Managing expectations, however, does not mean having low expectations, and Purple Patch Fitness athlete, Randy Kinsey, went into his first Ironman in Texas this past May with process-driven goals that ultimately rewarded him with a 3rd place age group placing and a Kona slot.

Like many of us, Randy is a latecomer to the sport of triathlon having never swum a lap nor ridden a bike until 5 years ago. As a kid, he was focused on basketball and tennis but was relatively inactive as he built his career at Enterprise Holdings where he's the Director of Facility Design & Construction. He was also focused on his family with wife, Irene and two children, Madigan and Spencer. A herniated disc in 2007 was the *wake-up call* for Randy to become more active to alleviate his back issues. Initially, he dabbled in P90X to improve strength and mobility. He stumbled across triathlon quite by accident, experiencing triathlon as a spectator while on a family vacation. As Randy explains, "my wife had been encouraging me to do something with my fitness and during a morning walk in Hawaii, we found ourselves in the middle of the Lavaman triathlon. Macca ran right past us and from then on, I was hooked."

Randy progressed in the sport during the subsequent years building from shorter distance races to the 70.3 distance and qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Austria in 2015. A personal worst at the distance in that race prompted him to seek coaching assistance for his 2016 goal of racing his first Ironman triathlon. Not only did Randy race his first Ironman on the Purple Patch Fitness program, but he also placed 3rd in his age group and accepted a slot to the Ironman Hawaii World Championships

With a well-executed race at the bike shortened Ironman Texas, the Kona slot was an added bonus for Randy. He credits a few things to his qualifying success:

• Swim fitness: The Purple Patch program places emphasis on developing a huge aerobic base via the lower impact sport of swimming. As Randy puts it, "I've developed a Stockholm Syndrome for swimming, so I guess that's something. If you want the results, you have to put in the work!"
• Progression: The training plan is created to allow athletes to train consistently with recovery integrated into the plan via lighter days. "The improvement sneaks up on you," says Randy. "The focus on recovery, flexibility, and balance of the program makes the load more bearable."
• Personal touch: Athletes on the Purple Patch plan have access to the coaching staff and head coach, Matt Dixon. Randy found the team to be very down-to-earth and accessible and the personal touches really mean a lot and are motivating.
• Holistic plan: The training plan is right-sized to the time you have available given family, work and other constraints. However, to achieve high levels of performance, Randy acknowledges that it was a family investment. "There is no way I could do it without the support and participation of my family. We've come to really enjoy the race-cation lifestyle."

If you are ready to take your performance to the next level sign up for Purple Patch coaching. All of our plans are customized to your individual needs and are designed to integrate into your available training time.