Our team at Purple Patch was blown away by Ed Croucher's story. Be sure to read it! Stay safe, Ed! 

 

"I am a “Squaddie” in Purple Patch Fitness. It is tough for me to give a short description of why I am a “Squadie”. I am 56 years old, a New York State Trooper and a Triathlete since 2003. Growing up, I was a hockey player. I always rode a bicycle, but I was never an endurance athlete and I was never a swim team member. As an adult, I always stayed in good physical shape. I was a First Responder to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. I worked at the site for 5 weeks through the end of that year. That work caused some health issues for me. After trying lots of medical treatments, I started running. The more I ran the less the health issues bothered me. In the fall of 2002, I entered a local multisport race (Run, Bike, Kayak) and had a blast. I immediately looked for a bigger race as a goal. I found the Tupper Lake Tinman a 70.3 race in the Adirondack Mountains. I talked my two younger brothers into racing with me. Training for and racing this race not only kept me focused on my health & fitness goals, it was FUN! I have now raced around twenty 70.3 along with 8 & 2/3 Full Ironman races. (1 DNF) My health remains high. I did my first full Ironman race at Lake Placid in 2013. All of my training before that race was self-guided. After IMLP, I joined another On-line coaching team. I had some success, as I had never followed a plan. The plan through this team was very high intensity. In the Fall, I was riding 3 to 4 times each week with very hard VO2 max interval workouts Tuesdays, FTP intervals Thursdays, a long ride that included FTP intervals on Saturdays and an 80% effort ride Sundays. The running on the plan was also 3 to 4 times with most runs at Tempo or above. There was no swimming. When we switched to the race plan, it was very similar. I made improvements in my race times the first two years but then I was stuck. I could not really train harder or longer.

I read two books along the way by this guy from England named Matt Dixon. The training within the books made some sense, but I only really knew a different method of training. In 2018, I was still with the other team. I was training for Ironman Lake Placid again and following the plan. I heard the first podcast from Purple Patch. I could not afford to join the Squad at that time. I raced IMLP and had disappointing results. I finished the race knowing I was really fit and wanted to race another Ironman. With the approval of my wife, (my biggest supporter for over 30 years) I signed up for Ironman Maryland. I made a big change to my training. I focused on run frequency mostly well below my goal race pace and toned down my bike intensity. During this time, Purple Patch announced the On-line Squad program. I had a telephone coaching consult but I did not join. I did not want to confuse the plan I was following or cause doubt. I had a great race and finished 3rd in my age group. Unfortunately, that was one spot out of Kona Qualification. The confidence from this race gave me more confidence that I needed a better system for training. I signed up for Ironman Maryland again and joined the Purple Patch Education program hoping to augment the training plan I was following.

Eight weeks from the Ironman Maryland race in 2019, I crashed hard on my bike. I had multiple broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Maryland was out. My deferral choices were limited. Ego told me I would be ready to race again in a month. I registered for Ironman Florida. I was still a member of the other on-line team. After the crash, I sent an email to that team and to Purple Patch looking for advice on how to return to training. The response from the two teams could have been more different. I received a text message from my old team. Purple Patch went so far beyond my expectations. I thought I would get an email with some ideas on how to get back on track. What I received were multiple emails and telephone calls. The personal interest I received from everyone at Purple Patch was exceptional. I was just a member of the education program but I was treated like I was an athlete in the one on one program. I raced Ironman Florida and it turned out that my ego was very wrong. Half way through the bike things started going very badly. I ended up in the medical tent and recorded the only DNF of my life. The response from Purple Patch was the same. I received real evaluative discussion and encouragement about the future. My other team did not even send a text. Well, I knew it was time to change. I became a “Squadie”. I began following the post season plan and immediately started having performance gains. My bike FTP went up and I was not dying on the trainer. My running was fun and I felt very strong. I had never followed a swimming program. I could not believe the strength and feel I was quickly developing. My excitement for training was intense. On December 17, I was at work and looking forward to the hill run schedule for after work. That never happened. I was injured at work. I tore the quadriceps of my right leg and need surgery. Training was done for several months. Without hesitation, Purple Patch let me drop from the Squad to the Education platform. Once again, I received the personal response from the coaches. Just like after my crash and the DNF, Liz you were a large part of that. You have given me genuine concern along with great coaching.

As I was recovering from my surgery, the World changed. We now have COVID-19 to think about. I have watched and listened to the response from Matt and the entire coaching team. It is clear to me that the personal care I received from you and Purple Patch is not just me being lucky. Your concern for the well being of all is evident. The size of the Purple Patch product grew tenfold in such a short time. The resources that are available are too numerous to list and the enthusiasm those resources are provided is remarkable. When I am following a workout live, lead by professional athletes I am inspired. When I heard those athletes talk about their relationship with Matt in early podcasts, it becomes evident that Purple Patch is truly made of and by people who follow the same philosophy of trying to make everyone better. Matt’s words from his podcast are the truth about Purple Patch, “Helping people thrive.”  I am proud to be a part of this team. I actively promote it to anyone who is interested in training.