Do you need a triathlon coach?
Do you need a triathlon coach?
Honestly the short answer to this question is that you probably don’t need a triathlon coach to participate in the sport regardless of race distance. The longer answer is that, well...it’s complicated. That being said here are a few tips to determine whether being coached is the right option for you as an athlete.
You’re new to the sport: Newsflash, triathlon is intimidating. Race mornings are filled with nervous energy, athletes second guessing their training methods, type A personalities sizing people up, timelines that seem to move at the speed of light and carbon fiber EVERYTHING! Having a coach will give you the confidence you need to trust your training and handle these situations - thereby setting you up for a successful race.
You’re busy: Spoiler alert, life is hard. You have a job, a spouse, kids, deadlines, responsibilities...the list goes on. The last thing you want to think about is “should I be doing a tempo run or a bike ride today?”. Having a coach to manage your training load, fatigue and aerobic development will take all that off your plate so you can just execute your plan.
You’re a competitor: You signed up for a race, you decided to put the work into training and somewhere along the way in your mind, you developed a goal. You’re a competitor. Getting the most out of yourself is difficult. It takes incredible discipline day in and day out and doing it alone is an unrealistic venture. A coach you trust will be able to guide your training in the right direction so you can focus on your triathlon/life balance and enjoy the process.
You’re prone to injury: I had a new athlete a few years ago who came to me with chronic foot/ankle injuries. She would start training for half marathons and a few weeks in, the same pain would creep up until it became unbearable and she was forced to rest. Once it felt better she would pick up where she left off and low and behold, she’d get injured...again...over and over the cycle continued. The problem was her plan lacked consistency. She would put a few good days together, miss several days of training and then do a long run of 10 miles (well 8 miles running and 2 limping home). The lack of consistent training caused the long run to over stress the body. Once we got her on a consistent plan with proper periods of stress and rest her running improved and her injuries were a thing of the past. Consistency is king in endurance sports.
You hit a plateau: You’ve been training and racing for a few years consistently but have yet to break through and achieve your full potential. If you think that after a few years you’ve hit your peak or your limit, you’re wrong. You have more to gain and more to give. Your body has most likely gotten used to the normal stress you put on it and changing the way we stress your body can and will allow you to reach new levels of fitness.
Click HERE to see what our athletes have to say about being coached by Mission Multisport!
-Ben Rotherham
Head Coach, MIssion Multisport