These are some services I enjoy and recommend, most located in and around Chapel Hill/Carrboro, North Carolina.

Equipment
We’ve got a bunch of great shops in the area offering personalized, expert attention, including FLEET FEET SPORTS in Carrboro, BULL CITY RUNNING in Durham, and INSIDE-OUT SPORTS in Cary. For bike fit, talk to VICTOR JIMENEZ (919-960-8732) of the BICYCLE LAB in Carrboro. (Victor can also make you a custom bike!) For mechanical work, call JIMMY McCARTHY (919-413-7130), an expert on tri bike maintenance. You can visit him at his home near the RBC Center, or he will even come to you.

Coaching
JAY CROOKER and DAVE WILLIAMS were instrumental in my introduction to triathlon. They are both experienced coaches as well as wonderful people. If you’re looking to complete any kind of endurance event in good form, consider hiring one of them to coach you. Jay’s company is IRONCOACH; Dave’s is TRIANGLE MULTISPORT, which also features many other great trainers. You should also consider MARTY and BRI GAAL, who own ONE STEP BEYOND MULTISPORT and offer really useful Powerstroke swim clinics at the Triangle Aquatic Center.

Coach KAREN BUXTON, based in Greensboro, brings years of serious, high-level competitive experience to her coaching of cyclists and triathletes. Her book, The Triathlete’s Guide to Off-Season Training, is a valuable resource for athletes who want to maximize their off-season training.

Beyond sports, consider life coaching. DONIA ROBINSON, founder of the Carrboro Yoga Company, offers a free session so you can learn whether such coaching is right for you. MANDY MURPHY offers life coaching through her business, MINDSIGHT COACHING. She’s a great listener with an established meditation practice—note that she also offers mindfulness coaching!

Sports medicine
For sports injuries, we have two great resources nearby at DUKE SPORTS MEDICINE, JOHN LOHNES, an orthopedics PA and a runner, and DAVE BERKOFF, a sports-med doctor, cyclist, triathlete, and sometime bike fitter. Calling 919-684-4502 will get you the front desk. Start with John, who can often see you the very next day.

If you get referred to a PT, check out the fine staff of BALANCED PHYSICAL THERAPY, with offices on Weaver Street in Carrboro (919-942-0240) and in Durham (919-806-2308).

Chiropractor and runner CHARLES HECHT is another option for rehabilitation. He has a lot of experience with athletes and has worked on me and on some of my training partners and students. We're all very pleased with the outcome.

Body work
PAT KOSDAN is our family massage therapist, a wonderful lady who makes you feel really cared for both on and off the massage table. Her husband, PHIL KOSDAN, is an acupuncturist and herbalist. Their business, COMMONHEALTH (919-967-4259), is run from their home on James Street in Carrboro. You can visit them separately or together (for what we call the Double Whammy: acupuncture followed by massage). However, Pat isn’t taking new clients now. If you live on the south side of Chapel Hill or in Chatham County, try Pat’s daughter LORIN CROWLEY, of JORDAN LAKE MASSAGE THERAPY, at 919-360-7753.

My athlete SUZANNA DUPEE offers massage from Balanced Movement in Carrboro. She knows all about the demands of swimming, cycling, and running, and can help keep you balanced and relaxed throughout your training cycle. You can book your appointment online or call her at 919-475-9416.

MELANIE HAYES uses her knowledge of yoga to suggest poses to help extend the benefits of her massage long after you’re off the table. My running buddies love her work! Her new office is at 906 Broad Street in Durham, her Web site is here, and she can be reached at 919-593-5506.

Across the Triangle, HEATHER SCOTT of A TOUCH ABOVE MASSAGE THERAPY works with my athletes in Raleigh, who are very pleased. You can find her at 919-833-3445.

OWEN DODGE does great myofascial release work at TRIANGLE BODY THERAPY. His background in yoga and massage inform this work, which can really help unbind the stuck places in your body. Reach him at 919-698-2094.

Pilates and yoga
If you’d like to try Pilates on the machines, talk to ADELINE SUSSMAN, a former roommate of mine. She’s a joy, and she’ll challenge you in a good way. Her studio is run from her home in Durham; you can reach her at 919-401-6239. She specializes in perinatal Pilates, ladies, and you can bring your infant to the session! Also in Durham, AMY MICHAELS of NC PILATES off Highway 54 has a nice studio and is a lot of fun to be around.

There are many great classes (including my yoga for athletes class!) at CARRBORO YOGA COMPANY. E-mail me and I’ll help you find one that suits your needs and schedule.

The “west side” of the Triangle—Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Hillsborough—has a rich collection of yoga studios. I wholeheartedly recommend that you visit TRIANGLE YOGA, FRANKLIN STREET YOGA, BALANCED MOVEMENT, OPEN HEART YOGA SCHOOL, BLUE POINT YOGA, PATANJALI’S PLACE, and HILLSBOROUGH YOGA.