Introducing My New Coach
If you have followed my blog, you know this month I was charged with the task of finding a new coach for my training for Kona. One of the things I discussed with my family is how this is the year to find a woman coach to continue my education and guide my training.
After five years in the sport, I have noticed that we have lots of “coaches to the stars.” Almost all of them are male. In fact, after doing a quick search of top triathlon coaches, only two women appeared with any regularity on people’s list of recommended coaches; Siri Lindley and Marilyn McDonald.
I even posted a thread on Slowtwitch asking for recommendations for top woman triathlon coaches. After 461 views I was shocked at the lack of responses. To the guy that kept private messaging male coaches names, please read the damn thread title!
I believe we lack high profile women coaches (who coach both men and women) for a number of reasons;
- Elite age group triathletes rarely discuss their coaches. I am not quite sure if they are trying to keep their coach from their competition or they just want everyone to think that they are stellar on their own.
- There are less women in the sport than men.
- Successful women triathletes often put off having a family. Once they retire they have a lot of catching up to do if they want children etc. Building a coaching program may be put on the back burner of priorities as women are often the primary care giver in their family.
- We suffer the same ills of the professional coaching ranks. Lots of men coach Women’s Division I basketball teams. Can you name one woman coaching a Men’s Division I basketball team?
- Like business, men are more likely to broadcast themselves as a brand than women.
There are many more reasons this happens but the point is that as a female triathlete, I can help change our system. So, time to list some of the top women suggested to me with the most frequency:
- Siri Lindley
- Marilyn McDonald
- Jen Harrison
- Michelle Dillon
- Hillary Biscay
- Michelle Simmons
- Elizabeth Waterstraat
- Melissa Mantak
I was familiar with only four of the people gathered on my list. I know there are many others I could add to the list. If you are not on it (or your coach isn’t), and you feel you or her deserve to be, please let me know in the comments section (include a link to website link please).
I winnowed the list down with some of my requirements:
- Proven record of working successfully with pro and age group athletes.
- Some success at a professional or elite level was desirable but not necessary.
- Ability to communicate.
- Emphasis on technology (use of GPS, powermeters etc.)
- Use of trainingpeaks.com for training plans.
- Opportunities to work together at camps.
- Willingness to be a coach and more importantly a teacher.
- A coaching education with some of the top coaches in our sport.
- Sense of humor.
- Ability to stand up to me. Sounds silly but I know as a business owner I am used to getting my way.
- Cycling emphasis. My weakest sport.
As I made the list and discussed my needs with my family, we realized the obvious choice was right in front of me: Marilyn McDonald. You can find her bio in the link above and her articles here. I am grateful that she made room in her squad and agreed to coach me for my race in Kona.
If you are a woman triathlete reading my blog, take a moment and talk about your coach (twitter, Facebook, blog etc.). Tell other athletes about her. Help her. We need to support the great women that may change our sport. Time to charge through the carbon ceiling!
mike corona
June 8, 2012 (11:00 am)
Hey Sue!
Not a female, but I’ll comment….:)
The male ego is another reason; sometimes we men want to work with a man! It really is an insecurity and weakness to not being open to working with a women. to learn, we must focus on learning, not who is doing the teaching…..
I’ve learned a ton working with Marilyn the past 2 years–you made a good choice.
I don’t get away with much and the truth is always exposed.
Also, when I do get the opportunity to train side by side, I can sit on her wheel and get a good workout….;)
Good choice and glad to hear you are part of the crew.
mike
mike corona
June 8, 2012 (11:01 am)
Hey Sue!
Not a female, but I\’ll comment….:)
The male ego is another reason; sometimes we men want to work with a man! It really is an insecurity and weakness to not being open to working with a women. to learn, we must focus on learning, not who is doing the teaching…..
I\’ve learned a ton working with Marilyn the past 2 years–you made a good choice.
I don\’t get away with much and the truth is always exposed.
Also, when I do get the opportunity to train side by side, I can sit on her wheel and get a good workout….;)
Good choice and glad to hear you are part of the crew.
mike
mike corona
June 8, 2012 (11:02 am)
Hey Sue!
Not a female, but I\\\’ll comment….:)
The male ego is another reason; sometimes we men want to work with a man! It really is an insecurity and weakness to not being open to working with a women. to learn, we must focus on learning, not who is doing the teaching…..
I\\\’ve learned a ton working with Marilyn the past 2 years–you made a good choice.
I don\\\’t get away with much and the truth is always exposed.
Also, when I do get the opportunity to train side by side, I can sit on her wheel and get a good workout….;)
Good choice and glad to hear you are part of the crew.
mike
Jenny Lorenz
June 8, 2012 (11:31 am)
Sue,
I believe you have made a fantastic choice. I have learned so much from Marilyn over the past few years. She does a great job of personalizing my training to help me achieve my goals. Her talents are endless as an athlete and mentor. Plus she’s just plain fun and that’s very important to me. Congratulations on you choice and welcome to the team 🙂
Jenny Lorenz
June 8, 2012 (11:32 am)
Sue,
I believe you have made a fantastic choice. I have learned so much from Marilyn over the past few years. She does a great job of personalizing my training to help me achieve my goals. Her talents are endless as an athlete and mentor. Plus she’s just plain fun and that’s very important to me. Congratulations on you choice and welcome to the team 🙂
Jenny Lorenz
June 8, 2012 (11:44 am)
Sue,
I believe you have made a fantastic choice. I have learned so much from Marilyn over the past few years. She does a great job of personalizing my training to help me achieve my goals. Her talents are endless as an athlete and mentor. Plus she\’s just plain fun and that\’s very important to me. Congratulations on you choice and welcome to the team 🙂
Jenny Lorenz
June 8, 2012 (11:45 am)
Sue,
I believe you have made a fantastic choice. I have learned so much from Marilyn over the past few years. She does a great job of personalizing my training to help me achieve my goals. Her talents are endless as an athlete and mentor. Plus she\\\’s just plain fun and that\\\’s very important to me. Congratulations on you choice and welcome to the team 🙂
Justin Daerr
June 8, 2012 (1:03 pm)
Sue,
Add Melissa Mantak to your list of female coaches (www.empoweredathlete.com). She works with Matt Charbot, Jillian Peterson, Jordan Jones, Mark Hillers and many others. Highly accomplished coach and former professional triathlete (recognized as USAT coach of the year a couple years ago).
-justin
admin
June 8, 2012 (5:55 pm)
Wow. Thanks Justin. She is a great addition.
Christine McKinlay
June 8, 2012 (2:49 pm)
Good choice! I find a woman can also easier understand our speicific limiters – the number one thing that stood out for me with MM was that she was small AND didnt come from a comptetive swimming background .. aside from that she’s a great coach and I got a lot out of my time working with her.
Ian Mikelson
June 14, 2012 (1:11 pm)
Great Choice! Marilyn knows what she is doing!
Cheers
admin
June 15, 2012 (9:51 am)
Thanks Ian. Hope you are doing well…still find myself in the pool chuckling about your pink skull and cross bones suit. Will see you again sometime in Dirty T.
Casondra
June 14, 2012 (1:27 pm)
My husband and I both use Michelle Simmons and love her. She understands that we are both working parents but doesn’t let us off the hook for it either. Her record is impressive and she has coached my husband to both 70.3 World Championships, Xterra World Championship, and hopefully Kona soon. She helped me put in a respectable first IM performance and has given me a great deal of confidence in this sport. Can’t say enough about her. If your current coach doesn’t work out, definitely contact Michelle. You won’t regret it for a second!!! Best of luck!
Casondra
June 14, 2012 (1:28 pm)
My husband and I both use Michelle Simmons and love her. She understands that we are both working parents but doesn’t let us off the hook for it either. Her record is impressive and she has coached my husband to both 70.3 World Championships, Xterra World Championship, and hopefully Kona soon. She helped me put in a respectable first IM performance and has given me a great deal of confidence in this sport. Can’t say enough about her. If your current coach doesn’t work out, definitely contact Michelle. You won’t regret it for a second!!! Best of luck!
Teresa Nelson
June 14, 2012 (2:09 pm)
Hi! You have compiled a great list of phenomenla women leading our sport through coaching and racing. I, too, follow your criteria listed.
Website. http://www.tnmultisports.com
Blog: http://teresanelson.blogspot.com
Congrats on the new coach and good luck in Kona!
tn
Jen Harrison
June 14, 2012 (5:19 pm)
Great list and congrats on your new coach – good choice!
I will say that I think going with a female coach is a GREAT idea as a masters athlete. I coach a TON of Masters women – from beginners to Elite AG and it is a whole different animal…very complicated at times and lots to work through (including menopause, etc.). I think Masters women should definitely be with a female coach. I have not always thought this way – not until I turned 40 and thought, “Aha!”
But, I coach a big group of men too – just as many as the women – the men just don’t Facebook and blog about it all. 🙂
GOOD LUCK!
admin
June 15, 2012 (9:50 am)
There is so much truth in your post Jen. I am also realizing that women coaches raise the bar for women athletes because we know what we are capable of physically. I hope to one day meet you in person and talk “coaching.” I look forward to learning more from you! Thank you for all of your support.
Mary
June 14, 2012 (5:48 pm)
I worked with Jen Harrison for several years, and I cannot say enough about how great she was to me and for me. She recognized that my negative self talk created more problems for me than any other aspect of my fitness/training/race prep, and she called me on it until I was able to let it go enough to really move to the next level.
admin
June 15, 2012 (9:48 am)
I hear the same comments about Jen! Although we have not met in person, she has been supportive of my journey. Just a small indication of her value in our sport! Thanks for sharing your experience with her!
Scott
June 14, 2012 (11:08 pm)
I can tell you personally & i am a male; Michelle Simmons is a fantastic coach that takes coaching very serious & is extremely knowledgeable. Michelle has coached me for 2 years and helped le
Lose 56 pounds, get me to the start & finish line at Kona through a lottery spot and now i am training for 1/2 IM’s. She is a mom and respects my goals as an athlete/father & real estate professional. Highly recommend her; although her humor is shown in workouts like 100×100’s on your birthday!
Congrats on finding a great coach & best of luck.
admin
June 15, 2012 (9:47 am)
Thanks Scott, I hope to meet her one day. Lots of great comments on her…
Sue
June 28, 2012 (11:28 am)
Great post! I’d also add that a woman coach might be more attuned to the women athlete norms in terms of performance. When I read blogs written by male coaches, they often use male examples to illustrate a point (Imagine a six foot two 75kg male triathlete..) and any reference to women athletes is often a one-off or special case. This is fine of course, it’s their blog. But I’d love to read examples more targeted toward women so I can better see the connection to my experience and suspect women coaches might provide that perspective more often.
Sue
June 28, 2012 (11:29 am)
Great post! I’d also add that a woman coach might be more attuned to the women athlete norms in terms of performance. When I read blogs written by male coaches, they often use male examples to illustrate a point (Imagine a six foot two 75kg male triathlete..) and any reference to women athletes is often a one-off or special case. This is fine of course, it’s their blog. But I’d love to read examples more targeted toward women so I can better see the connection to my experience and suspect women coaches might provide that perspective more often.
Sue
June 28, 2012 (11:29 am)
Great post! I\’d also add that a woman coach might be more attuned to the women athlete norms in terms of performance. When I read blogs written by male coaches, they often use male examples to illustrate a point (Imagine a six foot two 75kg male triathlete..) and any reference to women athletes is often a one-off or special case. This is fine of course, it\’s their blog. But I\’d love to read examples more targeted toward women so I can better see the connection to my experience and suspect women coaches might provide that perspective more often.