Working with different coaches over the years is a natural part of any athlete’s triathlon journey. Can changing coaches help reinvigorate you when your performance and motivation has flattened?
Whether you’re a seasoned Ironman athlete or just dipping your toes into the triathlon world, there comes a time in every triathlete’s journey when you hit a plateau. Maybe your results have stalled. Maybe your motivation is waning. Or maybe you’re just stuck in a cycle of overtraining and burnout. Sound familiar? It might be time for a change, and that change could be hiring a new coach.
We often see pro athletes switching coaches and returning to racing with fresh energy. Recently, Canadian pro Paula Findlay made a coaching change and since has charged to back-to-back wins at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and 70.3 St. George. Findlay has had several coaching changes dating back to her early elite career, like moving from Siri Lindley onto Neal Henderson in 2015 ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Findlay continues to get better and better every year, and it could be that switching up coaches from time to time as contributed to her success.
Other top-name athletes like American Gwen Jorgensen have shaken things up by making a switch. Jorgensen moved onto coach Jamie Turner, also ahead of the Rio Olympics, which many credited to be a critical factor in her racing dominance that year in the World Triathlon Championship Series, and eventual gold medal performance in Rio.
Mixed reasons for changing coaches
Sometimes athletes change coaches even when they are at the top of their game. Recently, Paris Olympic gold medallist Cassandre Beaugrand from France, promptly changed coaches and moved to Spain following her win last year on home turf. She has since continued to dominate, winning the two races she’s competed in so far this season, and breaking the national women’s 5 km road running record a few months ago.
Five-time Ironman World Champion Daniela Ryf had a public breakup with her longtime, and somewhat controversial coach, Brett Sutton, before ultimately retiring from the sport. She moved onto another coach within Sutton’s circle, but after struggling to find her footing on the podium she returned to Sutton for a short period before calling it a career.
The reasons and results around changing coaches vary, but it’s worth thoughtful consideration if you feel you are in a physical and mental slump. Coaching changes can lead to breakthroughs in training, race strategy, and mental resilience. A fresh coaching perspective doesn’t just bring new workouts, it brings a whole new strategy, mindset, and energy to your training. Getting a new triathlon coach can be a game-changer for your performance.
Fresh set of eyes on your training
When you’ve been working with the same coach, or self-coaching, for a long time, it’s easy to fall into repetitive patterns. A new coach brings a different approach to your training that can expose weaknesses you didn’t even know existed and build on your strengths in smarter ways.
Some of the benefits include a new training structure tailored to your current level and goals, identification of blind spots like technique flaws, recovery gaps, pacing issues, and a smarter periodization and season planning.
Every coach has a unique communication style, and finding the right fit matters. Some athletes thrive on constant feedback and encouragement, while others prefer a more hands-off, data-driven approach. A new coach might align more closely with how you learn, train, and stay motivated.
When seeking a new coach there are a few important elements that will be key to your coach-athlete relationship, and success in training and racing. Look for someone who will provide clear, consistent communication, is flexible in how coaching is delivered through either phone, video, app-based platforms, and emotes a motivational style that clicks with your personality.
New workouts can reignite that spark
Training for a triathlon can get monotonous. Swim, bike, run. Repeat. A new coach can inject fresh energy into your plan with creative workouts, drills, brick sessions, and even race simulations that reignite excitement for training. You should expect varied workouts tailored to your discipline strengths and weaknesses, fun challenges that break the routine, and structured sessions that feel purposeful.
An experienced coach doesn’t just focus on how hard you train. Focus should also be placed on how well you recover. A new coach may help you fine-tune your sleep, stress, and nutrition habits while building in better rest and de-loading weeks to keep you injury-free and performing at your best. If you don’t already implement strong recovery and strength components, you may gain new recovery protocols, find more flexibility in your work-life-train balance, and add value through strength and mobility routines integrated into your program.
Data-driven performance optimization
If you are a data-driven person, there is a lot of technological tools that a coach can leverage to adapt your training plan, like TrainingPeaks, Garmin Connect, and HRV tracking apps. Although the ultimate data-point is how you feel, a new coach might bring a more advanced understanding of metrics, helping you interpret your data to fine-tune effort levels, pacing, and long-term progress.
Experimenting with different training tools can open the door for using additional information like power, heart rate and perceived effort to inform how your training plan needs to be adapted regularly. Evaluating data from races can help inform how you execute future events, including the taper, race pace and nutrition strategies, and recovery.
Improved goal setting and race planning
A great coach doesn’t just throw workouts at you. They help you set realistic goals and map out a race season that builds toward those milestones. Whether you’re chasing a podium or aiming to finish your first 70.3, a coach can help you plan race-day strategy and dial in nutrition, pacing, and mental preparation. They can help you choose races that suit your strengths and lifestyle, help you identify your A and B races for the season, and experiment with tapering to improve race-day readiness.
To meet your goals, changing coaches can renew your sense of accountability and set you up better for long-term growth. Consistency is key, and nothing keeps you accountable like knowing your coach is reviewing your sessions. A new coach can re-energize your sense of responsibility and keep you on track toward your bigger picture goals.
Additionally, having someone in your corner to celebrate victories and talk you through setbacks can be a massive mental boost.
If you’re feeling stuck, uninspired, or just curious what else is out there, it might be time to explore a new coaching relationship. Don’t view it as leaving your old coach behind. Instead, see it as evolving toward the next chapter of your triathlon journey. If you feel you are not progressing, dreading your scheduled workouts, or just going through the motions, it may be time to start interviewing new coaching candidates.
The post Level up: How getting a new coach can supercharge your performance appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.