Athletes' Success Stories

I have been working with Tina for about a month and she has helped me completely transform my diet for the better. With her help and encouragement, I’m exploring new healthier food options. First she did an in-depth diet analysis where she was able to identify some of the unhealthy choices I was making. Next she gave healthy alternatives using an index of recipes she has compiled. She continues to follow up sending emails with new recipes and foods I should try. She also has always been available via email, text or phone call if I have questions. The results so far have been great. Before working with Tina I was regularly experiencing GI issues and since starting with her my GI issues have ceased and I generally feel healthier.

I’ve only been working with Tina for a short period of time, but she has already helped me immensely with my nutrition. She really works hard to understand you and educate you along the way. I can’t thank her enough for the knowledge and tools she has equipped me with and for her genuine care and support!

I was a newcomer to the world of Long Course Triathlon competition this past 2014 season. I knew nothing about the nutrition and fueling needs required to back up training loads and competitions. I reached out to Tina through Valor Triathlon to set up a personalized fueling and nutrition plan for both Full and Half IM racing. Tina is extremely knowledgeable and steeped in research! Read her Blog! She was very detailed during our initial interview, gathering information on my past history and goals looking forward. We went over sweat rates and hydration, pre-race nutrition, sodium intake, and race fueling. What followed was an invaluable detailed hourly nutrition and fueling plan for each distance. I went on to complete the Syracuse Half IM and IMLP, and the nutrition plans worked to a tee for both races. Tina is passionate about what she does and takes the time to follow up with her athletes to see how things worked out should there be a need for adjustments.

I started with Cristina Caldwell as my coach 6 weeks post-surgical and only being able to walk. She took me from post-surgery through eight months of training to a successful 12:50 first IM finish at Boulder.

She is very, very well educated in nutrition, triathlon training, strength training, Neurodynamics, racing, recovery and more! She is an experienced coach/trainer and athlete.

Cristina took a few weeks of my food diary and analyzed it providing valuable feedback on what I needed to change. Cristina prepared me well for this race in all aspects! I trained off of using an HR monitor. I followed her plan, listened to her advice, and was successful! I finished strong, in the best shape of my life. Without Cristina’s plan on race day, I would have taken the bike out too hard and suffered greatly on the run. She trained me with a walk/run marathon and it worked well on race day. Race day I was able to run the whole marathon and walk the aid stations.

She provided great advice with a pre-race diet plan. She helped me with my nutrition, answered questions, encouraged, gave great advice and was overall an essential component of my successful race! Beyond race day, her wealth of knowledge on recovery post-race has been essential for resting, healing and avoiding injury. Cristina is a top-notch triathlon coach and I am so grateful to have her as mine!

Tina was amazing to work with. As a busy professional and a single mom to an 11 year old, it was important to me to key into the factors that were stalling weight loss as well as performance. Having been an athlete for quite some time, I thought I had heard/analyzed everything. She highlighted areas that I hadn’t thought of and was able to give me new insight into why I was having certain cravings, etc. I never felt judged but found her analysis insightful, thorough and helpful. Tina was great about following up with me as well. I recommend her services without reservation & with highest praise!

I started working with Cristina because I was having such a hard time re-learning how to eat after learning I’m lactose intolerant. The three day analysis was a fast and easy way to figure out where things were out of balance. Cristina was quick and thorough. I felt like the analysis was clear and understandable. I learned a lot from the three days of tracking.

Because Cristina is an endurance athlete herself, she knows how to fuel, and what it feels like when you aren’t fueled correctly.  To her, no food group is an enemy.  In fact, she likes to tell me that food is fuel.  I especially liked that it felt safe to disclose my past history with disordered eating, so she could help me figure out how to eat for nutrition and to lay down some of the baggage. She is a fun and low-key coach – she can go all-out harder than I can, but I never feel like I’m out of my depth.

Cristina has been working with me on developing healthy eating habits. We started off with a 3-day analysis to get a sense for how I eat and why. From there we developed a plan that is specific to my life and my goals. Cristina’s guidance has transformed my approach to food and is helping me achieve a healthier, more conscious life. I couldn’t be happier with my experience!

I met Cristina in April 2011. I was looking for nutritional advice and help with my diet. I wanted to lose a little weight and increase my fitness. Cristina was so easy to work with. She did a thorough job of analyzing my nutrition and fitness. I really liked that Cristina listened to me and offered a realistic approach. No fasting or diets, just good information based on what I really eat and how to maximize my health and fitness through foods I like to eat. I found the experience life changing. Shortly thereafter I started endurance training with Cristina as well. Cristina remains my coach today. I highly recommend Cristina Caldwell to anyone looking for a skilled endurance and/or nutrition coach.

Cristina’s personalized training has significantly improved my performance in a short period of time. Her ability to adjust based on my training data, work/life schedule and other factors allows me to progress regardless of what life throws at me. Cristina’s extensive education and training are readily apparent in her coaching, along with her cheery enthusiasm.  I am always confident that she has me well prepared on race day.

After running for five years, I started participating in triathlons. Although I finished two events, I was far down in the pack due to my inexperience with both swimming as well as with the bike. I chose Cristina from a list of other coaches because she specifically mentioned that she used a science-based approach to her training, including data from training tools such as Garmin. Since I have a career in a science-based field, I knew that someone who wasn’t up-to-date with current research wouldn’t be a good fit for me. Too, she went to a D1 college as a swimmer, so I knew that she would help me with swimming.

Along the way, Cristina worked with me with my nutrition including both general nutrition as well as race-day plans. Even though I felt experienced as a runner she helped me PR in my half and then break that PR two weeks later, knocking 15 minutes off three different course records as well. My previous PRs were four years old, and I had accepted getting slower as a part of aging, so it’s nice to know that I can still improve. Cristina and I have also worked with swimming one-on-one, and I look forward to seeing improvements this season. Cristina is very positive, a good listener and also very organized. She’s continuing her education getting a masters in exercise and sports nutrition. I recommend her fully to any athlete.

Cristina is an awesome coach! She is very knowledgeable in all aspects of triathlon and sports nutrition. I recommend her to anybody looking to improve their swim, bike, or run speed and endurance! Especially if you’re addicted to hearing, “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”.

Well…you nailed my nutrition…unreal! Thank you a million times! From the top down the plan was awesome/flawless! I felt pretty amazing all day and I know along with my training the nutrition played a major role…without this I don’t know that the result is the same; certainly not on the run. Thanks so much! It was awesome working with you on this!