Featured Athlete- Vicki Santello

By Coach Matt Russ

From a motivational standpoint, athletes fall on two ends of the spectrum. On one end you have those that require a constant push and seldom give their best, on the other you have those that push themselves so hard it is like holding back a freight train. Most fall in the middle. Vick Santello is definitely towards the later end of the spectrum.

When I first started working with Vicki she was burned out, over tired, and over trained. In 2003 she road 24 centuries and put over 8,500 miles on her bike. Vicki only knew one way to ride; hard and fast. When an athlete has been training a certain way for a long time there is an acclimation period before they will trust you. I definitely had to earn Vicki's trust, but after a while she started settling into her plan, and realizing recovery is as important as training. I think she appreciated the plan fit her lifestyle, or could be modified and adjusted as needed. I designed it, but she owned it.

Vicki's had been training mainly for century rides but wanted to take a shot at road racing. Road cycling is not for the meek. It requires very intense training, high speeds, and crashes. Taking up the sport at 50 years old (sorry Vicki) is daunting, but Vicki was not deterred. If I prescribed a work out Vicki would not only complete it as prescribed, she usually would throw in a bit more, and diligently recorded all of her training data. At first Vicki could not understand why girls 30+ years younger could beat her. She was frustrated, but eventually put it in perspective; after all it was her first season! By the end of the season she was hanging with the pack. Road cycling is very technical and requires strategy and instinct. I know she learned a lot along the way. Next season she will do even better.

Vicki took her second trip to Europe to watch Lance's final tour. Watching was not good enough for her though and we had to prepare her for a shortened version of the tour. She happily cycled much of the course (yes including the mountain stages) before the pros took to their bicycles. She described it as a humbling yet marvelous experience.

Vicki's next goal was to complete a Century in 4:30 hours. Her record was 5 hours. The key to longer rides and races is producing power aerobically and efficiently as much as possible. This required a major shift in her training. Perhaps the hardest thing to get an athlete to learn is that you have to go slower to get faster. Vicki had never really had a good aerobic base. Much of her training involved group riding which usually turned into a hammer fest and contest of egos which Vicki did not like to loose. I heard her lament how slow she would have to ride in order to stay in zone, but I stuck to my guns. She begrudgingly complied and began training on her own to more closely stay within her work out parameters. Her heart rates slowly came down and speed went up. After a while we were producing speeds that used to come well above her aerobic energy system.

She has now ridden two centuries within 7 min. of her goal. A 4:30 century is a feat for any cyclist. During her last ride she stopped to help a fellow cyclist and probably would have come within seconds of completing her goal had she not. I have no doubt she will meet this goal soon.

What I respect about Vicki beyond her motivation is that she asked questions and wants to learn the reasons behind her training. An athlete is much more likely to adhere to their plan when they know not only how to do a work out, but why they are doing it. Vicki also gives me all the data I need to coach her effectively and keeps me updated on how she is recovering from and feeling in general about her training. We have learned that at certain times her work must take precedence and we adjust her training, or if she just needs some time off the bike.

Very few athletes do exactly what I recommend, but Vicki comes pretty close. It will be interesting to see what we can accomplish together. For me there is no difference between coaching a pro versus an athlete like Vicki. They both put everything into their training.

Matt Russ has coached and trained athletes around the country and internationally. He currently holds licenses by USA Triathlon, USA Track and Field, and is an Expert level USA Cycling coach. Matt has coached athletes for CTS (Carmichael Training Systems), and has been certified by Joe Friel's Ultrafit Association. Matt is also a free lance fitness author. His articles are regularly featured on a variety of websites and in magazines such as Inside Triathlon. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more information or email him at info@sportfactory.com