I've tossing about the idea of coaching triathletes for the past year. But really wasn't sure what I wanted to offer, or who I should target. Spending the year with the fine folks in the Triathlon Club of San Diego answered both of those questions.
I've met a lot of beginners who are just overwhelmed with the logistics of training for three different sports. And some of these "beginners" are already great athletes in at least one sport, and no stranger to training.
I've met a lot of people who've injured themselves by making poor training decisions. It's seemed that a lot of those injuries can be explained by looking at their training schedule--"too much, too soon".
I've met experienced triathletes who have reached a plateau, and need something new to kick them over to the next level.
And I've met a lot of people who spend A LOT of time training without seeming to get much faster. If spending six hours per week on a bicycle is an end in itself, then fine--but manyof these folks have ambitious race goals that they aren't getting closer to. They're literally and figuratively spinning their wheels without a clear idea of how best to get what they want.
And in this past year I've had the great fortune to train alongside amazing athletes who know how to meet their goals and even win races--and yet somehow they balance their training with the rest of their lives. I've learned what works for them, and also that it's usually much different than what works for some other top athlete.
All of which explains how I discovered who I want to coach, as well as how I want to coach them. And it all fits in with the notion of "Train smarter, not harder".
Coaching San Diego's Finest Triathletes
It crystallized toward the end of the summer after a ride with my friend Rachel. She is a top athlete, but new to triathlon and with extremely little running background. She had signed up for Ironman St. George, and I felt the need to just once try to talk her out of the race--my concern was that she would injure herself by ramping up her running mileage too quickly.
Of course I knew that I wouldn't talk her out of it. So a week later I asked if I could at least be her run coach to guide her toward an injury-free finish. She said yes, and as we were developing her running plan I asked how we should mesh it with her bike plan. She responded, "What bike plan?" and suddenly I was her ironman coach...
I quickly discovered how much this is, and really can't imagine a better job or a more fun group of people to work with. I've spent the last month teaching myself website design and getting everything about the business launched. Check us out at Triathlon Lifestyle Coaching.
