Development

An athlete's development path will depend on the specific goals, strengths, and set of skills she brings to a training program.

Each athlete approaches the coaching relationship differently. Some athletes want to compete. Some want to enjoy the experience. But all come to coaching to improve themselves. It is the coach's job to assess your skills and customize a program that fits you and your objectives in the sport.

The tables below are intended to illustrate differences between athletes of different views and skills. Each triathlete is different. Each possess some unique combination of skills, motivations, goals, and knowledge that must be addressed in a coaching program.

My coaching program begins with an interview to understand your goals and athletic history. It will assess your abilities in each aspect of the sport so I can customize a TrImp-based development program. We meet as needed for training sessions to develop technique and training methods. Regular communication will ensure your workouts are moving you along an appropriate path. The relationship continues through completion of your goals.

Motivation

	Reason to Participate	Role of a Coach	Approach to Training
Recreational	Triathlon is a fun form of exercise.	Coaching is an educational tool, used to teach the athlete more about the sport they enjoy.	Training is designed to be fun, social, safe, and educational.

Age-Group	Race and training experiences draw out the desire to improve.	Coaching guides the athlete through a training program designed to prevent injury while maximizing growth in identified areas of need.	Further development past traditional swim, bike, and run. Introduction to concept of efficiency as an overall driver.

Elite	Athlete has natural talent, is driven to excel. Winning is the motivation.	Coaching optimizes training to improve athletes efficiency.	Technical, data-driven, characterized by high training load.

Development

	Swim	Bike	Run	Nutrition	Periodization	Strength	Training Time
Beginner	basic stroke mechanics	biking safely is the priority	developing ability to run continuously	gatorade is all I need	creating awareness of rest/recovery process	injury prevention and core development	2-8 hours per week, fitness-based training

Intermediate	5-phase approach to stroke development	introduction to handling, cornering, bumping, etc...	proper running form improves endurance	understands nutritions impact on exercise	injury prevention benefits from training cycle	weights to develop muscular endurance	6-12 hours per week, focus on developing priorities

Advanced	competitive swimming background	racing skills prevalent, power training	use of technique to optimize efficiency	optimized nutrition for racing goals	year-round periodized training plan	strength training as integral part of development	10+ hours per week, training is key component of lifestyle

A Technical and Balanced Approach