Coach Jessica - Vantage Point Endurance

Coach Jessica Jones Lasley

The thought, “Well, this is it, my triathlon days are over.” has crossed my mind more than once in my 20 years of being a triathlete. The first time was when I went to West Point, knowing that I would now be devoted to the rigorous schedule of balancing academics, military duties, and a member of the cross country and track team. Yet when I graduated and took my commission as an Engineer Officer and posted to Fort Hood, somehow I found myself on a bike again, riding through training sites, passing tanks at lunch time. Then the deployment orders came down: it was time to go to war in Baghdad and suddenly swim, bike, run didn’t seem all that important.

The irony is this monumental milestone in my life brought me even closer to triathlon. Post deployment I found comfort and peace returning back into training, giving my mind a break from all that a deployment to a combat zone for 14 months entails. However, having twins just 2 years after I returned presented the biggest challenge to my triathlon days. A difficult pregnancy, 6 weeks of bedrest, emergency c-section, and then 2 premature babies that required round the clock feeding to try to fatten up a bit. Yet there I was, a few months later, on my trainer while they napped knowing that deep down I believed I could do it. Sure I was 30 pounds over race weight, exhausted out of my mind, and knee deep in poopy diapers. I wasn’t ready to give up on myself just quite yet.

3 professional Ironman 70.3 victories later, multiple Ironman and 70.3 podiums, a guide for the Paralympics in Rio for triathlon–10 years after having Rowan and Gwyn I can say my proudest accomplishment is refusing to believe it can’t be done while raising kids that I’m so incredibly proud of.

While I have my share of podiums in the world of triathlon and sports, I don’t believe that raw talent alone will take you to Kona. This is why at its core, my coaching style is based on the foundation of building resilient athletes. Anyone who masters resilience can achieve their dreams. Because lets face it, if you don’t know how to pick yourself up during the hard times, you’ll never really taste the true satisfaction of success.

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Highlights

Triathlon

3 time Ironman 70.3 Champion
Multiple Ironman and Ironman 70.3 podium finisher
Paralympic Guide (Rio 2016)
Former member of National Resident Team, Olympic training center

Service

West Point Graduate
Army Engineer Officer
Combat Veteran
2 time MVP, cross country captain
Former member of Army WCAP (world class athlete program)

Family

Mother of twins Rowan and Gwyn, and Frankie

Testimonals

Justin Willoughby

1 hour PR in 8 months | Broke 5 hours in 2017 Boulder 70.3 | Business Owner | Father

“I am in my mid-forties and was a bit pear shaped. Yes, there are many of us around. I had started running a bit in 2015 but had a friend who dared me to do a sprint triathlon. So I did. I ended up lost on the swim with foggy goggles. My 500 meters took me 14 minutes. The bike and run seemed like a breeze without the fear of drowning. I was fascinated by triathlon by the time I reached finish line. But, I also realized I needed help! Jessica was recommended to me by a friend and is easily the best piece of equipment I’ve invested in. The money and time invested in triathlon makes no sense without the guidance of someone who has devoted their life to it. As a husband, father and small business owner -not to mention a complete novice-I didn’t have the time for the extra research it takes to stay on top of everything (training methods, nutrition, equipment etc.) Jessica provides this for me. The most crucial part of her involvement is preventing me from overdoing it and reminding me to set realistic goals. She breaks everything down perfectly to allow me to be successful and yet remain healthy.

Would you attempt to build a house without help from someone who has built them for a career? You might get there by yourself but not as smoothly or with the results you would get with a professional guiding the project. Jessica has gotten me to the end of two 70.3’s healthy and beating my goal times in less than a year. I’m racing again 3 days from the time I’m writing this and it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that I’ve put in the correct amount of training in the proper zones for each discipline, all customized to me and my goals. The money I have invested in coaching guidance has made me much faster than new Zipps ever could have. Thanks Jessica!”

Christina Hopper

I hired Jess to coach me because, in spite of my significant swimming and running background, I kept injuring myself during my triathlon races. I had a difficult time listening to my body and knowing exactly how much I should train and when I needed to back off. With Jess as my coach, I remained injury free! Every time I raced under her coaching I had PR times as well as two top 3 finishes in IRONMAN 70.3 races, an IRONMAN World Championship 70.3 qualification, and Boston qualifying marathon. She also helped connect me with Team SFQ, a prominent triathlon racing team.

The most valuable part of Jess’ coaching was her personal investment of her time, knowledge, and expertise into my success. She provided specific workout plans that gave me weekly structure and motivation, tweaked plans and gave me targeted workouts to help me achieve specific goals in each discipline of the sport, and corresponded with me regularly through text, email and phone calls. I highly recommend Jess whether you are just looking to finish your first triathlon or take your racing to the next level!

Rachel Taylor

Multiple top 10 age group 70.3 | Over 1.5 hour Ironman PR | Mother of 2 | Moved from Canada to South Africa to Bahrain in 3 years while still hitting PRs

Jess and I have been team mates, classmates, and friends for over 20 years. While I have always admired Jess as an accomplished runner and triathlete, it is her gift of coaching that I treasure the most. For the last four years, Jess’ effective training plans and spot on guidance has lead to top of the pack finishes in Olympic, 70.3, and Ironman races across four continents. Regardless of the course conditions, climate, or race day weather, Jess has prepared me to race at my best every single time. Her training plans are progressive, challenging, but tailored to fit in with my lifestyle as a mom of two and a trailing spouse living abroad. Her encouragement and empathy helps me to preserve when “life gets in the way,” and her vast race experiences helps me to set challenging, but realistic and attainable goals. I am fitter in both the mind and body, and I have Coach Jess to thank for it!

Indira Murr

Meeting Jess and having her as a coach and friend has meant much more to me than the coaching! I have definitely improved as a result of her influence and have achieved elite status internationally in the 70.3 and 140.6 Ironman distance triathlons in my age group.

[I first met Jess in Tulsa at a local triathlon where we learned we had several ties with friends/family that we didn’t know we had in common; she also had a military background, was a mother of two, and was very down to earth and friendly, so there was an instant connection. At the time I met her, I knew she was a professional, but I didn’t realize she was coaching, and I was very new to the sport and hadn’t considered retaining a coach. A year later, I had made some progress, but my training was very willy nilly and had no structure and I thought a coach would be a good idea if I wanted to continue improving. I had looked online and talked with a few coaches and was strongly considering an online coach in another state when I competed in another local triathlon with an athlete who had been training with Jess. She had done very well and had steadily progressed while training with Jess, and she highly recommended her. So, I signed on, and have been very glad I did!]

Since training with Jess, my cycling has drastically improved, and she helped me change my mindset from that of a swimmer (my background through college) to that of a triathlete. She, along with the athletes who trained with me under her, also pushed me to new levels in my running and helped instil confidence in my ability to compete well in my age group at an international level. Jess is flexible and knows you’re a busy adult with a full life outside of triathlon (as is the case with most age groupers). She is sensitive to your feedback (i.e. fatigue/travel) and will adjust your schedule accordingly. When I was injured and couldn’t run for a while, she tailored my workouts to emphasize my fitness through swimming, helping me to maintain my cardiovascular fitness. Jess also particularly handles pre-taper/rest and race week schedules very well to get you ready to go for race day. She has been on site at races to cheer me on and keep me on track with my race plan, leading to multiple age group wins at the 70.3 and 104.6 distance. Anyone who knows me, knows my lack of skill with brevity, and I could go on and on with platitudes for Jess. I believe racing well requires the right “fit” between athlete and coach, training schedule and lifestyle, and general attitudes regarding goals and life priorities. Jess has been a great fit for me, and as a result, I’ve recommended her expertise to several friends and family, and everyone who’s retained her coaching services has improved under her instruction. To me, that’s an endorsement in itself.

Melissa Alfano

Multiple local duathlon and triathlon champ | Multiple Ironman 70.3 participant | Building for her best results yet | Works full time in sales

I stared training under Jess the first part of March after several month being off due to injury. Jess was patient with my progress and setbacks along the way and has been great scheduling around my work hours. In the short time I have been coaching with her my FTP has improved by almost 10 watts and I do not consider myself race fit. I only see my self getting faster and fitter in the coming months and into next year with her help. Communication with my coach has always been a problems but Jess is really good about getting back to me within a few hours and makes a point to catch up once a month or after a bigger race. I am very proud to call Jess my coach and friend. I highly recommend her to anyone who asks for a coach!