feedback

  • Unlimited access with Joe via text, email, phone, and Zoom
  • Weekly conversation via phone or Zoom

 

Trust!

  • Joe puts faith in you. You are committed.
  • You can put faith in Joe.
  • Trust that you have one of the most insightful minds in endurance training working on your behalf.
  • No more spending time stressing about how to train, put your trust in Joe’s plan and spend your time training, not thinking about HOW to train.
  • You will not need to stress about what to wear, what to eat during training, what to eat after training, when to take time off when to push it, what pace to swim, bike, and run, and no stress about trying to figure out your training plan by yourself.
  • All information is filtered and curated, so you get the things that matter and omit all the unnecessary details.

 

Cost:

  • MULTISPORT: $450/month. 6 month minimum commitment.
  • SINGLE SPORT: $250/month. 6 month minimum commitment.

 

Establishing a coaching relationship depends on two things:

  1. Are we a good fit? In other words, do I feel like I can help you and do you feel like you can trust me?
  2. Do I have openings?  

 

To start the conversation to see if you are a good fit for my coaching, please email joe@endurancecompany.com

 

 

 

 

Some success stories from athletes who have worked with Joe:

 

Not every athlete believes they can be “elite.” But I define “elite” as being the best you can be. Accomplishing YOUR dreams. This is what I’m looking for in someone I coach.

Over my 24-year coaching career, I’ve helped many athletes reach this “elite” status. These are not athletes that came to me as “already elite.” Rather, these athletes were motivated and talented, but had not put together the training to reach their potential. The thing that made them successful is that they bought into the program and committed.

The first thing I told each of them was, “I can show them the path, but you have to walk it.” I promised them, if they walked the path, great thing would happen. And they did…

  • Angie Turner qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials in the marathon at 42 years of age after taking over 20 years off of running.
  • Rodney Adkison won the 50-54 age group and placed 24th overall at Ironman Louisville in 9:35:40.
  • Jackie Pierce went from newbie triathlete to 5th place at Ironman Canada, an Ironman champion, and a pro card.
  • Luke Hermes spent four months focusing on sprint triathlons and because USAT Clydesdale National Champion!
  • Altea Jokisch ran a 2:46 marathon in her first year competing at the marathon distance.
  • Rob Chalfant was a National Champion in his first year competing in triathlons.
  • Lisa Becharas went from talented newbie to one of the best amateur triathletes in the U.S., a 70.3 champion, now a pro triathlete.
  • Dana Riederer unveiled his potential with a string of OVERALL top-10s, including 4th at Ironman Muskoka, 6th at Steelhead 70.3, 1st at Lake Geneva, and a trip to Kona for the Ironman World Championships. 
  • Karen Reider went from not being able to finish a sprint triathlon because of fear of swimming to completing an Ironman.
  • Andrew Kirk broke his collarbone 10 weeks from Ironman Arizona. On a modified program, he recovered and went 10:11 to set a PR.
  • Many other age group adults realized their “inner-elite” and finished their first long-course race, qualified for USAT Nationals, qualified for ITU Worlds, and Ironman World Championships.

 

Are you next??

 

Testimonials

“I ran track and cross-county during high school and college, but I walked away when the pressure of winning became too stressful. Running wasn’t fun anymore. Twenty years later, I was nearing 40 and decided to start working out again. With motivation from a local multi-sport group, my love of running returned, and I developed a new interest: triathlon. I found running and triathlon training plans online and competed to the best of my ability. I was inspired by my promising results and inspired by watching others, including fellow Columbian Joe Company. Joe, formerly a professional triathlete, races effortlessly and smoothly; he’s fast and exciting to watch. I thought to myself: “One day, I want to race as fast as him.” Time passed, and I finished my second half-marathon in 1:25. Pleased with that time, I decided to complete a marathon. I turned to Joe Company for advice: he believed I could go sub-3, so I asked him to be my coach. Joe’s coaching has been the best decision I’ve made; his guidance is superior to the best training equipment in the world. Joe’s presence is calming, which gave me confidence in myself. His coaching philosophy is: less is more, quality (high intensity) over quantity. Such workouts have worked greatly in my favor. I’ve taken 10 minutes off my duathlon time, 3 minutes off 10k and nearly half an hour off my Olympic distance triathlon time (2:43 to 2:16). My first marathon couldn’t have gone better. Our target time was 2:58, and I crossed the finish line in 2:57 flat. Thanks to Joe, I am mentally and physically tough and in the best shape of my life. I hope to continue working with Joe as I train for the Boston marathon and triathlon Nationals and Worlds.”

Angie T.

“I’ve been working with Joe Company since 2015. In that time Joe has coached me to P.R.’s in the 5k, marathon and trail 50k. He’s coached me to finishes at Zion 100k, Georgia Death Race 74 miler and Bighorn100 mile. Using the most current, science-based training methods, he’s brought me from an often injured wanna-be ultra runner, to finishing some of the toughest trail ultras in North America while allowing me to be present in every other aspect of life!!”

 

Ryan L.