Terry Schnieder

Terry Schneider, Santa Cruz

Age 35

Personal Partner- David Kelly, two cats, Kibo and Shadoe.

Employment Professional Triathlete, Endurance Coach, Bodyworker-Advanced Myofascial Release

Years in triathlon 13, (9 as a pro)
Hawaii Ironman

Triathlon accomplishments (all Professional Women placings)

Competed in 22 Ironman Triathlons, 10 in Hawaii with three top five finishes

1996 #4, , Sport Plus Ironman, Australia

1995 #12, Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championships

1995 #3, Vineman ½ Triathlon

1995 #3, The Triathlon at Pacific Grove

1994 #12, Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championships

1994 #4, Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon

1994 #7, Wildflower Triathlon

1993 #8, Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championships

1993-1990 #2, #3, #5 & #6 ranked in the four Ironman World Series

1992-1988 All American Triathlon Today!

Top level contender in all of the 22 Ironmans and 4 Ironman World Series completed.

Previous athletic background

Runner since age 10.

Sample weekly training schedule

Peak season:

Swim 14,000 - 16,000 yards.

Bike 220 - 260 miles.

Run 50 - 60 miles.

Favorite places to train

Love Hawaii and Fiji for open water swimming; it is my favorite of the three sports.

Biking-the Santa Cruz Mountains have it all!

Running-Nicene Marks State Park in Aptos. I love any trail running. I love to explore new areas and towns through running. I like to "run" errands.

Favorite races

Hawaii Ironman, (nothing beats Hawaii). All the Ironman events are very well run and each has its own wonderful personality.

Eco-Challenge Adventure Race.

Escape from Alcatraz-the old Marin Headlands course.

Zofingen Duathlon is a "must do" race.

Wildflower is the best grass-roots party around and a great course.

Nutrition and diet

I eat a lot of what I crave. I need to stay away from sugar for the most part. I love hearty soups, salads and there is nothing like a big steak every once in awhile! Eat a lot of green stuff, and have an occasional glass of red wine. I believe in supplementing-experiment with what works for you.

The more I train, the more body maintenance I need. I have to watch my diet and sleep during peak training closely. I have had a lot of injuries and have learned a great deal from each, (that is how I got into doing the Myofacial Release work.) Overall, listen to your body.

Equipment /gear philosophy

Go light and strong. I prefer carbon bikes to anything else. #1 rule - make sure everything fits you and is comfortable. I like fast aero wheels.

Have fun with gear and clothing but don't let it stress you out. Take the time to find a good mechanic in your area (Bike Inn in Santa Cruz). Buy that cool suit for your next race that you'd love to wear but feel self-conscious in.

Goals

I have done 22 Ironmans very well. I would like to do a few more competitive Ironmans and then hang it up. I'd love to do well once more at Hawaii, and do some of the Powerwoman Series races. I've accomplished a lot in the sport and have been dabbling in Adventure Racing recently. Ultra-running and the Raid Gauloises are calling my name!

I would like to continue coaching and teaching others how to reach their potential at any level. I love this sport and teaching.

Also, I'd like to continue working with Myofacial Release on athletes. The results are amazing.

My ultimate goal is to stay true to where my goals and heart lead me.

Who inspires you, or what motivates you?

Myself. I like the positive, tenacious aspects of myself and draw strength in that. We all should continue to move toward this satisfaction in ourselves.

All the first timers out there who are continually seeing new sides of themselves physically and mentally.

Mark Allen, Lynn Hill, rock climber, and Jerry Rice of the San Francisco '49's. David Kelly, my partner, who athletically is able to truly be himself and fully accepting of my desires as well.

Terry's Ironman advice given at the women's breakfast before the 1996 Australian Ironman:

At this point don't worry about if you are fit enough, if you trained enough or that you haven't lost that extra five pounds.

STOP to think about what you HAVE done.

Acknowledge what you are doing is SPECIAL.

Acknowledge that you ARE SPECIAL just for taking on an Ironman.

Realize you have no control over the competition.

You can only control YOU -- make that your FOCUS.

DO IT FOR YOU!

If you face fear or think of quitting -- take it moment by moment with no expectations of the outcome.

BE IN THE MOMENT, the entire race within yourself.

If the unexpected happens and you are under pressure, assess your options. Do the best you can and move forward, never looking back.

Give yourself the GIFT to race and race WITHIN yourself and not worry about others.

Post Ironman reflections are needed to LEARN from the event. Did you have to overcome certain setbacks? How have you grown to become a better person?

Think of the Ironman as a microcosm of life with all the ups and downs and challenges to overcome -- one minute you may feel euphoria and the next you may feel like you can't go on, sometimes you may be indifferent to all that is going on around you or don't want to deal with what is happening and other times you may right.

Terry recently competed in the 1996 ESPN X-Games held in Providence, Rhode Island. Her three-person team had five events to complete. She raced in the British Columbia Eco-Challenge in August '96, and her team placed 9^th, the second American team. In 1995, she competed at the Eco-Challenge Adventure Race, held in Utah. She competed with a five-person team in six events, non-stop, they placed 17^th.

Next, she hopes to do Raid Gauloises in January of '97.

Terry teaches a 10 week Triathlon Clinic of focused training and camaraderie to get super fit and ready for the Santa Cruz Sentinel Triathlon. The course includes a personalized session with Terry to target your goals, weekly training and instructional sessions, and an organized Sentinel bike and Santa Cruz Wharf swim course time trial. She also coaches several triathletes and runners on an individual basis, and does Myofascial Release work as well.

Terry is sponsored by Speedo, Suntrips, Runner's Factory, Powerbar and also has many equipment sponsorships. She can be contacted at: (408) 688-0620 or fax (408) 688-0621.

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