Q&A with The Tri Coach: A New Partnership with TrailMed
We sat down with Hayley from The Tri Coach (TTC) to discuss their exciting new partnership with TrailMed. Here's what she had to say about what this collaboration means for athletes, its early successes, and what the future holds.
Part 1: The New Partnership – Looking Forward
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
We're incredibly excited to officially name TTC as our preferred triathlete coaching provider! What makes this partnership with TrailMed such a natural and powerful fit for you and the athletes you coach?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC
We're absolutely thrilled about this partnership—it feels like a perfect alignment of purpose and passion. Our mission at The Tri Coach has always been to support athletes holistically, focusing not just on performance strategies but on long-term health, resilience, and recovery. TrailMed shares that same ethos, bringing cutting-edge performance testing and tools directly to the endurance community. This personalised approach makes each athlete feel valued and important.
Head Coach Justin and Hayley of The Tri Coach ahead of the Outlaw Triathlon -Nottingham
Our athletes, who train hard and push their boundaries, now have access to TrailMed's expert care. This gives them an extra layer of confidence and safety, leading to faster recovery, more innovative training, and ultimately, better performance. This partnership is powerful because it's athlete-first, building a support system that truly understands the demands of triathlon.
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
That holistic, athlete-first approach is precisely what we love about working with you. What specific benefits do you envision this partnership bringing to your athletes, particularly in terms of their health, injury prevention, and overall performance?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
Through this partnership, TTC athletes will gain streamlined access to advanced performance testing, including VO2 Max, Metabolic Exercise Testing, and Sweat Testing. These tools allow our coaches to tailor training programs with even greater precision, optimising performance while helping to prevent overtraining, injury, and burnout. This collaboration also helps athletes dial in their race-day and training nutrition, a key factor in endurance sports.
Additionally, this collaboration helps athletes dial in their race-day and training nutrition, which is a key factor in endurance sports. With access to discounted Precision Fuel & Hydration products via TrailMed, our athletes will be better equipped to meet their unique nutritional demands.
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
It sounds like this will really help coaches and athletes make more informed decisions. How do you see the collaboration between your coaching methodologies and our health and performance services creating a more comprehensive, effective approach to triathlete development?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
The collaboration between our coaching methodologies and TrailMed's services has the potential to create a comprehensive, athlete-centred ecosystem that significantly enhances triathlete development across all levels. This comprehensive approach ensures that every aspect of the athlete's journey is well-cared for, from recovery to training.
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
Looking ahead, what are some of the key areas you're most eager to explore and develop with TrailMed as part of this ongoing partnership?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
We're incredibly excited about the future of our partnership. Some of the key areas we're most eager to explore include expanded face-to-face engagements. We aim to provide our athletes with more in-person opportunities to connect with the TrailMed team. This may be done through pre-race meetups or UK training camps, providing valuable, hands-on support.
We're also looking forward to incorporating TrailMed's specialised knowledge more deeply into our programs by equipping our coaches with the tools needed to optimise athlete performance.
Part 2: Reflecting on Outlaw Nottingham – A Successful Preview
Does anything beat crossing the line after all that hardwork?
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
The Outlaw Nottingham Triathlon was a great success, and we thoroughly enjoyed providing health and performance support to many of your athletes there. From your perspective, what was the most significant impact TrailMed's presence had on your athletes at the event?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
The Outlaw weekend was a huge success for the athletes racing. The most significant impact was certainly the education and knowledge gained through the sweat testing provided by Dan from the TrailMed team. It allowed athletes to accurately tailor their sodium intake for future training sessions and races, improving both their performance and recovery. This kind of personalised insight is invaluable, and we really appreciated TrailMed providing that level of support on the race weekend.
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
We had some great conversations with your athletes at the event. Were there any specific instances or feedback that particularly highlighted the value of having comprehensive on-site health services like those we provided?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
We received some fantastic feedback. One of our athletes, Hayley, shared:
"I was honestly shocked at how inaccurately I was hydrating during training and races. The sweat testing gave me accurate results on the amount of sodium to take on an hourly basis. This has had a huge impact on my training and racing, enabling me to race for longer with more energy and an all-around better performance."
Another athlete, Luke, said:
I really enjoyed learning how the sweat testing worked and the individual answers it provided. Dan was great at answering all the questions the team had. It was great getting the testing done as a team, all together, sharing results and how they will help in our future endurance goals."
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
That's fantastic to hear! How did our support at Outlaw Nottingham align with or complement the training and preparation your athletes had undergone with TTC?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
One of the key goals of TTC's preparation is to build athlete confidence through consistency, effective recovery planning, and injury prevention. TrailMed's expert, Dan, provided immediate advice, reassurance, and knowledge on how sweat testing can improve in all these areas, which was greatly welcomed by the athletes who attended.
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
What lessons or positive takeaways from the Outlaw Nottingham experience will you be carrying forward into this broader partnership with TrailMed?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
Ultimately, the Outlaw Nottingham event provided evidence that with the right team and mindset, we can deliver not just a service, but a truly reassuring and high-performing event that helps athletes thrive. That's precisely the level we aim to replicate and build on with TrailMed across future events.
Part 3: The Triathlete's Journey – Combined Expertise
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
For any aspiring or experienced triathlete, what would you say are the top 2-3 most crucial elements they need to consider when it comes to balancing intense training with maintaining optimal health and preventing injury?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
The most crucial elements are:
Training Load Management: Avoid overtraining by gradually increasing volume and intensity. Incorporate rest days, deload weeks, and active recovery to allow the body to repair and adapt. It's vital to listen to your body—early signs of fatigue, persistent soreness, or declining performance are all warnings.
Proper Nutrition and Hydration: Fuel training with a balanced diet and stay well-hydrated before, during, and after workouts. Consider timing nutrition around workouts to maximise repair and energy replenishment.
Injury Prevention: Incorporate strength training targeting muscles key to swimming, biking, and running. Maintain flexibility and mobility to reduce muscle tightness and imbalance.
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
That's excellent advice. We know the triathlete journey can be long and challenging, so how do you believe the combined expertise of TTC's coaching and TrailMed's medical insights can best support an athlete through that entire journey, from goal setting to recovery?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
Expert coaches assess an athlete's background, strengths, and goals to create a tailored, periodised training plan. With input from the experts at TrailMed, both athletes and coaches can be provided with insights to guide safe, realistic goals. This means athletes get ambitious yet medically-informed goals, minimising risk and maximising performance.
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
If an athlete is considering working with both a coach and a health provider, what advice would you give them about maximising the benefits of such an integrated approach?
Hayley (The Tri Coach TTC)
I would advise them that regular check-ins with a health provider like those at TrailMed, a physiotherapist, or a sports medicine professional can help catch minor issues before they become injuries. This is a massive key to success when you want to optimise performance and hit big goals in the endurance world. The relationship between a coach and a health provider can be a valuable tool, as they work together toward the same goal, which is the athlete's performance and ultimate success.
TrailMed Supporting Adventure
This partnership is already making a difference, and we're just getting started. Here's to pushing boundaries and keeping our athletes strong, healthy, and ready for the trail ahead!
