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Matt Hill
Matt Hill, 34, very happily married to Vicki, loving dad to two children, Zach and Karli. Works as an insurance appraiser and is also a general contractor. Athletic background- swam and played soccer in high school. Has participated in triathlons since 1990.
For the last four years or so I have been a top 25% of the pack kind of a guy. I swam a little, biked a lot, and ran if I felt I really had to. I tried to pull together a semi-organized training plan, but sometimes felt like a boat being pushed around a lake by the winds of latest fad or article I had read. I never REALLY had a plan, though I knew I desperately needed one. It was with this approach that I did my first Ironman, the Great Floridian in Clermont, Florida in 1999. I would run long here, bike long there, swim a little now and then. I would go long one week, short the next. I read ALL the magazines, talked to all my Ironbuddies about what they were doing, but I still felt as though I was trying to put a puzzle together without the picture on the box. I felt I had the pieces but I couldn't make them fit.
I met Frank in the days before the Great Floridian Ironman. I finished the race in 13 hours and 17 minutes, not too bad for a first timer, but I also knew I could have done better. After getting to know Frank and his wonderful wife Conny, I knew what I needed to do. Frank and I spoke and we made arrangements to have him as my coach. Frank was very encouraging about my results and where he felt I could go with the proper plan in place.
I can't tell you how much easier it is when you have Coach Frank in your corner. I didn't have to obsess with working out a training plan weekly, only to second guess myself any longer. The training plans came in periods of three weeks, so it was all laid out for me. I would wake up knowing what I needed to do, and with Frank's encouragement I actually did it. I was able to knock off SIX minutes in a sprint triathlon from my previous year's time. I ran the first mile of the 3 mile run that day in under 6:30. The prior year I couldn't force myself to go any faster than an 8:20 per mile pace. I need to mention that I tip the scales at a sleek 205 lbs. Prior to having Frank as my coach, I could only watch people pass me going that fast. I also placed in the top 30 out of 315+ Clydesdales at Mrs. T's in Chicago in August. The base of his program was so strong, that I did a fall marathon in 3:38 with ONE long run of 16 miles under my belt. I was able to do this while working, being a great husband (my wife says so at least) for my awesome wife, spending a lot of time with my 9 year old son and helping to welcome our new baby girl into the world on July 5, 2000.
Frank is a great coach, a great athlete, great husband, great dad, and has become a lifelong friend. Short of mounting a motor to your bike, I can't think of any other way to go faster than with Coach Frank.
Matt Hill
Louisville, Kentucky USA
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