How Switching Coaches Transformed My Triathlon Journey

Switching coaches was one of the best changes I’ve made to further my triathlon career. I was feeling stuck and stagnant with my prior coach, and, worst of all, I started to lose trust. I needed to switch to someone who pushes me and supports me with tough love.

Greg, my prior coach, was a really good fit for me when I first started triathlon. Through him, I learned what it meant to be a triathlete and train even when I didn’t want to. I learned how to stay consistent through travel and life changes. He even got me through training while living in France. I liked the fact that we had occasional calls, and he was very nice. During my 7-month stay in France, I got to train with an old family friend of my mom, Siep, who is a very good speed skating coach in the Netherlands. I loved training with Siep’s Skating Team during those two weeks. I got to know him more and see how we work together. He is fun but serious and to the point with his training, and he almost never thinks you’re doing enough. I love it.

Training in the Netherlands. April 2023.

About a year later after coming home from France, around April 2024, I started to feel like I needed something more in my training. I wanted my coach to push me harder. I wanted him to take me more seriously. I expressed my needs and concerns to Greg, but I didn’t really see a change. Which makes sense because he coaches a certain way, and you can’t really ask someone to change that. At the same time, you hope he can make some tweaks because that’s his job. I reached out to Siep about my concerns and the ball of changing coaches started rolling… my trust in Greg really declined and I think he could tell. I started to ask a lot of questions and then all of a (not so) sudden, he broke things off. He made the decision for me. I felt a bit like a coward for not doing it myself. Now I know for next time. I texted Siep right after and told him he could access my Training Peaks account. After a couple of weeks of the awkward switch of getting used to a new coach and the way he does things, I started to feel much more confident and comfortable. I had trust in my new coach which really made all the difference.

Getting ready to swim the fastest time at the Lake Whatcom Triathlon. July 2024. Photo by Ben Groenhout 

 It’s been about 4 months since Siep and I have been working together. I just feel so much better. I switched right before I started racing and it was really scary to enter the race season with a new coach, but things have really worked out. Siep pushes me and I love the feedback I get post-race. He is always pushing for more. I really like that about him because it forces me to have confidence in myself by celebrating my accomplishments because I am not relying on him for validation. Having 100% trust in Siep allows me to just do the training and focus on everything else around triathlon.

Sometimes a change is just what you need.