So You Want to be a Triathlon Coach? Here’s your Reading List…

The most common question I get from folks wanting to increase their knowledge is, “What triathlon coaching books should I read?”

While it’s certainly hard to whittle down the list, these were the first handful of books & scientific papers to come to mind.  As they say, always go with your initial instincts!

Caveat…I have an entire bookshelf of coaching books plus many I haven’t read yet, but these are the books & articles I would START with.  They will help the aspiring triathlon coach or self-coached athlete form a solid foundation upon which they can begin filling in with no end of online-self-coaching articles.

There may be some notable absences from this list…it’s not necessarily intentional, but if you would like to add a book to the list, please leave a comment!

 

 

The Triathletes Guide to Training with Power, Phil Skiba, MD

Intervals, Thresholds, and Long Slow Distance:  the Role of Intensity and Duration in Endurance Training, 2009.  Free Download

Endurance exercise performance: the physiology of champions, Michael Joyner & Edward Coyle, 2008, Free Download

 

So for about $100 you can have 7 excellent coaching & self-coaching references that cover essentials of endurance physiology, high intensity training, run training, bike training, swim training & fitness from some of the most notable and knowledable authors.

One of the fantastic aspects of triathlon is that all of these authors are alive & well and accessible by email, webinar or by corning them at a conference on endurance sports.

What are some of your favorites?

 

 

Coaches

David Burke hammers on the front stretch at an Aliquippa Spring Criterium, April 2006.
Name:David Burke

Associate Coach

David is has over 10 years of experienced racing mountain and road bikes and is currently working his way back up through the ranks. He is a certified Level 3 USA Cycling/USCF Coach available for monthly coaching. David is also writes articles that can be found on the Steel City Endurance website and newsletter.

Climbing Seal Rock from the pacific ocean up to the Presidio, San Francisco, CA
Name:Suzanne Atkinson

Age:38

Suzanne is a former Outward Bound Instructor who is now a certified USA Triathlon Level 1 and USA Cycling/USCF level 2 coach. She competes in Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, mountain biking races and local criterium road races as a Cat 4. She is also a former Outward Bound Instructor and Emergency Medicine Physician.