The Role of Presence and Preparation in Coaching

Lance Watson has one of the most extensive resumes in triathlon coaching. He was the coach of Simon Whitfield who won the first ever Olympic gold medal in triathlon in Sydney 2000, has coached at multiple Olympic Games, was the coach of Ironman World Champion Peter Reid, and Ironman World Championship podium finishers Lisa Bentley and Chris Lieto. In this episode, we dig deep into his coaching methodology, discussing training principles, tactical and mental preparation, and more.

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 

• Lance's coaching methodology, including a description of his task progression oriented approach
• His work with Simon Whitfield leading into the Sydney Olympics, including an example training week
• Considerations for Simon's "mixed phenotype" - Simon being a fantastic middle distance runner
• The tactical and mental preparation done that contributed to the Olympic success
• How Lance approaches training for long distance triathlon, exemplified by athletes like Lisa Bentley, Chris Lieto and Brent McMahon
• The different considerations for age-group athletes looking for their best performance within the constraints of family, work and life
• Tips for age-group athletes to improve their swimming, biking and running

DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES: 

• We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode. Naturally, as great as they are, they do not cover absolutely everything in as great detail as we can do in a 45-90 minute podcast episode. 
• The shownotes for today's episode can be found at www.scientifictriathlon.com/tts453/

LINKS AND RESOURCES: 

• LifeSport Coaching (Lance's coaching business): website and Instagram
• The day Simon Whitfield made Canadian Olympic history - 5-minute Youtube video by CBC Sports

WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?

If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following episodes: 

• World Champions keep things simple: training masterclass with Joel Filliol | EP#172
• Dan Lorang – coach of Jan Frodeno, Anne Haug and Bora Hansgrohe pro cycling team | EP#175

You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.

You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes. 
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON: 

• The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
• Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
• Subscribe to our Newsletter
• Follow us on Instagram
• Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals. 

HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)? 

I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time. 

• Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
• Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far! 
• Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
• Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack. 

SPONSORS: 

• Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.