Kurt (brother), Ellen, and Matt (son)

On July 17^th, Ellen Harris completed her first half marathon in Napa.  After months of committed training she ran a successful race in 2hrs. 18 minutes.  Although she had no previous running experience, Ellen followed the coaching plan laid out by her coach and achieved her goal.

”I was ready to embrace a challenge when I started training with Bree Lambert in February 2011.  While I already had a strong foundation in various types of cardiovascular and strength training activities, I contacted Bree in order to set a goal for myself and prepare to run a half marathon to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.  This cause is close to my heart because my teenage son was diagnosed with colitis last year. After months of training with Bree, I successfully completed the event.  I plan to continue running and thank Bree for all of the running wisdom she has shared with me. “

Ellen is a mother of two teenagers and continues to  participate in a variety of fitness activities such as: Pilates, Kickboxing, Zumba and now running!

Steve Corelis is a man on a mission. A fitness mission. He’s probably one of the fittest 65 year-old vegetarians I know.  I’ve been working with “Mr. Steve” as he’s fondly called for over two years now. When we first began our fitness adventures, he suffered from considerable back pain. I mentioned that he could improve his back health with specific functional and core resistance work. Part of me thinks he was skeptical of my training methods and didn’t know if I could really help him. But now he’ll tell you, “ A back that I used to  “baby” is stronger and no longer a concern.  Along with that I have improved my balance and overall endurance.”

We have been working together for some time now.  He impresses several folks at “Ray’s Built Tuff Gym” (where we train) every time I run him through one of my famous obstacle courses.  Steve will tell you that living an active lifestyle with a fitness focus has improved his confidence. “The knowledge that I am doing something positive for both my physical and mental health; the interaction with Bree and the other wonderful individuals I have met at the gym, all come together to create a positive, rewarding and enjoyable experience.”

One of  Mr. Steve’s fitness goals when we began working together was to get back in the saddle. His “bike” saddle that is! He envisioned himself riding 100 miles. Well, I’ll tell you what…he accomplished that goal last summer.

Mr. Steve (far right) with TNT cycling buddies.

He rode 100 miles around Lake Tahoe with a group from Team in Training.

He said, ” It felt great.” (more…)

Heather is 32 years old and sees herself as a normal, every day person trying to be healthier, fitter, and slimmer. She works for a large medical device company in Clinical Research for people that suffer from severe asthma. Her job requires a heavy amount of business travel which makes it difficult to remain consistent with a healthy eating plan and workout routine. She also has a very busy personal life , so trying to fit in a workout and make the right food choices is a struggle.

Heather says, “Each day is a challenge for me in trying to meet my fitness goals. Life comes and interferes with even the best fitness intentions. It’s easy to get derailed by long work days, business trips, and social events.  It’s my tendency to splurge during those times.  This makes it difficult to achieve any fitness goal. In order to change, I must really dig deep and remember what I’m trying to accomplish, rather than have that piece of bread!”

The biggest lifestyle adjustment for Heather has been selecting the right foods to eat and exercising portion control. She says, ” It’s an area I work on every day. I’ve  learned to stop being mad at myself  if I slip up and make the wrong choices or skip a workout.”

Heather has started to take pride and ownership of her body .  My current fitness goals are mainly to get healthy, lose weight, gain muscle, and become an overall healthier person. My motivation to achieve these goals it to fit into clothing from any store,  prevent illness , and  prepare my body for future pregnancy.

She says, ” I like training with Bree because she makes you feel comfortable in the body that you currently have and helps you envision the body you will have. Recently, I wanted to change my training sessions from the functional work Bree normally would do; to sessions focused only on strict resistance circuit training , to help get ready for my wedding.  Bree stepped out of her personal comfort zone and addressed this challenge head on with motivation and focus. ”

Everyday is a new day, a new challenge, and I must find new motivation to keep going!

I'm just a normal person who is working toward fitness.

Eileen Shaffer always has a smile on her face when we meet for our workouts. When I first met her, she had expressed interest in trail running.  She  completed the Rocky Ridge 10k in October and and aspires to do more in the coming year. I have high hopes for Eileen. She is a woman of  determination, motivation and strength.  I think 2011 is going to bring some wonderful results.. I asked her to write about herself,  so here, in her own words, is her journey toward “living well and finishing strong”.

ABOUT ME

I was always active as a youngster and teenager and even keeping up dance aerobics through college. I never had a weight problem until the birth of my second son in my 30′s. By then I only exercised sporadically and really felt the “aging” process
as I turned 50.  I was often stiff, with a sore back and losing a lot of the natural balance I had as a youth through gymnastics. My vocation as a piano teacher wasn’t helping in any activity or weight loss goals I might have.

About 3 years ago I decided something really had to change and thought that getting a personal fitness trainer might be the way to go. I worked with a knowledgeable instructor for about a year and a half and saw my fitness level really improve. In the summer of 2009 I began training to walk a half marathon as a way to keep me motivated with my goal to lose weight and be more fit. I was really excited about completing the half marathon and had lost at least 20 pounds by then.  Many people commented on how “fit” I looked and often asked if I planned on doing any more events. I really knew by then that I needed to “keep going,” both in doing events and improving my fitness.

In early 2010 while searching for another event, I happened upon a trail event and discovered then, that I liked trail events better than street events. There is something quite exhilarating in looking down from a mountain top knowing your own two legs got you
there! Shortly after that time, my personal fitness instructor hadn’t time in his schedule for me any longer and recommended I work with Bree. Wow! Here I was, coming to realize how much I enjoyed trail events and now I was getting to work with a trail race expert!

Eventually, my goal is to run my races not just walk them and Bree assures me that will happen. But until then I will happily continue working with Bree, becoming more fit and stronger as I plan on entering at least four 10K or longer events in 2011.

On September 26th, Betsy Mack ran her first ultra, Big Basin 50k. She finished ran it in under 7  hours, and finished 2nd in her age group.  She prepared for her event with the help of Ultra Performance Coach, Bree (me) Lambert. I asked Betsy several questions about her experience with being coached and here (in her own words) is what she had to say.

1)      What did you find to be the most difficult aspect of being coached for this ultra?

 Wow, there is nothing difficult about being coached for an ultramarathon by a champion female athlete. If I had to pick something I would have to say, making time for an appointment to meet in person. It was absolutely the most beneficial part of my training but being a single mom and working full time limits my flexibility so, I really had to make the meetings a priority.

2)      Can you name 3 benefits of having a performance coach to prepare you for your race?

Uh, I could name at least 10 but I’ll give you the top 3.

1.      Technique; Your unique style provides a combination of endurance, strength and speed training tailored to fit my needs without overtraining. I thought I would have to put in a lot more miles to prepare for an ultra. Instead we layered the various aspects in shorter more intentional and intense workouts to get to my overall goal.

2.      Fuel; I have come to believe that fueling and hydration in preparation for and during a long run is equally important as the physical training itself. I hear so many stories from people that have bonked during a marathon or suffered heat stroke or dehydration during training yet they refuse to take gels, fluids and salt. You showed me how meticulous planning for fuel throughout a run can be the difference between finishing and placing.

3.      Inspiration; You have been such an inspiration. I couldn’t have imagined what it would be like to run for 24 hours. Now I have a vague idea. I loved being a part of the support crew for your 100k “training run.” I learned so much from being a part of the preparation and supporting you at the aid stations. My friends and family think I have achieved greatness but I still feel like a beginner! It was only 31 miles. Next year I’ll do a real ultra!

3)      What did you take away from running your first ultra event?

 The human body is an amazing machine. In six months my body has adapted to continuously increasing mileage with rigorous training injury free. Fifty kilometers was hard but I have yet to reach my limit.

 4)      What makes you want to do another?

 I want to discover my limit. How far can I go? How fast? How high?

 5)      What do you think best describes your coaches (Bree) training style? Would you recommend her to help others with similar running goals? Why?

Foremost, Bree is passionate about her work. It seems like she absolutely loves figuring out what will work best for me and then she can’t wait to share her ideas. Bree’s style requires maximum effort and minimum mileage. When I feel like I can’t run any faster, farther or higher I go a little bit more. That combined with emphasis on proper nutrition, fuel, core strength and flexibility.

I would definitely recommend her to help others with similar running goals. She is meticulous with her planning, passionate about her clients progress and truly an inspiration as an athlete and a woman.

Betsy and Bree

Betsy Mack is awesome! She is 45 years young.  A super-duper single mom of a 7-year-old daughter. She’s a business professional who works full-time and loves running trails. She came to me with very little distance running experience, in fact, the longest run event she’d experienced was a 10k (6.2 miles).  She explained to me that she finished mid-pack, averaging 11 minute miles. Betsy says, “The next run event I entered was the San Jose Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon. I didn’t complete it.  The training nearly killed me. I felt completely unprepared, had no confidence, and no support system in place. ”

How did she find Ultrarunning?

Betsy says, “It was my interest in Barefoot Running that piqued my interest.”  She was introduced to the book, “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall.  What she liked about the book was how it made running distance on trails seem normal.  ” I agree we aren’t meant to run on asphalt, but we are made to run trails”, she says.   The book shifted Betsy’s perspective of distance running. She then decided it was time to find a coach and was referred to me (Bree) by owners of a local running store, Running Revolution. 

(more…)

Jackie is a client of mine. She’s been with me for a year. She’s 25 and until she met me…she had never run a trail. In fact, she hated running!!!  To give you an idea of what Jackie was like before she started training, here is some insight into her journey to becoming more fit.  

Before Bree

 Jackie laughs and says,” The only time I was thin was the day I was born.” 

She remembers being aware of her weight in her early school years.  While she was an active kid, she was never thin.  At the age of 10, she dislocated her knee cap stepping into a gopher hole during soccer practice.  From then on she stopped doing all exercise related activities.   Her lifestyle became extremely sedantary and the only thing she did was sit in front of the TV and watch movies.  Her diet emphasized potatoes, bread, flour tortillas, potato chips.  By the time Jackie graduated high school she had gone from a size 12 to 16.   Jackie then reflects back on her years after high school into college as the “party years”.   Life was all about partying with friends, late night eating, and drinking.  During this time she worked at the mall and remembers enjoying chili cheese fries, Orange Julius whipped drinks, and pretzels with cheese dip. (more…)