An affordable coaching programme for those who have already completed an Olympic distance triathlon, or have a strong background in endurance sport

The jump from Olympic to 70.3 is the biggest in the sport

When stepping up to a 70.3, you suddely have a huge amount of considerations you did not have over shorter races. Where in an Olympic triathlon you can push hard, knock back a couple of gels and make it over the finish line in around three hours, the 70.3 distance is a different kettle of fish together.

Get your nutrition, your pacing or bike setup wrong and you are in for a very long day. There is so much more that can go wrong over this distance, it's a real minefield.

Going into my first 70.3 I could run a 1:34 half marathon, but that didn't stop me taking nearly three hours to get round the run course. I was rapid over a 90 minute event, but a six hour event is a completely different different ballgame, and I wasn't ready. 

Most athletes will either work with a coach, or purchase a training plan to help prepare them for the challenge of a 70.3 triathlon.

Training Plan

Written by an experienced coach, these take the form of a series of workouts for you to follow. 

These help remove the guesswork from your training. Prevent you from going out too hard and burning out, while also reducing the risk of injury.

While some plans are simply a list of workouts, my training plans self adjust for your fitness level, include videos demonstrating different exercises, and come with a free training guide which helps you navigate issues such as illness, injury and schedule clashes.

Delivered via TrainingPeaks, my plans send workouts direct to your watch or cycle computer with individual targets based on your current fitness. 

No more hours trawling YouTube or creating workouts to follow in Garmin Connect. It streamlines the process and reduces the mental load.

However, there is still no accountability or feedback loop. Nobody to ask questions, or seek reassurance from when things start to go wrong. The plan may also be too easy, or hard for you. Especially if you are much stronger in one sport than the others.

Bespoke Coaching

Working with a coach on an intensive 1to1 basis is the most reliable way to improve. 

This isn't just about having someone write you a training plan around your schedule every week, it's having someone to message with your questions, to hop on a call with when the motivation takes a wobble. 

It's having an experienced eye to review videos of your form, help you pick out the best equipment for race day, choose the right events and plan your season to help you tread that tightrope between high performance and burnout. 

It's daily data analysis, comments on all your workouts, adjustments to your plan and help optimising your diet.

The biggest downside to this is the cost. As a highly qualified and experienced coach, my bespoke coaching costs £250 a month. While I'd like to think this offers good value for monty, it still puts it out of reach for many.

Additionally, some may just not want that much contact, and prefer to get on with things themselves, preferring a more hands off approach. 

52 Week Training Plan

You will gain immediate, full access to your 52 week training plan, ready to download into your TrainingPeaks calendar.

Never used TrainingPeaks before? Don't worry, I also include my TrainingPeaks for Triathletes mini course. It helps you setup your account, sync your devices, set your thresholds and understand the terminology.

Even if everything seems a bit overwhelming, I can talk you through it all during your first coached session

Physiotherapy

When you choose to work with me, you can also take advantage of a free 10 minute online consultation with my chosen physiotherapy partner, George Stacey-Stevens of Cirencester Physiotherapy Centre.

While my programmes are carefully written to reduce the risk of injury as much as possible, there are never any guarantees. If you find yourself picking up a niggle during training, you can hop on the phone with George to discuss how best to manage it and adapt the training. 

Should you wish, you can also book a full remote session with him at an additional cost, where he can give you a full assessment and create a rehab plan.

George is an accomplished  triathlete in his own right, with a personal best of 10:43 at IRONMAN Switzerland. 

Thirteen Coached Sessions

As part of the programme you get thirteen online 1to1 coached sessions with me, a British Triathlon High Performing Coach and IRONMAN Certified Coach. 

Each session starts with an update from you about how the last block of training has gone, You can share what went well, what didn't go so well, and what your next month looks like.

I then tweak the training plan to suit you. We can extend some sessions, shorten others. Add in an extra rest day, or even some additional sessions. 

We then go through a short coached session covering the following topics

Session 1: Introductions

 The first session is a chance for us to have a proper conversation, so I can learn about you, your experience in the sport, time available to train, existing commitments or anything else that needs to be a consideration in your first month of training. 

By the end of this session I will have a much clearer idea of how to tailor the training plan to you. You will feel more confident and reassured in your ability to achieve your goals.

Session 2: Stroke Analysis

Your homework between the first and second session will be to get a video of your swimming for me to analyse. I can use thousands of hours of experience coaching athletes on poolside to give you feedback on where to improve your technique.

Can't get a video of yourself swimming? I will use some stock videos of myself and others swimming to provide you with pointers on different areas of technique.

By the end of this session you will have a clear idea on what it is you need to do to improve your swim efficiency and prevent months of frustration.

Session 3: Mobility Assessment 

We all move differently. While some of us will be as limber as teenagers, years spent sitting behind a desk will have stiffened many of us up. The result? A short stride length, poor shoulder mobility and an increased risk of injury. As a L4 personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist, I want to help you move better.

If I can extend your stride length, improve stability on the bike and get you breathing bilaterally in the swim, this is the very definition of free speed.

In this session I will ask you to perform a series of mobility tests on camera so I can ascertain your mobility levels and set you appropriate exercises to improve your performance.

By the end of this session you will have a series of exercises and stretches that will improve your athleticism as well as quality of life. 

Session 4: Sports Science 

I don't expect you to blindly follow a training plan. I want you to follow the plan while understanding exactly why you're doing the sessions, and how they're making you faster. The better you understand how your body works and adapts to exercise, the greater the buy in to your training.

By the end of this session you will have a much better understanding of different energy systems, your metabolism, performance metrics, how your muscles work and an understanding of how each session makes you faster.

Session 5: Sports nutrition 

Nutrition will make or break your 70.3. While you can bungle your way through an Olympic with a bit of water and some gels, you need to completely change your approach for 70.3

By the end of this session you will have a better understanding of the different macronutrients, and what numbers we need to hit on race day. You will understand the function of carbohydrate, electrolytes and hydration, and will go away with a plan you can start practicing in training.

Session 6: Day to Day Nutrition 

The saying is that you can't outrun a bad diet. While this is generally a reference to those who are using exercise to lose weight, the same is true of those training for performance. Without the proper balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat, you will be leaving performance on the table.

In addition to this we need to ensure we are getting enough micronutrients to support our body as we place it under the extreme load of IRONMAN training. I can help you hit your vitamin and mineral targets to keep you healthy and reduce interruptions to your training from illness 

By the end of this session you will have a much clearer idea of the role that different nutrients play in performance, and be able to make more informed nutritional choices for both yourself and your family. 

Session 7: Bike Maintenance 

You need to look after your bike if you want it to perform for you on race day. Not only will your bike lose efficiency over time, you also run the risk of needing to make very expensive last minute repairs. If you're really unlucky, your bike could let you down during the race, leaving you sitting at the side of the road on your big day staring at your bike with no idea what to do. We can't afford for this to happen.

This session will help acquaint you with the workings of your bike, and help you understand how to perform basic maintenance tasks yourself. While putting your bike in for a service is great, we should be able to perform basic tasks ourselves to save money, as well as to be more self sufficient. 

By the end of this session you will learn how to prevent punctures, prolong the lifespan of expensive components, become more self sufficient and be better placed to protect your investment. 

Session 8: Race Tactics 

 You're not new to triathlon. but you are new to the 70.3 distance. Racing a sprint or Olympic is quite easy in some ways, you go out hard and try to hold on for as long as you can, hoping not to fade in the last 5K.

Over the 70.3 we need to be a lot smarter. I will talk you through energy saving with legal drafting, how to position yourself in the swim and break the run down to ensure you cross the line feeling like you've left it all out there on the course.

By the end of this session you will come away with a much clearer idea of how to use your energy most efficiently and maximise speed, rather than effort.

Session 9: Bike Setup

Getting your bike ready for race day is no easy feat. What gear ratios should we be using? Which tyres should we be using? What about the chain lube? Where will we be storing our water and nutrition? This may seem simple, but could be the difference between you making the bike cutoff or not.

By the end of this session you will know which upgrades you need to purchase (if any), where to mount your bottles to be most efficient, and how to reduce the chance of mechanical issues. Please note that I will only be advising on the functionality of the bike, and will not be able to assist with bike fit.

Session 10: Sports Psychology

This isn't your first triathlon, but it is your first 70.3. Where shorter distances can be completed on a bit of a wing and a preyer, a 70.3 requires a lot of training and discipline. 

As we approach race day, it feels like a lot is at stake. All this time, training and investment is coming down to a single day. Everyone is going to feel anxious and nervous to a certain extent. In this session I talk you through the emotions you can expect to experience in the run up and on the day itself.

By the end of the session you will come away with a toolkit to help you banish negative thoughts and deal with feelings of anxiety. I am not a qualified sport psychologist however, and I may need to refer you onto a professional if I feel we are moving beyond my scope of practice. 

Session 11: Course Analysis 

Every IRONMAN 70.3 event is different, and courses change from year to year. We take the time to go through the course together in detail, to see if we need to adjust our training to better prepare for the course.

At the end of the session you will have a much better insight into the unique demands of the course, and know exactly what to expect on race day. Tricky corners, location of aid stations, currents you can expect on the swim course, nothing will take you by surprise on the big day. 

Session 12: Race Planning  

By this point we will have a good idea of our targets for race day. The aim of this session is to create a full race plan for you, to ensure you maximise your performance over the course.

By the end of this session you will have an estimated finish time, complete with power targets for the bike sent straight to your computer/watch, created with Best Bike Split. We can update your nutrition plan and create a strategy to help us get around the run course as efficiently as possible. 

Session 13: Race Briefing 

The final coached session takes place in the days before your race. This is your chance to ask last minute questions, create strategies to adjust to the expected weather conditions and go through any last minute anxieties with me.

By the end of this session you will have an updated race plan, feel more in control and ready to take to the race course with confidence. 

Triathlon Courses

Is there a sport more complex than triathlon?

Between swimming, cycling, running, strength, nutrition and all of the equipment required to complete a 70.3, it's very easy to feel overwhelmed. 

When you purchase my programme, you get instant access to all of the following triathlon courses:

Triathlon Swimming Masterclass: RRP £50

Introduction to Strength and Conditioning for Triathlon: RRP £50

IRONMAN 70.3 Race Day Nutrition: RRP £25

Fat Loss For Triathletes: RRP £30

IRONMAN 70.3 Race Day Success: RRP £10

Hill Climbing Masterclass: RRP £10

Clipless Confidence: RRP £5

That's £185 in free content to help you build towards your 70.3 available immediately on our exclusive app so you can learn on the go.

Free TrainingPeaks Premium Subscription

Our plans are delivered via TrainingPeaks as it is the best software on the market.

However, the best features are behind a paywall. The ability to see in depth data and move workouts around on your calendar are, unfortunately, premium features.

So we cover the cost for you.

TrainingPeaks Premium costs USD $19.95 per month. As a coach I can get this for a lower price, and cover the price of your premium subscription for the duration of the programme. 

Not only do you gain full control over your calendar and data, you also get access to TrainingPeaks virtual. This software talks to your indoor trainer to provide engaging visuals, simulate riding on varied terrain, participate in races, group rides, time trials and more. 

Please note that you will receive an email after purchasing with instructions on how to redeem your subscription. 

MEET YOUR COACH

My name is Simon Olney, I've have spent the last ten years coaching athletes towards their triathlon goals.

Athletes like you. Not professional athletes, but athletes with full time jobs, who work full time jobs, have a family and have to pay for their own kit. I worked in the film industry for ten years, so understand the challenges that come with fitting training in around a stressful, demanding job. 

My plans are written to be simple to understand yet effective. My job is to get you round your first IRONMAN, not try to bamboozle you with complex language. That's not to say that my plans are basic though.

I have taken my professional development very seriously. I am a British Triathlon High Performing Coach, IRONMAN Certified Coach, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Certified Nutrition Coach, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Level 2 Swimming Teacher and Level 4 Personal Trainer. 

I am committed to helping everyday athletes like you achieve their dreams at the right price.

Let's talk pricing

I didn't start coaching purely to make money. If I did, I would be cold messaging executives  on LinkedIn all day rather than building programmes like this.

I want to offer good quality coaching at a fair price.

The value of the training plan, courses and TrainingPeaks Premium subscription comes to over £300 on their own.

The cost of this programme is £800 (or regional equivalent). That's £15 a week to be guided to your first 70.3 finish by a qualified coach. 

It's not just about finances though. It's about the time you will save. No more hours spent trawling through YouTube, double guessing your training or doing unnecessary sessions. My programme helps you protect your time, so you can prioritise your family and social life. 

While it would be incredibly foolish of me to make any guarantees about results, your chances of finishing with a time you're proud of will skyrocket when you choose to work with me.