Triathlon Coaching
Should I hire a triathlon coach?
Should you hire a triathlon coach? Contrary to what many believe, a coach is not only for advanced athletes or someone whose primary motivation is performance. The benefit of getting a coach as a beginner is that you can outsource a lot of the things you would need to learn on your own.
Tri Coaches can also help you be more efficient with your time and money. If you work a busy job, have kids, and want to complete an IRONMAN, you have little time to waste making mistakes in training. You need to streamline your efforts while also having the confidence you’ve done the right training to successfully cross the finish line.
Let’s say you’ve decided to take the plunge and look for a coach. Ideally you should interview several. As you speak with different coaches, keep in mind that a very important element is personality fit. Every coach should “meet the client where they are” to some degree; however, you, as a client, may be looking for different amounts of accountability, technical knowhow, and nurturing, etc.
For example, is the social, in-person aspect important to you, or is coaching more of a logical process? The analytical coach focused on performance may not be the best fit for a newbie athlete aiming to cross their first sprint finish line.
What should I look for in a triathlon coach?
Here are some of the coaching options you will see:
**In-person coach—**An in-person coach is someone you may see at training sessions or who may occasionally train alongside you. It’s someone you can look in the eye when you tell them about your goals, wins, and areas of improvement. An in-person coach works well for someone who is motivated by social reasons.
**Online coach—**An online coach can be just as helpful depending on your needs. If you’re the type of person who is busy, travels, has a young family, and basically needs to wring every bit of value out of every second of the day, then an online coach may be for you.
**Triathlon clubs—**Triathlon clubs are amazing. Social support and having friends who’d rather meet you at a bike ride than happy hour (or at least meet you at happy hour after a bike ride) will go a long way toward your enjoyment and longevity in the sport. If you’re not sure about the coaching option, then joining a tri club is also a great way to gain access to local coaches.
What does coaching include?
Weekly blocks via Training Peaks
Unlimited adjustments
Race day execution, and strategy
Ongoing threshold testing
All Access Membership to Atlanta Tri Club.
$250/month + $100 Initiation