Last weekend Fredericksburg played host to the Endurance Sports Expo.  Vendors like Zipp, SRAM, Skratch Labs, and Newton were all present as were an unbelievable field of speakers and presenters. Brian Walton (an Olympic silver medalist in track cycling), Hunter Allen (a former pro cyclist and power training guru), and Allen Lim (nutritionist and physiologist to a number of Tour de France athletes) were all on hand to share their expertise.  In addition to presenting their own talks, many of these individuals gathered together for an “Ask the Coaches” session that I was lucky to be a part of. It was amazing to hear what all of the coaches had to say.  They gave great advice on everything from key workouts to common mistakes most athletes make.  My favorite response of the weekend came from Hunter Allen when the panel was asked, “Why hire a coach?”  I get this question a lot and I hear all kinds of answers from different coaches.  Hunter’s response was beautiful in its simplicity and succinctness.  “You should hire a coach to shorten your learning curve.” In triathlon where tons of time can be spent on swimming, cycling, running, and learning how to race is there really any time to waste?  Oh and Mrs. Debi Bernardes, coach, mentor, elite athlete, and friend – you rock!  Thank you for continuing to shorten my learning curve.