Discover the benefits of hiring a triathlon coach, including structure in training, effective time management, and unlocking potential to maximize performance.
After a brief acquaintance it is finally time to talk about my progress thus far. So, what will we be talking about in this progress overview? In this first post let’s talk about the importance of having a triathlon coach and my experience as an athlete.
My triathlon adventure started at the end of my final rowing season. Following a period of complete rest, which we will talk about in a future post, my bike was cleaned, shoes were prepared, swimming gear was bought, and a training plan was made.
The construction of the first training plan was an adventure in itself. Despite my history in rowing, my knowledge for creating a triathlon specific training plan was limited. For this reason, I bought: The Triathlete’s Training Bible – Joe Friel (Friel, 2016)1. For everyone who wants to start with triathlon or wants to gain more triathlon knowledge, please consider buying this book. With my new required knowledge, I was able to make a first training plan.
So, how did this work out in reality…? To be honest… Quite good. During the first few weeks my body adjusted to triathlon, my body could handle more stress by the week, new FTPs were made and I show a lot of progress overall. But eventually I hit a ceiling and I had no clue what I was doing wrong and why progress wasn’t made anymore. These reasons started me looking for the right coach.
Why even bother?
So why should you even want to invest in a triathlon coach? Well, let’s face it… Triathlon can be daunting for newcomers, even for advanced athletes. This because you’re not investing time and effort in only one discipline, but three altogether. A skilled and certified coach has the training, expertise, and knowledge to help you through the challenges of triathlon and achieve your desired goals. Here are my reasons why you should hire a coach:
[1] Structure
As a first-timer who hired a coach I can say the following:
“My coach has brought structure to my goals and training, therefore I have been able to put in the extra hours and allows me to be the best athlete possible.”
As mentioned, triathlon is complex and creating a proper training plan for your specific goals and lifestyle is not as easy as it sounds. Just putting in the extra mileages each week will not make you a better athlete necessarily as I have experienced firsthand.
A coach knows how to structure your training throughout the year to get you primed for your race days. Therefore, you can perform faster and stronger than ever before.
[2] Time Management
Let’s face it, our lives are very busy…
If combining work, family and friends isn’t demanding enough, try fitting in triathlon training and life can become overwhelming. Imagin that our life is represented by a four-burner stove. Each burner symbolizes one major quadrant of our life:
Family
Friends
Health
Work
The Four Burners Theory (Sedaris, 2009)2 suggests that “to be successful you must cut off one of your burners. And to be really successful you must cut off two. “
This can be a constant struggle for a triathlete that is working 40hours a week, has a family and friends and wants to compete at a high level in triathlon. Your time is limited and therefore precious. So, it depends on yourself how much you want to invest.
That’s where your coach is coming in. Your coach will look at the time that is available for training and knows how to get the best results using that time. Furthermore, you will also save hours precious time it would’ve taken you to write your schedules, plan and workouts.
[3] Seeing Potential
The concept of coaching represents the evolution of an athlete. Modern coaching is no longer a form of sharing what you know with somebody, although that remains an important aspect. It’s also a way of asking questions to spark insights in.
As Sir John Withmore defined it, skilled coaching involves: “unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance.” The best coaches have mastered both parts of the process—passing on knowledge and helping others discover it themselves—and they can artfully do both in different situations.
However, to get to this point you must find a coach. The process of finding the right one is very personal. The best advice I can give you is planning meeting with several coaches and choosing the one that is best for your personality.
There are many more reasons why hiring a coach is beneficial for you as an athlete, but these are my foremost reasons for hiring a coach. The truth is that a good coach will help you excel as an athlete, while taking away the stress and uncertainty.
“A Coach is someone that sees beyond your limit and guides you to greatness”
— Michael Jordan
- 1: Friel, Joe (2016).The Triathlete’s Training Bible. Velopress
- 2: Sedaris, David (2009). Laugh, Kookaburra. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/laugh-kookaburra
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