New Site, Lessons Learned in Triathlon Coaching & What’s New for 2026
2025 was a transformative year for Sense Endurance. On the race course and behind the scenes. Athletes hit personal bests, returned from injury with new confidence, and proved again that quiet, consistent training delivers the loudest results. At the same time, I rebuilt the Sense Endurance website from the ground up. Faster, simpler, and more focussed, the new site is designed to help you find exactly what you need: no fluff, no distractions, just clear guidance, coaching, and structure. As we step into 2026, that clarity defines everything I’m doing. On the page and in your plan.
Even though it’s only the start of November, the season has wrapped up for virtually all athletes, and with the launch of the new site and my sights on 2026, I want to reflect on the lessons that mattered most in 2025 and look at what’s ahead for 2026: new offers, refined coaching, and the same grounded philosophy that helped so many athletes make real progress this year. Whether you’re chasing a personal best, racing your first long distance, or managing a comeback, you’ll find insights here that help you train with purpose and race with confidence.
Coaching Lessons from 2025
Over the past year, certain foundational truths proved themselves again and again. Here are eight key lessons from 2025 that we’ll carry forward into 2026:
Fitness is Built During Recovery, Not Just Training: Grinding through every session isn’t the secret to getting fitter. Allowing your body to adapt and recover is. Many athletes learned that true fitness building happens between hard workouts, during rest. By embracing recovery days, they came back stronger and faster. I often reminded athletes that “a day of rest is a day of progress,” and this mindset shift paid off in better performance and fewer injuries (See “How Fitness Actually Builds: Recovery, Adaptation, and Timing in Triathlon Training” for the science behind this.)
Smart Recovery Prevents Burnout and Injury: Along with planned rest, responding to the unexpected is crucial. Like every year, I coached athletes through illness and fatigue by knowing when to push and when to hold back. The goal was quick recovery instead of trying to “tough it out” and digging a deeper hole. Listening to your body and adjusting your plan isn’t weakness; it’s wisdom. (For details, read “Training Through and After Illness: A Triathlete’s Guide to Recovery.”)
Going Slow All the Time Isn’t as Safe as It Sounds: Many triathletes equate “training smart” with keeping every session easy. Especially after the Zone 2 hype of recent years. However, avoiding intensity entirely can backfire, as most overuse injuries actually brew during those countless “safe” low-intensity miles. Simply put, going slow 24/7 isn’t always safe, you need some intensity to build resilience. I showed athletes how to include smart intensity sessions each week to stimulate adaptation without overstressing their bodies. The result? Fewer injuries and better fitness. (My article “Slow Doesn’t Mean Safe: Why Conservative Training Can Still Get You Injured” dives deeper into finding the right balance.)
Discipline-specific Strength Training is a Game-Changer: One of the clearest lessons from 2025 is that strength training only works if it actually carries into your swim, bike, and run. General strength helps, but for triathletes, discipline-specific work is what counts. That means focussed, repeatable movement patterns: low-cadence climbs on the bike to build leg resilience, short hill sprints to sharpen run economy, and plenty of time in the pool swimming with your pull buoy and paddles. Done right, strength training improves how you move and how long you can hold form under fatigue. (Read more in Strength Training for Triathletes: Build Strength and Crush Races.)
Technical Skills Matter (Not Just for Beginners): Training isn’t only about pumping up your engine; how efficiently you swim, bike, and run makes a huge difference, especially under fatigue. I worked with athletes on things like swim technique, run form, and bike handling, and saw tangible gains. Improving your technique (e.g. swim stroke efficiency and run form) shaves minutes off race times, even when your raw fitness doesn’t change dramatically. The takeaway: Improving economy and skill can remove invisible performance ceilings. If you ignore technique, extra fitness can only take you so far. (For more, read “Why You’re Not Getting Faster: The Forgotten Role of Technical Skills in Triathlon.”)
Blend Indoor and Outdoor Training for Maximum Benefit: Indoor vs. outdoor training isn’t an either-or debate, the strongest athletes leverage both. I encourage time-crunched athletes to use indoor sessions (bike trainer, treadmill) for efficient, controlled workouts where they can hit precise targets regardless of weather. At the same time, I push them to get outside regularly because nothing replaces real-world terrain and conditions for race preparation. The consensus: indoor training offers consistency and precision, while outdoor training builds adaptability and mental toughness. Using each environment intentionally helps athletes train smarter. (My piece “Indoor vs Outdoor Triathlon Training: What Actually Helps You Race Better?” breaks down when and how to use each to your advantage.)
Calm Execution Beats Raw Fitness on Race Day: Among coached athletes, 2025 reinforced that race execution is often the deciding factor once you’re fit. The Sense Endurance squad has a saying: “Be the calmest athlete on the course.” Staying composed, pacing wisely, and sticking to your plan will outperform an overzealous approach. The result: strong finishes and big smiles. Our Ironman athletes especially embraced the mantra that “calm execution beats chaos,” focussing on steady pacing, proper fuelling, and quick problem-solving rather than chasing any one split at all costs. It was gratifying to see athletes who once worried about being “fast enough” instead committing to being smart and steady, and then achieving their best results. (For a deep dive, see “Full Distance Race Strategy: Calm Execution Beats Chaos.”)
Quality Over Quantity – Even for Time-Crunched Athletes: Perhaps the most encouraging lesson from 2025 is that even time-crunched triathletes can excel with the right approach. Many of our athletes juggle full-time jobs or family (or both!), and I made it clear that more hours isn’t automatically better. By emphasising high-impact sessions and trimming the junk miles, athletes on 10-hour training weeks often beat their old performances from 18-hour weeks. Key strategies included integrating intensity wisely for “big fitness gains in little time”, focussing on technique and skills instead of just volume, and leveraging indoor training to avoid time wasters. The success of our busiest athletes proved that training smart beats training more. (Reference: “The Time-Crunched Triathlete: Maximising Limited Training Hours” for how to get the most out of a busy schedule.)
Each of these lessons has shaped how I coach. They’re not just theories. They came from seeing what actually worked (and what didn’t) across dozens of athletes in 2025. And nothing illustrates these principles better than the athletes themselves.
Athlete Snapshots: Progress in 2025
Real athletes, real improvements. Here are a few quick snapshots from the squad this past year:
Lianne – Finding “No-Fluff” Progress: Lianne is a busy professional who used to feel overwhelmed by conflicting training advice. In 2025, she committed to a structured coaching programme preparing for her first Ironman and saw steady, clear improvement once we cut out the fluff. By focussing on consistency over chaos and trusting the process, she not only set a personal best in a preceding 70.3 and finished her Ironman later in the year, she also felt more energised week in week out.
Tomás – Simplicity and Strength: Tomás came to me intrigued by my philosophy of keeping things simple. A self-described data-junkie in the past, he often trained himself into the ground. Under my coaching, he was surprised that simplifying his training (and actually resting more) made him faster. “It’s not about fancy tech or brutal sessions. It’s consistent, smart training that builds real strength,” he noted after smashing his Olympic-distance PR.
Derek – Balancing Training with Life: Derek exemplifies the time-crunched athlete. A parent and executive who can’t afford to be exhausted all the time. Joining the squad in 2025, we restructured his schedule to fit around his life, rather than forcing life to fit around training. The difference was night and day. Derek’s Ironman performance improved by over 30 minutes, even though he trained fewer hours than before. The key was concentrating on quality sessions and recovery, living proof that a balanced approach works.
These athletes, among others, showed what’s possible when you apply the lessons I listed: focus on what matters, ignore what doesn’t, and keep training in context with the rest of your life. Their achievements give me huge momentum heading into 2026.
Looking Ahead to 2026
With a new year on the horizon, I’m excited to help even more triathletes break through. Here’s what’s coming from Sense Endurance in 2026:
Personalised Coaching – Limited Spots Opening: My coaching programme continues to be the flagship, as I maintain a small, focussed squad to ensure every athlete gets real attention. In 2026, I’m opening a few additional 1:1 coaching spots for motivated athletes ready to invest in their goals. Working with a coach means you get a fully personalised training plan, ongoing adjustments, and unlimited communication for feedback and guidance. It’s triathlon coaching built around you. Your life, your schedule, your ambitions, not a one-size template. If you’re interested in hands-on support and a programme that adapts as you progress, now’s the time to reach out and join the coaching squad.
Training Plans for Every Goal: For athletes who prefer a DIY approach but still want a proven roadmap, my training plans library has you covered. I used 2025 to refine many of my plans and I’ll continue to expand the range in 2026. You’ll find plans for every distance (Sprint, Olympic, 70.3, and Full Ironman) and for different experience levels. We even have time-crunched versions tailored for those with limited hours per week. Each plan is a week-by-week schedule with clearly defined workouts delivered via TrainingPeaks for easy use. Every session in our plans has a purpose, so you can be confident you’re training effectively on your own. Check out the Training Plans page to browse options and find the right fit for 2026.
More Free Resources and Articles: My mission isn’t just to coach or sell plans, it’s also to educate. I believe informed athletes train smarter and achieve more. That’s why I’ll continue publishing in-depth articles covering everything from pacing and fuelling to mindset and technique. I want my articles to be your go-to resource for thoughtful, experience-backed endurance training advice, freely accessible to everyone.
The past year has, again, shown that training “smarter” truly does beat training “harder.” By focussing on fundamentals like recovery, technique, and purposeful work, our athletes made 2025 their best season yet. Now, with new lessons learned and fresh plans in motion, 2026 is yours for the taking. Whether you choose to work one-on-one with my coaching programme or follow a structured training plan on your own, I’m dedicated to helping you reach your next level.
Thank you to every athlete who trusted me in 2025. Your effort and feedback helped shape the improvements I’m bringing into 2026. If you’re reading this and have goals of your own, I invite you to join the Sense Endurance community this year. Let’s apply these lessons, avoid the noise, and make real progress toward your triathlon dreams. After all, train with purpose, race with confidence is more than a tagline. It’s the philosophy that drives everything I do.
