Playtri Coach Jim

06/24/2026

TRIATHLETES — IT'S MINI CAMP SEASON!

Whether you're chasing your first tri or grinding toward an Ironman, our Mini Camps are built to make you a stronger, smarter athlete — together with the DFW tri community.

📍 North Lakes Park, Denton, TX | 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
🗓️ Sat, July 25 — Bike handling + 2hr ride w/ brick run + heat adaptation lecture

🗓️ Sat, Aug 22 — Bike handling + 2.5hr ride w/ brick run + nutrition & hydration hacks

🗓️ Sat, Sept 19 — Bottle hand-ups + 3hr ride w/ brick run + aid station strategy like a pro

Each camp pairs hands-on bike skills with a brick run and a coach-led lecture from yours truly! — real race-day prep, not just miles.

Cost is $15 Playtri Coached Athletes | $20 Drop-In Athletes

Spots fill up — register at https://www.playtri.com/mini-camps

Questions? Send me a DM!

06/23/2026

First race of the season for and Owen this weekend at Pleasant Prairie Paratri!

06/22/2026

A great Saturday of coaching once again in the DFW!

06/17/2026

Is Waco 70.3 your first half? Don't go it alone! Train smarter, race faster, and stay motivated with our Waco 70.3 Group Program! Our group program includes expert coaching, structured at home training plans, weekly group workouts and swims, and a team that has your back all the way to the finish line!

You get:
+At-home training schedule through
+Coached athlete discount (15% in-store, camp discount, race discount)
+Discount on Late August 70.3 Prep Camp - August 27-30
+Mini Camps in July, August, and September in quiet, scenic Denton County
+And a discount code for blood lactate testing to determine accurate bike and run heart rate zones

Sign up at https://www.playtri.com/703-group-training

Questions? Email me at [email protected]

06/16/2026

06/09/2026

Summer racing season is almost here!

06/08/2026

My favorite bike metrics for non-drafting race day, no matter the distance.

Heart Rate: This is king/queen. Know your zones and stay in them! IF HR is too high, SLOW DOWN!
Normalized Power: To gauge how close you are to your target power range for the race.
3 sec. Avg Power: To gauge current effort as you try to keep power steady.
Cadence: The canary in the coal mine. Cadence often drops first before other metrics get off.
Timer: Not necessary, but nice to have just to see how long you've been riding.

(I also use pre-programmed timers to tell me when to drink and eat. And auto-lap at 5 miles, so I know how far I've gone.)

What are you favorite metrics for race day?

06/02/2026

Things you probably didn’t know about Coach Jim.

🏊‍♂️ I was a competitive swimmer growing up and was quite good but quit when my coach said I had to swim during the soccer season. Backstroke and butterfly were my thing. I really can’t do those two anymore, because…
😩 I also had to relearn how to swim as an adult after two catastrophic shoulder injuries to the same shoulder. Each shoulder injury happened when my wife was pregnant. I blame my two daughters.
🚴 I learned to ride a bike when I was 18 because a woman I was in love with in college had a bike and rode it everywhere. We’ve been married since 2003. I’ve been a triathlete since 2004. Coincidence?
🏃‍♂️ As a child when my friends would go biking around the neighborhood, I would run next to them. I got very good at chasing down the ice cream truck and having it wait for my sister and neighbors to show up.
⚽️ I got in to triathlon after a DIII collegiate soccer career as a bench warmer. I sat on the bench for three years. Each year we won the conference and went to the NCAA tournament. The one year I didn’t sit on the bench because of rehabbing a stress fracture, the team had an off year. Coincidence?
🎉 It is far too easy to be focused on outcome goals in triathlon (World Championship Qualifications, PRs, Podiums, BQs) and lose your joy for the sport. (I know, because it’s happened to me once or twice.) I’ve been in this sport for over 2 decades and been a coach since 2018 because it is so much fun to play triathlon and aim to become a better triathlete.

06/01/2026

Saturdays are great days for coaching and to start vacation!

05/29/2026

It's another race weekend! Good luck to Siri & Estelle.