WITHOUTLIMITS Blog

Coach Brian Bohrer on Setting Goals and Overcoming Adversity

I have been a Triathlon and Running Coach since 2009. I love helping people reach their goals. I know what it is like to start at the bottom of the pile (when it come to physical fitness). As a matter of fact, I was 70 pounds overweight, a smoker and living a very sedentary lifestyle back in 2005. During this time frame I attended a wedding of a friend who sent me a picture, and that was the moment that everything changed. I realized how much I had let myself go, and from that moment on I began making changes that would put me on the right track.

I started walking, however I couldn’t even walk a half mile without the sensation of feeling like I was going to pass out. I kept at it with my workout routines and refused to look back. I absolutely LOVE the results I have gotten from the lifestyle I now live. It has changed me from a mental and physical standpoint. I want to share the experience with everyone I come in contact with to help them reach their fullest potential.Brian-Bohrer-Without-Limits

Not only am I an endurance coach, I’m also a triathlete and endurance athlete myself. The whole journey began several years ago when I decided to take a risk. I owned a bagel shop in Clemmons, North Carolina at the time and had regularly sponsored a local race. As a thank you for the sponsorship I always got a free race entry, but year after year I turned it down. In 2005, I decided to give it a shot. I literally had not done ANYTHING active in years, so I had a lot of work ahead of me. I started training and had no idea what I was doing—I felt lost, frustrated and confused. I knew that I’d feel much better about myself if I could just ask someone for a bit of guidance, but I didn’t know who to ask. I continued to go at it alone and ended up doing decently at the race. What surprised me most, though, was how much I fell in love with the sport. I started training for my next event almost as soon as I crossed that finish line. Looking back, I made a lot of mistakes that could have been avoided if I just asked for some help.

Since that first race I’ve let my passion lead me to learn more about the sport and to understand how important personal coaching can be. So far I have completed 4 Ironman’s, 9 Half Iron-mans  7 Marathons, 10 Half-Marathons, countless Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, and 5Ks and 10Ks. Each race has taught me something different about myself, and I’ve enjoyed each one. And I enjoyed what I have found in the sport of triathlon so much that I decided to become a coach myself.

I think that a lot of the time we measure our success by a time or by reaching the podium. This is great, but I think what gets lost in that type of measurement is the journey along the way. I sometimes forget that I couldn’t jog a mile just a few short years ago, and I become too hard on myself when I feel I don’t measure up to my own definition of what success is. The longer I coach and participate in endurance sports, the more I realize that success is measured by the journey to race day. I have found a love for endurance sports and want to share it with everyone.

Brian-Bohrer-Without-LimitsI’ll leave you with this: it is important to realize that hard work toward your goals in life is the answer. Wishing you had the things in life that you want or reaching the goals you want out of life is great, but hard work is what gets you there. The follow-through is important, and I know you have it in you.

Many Without Limits athletes see me as the “quiet” coach, and that is true!! Inside that quiet coach is an enormous passion for coaching and endurance sports. I love sharing that passion with others and quietly watching athletes discover their true potiential.

Credentials

  • USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach (2009)
  • USA Track and Field Level 1 Coach (2010)
  • USA Cycling Level 3 Coach (2012)
  • Certified Personal Trainer (2008)