What they're saying about The Method
Coaches
"I have known Marc since 2002 as a triathlon coach and watched him as a professional athlete ten years ago. In that time Marc’s attention to detail has been flawless and his grasp of the technical aspects of this sport second to none. I have often called upon his opinion in these areas in planning for some of my best athletes.
Where Marc stands out is as an Age Group coach. His ability to understand technicalities mastered by the pros and to break them down and apply them to athletes who need programs based around their busy schedule is unsurpassed. Marc combines personal experience, deep knowledge and a thorough understanding of the Age Group life situation."
- Brett Sutton, Coach of Champions
"Triathlon Secrets speaks to some good messages that age group athletes need to hear."
- Richard Strauss, Los Angeles-based Triathlon Coach
"I love the idea of simplicity and keeping the same pattern for the training week. A simple, effective program in a complicated sport such as triathlon is a measure of quality."
- Alister Russell, Vancouver-based Triathlon Coach
about Marc Becker as a cyclist, in conversation to Peter Reid, Lanzarote 1997
Athletes
"Back from the 8k -- I won overall, 32:50! First mile 6:23, 2mi 12:50 3 mi: 19:20 (hill)..I felt great!!!! PS: I haven't run that fast in 10yrs!"
GM, El Paso, Texas - April 2008After qualifying for IM Hawaii for a second time in the summer of 2007 at IM Wisconsin, I contemplated the idea of hiring a coach. Although I had PB'd and had an amazing race. I knew I was overtrained and not properly tapered. I knew with a better training program I would have been able to do even better.
Marc's assistance made the difference this spring. Despite having to do most of my training indoors on the trainer and the treadmill due to weather, Marc really helped to push me further than I thought i could. I used to get injured running on the treadmill but the program I received included more mileage - with no injuries.
I started incorporating much more speed work and intensity training than I was used to or felt capable of at many times. But Marc's program and his advice and exprience helped me to focus my training and reach new levels of fitness, while ensuring I arrived at IM Arizona in peak shape and adequately rested and tapered to allow me to reach my potential. Setting a new PB by over 17 minutes with a 5 hour bike ride despite never biking outside prior to the race!! Thanks aginn for your assistance, Marc.
RM, London, Ontario - April 2008
I am really new to Cycling and Triathlon and after competing in my first Triathlon last November, I became hooked. Once I got home from the trip I looked for a grueling bike event that I could compete in during the summer of 2008 and promptly signed up for the Etape du Tour. Once the new year settled in I began to train but became frustrated with my lack of knowledge, and I had no idea what I should be doing to prepare for the Etape.
Reality: My life does not allow me to focus 100% on a cycling career, and being 40 years old it is not an option anyway. Additional reality: I still want to do well at the Etape! I want to beat people my age who have been riding for years. If I can do this, I will consider the event a success.
So I spent a lot of time surfing the net and I was bombarded with all sorts of information but I could not relate to anything. When I discovered one of Marc’s blogs on the net, I instantly connected with his philosophy. After sending him an email -- which he responded to almost immediately -- a few days later I had a coach and a plan. more
JG, Calgary Alberta - April 2008
"My training plan comes out to about 18.5 hours of training a week and this is without a doubt the most training I have ever done on a consistent basis. The strange thing is that I'm not returning to each workout completely worn out from the previous one. Marc has placed me in a position to get the most out of each workout by mixing up the energy systems, muscle groups, mental demand that each workout requires. For being the most I've ever trained volume wise, I recover from each workout quite well.
...used to be, I would train 3 workouts of each discipline a week and because the time in training each discipline was less, I would work extra hard in each workout to feel like I'm going to get anywhere which hurt me more than help me because I never recovered well. It was always smash, smash, smash and this became more mentally taxing than anything else.
Now I train far more effectively. Marc has created a plan for me that works each discipline equally, but with different volumes and intensities that fit seamlessly with my weekly obligations."
WC, Dallas Texas - March 2008
"I've been in this sport 25 years. Das ist besser als jedes Tri-Buch was ich gelesen habe! [That is better than any Triathlon book I've ever read.] I have never read a book like Triathlon Secrets. "
RF, Dortmund Germany -- March 2008
"Thanks so much for getting back to me with the friendly email. The fact that you so quickly and willingly got back to me - just a rookie triathlete - speaks a lot about you and your coaching. Everything you tell me about your philosophy of coaching is exactly what I am looking for in a coach. What you write about Ironman being our modern day adventure and about how important an athlete's mentality is really puts into words everything I have felt about Ironman since my introduction to triathlons. Your words really give me a framework for describing the reasons I like this sport so much."
FM, Florida -- July 2007
"Super service. How I used to train and taper was so different - I would always feel tired. Now I train more and I recover better!"
RF, Dortmund Germany -- July 2007
"I can't express in words how thankful I am and how much I have enjoyed this experience. This has been totally different and exactly what I needed. I have developed as an athlete, learned about the sport and training and I feel as though I have made a new friend. “Thanks for all your help in this journey. I am looking forward to many more."
ND, Pennsylvania -- July 2007
"So this means since starting training in November I've improved my half Ironman time by one minute per week of training. This is amazing! I would not have thought this possible but want to thank you for your patience and for helping me understand the effectiveness of training this way."
RM, London England -- June 2007
"What a day! ... Really wanted to break 11:00, but will have to settle with 11:01 :) Here were my stats:
1st age group
10th of all age group women
18th overall women
"Anyway, just wanted to give you an update. I could have never done any of this without you. I can't wait to see what the future will bring!!"
SN, Illinois -- April 2007
"Thanks very much for all your help. I ran a new PR of 1:24 for a half marathon this weekend -- without running any more than last year I'm six minutes faster, simply by following the workouts in the plan you designed for me."
RF, London England -- April 2007
"36:15 for a 9.5km!!"
"I was 10th in my age group, and I think 38th or so overall. And, this race is quite well attended. So, I'm feeling good about it, being a tri guy, not tapered, showing up in the middle of training, and banging out a top 10 finish. Ok, enough with the self-recognition, but I'm just realizing that I'm coming into great form this season, and I can now hang with a lot of competitors that I thought were untouchable in the past. Thanks for helping me make all of this come true!"
RI, Vancouver -- October 2006
"Marc, a while back your words would often " hurt my feelings". I felt like you were too hard on me.
"But then one ordinary day I realized I had hired you to perform a job, a task. To help me achieve the goals I had set for myself, and to prevent me from repeating (too many) mistakes along the day and cutting the learning curve time short.
"I now see you as a consultant. You analyze things from an outside perspective as you can't feel what I feel, see what I see. But you have the outsider's perspective. You see what went wrong, tell me, and our goal, as a team, is to fix it for next time."
FB, Florida -- November 2005
"Marc . . . you pulled me out of a very dark place and allowed me to be the best that I can be as an athlete and a person. You are much more than a coach--you have a gift. No matter what I say -- I cannot put into words what you have done for me.
"Steve Smith is a primary training partner for Tim and for me. He has been in triathlon for 20 years--56 year old stud. He said, "Lisa, what you did today is the most amazing thing I have seen since I have been doing this sport." This is big because Steve does not give compliments freely. I have known him 7 years and I believe this is the third – not that I am counting."
LJ, Indiana -- September 2005
"If I haven't already, I've been wanting to say how much I like my plan. The combination of workouts have made it incredibly easy to do more and better work than ever before."
AW, Indiana -- August 2005
"I want to take the time to personally thank you for putting such a great program together for me and all the other Ironpeople in your stable, I have never heard of such comprehensive coaching being offered from any other coach out there and you are clearly the front runner in our sport."
JB, Calgary -- January 2005
"You ask all the right questions, are organized, put my mind to ease about the time off, and are enthused!!! "I couldn't ask for a more comprehensive, detailed plan. I think this will work into my schedule very well . . . . . . when I saw 3rd place I realized with a shock that I would not be surfing next summer away, but I would be able to surf in Hawaii next year after another Ironman. "Thanks Marc! Even as I write this I can see pieces of things you've been teaching me all along, from the mental toughness and having no expectations to the calm that comes from having done the miles of homework you assign each month. Aloha."
KR, Oregon -- November 2004
"Thanks for checking in. You really do a good job of keeping an eye on me and I feel like I'm your only athlete. That's a great quality!"
JF, Colorado -- September 2004
"First...Thank YOU!!! You are a MAJOR reason I was able to accomplish my goals on race day.
"I told my wife 10 days ago that I'd "never held up to the pressure" at big races. Quite honestly, I wasn't mentally prepared so I always had an excuse (stomach, cramps, mechanicals, blah, blah, blah). The truth was that I'd never truly committed myself completely. Your direction changed that. I came to you because I need help in 2 major areas . . . Psychological and Details . . . the rest I THOUGHT I understood.
. . . Your recommended readings and direct confrontation of my mental preparation helped me reach a new plateau. On race day, the new-found mental focus allowed me to keep my head in tough conditions while others were fading badly.
". . . Overall, I'm really excited. Rachel will tell you that I had tears in my eyes after finishing (long before I'd heard about my placing or qualifying for Kona) because I'd worked hard and accomplished ALL my goals. Thanks for the encouragement, support and occasional kick in the ass . . ."
JP, Oregon -- June 2003