If someone said to me 2 yrs ago, “You’re going to do a half Ironman and then the following year you’re going to do a full Ironman, swim the San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz in a triathlon, complete an ultra swim of 11.8 km and complete 4 half marathons in 4 days I would have thought they were crazy there’s no way I could do that.

I’m not an athlete, I could never complete, let alone survive, any of those events! I work full time I’m a mom when would I have time for that. James made these and many more bucket list items a reality. His experience and knowledge as an athlete and a coach has helped this average Jane complete multiple events and created a monster with a bucket list to match.

My Partner and I joined PB&J Coaching with the goal of completing a half-ironman the following year. We had no prior triathlon experience and no idea what training we would need to do in order to achieve our goal.

James took the time to explain all aspects of his training plan to us, answering any questions we had along the way. After a couple of months of working with James what had previously felt like insurmountable training sessions became routine and our faith in the process was reinforced. With this change, our goals shifted from just finishing the race to finishing the race in a specific time. With James’ fantastic coaching we were not only able to meet our goals but completely blow them out the water. [Ironman 70.3 Victoria: Jess 5hr 38min / Alex 5hr 06min]

James kept training interesting and fun and fit the sessions around our schedule and gave us an occasional kick up the butt when we needed it. We would never have been able to achieve this goal without his expertise.

Despite moving to the UK we choose to work with James as our coach and are excited for what the season will bring.

The biggest challenged I faced with my training was deciding what to do and when, while trying to determine if it was an effective use of my time. James asks me my goals, determines how much time I can dedicate to training and from there builds an awesome, varied training program.

My goal this season was to run my first full marathon and qualify for Boston. The PB+J?training program allowed me to train hard, recover well, race strong and qualify comfortably for Boston.

James checks in with me regularly, listens to me moan and manages to be the nagging voice of reason in my head when I’m cursing him during an intense interval session!

This season, after 8 years of self-coached triathlon racing, I decided to finally hire a real coach and my choice went without hesitation to PB+J. I have known James for about 6 years and his passion and dedication for triathlon is really inspiring and hard to find.

The swim workouts are varied and always target different areas such as speed, endurance and strength. Indoor Bike workouts have never been more diverse and enjoyable and the run workouts are amazingly effective.

Results speak louder than words so after 8 years of racing here are my gains in just 3 months with PB+J coaching:

– 12 seconds off my 400m swim time and 8 seconds off my 200m swim time. I have never felt so strong in the water.

My 20 minute bike TT is 1.5kmh faster than before at a lower heart rate and I have smashed Strava PR’s that I achieved at race fitness towards the end of last year.

My endurance run pace, at the same heart rate as before, has improved by 30 seconds per km, crazy!

James is always on time posting workouts and he provides constant feedback and tips. He is also very efficient at adapting weekly workout based on injuries or fatigue

I have been training with James for almost two and a half years. When I met James I had been struggling with breaking 2:35 in an Olympic distance triathlon for 4 years.? I had started triathlons as a hobby and a way to keep in shape. My enjoyment was starting to get me increasingly motivated add competitive, but I couldn?t achieve the results, despite a much harder training regime.

At the start He asked three main questions and to be honest about them, and we continue to go over these questions each season.

• What are my goals
• How much time to I have to dedicate to my training
• How much of your free time are you prepared to dedicate to your training

We change how I trained, I was working hard but not smart. By training smarter and allowing my body to heal, I was able to start training without injuries and increase my strength. Within the first three months I was able to break my goals and I have never looked back.

In the time I have been with PB+J my goals have changed and James has been able to work with me each time to help me reach them. I have moved my focus from shorter races such as Olympic and Sprint distance to the Half Ironman and I look forward to breaking 5 hours in a Half Ironman.

In the last few years I have been able to:

• Race a 2:23 Olympic distance race
• Race a 5:03 half iron distance
• Stood on a podium for AG medals 4 times including the BC provincial Championships
• Swim a sub 1:30 per 100m pace consistently
• Run a sub 44min for a 10km in a Olympic distance
• Bike 2 hr 45min for a 90km half iron course

I don’t know what my goals in triathlon three years from now will look like, but I do know that James will help me accomplish them.