Jose Perez
July 18, 2018 16:00
What to say about Well-fit... I can say that I found Well-fit completely by accident as I prepared for my first triathlon. This is my story...
When it comes to fitness and triathlons, I cannot say enough about Well-fit. At the end of 2016 I had signed up for my first Olympic distance Triathlon (2017 Chicago Triathlon). having never completed a Triathlon beforehand, not even a sprint distance, I did not realize what I had taken on.
I also think that it is important to say that at the beginning of 2017 I could not swim to save my own life. I could not even swim half a lap in a 25yard pool without having to stop for a break. I began training on my own for the beginning of the year. I began taking numerous swim lessons with the Chicago Park district, Chicago Blue Dolphins, and eventually with Well-fit. Not only was my swimming terrible, my running was poor and my biking was still not very impressive. When I first started running I was running 13.5min/miles. I could not make it half a block without stopping because I was tired. I could say my running was jut as bad as my swimming.
After six months of training on my own I have to say that I still felt unprepared, and I was skeptical as to whether or not I'd be able to actually complete the triathlon without drowning. That is when I began searching for a triathlon center to hopefully join and I could spend the last three months with proper training. I searched the internet on a daily basis with no luck in finding a place that would suit my needs. One day, I had uncharacteristically logged on to Facebook when I saw a post that the Transamerica Chicago Triathlon had posted and I saw that a Triathlon center by the name of Well-fit Triathlon commented on the post. seeing as how I was looking for a training center to join that also had a beginner friendly program, I decided to look them up. After doing my research on them, I decided that they had everything I was looking for. It took me a few weeks to finally decide to join. I emailed the owner and one of the coaches with numerous questions that may have seemed silly coming from a beginner who knew virtually nothing about triathlons but every question was quickly, and graciously responded to. They took their time in explaining the process and the programs they offered.
After a couple days of mulling it over, I decided to sign up. I then began going to classes and training. The program was incredible I thought, and the prices were very reasonable. We had coached training three days a week and a training program was built around our training days so we can continue and progress on days we did not have coached training. The program took us all the way up to the very week of the 2017 Chicago Triathlon. Well-fit followed each and every one of their athletes the entire step of the way. From the very first day of training up until the post race celebration Well-fit did all they could to support the athletes. All the staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Even the other athletes were helpful and willing to pass on advice. They knew a lot about the sport which In turn made them all great athletes to train with. My training coaches were Coach Ted, Lauren, and Mauricio. They did and excellent job. Kudos to them, and because of my awesome experience I will be signing up for more programs.
With the help of Well-fit I ended up finishing my first Olympic distance triathlon with a time of 3hrs 23mins. That exceeded my personal goal of 4hrs. When I got out of the water I was not tired, I was able to complete the bike without completely burning out my legs and still had enough energy left in me to complete the 10k run with no stops and no walking. I was impressed with my performance and will continue to work on my technique and my timing with the help of well-fit.
As I said before, I cannot say enough about Well-fit and I encourage anyone who is thinking of joining a training center to give this place a chance.