A Brief Biography

Hello, my name is Patrick Hammond.  I am an active runner, competitive triathlete, and knowledgeable coach.  I received my masters degree in Sports and Performance Psychology from the University of the Rockies.  In addition I am a USA Track and Field Level 1 certified coach with a combined 21 years of running and coaching experience. 

In college I competed in division IA track and cross country for four years at Western Kentucky University.  While competing I helped my team win a conference championship in cross country and finish 2^nd place in track.  After college I was the assistant coach at a local high school track and cross country team for two years. As an assistant coach, I helped both the women and men cross country teams to finish 1^st and 2^nd place in the regional meet (the highest for both in school history).  As well as 4^th and 12^th place finish at the state meet.  

In June of 2012, I moved to Hoboken, New Jersey with my fiancee and started working at JackRabbit Sports in Manhattan.  In addition, to working as a floor manager and form clinic instructor at JackRabbit, I have coached runners training for the 1500, 1 mile, 5K, half marathon, and marathon.  I have also started an online and personal coaching business to help runners reach their goals and full potential.   As of recent, I became the sports psychology consultant and assistant cross country and Track & Field coach at Stevens University.

Not only do I have years of experience working with athletes; I also have several years of experience working in education with individuals diagnosed with autism and other exceptional needs at the Kelly Autism Center. During this time, I helped many students improve their social, general education and job skills.  I also developed plans to address anger management issues through research and analysis.  During the time that I was working at the Kelly Autism Project, I received the undergraduate service award in psychology from Western Kentucky University for my dedication to psychology through research and volunteer work.    

Back in the Saddle: A Guided Return to Triathlons

A Comeback

Two years have passed since I competed in a triathlon.  Before this time I was averaging about one triathlon a month from March to October.  In addition, I managed to qualify and compete in age group nationals during my last triathlon season.  The conclusion of my last triathlon season ended on a high note, however I soon became overwhelmed with graduate school, work, and life in general, leaving little time for proper training.  Because of lack of time I stopped swimming and biking all together and just focused on running.  In the future, when more time is available, I plan to return to triathlons because I miss the sensation of complete exhaustion I would experience after a race.  When I do return to triathlon training it will have been more than a few years, so I will need to train smart and use the general principles of training to increase my chances of a successful comeback.

Well the future is now and I have decided to start training for triathlons again, with the goal of getting into the best shape possible and returning to competition spring 2014.  In order for me to make this goal it is important that I follow the six general principles of training.  To begin, I will focus on the principle of individuality.  At this point in ones training one must look at how they personally handle different levels of training (Wilmore, Costil, & Kenney, 2008).  In my past experience with triathlons I noticed I recovered fast after workouts and was eager to go hard again.  I also discovered that I enjoyed the new level of pain and exhaustion swimming and biking brought to the table.  Because I am aware of these mental and physical sensations, the next time I train I will be better able to create an effective training regimen. 

Second it is important to consider the principle of specificity.  The specific type of triathlon I plan to compete at is the international or Olympic (swim 1500 meters, bike 24.8 miles roughly , and run ten kilometers), so the emphasis should be put more on endurance.  I plan to push my body nonstop for up to 2 hours, therefore my training needs to stress endurance and strength.  This means in the beginning, I will build a base in the swim, bike and run, while also strengthening my core to stay strong and prevent injury.

Next, the principle of reversibility needs to be addressed.  As an athlete partakes in resistance training, their strength is improved and as they partake in endurance training, their ability to perform at higher intensities for longer periods of time improves (Wilmore et al., 2008).  With this being said, these positive effects can be reversed if training is slowed or stopped.  To help keep reversibility from occurring it is important to have a maintenance plan.  A maintenance plan can entail short and long term goals to keep you motivated, an exercise log to keep track of progress and thoughts, the support of close friends and family to raise your spirits, and relaxation techniques to keep you sane.  For instance, I will set weekly training goals to keep me motivated day to day and a long term goal to keep me motivated for the future.  

The fourth principle to consider is the principle of progressive overload.  In order for an athlete to improve they have to overload themselves or push themselves beyond their normal level (Wilmore et al., 2008).  However, it is also important this increase in exercise is progressive in manner, so one’s body can adapt.  Although, I may want to go hard right away because I love the feeling, I have to remember I am new to swimming and biking and to go slow first.  When incorporating something new into ones daily life it may be smart to start slow and then gradually increase the intensity and duration over time.  In my training I plan to focus on building a base first by increasing from steady moderate distances to long steady distances.  Then, I will work on increasing speed and intensity by adding workouts.

Fifth, I will have to consider the principle of hard/easy days.  It is not smart for an athlete to train at a high intensity every day.  In fact, it can be maladaptive and result in slowed improvement (Wilmore et al., 2008).  To prevent this from happening I will incorporate up to three days of relaxed training into my weekly triathlon schedule.  For example, (after I build my initial base) a week of training  could have a hard swim, hard run, and easy bike on Monday, a easy run and hard bike on Tuesday, a hard swim, hard run, easy bike on Wednesday, an easy run, and hard bike on Thursday, either an easy swim, bike, and run on Friday, a swim, bike, run brick on Saturday (or practice triathlon) at seventy five-ninety percent race pace, and a long slow bike or run on Sunday.  A rest day can also be used on Sundays if needed.  In addition to the swim, bike, run training, core workouts will also be done on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.       

Lastly, to make sure my training is a success, I will have to consider the principle of periodization.  The principle of periodization focuses on the gradual rotating of the intensity, specificity, and volume of the training to reach optimal performance (Wilmore et al., 2008).  In other words, for me to reach my desired level, I must appropriately mix hard, easy, and long training days.  Periodization varies the intensity and volume of specific exercises to help prevent over training or burnout (Wilmore et al., 2008).  In my case the rotation of hard and easy swim, bike, or run days should help me to avoid over training and improve as a triathlete.

As I increase my training my need for proper sleep, nutrition, and recovery will become more important.  In fact, most recovery for elite athletes is accomplished during sleep, so I will need to make sure I get eight hours each night (Wilmore et al., 2008).  Nutrition is also important to recovery because what we eat can decrease recovery time.  For example, if one eats high net-gain foods that provide energy after the digestion process, this energy can be used to aid in recovery (Brazier, 2007).  Also foods that are alkaline forming will aid in recovery because an athlete’s body will not have to use as much energy to maintain homeostasis.  Foods like meats, refined sugars and flours, processed foods, and dairy are all acid forming.  These foods along with stress increase the acidic level of one’s body and force it to work hard to maintain homeostasis (Brazier, 2007).  Eating plant based whole foods that are alkaline forming means the energy that would have been used for maintenance can instead be used for recovery.  Because of these reasons, I will eat a plant based whole foods diet, so the energy I have can be used for training and recovery. 

Conclusion 

Before I begin triathlon training it is important that I have a firm understanding of the general principles of training.  For instance, I need to know how I will personally take to the training; I will need to know what specific training is required to reach an optimal level; I will need a maintenance plan prepared; I will need to know how to gradually increase my work load; I will need to know how to incorporate hard/easy days; and I will need to know how to manage the intensity, specificity, and volume of my training, so that I do not over train.  In addition I will need to make sure I am getting eight hours of sleep a night and eating foods that provide energy for training and recovery, instead of taking it away.  

The next phase in my training is going to test me in ways I may not yet be aware of.  This is why I must stay focused and train smart.  However, it is vital that I never forget, even amongst all the long hours of training, to still have fun.  Now 28 years old I am nearing the peak years of an endurance athlete.  When I look back at this time as an old man I want to know that I did everything I could to be my best and have no regrets.

References
Brazier, B. (2007). Thrive the vegan nutrition guide to optimal performance in sports and life. Canada: Penguin Group.
Wilmore, J. H., Costill, D. L., & Kenney, W. L. (2008). Physiology of sport exercise (4^th ed.) Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.