I’ve only attended Mizuno clinics twice and really enjoyed the drills. The guy in charge is no other than Coach Ige (Miguel Lopez), tri-athelete and also a business man. He agreed to be interviewed by The Running Ninja and here it is!

Q: Most of the runners identify you as the designated running coach for Mizuno but only a few know that you’re also a competitive triathlete, could you tell us how you started into triathlon and how you ended up working with Mizuno as coach?
A: I started hiking mountains since 1995 when I was still in college and eventually joined AMCI mountaineering club in 2000.  All I did was hike, rock climb and run as aerobic training for hiking.  I was invited by a co mountaineer of mine to join a realy team in a half ironman in 2000 in matabungkay.  I did the run leg of 21k. Surprisingly, we placed 3rd overall and I was inspired by these “triathletes” to do 2k of swim, 90k of bike and a 21k of run afterwards. And still party after.  Amazing!!!

Q: How does your typical training week look like? hint from inquirer.net : (As a triathlete, Miguel logs 10 kilometers of swimming, 300 kilometers of biking and 50 km of running in a week).
A: I swim tuesdays, wednesdays and fridays, I bike mondays, wednesdays and saturdays and sometimes fridays.  I run tuesdays, thursdays and sundays.

Q: Only few people know that you’re an Economics graduate and you own a multi sport apparel called Transition One, could you tell us more about it.
A: I graduated from DLSU with a double degree of Economics and Business Management.  I even worked as a manager in training in Saettle’s Best until I decided to follow what I really like and desgin and produce my own multisport apparel which is TRANSITION ONE.  Started the business year 2004 and slowly grew it and I’m pretty proud to say that it is going pretty well and at the same time I still get to train and test my products during training and racing. Supporting the local scene has always been a part of why I have put up my own business so people who are just starting can get their own multisport apparel without having to spend so much on gear and still look good and perform well in it. (Running Ninja: Product images see below this post)

Q:You also do one-on-one coaching session. Tell us what are the key credentials, capabilities and experience runners should look for in selecting a running coach?
A:When looking for a running coach of course one should look at his/her running experience, running knowledge wherein he applies what he/she teaches, he/she has the respect for the athletes he/she is coaching, always acts in the best interest of the athlete, understanding to the student, has integrity in a coach-student relationship, a good example to the students, and promotes fair play always.

Q:In your experience, what are most runners hoping to get out of coaching? Program design, motivation, discipline, lose weight?
A:a lot of my students definitely want to lose weight but I always tell them that it will always follow if they are consistent with their training.  People usually get coaches cause they need to be assured, to be watched on, motivated during hard training sessions and a good program specifially designed to the student/athlete.

Q:What typically prompts a runner to move from self coaching to using a professional coach?
A:People usually get a professional coach if they get frustrated whenever they train and they don’t seem to improve.  They also get coaches because they trust that person and that the coach is very knowledgable.  The runner also wants reassutance of what he/she already knows.

Q:In addition to the training programs you design, what else do you emphasize to boost runners’ performance?
A:I always emphasize consistency in their training.  Without consistency their learning curve will always be longer.  The more dilignet you are in training the faster you will improve and of course the faster you will run.

Q:What are some common mistakes runners make in terms of designing their own training programs?
A: Common mistakes are training too long and/ort oo soon.  Doing a lot of races every weekend and not focusing on just certain races where they want to excel.  Rest days are usally ignored.  And when they train their hard days are not usually hard and their easy days are not usually easy.

Q:Majority of runners are aiming to finish a marathon, any tips you can give?
A: Always remember to enjoy the journey and not the destination.  Do not be too pressured with the times and if you have an option start short and eventually get more experience until you feel more confident to do longer ones.  Sustainability has always been important to me.

Q:Any tips to newbie runners?
A: take it easy and always have fun!

Q:Finally, what’s the highest complement an athlete can pay you as a coach?
A:To just see them running til they get old.

Please tell us how we can get in touch with you (also tell us where we can buy your stuffs).  People can contact me through my email at t1multisport@yahoo.com or at my cell number 09178478500.  thanks!!!!