Triathlon is growing at all levels. Fueled by an increasing popularity of the sport (e.g., specials on CNN, Articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, etc), there has been a recent and large influx of newbies competing for the first time. In addition this growth in sheer numbers, there has also been a rampant growth within the sport; races are getting faster every year, and age-group competition is more fierce than ever. Finishing is no longer good enough, but rather, more tenured athletes are focused on things like winning their division, rising to a spot on the overall podium, and for some, earning elite status or their pro-card. It only makes sense that, in
parallel to this heightened intensity in triathlon participation, there has also been vast expansion in the business of triathlon coaching.Whereas not too long ago most age-groupers were self-coached, or may have followed a full-season book or online plan, nowadays, it seems that more and more amateur athletes are seeking out (and finding) individuals that offer personalized coaching, which begs the question; where are these coaches coming from? It seems that while a few may have formal training in exercise physiology, many coaches are simply pros or aspiring pro triathletes hoping to use the knowledge they have accumulated from an intimate relationship with the sport(s) to help others progress, and, to create a revenue stream to help support their own training and racing. Rather than focus on the debate around the pros and cons of this (which will be the stand-alone subject of my next piece) or posit my own opinions, I figured the best way to get inside the new face of triathlon coaching would be to ask my own coach, Wesley Johnson, a few challenging questions.
Wes, first off, thanks so much for doing this. How long have you been competing in triathlon?5 years with a background in competitive swimming. I swam for the University of Utah.
How would you classify yourself as an athlete; e.g., pro, semi-pro, elite, age-grouper, etc? Elite
When did you first get the idea to start coaching, how long have you been coaching for, and how many athletes do you coach today?
I have always [since my teen years] privately taught and coached swimmers. I started getting the idea to coach triathletes when many triathletes came to me to help them improve their swim technique. I have now been coaching triathletes full time for 4 years.
One of the nice things about having a job completely unrelated to triathlon is that it makes it easy to separate the sport from other components of life. How do you (or do you) find balance between your training, coaching, and then life outside of the sport?
I must admit, it can be hard to separate life, my own racing, and my coaching. However, I believe I have figured out how to balance my life and the sport of triathlon pretty well. How do I do that? I got married! I have noticed that since my marriage, my life is much more balanced and I am not always focused on myself and my job. I have someone else to care for which has really helped me find balance in my life. The two loves of my life are my wife and triathlon - whereas before it was mainly just triathlon. As long as I put my family first and then keep any additional hobbies or responsibilities (such as church or keeping up with friends outside of the sport), I have been able to balance my life pretty well. What can get hard is coaching and fitting in my own training. The nice part is that I am my own boss and I can fit in training where I want and need to fit it.
The challenging part is that this job has become a 24 hour one with emails, calls, and text messages from my athletes at all hours of the day. Luckily for me, I love this sport and I love my job! I never get sick or tired of the triathlon-related questions. In terms of a breakdown, I'd say that 85% of my day is setting up training plans, group workouts, answering emails and texts, answering calls, and then getting in my own training. People ask me, "Don't you get sick of it?" I say "Never!" This job is not for everyone and I realize that. I feel blessed that I have found my passion and I believe I am pretty good at it!
We all know what it feels like to be completely spent at the end of a long and hard training day when the only thing imaginable and seemingly possible is the couch; yet you have told me that as a coach, you are constantly "on call" with your athletes. How do you force yourself to give 100% in coaching always?I guess I kind of answered this question above.
The [only] way that I can always give 100% to my athletes is for my intense love of the sport and of my athletes. To me my athletes are so far from just clients that pay me money. I deeply care about each one and I sincerely want them to train, race, and be happy to obtain peak performance.
Do you think that you'll ever have to choose between coaching and really going for it as a pro? I mean the top triathletes aren't coaching anyone, and I assume this is because to compete at that level, training, nutrition, and recovery become a full time job. So, lay it all out there in an attempt to become a top pro, or build the coaching portfolio?
My priority is coaching. I would like to become Pro in the next couple of years. However, my number one objective is to build my coaching and provide for my family. Becoming a full time professional triathlete is just too risky for me right now in my life. I do believe that I will become a professional triathlete sometime in my early 30's. However, this will never take the place of my coaching or family. I have the utmost respect for professional triathletes, and I am friends with many of them. I think it is so amazing to live your dreams and realize your goals. If I do become a professional, I may cut back just a bit of my group coaching (e.g., running swim clinics) and other big time commitments to reach my peak performance. Nevertheless, I will always return to coaching [more broadly] and will absolutely remain coaching the athletes I have grown to love and care for. I want each athlete to do their very best, be happy, and never stop improving.
Do you have any formal training in exercise physiology, nutrition, or movement science? Where do you draw upon for most of your knowledge and subsequent approach to tailor-making your athletes' season plans.
Although my degree is in international business, I have since taken classes and trainings in exercise physiology and nutrition. Much of my knowledge and experience comes from USA Triathlon ("USAT"). I am frequently taking courses in physiology, nutrition, and other trainings through USAT and at the university level. I am a USAT Level 1 coach and will be upgrading to a level 2 status in the next couple of months. I plan on obtaining a Masters Degree in exercise physiology in the next few years as well. I am also a certified USA Swimming coach and I frequently attend trainings through their organization as well as USA Cycling, and USA Track and Field. There are many coaches out there who say they are a triathlon coach without certification from the body of our sport which is USAT.
There are also many who think they don't need the certification or to continuously be learning the modern science of the sport due to their own knowledge and what they have learned through their own racing. This is a huge problem in our sport because doing well in this sport is very individual and you really have to understand the athlete and why their body is reacting to the training in a positive or a negative way. USAT is frequently involved with research and other new modern methods to help the individual succeed. There is no general or "cookie cutter" program that will work for a group of athletes. Each training plan should be individualized for the athlete and may be changed week to week based upon the athlete and his/her lifestyle and how their workouts went the previous week. There are many coaches out there who use a "cookie cutter" approach and base their knowledge upon their own experiences which is a problem.
More than a few influential people in the sport say it's a real problem that so many pros and aspiring pros without the formal pedigree and background are coaching. How would you respond to that?Professional triathletes, no doubt, have obtained lots of knowledge from their racing careers. However, like I said before many of them think that as long as they coach the way they learned and how they trained [and raced] their whole life themselves, they will be successful coaches.
I believe that a former or current professional triathlete can be an amazing coach...as long as they do acquire the knowledge and continue learning through modern research, education, and also learn how to individualize around each athlete based upon their age, lifestyle, and other commitments.Most people can imagine the "good things" that athletes do in the athlete/coach relationship, but what is the one habit you may have noticed among your athletes that you simply can't stand?
Hahaha. This is a great question. The
hardest thing for me to deal with is when athletes are over trained because they are adding their own workouts to the schedule since they think they aren't doing enough. Communication and trust between the athlete and coach is very important. It is important that the coach knows how the workouts are going and that the athlete is not overdoing it. Workouts should be monitored and adjusted week by week to make sure the athlete is not over training. Even if an athlete has the same amount of training as the previous week, but his work and family life has become very stressful, this athlete may be over training. Thus,
communication between athlete and coach is of critical importance. If the athlete is doing extra workouts that the coach does not know about, that is what can and will lead to over training. So I guess that is what I can't stand!
Anything else I may have missed that you want to share?
Have I said that I love my job?!
Wes Johnson is a USAT Level 1 coach in Salt Lake City, Utah with GPP Endurance. He has coached athletes of all levels - from the Ironman World Championships in Kona to completing a sprint triathlon. He coaches athletes from all over the world and frequently puts on training camps all over the nation for varying levels of athletes. Contact him at wesjohn50@hotmail.com.
