I bet you’ve seen them. The triathlete with a pained expression permanently etched onto their face, eyes glued to a watch that costs more than a decent car. The one who looks like they’re calculating their V̇O₂ max while ordering a coffee. It all looks… well, a bit miserable, doesn’t it?
For a while, I thought that was the only way to get results. That to be a serious athlete, you had to be serious. All the time.
I’m here to tell you there’s another way. A way to get you stronger, faster, and fitter than you thought possible, but without selling your soul to the god of junk miles. It’s a way to make sure you cross the finish line with a grin, not a grimace.
My Journey to a Different Finish Line
My story starts in the swimming pool. For years, my world was the relentless black line on the bottom of a pool. I was good at it, a bit like a dolphin, if I do say so myself. When I finally dove into the world of triathlon, it was meant to be a fun escape from that monotony.
But I quickly saw that the triathlon world could be just as intense. When I decided to launch Efficient Endurance, after a gentle but firm nudge from my other half to finally be the master of my own destiny, I knew I had to do it differently. I wanted to build something on my own terms, for people who wanted to achieve incredible things without sacrificing their sense of humour.
This led me to the three pillars of my coaching world.
Pillar 1: Be Specific
This is the antidote to “aimless exercise until exhaustion sets in.” It’s not about endless hours; it’s about the right hours. It’s about balance.
I learned this early on when coaching university students. Some had never even swum properly before. I couldn’t just tell them to “swim more.” That’s a recipe for quitting. Instead, we had to get specific: targeted drills to fix a poor body position, a particular breathing exercise- a focus on one single element of their stroke.
The result? They saw progress quickly. And when you see progress, you gain confidence. When you have a clear “why” behind every session, you’re not just training; you’re learning. You’re engaged. You’re building momentum.
Pillar 2: Have a Laugh
Triathlon training should add to your life, not just consume it. The real magic happens in the moments between the hard work.
It’s the post-ride coffee where you debate who buys the cake, or the post-parkrun debrief where you can finally laugh about that ridiculous hill or Dave who ran into a tree. These moments are the reward, and the stories you get to tell your friends (and coach!) afterwards are just as important as any training session. If you’re stuck in a rut, maybe you need to look at reframing your training!
Ultimately, stripping away the gear and the data, we’re just people doing a challenging thing together. That shared laugh is the secret sauce that makes the whole journey worthwhile.
Pillar 3: Enjoy the Process
The finish line is a single moment. The training takes months. If you don’t find some joy in the journey, you’ll never make it.
My favourite example of this is the “I hate running” client. I hear it all the time. My response is always the same: let’s focus on consistency. Don’t hide from it. After six to eight weeks, something magical happens. They get a tiny bit faster. It feels a tiny bit easier. Their attitude shifts from “I hate this” to “running is alright, actually.”
That’s the moment they start enjoying the process. It’s about learning to love the feeling of progress, to secretly enjoy the burn of heavy legs on a brick run, and to understand that rest isn’t a weakness, it’s a vital part of the plan. How about reading about one of our wonderful athletes share her experience of going from hating swimming to loving it.
Your Questions Answered
I know what you might be thinking.
- “Does ‘having a laugh’ mean you’re not serious about results?” Absolutely not. It means we create a sustainable path to better results because you won’t be injured or burnt out. A happy, engaged athlete is a fast athlete.
- “What if I’m a complete beginner and I don’t enjoy any of it yet?” That’s my specialty! We’ll start with small, specific goals. We’ll find that one thing you do well, maybe you’re a dolphin in the water like me! We’ll build from there until that ‘enjoyment’ switch flips for everything else.
The Key Takeaway
Finding the right coach is about more than just finding someone with a stopwatch and a spreadsheet. It’s about finding a partner for your journey who understands that a happy, engaged athlete is a fast athlete. My philosophy is simple because it works. It builds you up as a person, not just as a set of performance metrics.
Be specific in your training. Have a laugh when you fuel with ham sandwiches. And learn to enjoy the process. It really is that simple.
Feeling like this philosophy is what you’ve been missing? Check out my coaching page to see how we can work together.
