I have found success coaching at the highest level of sport using training approaches created specifically for each athlete. Eleven athletes went on to race professionally from the University of Montana Triathlon Club during my time as team president and writing our training plans (2002-2006). I have since worked with over 30 elite/pro athletes from triathlon, cycling, running, and ultra-trail running. Whether I am supporting an amateur or professional, their needs as a person are the most important and training schedules and programming reflect that.
I attended the University of Montana focused on becoming a coach. I earned a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Montana, additionally taking every sports psych class offered, and took one year of a Masters in Exercise Physiology at the University of Victoria. During that time, I began triathlon with the University of Montana Triathlon Club and immediately set out to understand real-life training principles. Aside from spending many hours both performing tests and having tests performed on myself in the exercise physiology labs (yep, I have many muscle biopsy scars from my professors learning to take them), I also trained a lot and learned from that. I have done 40-hour triathlon training weeks, 700 mile cycling weeks, 105 mile running weeks, and frequent back to back weekends of triathlon racing. I was once a subject in a study that required a group of cyclists to ride from Montana to Colorado and back, doing one hour all out time trials with tests performed on us every three days. All these experiences are highly valuable to coaching. If you are going to give an athlete training, you’d better know what it actually feels like to do that training.
While I don’t necessarily believe that personal results matter in one’s ability to coach, here are a few of my own:
I attended the University of Montana focused on becoming a coach. I earned a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Montana, additionally taking every sports psych class offered, and took one year of a Masters in Exercise Physiology at the University of Victoria. During that time, I began triathlon with the University of Montana Triathlon Club and immediately set out to understand real-life training principles. Aside from spending many hours both performing tests and having tests performed on myself in the exercise physiology labs (yep, I have many muscle biopsy scars from my professors learning to take them), I also trained a lot and learned from that. I have done 40-hour triathlon training weeks, 700 mile cycling weeks, 105 mile running weeks, and frequent back to back weekends of triathlon racing. I was once a subject in a study that required a group of cyclists to ride from Montana to Colorado and back, doing one hour all out time trials with tests performed on us every three days. All these experiences are highly valuable to coaching. If you are going to give an athlete training, you’d better know what it actually feels like to do that training.
While I don’t necessarily believe that personal results matter in one’s ability to coach, here are a few of my own:
- qualified many times for an elite triathlon license (never took the license as I never felt quite ready to race with the big boys)
- cat 2 road and cyclocross racer
- 2:44 marathon PB
- 1 year of UVIC cross-country, 5th-7th man and sneaking off to swim and bike
Podcasts:
> Co-host of The 99% Podcast: This is a podcast dedicated to the big picture ways to get faster and develop as an athlete in triathlon. Hosted by Mountain Endurance head coach Elliot Bassett, Marilyn Chychota head coach of Marilyn Chychota Coaching, and Jesse Vondracek the head coach of Top Step Training.
> The coach of 7 Ironman victories, Elliot Bassett. (PT Pintcast. Ep 45. Jan 12, 2016)
>The Grind with Spencer Ralston: Elliot Bassett. (Nov 10, 2017)
Articles:
> A working cyclist's training plan for a 200-mile gravel race : Coach Elliot Bassett presents a training program that even accounts for regular life and it's effects on getting fit. (Canadian Cycling, March 10, 2018)
Videos:
> Giro D'iscovery WPEM Montana. Training study at the University of Montana that I was a subject in.
> Co-host of The 99% Podcast: This is a podcast dedicated to the big picture ways to get faster and develop as an athlete in triathlon. Hosted by Mountain Endurance head coach Elliot Bassett, Marilyn Chychota head coach of Marilyn Chychota Coaching, and Jesse Vondracek the head coach of Top Step Training.
> The coach of 7 Ironman victories, Elliot Bassett. (PT Pintcast. Ep 45. Jan 12, 2016)
>The Grind with Spencer Ralston: Elliot Bassett. (Nov 10, 2017)
Articles:
> A working cyclist's training plan for a 200-mile gravel race : Coach Elliot Bassett presents a training program that even accounts for regular life and it's effects on getting fit. (Canadian Cycling, March 10, 2018)
Videos:
> Giro D'iscovery WPEM Montana. Training study at the University of Montana that I was a subject in.