I will start by introducing myself,  I am Leyli 41 years old and usually race on the back pack, in other words am your average athlete.  No superpowers or abilities,  but a thirst for learning new things.  3 years ago I attempted IMFL and well did not finish due to the swim.  In the meanwhile I got into triathlon a bit more as time went by.
  I had meet Richard at a swim clinic in FAU,  not realizing then what kind of athlete he was.  As time passed, and I once again decided that I wanted to become an Iron woman, Richard and I became in contact once again.  At this time though I had a little more history of who he was, and  impressed by his kind nature, and his abilities as an athlete .
In 2003 about December I think,  we exchanged words and came to find out that he was coaching.  Imagine how good this was,  not was he only accessible by car (he lives sort of down the road from where I live), but I have him close enough that if I ever needed one on one training, the appointment could be done no problem.  I think it was faith to come in contact with him. I then decided to start training with him in February this year.
As we went over my portafolio of races per say, and what I most wanted this coming year,  Richard opened the door to the energy hiding within me.  Am of course neither fast or slow,  but Iam very determined once I set a goal.  Richard knew that I did not like short workouts or sprints for that matter,  and that the most important goal was to finish my IM in one piece.
He set up a training schedule based on my abilities, and the ones that he foresed coming out of me, and to my amazement I was working better and better as time went by. My runs were good, my swim was steady and my biking skills were getting polished more, and more with the longer rides, as time progressed. I loved doing the bricks.
 Richard had told me that when the time came along, I would do just fine. The most important piece of info given to me was to remember all the effort,  and time that I had now put towards this one single event that goes down in one day within 17 hours. This would prove to be one of the most wisest things ever said to me, together with not limiting myself but looking always for more. As the time neared,  I got more and more nervous but Richard was always there and still is, to apeace my mind.  I have to thank him so very much as I know that I was having panick attacks and I was not even there yet. It got really bad in the last month or so towards the event,  and the wonderful world of possitive thinking and of focusing came along.
To summarize my IMFL04, is hard so much happened that day that even now is just so uncanny.  I had trained with Carbo Pro, a liquid diet that worked wonders for me.  I do not like power bars and such,  and I needed something that would be taking in easy and fast, Richard had recommended this approach and I trained with it during the season in preparation to the event.
The swim went better than I expected from a 2:25 the first time to a whooping 1:34++,  when I came out of the water I was flying high already.  I felt good,  not tired and ready for the next leg.  The bike leg was great,  I did have some minor incident with my contacts,  but thankgoodness for the brick sessions.  I got off the bike and after 112 miles my legs were so fresh and ready to go for the run. Mentally and emotionally I was so ready,  it was a very happy feeling. Needless to say the run in my own way was fun,  to the point that the last 3 miles I was actually running.  I finished not only under 17 hours 16:08:26 to be exact, but I had energy left.  I was not fatigued and if they had told me to run another mile I would have done so very happy.
Richard trained me in a way that I felt strong at every stage of the event,  not once I felt as if I needed to take a break,  other than the potty breaks.  The best part was having him there, racing along further ahead for sure.  But just knowing that him and Toni had set me up just well. They served as my surrogated family, as mine could not be there. 
To say that I was, and am still happy with my results is an understatement.  I glow everytime I think of how it all went,  and of course the one to thank for my success is Richard, he has really showed me what I can do and though this might be presumtious of me to say, it almost felt too easy.  I was playing on the field for 16 hours and I had the time of my life every hour of it.
Now 2005 is up and coming and am more than ready to start all over again a smaller season per say,  but looking forward to my workouts.

Leyli Van Dine
(561)732-3166 work 8-1:30pm
home (561)488-1215

On April 11, 2005 I was diagnosed with an inoperable astrocytoma ogliodendroglioma brain tumor. The day before my diagnosis I completed my first triathlon, The FAU sprint distance triathlon.  To say the least, I was in shock.

Rich Nixon had been my coach since the beginning of the year when I told him I wanted to complete a triathlon and loose a few pounds.  At 6 foot and 230 lbs,  I was not the picture of an endurance athlete.  Rich listened to what I had to say and designed a plan specifically for me. When I started my training, I could not swim more than a few laps in the pool.  While I could ride 10 miles just running a few houses from my driveway found me completely out of breath and grabbing my calf that was completely in spasm. There was no way I could do this.

Rich gave me a plan and I stuck by it when everything told me to go farther and work harder.  He told me to trust him and just follow what he had and he assured me it would get better.  He said my body would have to get used to this type of training and my first goal, more than any other, was to not injure myself.  I started slow.  I wanted o be faster and go longer.  Rich was the coach I needed because left to my own devises, I would push myself beyond what my body could do and I would find myself up injured and out of commission like that one yoga class I did in 2003 that left me unable to walk for 6 months.

I am now almost two years post brain tumor diagnosis.  I have completed over a dozen races including three Olympic and ½ Ironman distance races (I finished over 1 hour faster than my goal).  I now compete in half marathons. I have dropped 60 lbs and I am in the best shape of my life.  I am convinced that my tumor has remained stable because of my diet and my training.   The triathlon lifestyle puts my life in perspective.  As long as I can compete, I prove to myself that I am OK.  I have remained completely injury free despite an ACL reconstruction 20 years ago.  Everything Rich told me had come true.  I would not trust my training to anyone else!

Fight to live and live to fight!  

Dear Rich and Toni,
 
    Once again I would like to thank you for assisting me with my training before and after my accident (man vs. boat, Boat wins).  Well the boat may have won the battle, but it did not win the war.  With your help on Saturday November 1st, just about four months later, I completed my first IronMan.  12 Hours 53 Mins 40 Seconds.  
 
    I still have a long way to go to get back to where I was before the accident, like the removal of the three inch screw in my left femur, but I am well on my way.  Once again, none of this would have been possible without your constant monitoring of my status, adjusting my training schedule and encouraging me to press on or hold back as conditions required.
 
I arrived at the starting line physically and mentally confident and had a great race.  As I have mentioned before, I think there are a lot of Triathlon Coaches that can train someone through an Ironman competition, but when issues and injuries happen, and they often do, there are very few Coaches with the knowledge and concerned commitment to help their athlete achieve their goals.  I consider you one of the special few and I am forever thankful to you.
 
  Congratulations on your Kona qualification, may you have a Great Race!.
 
Thankfully,
 
Stephen Denny :)
561-628-2439