We work hard for our athletes and appreciate their feedback regarding their training experience with Total Intensity Sports.
Here are a few of their comments:
I cannot imagine achieving all the races I have completed without the support of my coach, John Pottebaum. His coaching has helped me to be a become a more confident, seasoned, smarter athlete, that has subsequently made me faster, and I now know that I can tackle any distance. John coaches the whole person, meaning, he takes into account lifestyle, outside responsibilities etc. when formulating your tri schedules. Also the Total Intensity Sports community of fellow athletes has been a huge plus to my tri and personal life!
Teresa – Sacramento, California
2016 Ironman Maryland Finisher
Multiple 70.3 and Olympic Distance Finisher
Hard to believe that I have been training with Total Intensity for almost ten years now. It has been an amazing journey, and words cannot express my appreciation to my incredible coaches for how far I have come as an athlete and person.
I started out with a dream goal of getting across the finish line of a triathlon, which I consider a major accomplishment. I progressed to working with my coaches to maximize my skills, analyze courses and push myself to levels I did not think were possible. Our training group is diverse, our workouts stimulating, the coaching challenging and our time together priceless. I have crossed the finish lines of over 25 triathlons, each one a triumphant journey, and look forward to many more.
Janey – Granite Bay, California
Four-Time 70.3 Finisher
Multiple Olympic and Sprint Distance Finisher
I met John in Winter 2016; the year I decided to attempt a 70.3 Ironman. We met, he laid out a schedule, described the workouts (bricks) and his background. One of the first things I noticed was the organization methodical approach to the task at hand. I failed a bunch of times during training but when it was time for the event; I was very prepared. The swim, bike and run went as planned, as we trained, as he coached me to. My second year, 2017 season, I achieved some personal goals at the Olympic distance. The group trainings and schedule are making me stronger. I speak with other age groupers about their training and compare notes. Basically not comparable. John’s group workouts are tougher than the events, leaving you well prepared, confident you will succeed.
Kevin – Sacramento, California
2016 Santa Cruz 70.3 Finisher
Multiple Olympic Distance Finisher
Total Intensity Sports is more than amazing, as John and Jenni both got me through my first Ironman while still wanting more! We have supportive teammates to train with during group workouts and I appreciate the camaraderie of the team. Even though we aren’t necessarily all doing the same race, we still support, hang out with, talk to, and train with each other while on our own unique journeys. John and Jenni are both very supportive, flexible, understanding, and also know when to show some tough love. They are very knowledgeable in the triathlon world and I am very glad I had the group and the coaching available to me. I am excited to continue with Total Intensity Sports and look forward to many more challenges in the future with the team.
Kim – Sacramento, California
2017 Santa Rosa 70.3 Finisher
2017 Ironman Santa Rosa Finisher
I had wanted to complete an Ironman as a life dream goal since I was 15 years old, being 52 years old now. I had done some shorter triathlons with mixed success, but when I decided that this was the year to go after the full Ironman, I knew I needed professional coaching. I found John Pottebaum via the Ironman coaching website, and could see by his resume his competency level was high. I knew he would be a perfect fit for me after the first time we talked. John was extremely focused on me, the athlete, my goals and desires, and custom developed day-by-day training, fueling processes, and technique improvement that were specifically tailored to my body, my skill level, and my objectives. I have trained from books in the past for both Olympic and Half Ironman distance events, but after training with John for Ironman Wisconsin and completing it, there is simply no comparison in the precision and quality of preparation.
Bottom line is that I completed Ironman Wisconsin, exceeding my expectations, and what I will call an epic and spectacular day. I was prepared. I had a race plan and a system that John had worked with me on throughout training, that I executed with confidence on race day. Sure, I had problems come up as everyone has in an Ironman (including the pros), but one big thing that John “trains into you” is the ability to think, adapt, and react to inevitable race day problems calmly and methodically.
Something that I did not expect to happen during my training/coaching with John is achieving significant improvement in my technique in all 3 disciplines of the Ironman, most notably swimming. Within a very short time of working with John (remotely from Iowa I might add, using video and phone discussion), he was able to improve my swimming speed 35% with the same effort expended. My running technique improved as well. These were unexpected “bonuses” from John’s coaching, but they had a huge impact on my Ironman performance as well as on my training and confidence leading up to the event.
Working with John is a pleasure. His communication is excellent, I felt his consistent presence from a coaching standpoint, he was accessible whenever a live discussion or review was needed, and he has a special way of making you feel like you are his only athlete.
Did John and I always agree on everything? No. But was John ultimately right on everything we ever disagreed about? Yes. John’s vast experience as well as his focus on your specific needs/goals and your body’s performance and capabilities allows him to get you prepared for the monumental task of an Ironman. As I was running my 26.2 mile marathon after the 112 mile bike and 2.4 mile swim, somewhere around mile 20, I was “speeding up” in the last stretch of miles and running past hundreds of athletes walking — thinking to myself: “I was prepared for this”. I have to sincerely thank John for fully preparing me for one of the most important goal achievements of my life —- Ironman.
Todd – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2017 Wisconsin 70.3 Finisher
2017 Ironman Wisconsin Finisher