About the Coach

Adam Hodges, PhD

* USA Triathlon Certified Coach
* USA Cycling Certified Coach
* ACSM Certified Personal Trainer

Background

I started running around age 10 and jumped into my first triathlon during high school in 1987. Since embarking on the multisport journey, I have competed in a variety of single sport and multisport endurance events from sprint distance triathlons to the Ironman, from standard triathlons to off-road and winter triathlons, from road racing to trail racing, from national championships to world championships. As a competitive amateur, I’ve earned USAT All-American honors and have raced in the ITU World Triathlon Championships, the ITU World Duathlon Championships, and the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

Adam Hodges Over the past two decades I’ve coached a variety of endurance athletes, including masters swimmers at the University of Colorado, high school cross country and track runners in California, and triathletes and runners of various ability and experience levels. I also spent much of that time first as a student and then as an educator at both the secondary and university levels. My university teaching career includes posts at Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, the University of Colorado, and Colorado State University. Armed with a diverse athletic and intellectual background, I bring both practical experience and a curious mind to my coaching.

Coaching Philosophy

Successful performance arises out of consistent, goal-driven preparation. My primary role as a coach is to provide you with structured guidance to keep you on target for the challenges you undertake. Preparation means laying a strong foundation so you arrive at the starting line physically, mentally, and emotionally ready. Toward these ends, I am also an educator. I am here to teach you the training strategies and sport specific skills needed to reach your potential as an athlete. I am also here to act as a sounding board and help you work through the bumps and frustrations that may occur along the way. The hardest things we do in life are the most rewarding, and I’m here to join you on your journey.

I believe any successful coach—like any successful teacher—must always remain a student. Armed with a keen intellect, I am a curious student who continuously seeks to enhance my knowledge of exercise physiology, biomechanics, sport psychology, nutrition, and racing strategies. I am also a student when it comes to studying your unique needs as an individual so we can adapt your program according to your particular circumstances.

Approach to Training

I approach training as both a science and an art. I begin with fundamental principles of exercise science to develop a training plan. Science then turns into art in the actual implementation of the plan where I rely on experience and my understanding of who you are as an athlete to fine-tune the training.

Endurance athletes are fundamentally aerobic animals. I am a firm believer in the value of a strong aerobic foundation, and view all performance as arising out of this foundation. I also place importance on developing form and efficiency of movement. I focus on these ‘speed skills’ in conjunction with developing the aerobic base. The use of drills and attention to form during aerobic base training helps ingrain positive habits that stay with us as the training intensity increases later in the season.

Approach to the Sport

For me as an athlete, multisport training is about having fun outdoors, facing challenges, and growing closer to myself in the process. I believe the challenges we engage in as athletes give us a glimpse of human potential, both on and off the race course. In this way, endurance sports act as a vehicle for discovery, personal development, and adventure. Although I love to compete, my own racing is less about a single race or particular accomplishment, and more about the ongoing process that underlies a healthy, multisport lifestyle. As a coach, I am interested in helping you deepen your roots in this lifestyle so that you can cultivate a long and healthy life in the sport!