Coaches
Tammy J. Metzger, M.Ed. | Team Director & Triathlon Coach
Tammy Metzger is a multisport coach and owner of Tempo Multisport, LLC. She holds a Master’s Degree in Sport & Exercise Psychology, with an additional concentration in Sport Science & Nutrition, from the University of Texas at Austin. Her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science & Wellness was obtained from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. Tammy has been a certified USA Cycling coach since 2005.
Tammy comes from a sedentary background, and found a passion for cycling in early 2002, which quickly became a passion for triathlon, leading her to the eventual completion of 2 Ironman triathlons (Ironman South Africa in 2008, and Ironman Arizona in 2009). While her education and personal experience provide her with the know-how to prepare you to meet and exceed your athletic goals, Tammy’s unique perspective of having not been a life-long athlete provides her with a deeper understanding for those new to an active lifestyle. The importance of the psychological aspect of embracing healthy behavior change cannot be understated, as where the mind goes, the body will follow.
The founding of Tempo Multisport is the culmination of a decade of hard-work and commitment put forth in the desire to help others manifest a healthy, physically-active lifestyle. Let the coaches of Tempo Multisport show you what we can do for you!
Photo Credit: AnnieRay.net
Eli Asch, B.A., MBA | Run Coach
Eli has been competing in track, road racing, and cross country running for over 15 years at levels including youth, high school, NCAA Division III, and now open. Eli’s inaugural marathon performance at the Jacksonville Bank Marathon on December 18, 2011, was to lay down a 3:09:44, giving him a top 10 AG placement. Other recent race results include a runner-up placing in his age group at the 2010 Decker Challenge Half Marathon and a sub-1:30 clocking on a tough day at the 2011 3M Half Marathon (he somehow managed to run faster at Decker than 3M—and all Austin runners know that’s not supposed to happen!).
Eli is fully immersed in the Austin running scene, working full-time at the offices of the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon as a logistics and operations specialist.
Eli’s coaching philosophy centers around long-term aerobic development with race-pace specific speed sessions when appropriate. The strong passion Eli has for coaching comes through without question, and is an intense motivator for all the athletes in his charge.
Photo Credit: AnnieRay.net
Casey Arendt, Ph.D. | Triathlon Coach
Casey, a USA Triathlon certified coach, began her swimming career at the tender age of five, and swam competitively into her early college years. In 2007, became a triathlete, and also started racing road (cycling). Casey has raced in sprint through half Iron distance, and also enjoys running half marathons, and the occasional cycling time trial. Six weeks after moving to Texas from Oregon, Casey battled the heat at Ironman Austin 70.3 to a top 20 AG finish. For 2012 she has her sights set on the USAT Long Course Nationals in Oklahoma City.
Casey holds a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology. In her pre-Texas life, she was an academic scientist, teaching biochemistry to undergraduates and pharmacy students, and also operated a small triathlon coaching business in her spare time. When Casey’s husband made a career move to Austin, she took the opportunity to focus her career exclusively on fitness. Casey continues to coach some triathletes in the Portland, Oregon area, while growing her client base here in Austin, and is on the fitness and aquatics staff at the Northwest Family YMCA. We’re very happy to have her aboard the Tempo Multisport coaching team, and hope she finds a long-term home among our ranks.
When not working or training, she enjoys chocolate, gardening, quilting, cooking and eating exotic foods, and chocolate. She is thrilled to be a part of Austin’s active culture, and looking forward to pulling neighbors and friends into the active lifestyle she has always adored.
Tessa Madison | Run Coach & Yoga Instructor
Tessa has been running for as long as she can remember and racing competitively since middle school. During college she discovered a love for swimming and entered the world of competitive swimming. The transition into triathlons seemed like the most logical next step. After racing numerous sprint triathlons she took a break from the sport to focus on running. In 2008 she started training and racing with Gilbert’s Gazelle’s where she met two people who would ultimately have tremendous influence on her life: Gilbert Tuhabonye and Michael Madison. Both coaches transformed her running and taught her the secrets of training smart and how to have successful races. Her involvement grew with the Gazelle’s when she later married Michael and became actively involved in the details of maintaining and coaching a running group.
Since joining the Gazelle’s she has since completed 2 marathons, and numerous half-marathons and 10k races. After breaking her foot during her last marathon (but still qualifying for the Boston Marathon!!) and having to have knee surgery, she was forced to take a year off from any competitive sport. The year off gave her tremendous perspective and time to focus and perfecting her form and learning as much as she could about the how to keep healthy while training hard!
Tessa currently works for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center but her love for health and fitness motivated her to start sharing this passion with others and hopefully transition into coaching full time. She’ll be coaching track workout for Team Tempo starting this summer, and helping to prepare the team for the Austin Marathon in February 2012.
In her free time, Tessa loves to read, travel and practice yoga. She has been greatly influenced through her time with Gilbert Tuhabonye and works to promote awareness for the Gazelle Foundation which builds water projects in his home country of Burundi, Africa. She will be traveling there this summer and hopes to make many future trips.
Photo Credit: AnnieRay.net
Kelley Davis Ables, B.A. | Assistant Cycling Coach
Kelley Davis Ables, assistant coach at Tempo Multisport, is a local Brykerwoods & O’Henry mom, with an inspirational story that most of us can relate to and learn from. Kelley competed as a long-distance runner in high school, but always struggled with her weight. After high school, she settled down to start her family, and over the next several years, living the life of a busy mom, and putting the needs of others ahead of her own, Kelley found herself 70+ pounds overweight at age 40. She knew something had to change.
Over the past three years, Kelley has lost all 70 of those extra pounds on her own. “I made myself a priority for the first time. I put myself on ‘the list’”, says Kelley when asked how she did it. She achieved her health & fitness goals by constantly training for a race, completing four sprint-distance triathlons in her inaugural year in the sport. The following year she continued to race sprint-distance triathlons, completed her first half marathon, and her first Olympic-distance triathlon. “The key”, says Kelley, “Is simply to eat less and move more”. That, plus practicing the power of positive thinking has transformed Kelley back into a healthy and fit person, and it is her passion to empower others to do the same.
Kelley is currently racing as a member of Velossimo Racing Team. She also assists with the Sunday morning Jack & Adam’s Bicycles shop rides, and is currently in the process of getting her USA Cycling coaching certification.