Coach Erin Says | Triathlon Tips for Busy Athletes

You can build all the fitness in the world, but race-day execution is what connects that fitness to the result you get.

In this episode, I’m breaking down what a race-day execution plan really is, why the run is often where you notice a problem that actually started much earlier, and what athletes mean when they talk about “burning matches.”

We’ll talk about bike pacing, fueling, carb availability, fatigue, adrenaline, and the decisions that can either protect your run or sabotage it. I’ll also share a few of my own race-day mistakes, including what happened when I realized too late that I had fallen behind on fueling.

And because no race goes perfectly, we’ll talk about what to do when the plan starts to fall apart, how Happy, Super Happy, and Rockstar goals can help you adjust, and why a race that doesn’t go according to plan is not automatically a ruined race.

If you remember nothing else: make a plan, stick to the plan when you can, and give yourself grace when race day has other ideas.

Missed workouts happen.

Work gets busy. You get sick. The weather changes. Sometimes the workout simply does not fit the day you planned.

The important question is not whether your training week went perfectly.

It is what you do next.

In Episode 10 of Coach Erin Says, I revisit the investment portfolio analogy from Episode 2 and use it to explain how to think about missed workouts, recovery, and training adjustments.

Every workout is an investment in the fitness you are building for race day.

But if you miss one investment, that does not mean you should panic and double your investment the next day.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The first question to ask when you miss a workout
• How to decide whether to move, modify, or skip a session
• Why illness usually means letting the workout go
• Why stacking workouts can hurt recovery
• Which workouts are worth protecting most
• How your training phase changes what matters
• What repeated missed workouts are telling you
• Why recovery and easy training still provide a return
• How to tell the difference between smart flexibility and simply avoiding a workout
• Why consistency matters more than any one individual session

One of the biggest takeaways:

The only effective workouts are the ones you can recover from.

And most of the time, one missed workout does not need to become tomorrow’s problem.

I also talk about how a coach or adaptive training plan can help you look at the whole training portfolio instead of judging one day in isolation.

3G TriDot Kickstart begins September 14.

Learn more at:
https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/

Train with purpose, race with confidence, and make yourself proud.

You signed up for TriDot. Great.

Now what?

In Episode 9 of Coach Erin Says, I walk you through what I want a brand-new TriDot athlete to focus on during those first few weeks.

We talk about:

• How to complete the signup process with accurate information
• Why I recommend setting up TriDot in a web browser first
• Connecting your watch and other training devices
• Downloading the app and making sure your data is syncing correctly
• Why the “ideal” training schedule still has to fit your real life
• When to complete your first swim, bike, and run assessments
• What to do when you miss a workout
• Why you should not automatically try to make every missed workout up
• What to look at after each workout
• How workout feedback can help you understand your training
• What success should look like after your first few weeks

The biggest theme?

Optimized training that does not get completed is no longer optimized.

Your training has to work in your actual life.

I also introduce something brand new:

3G TriDot Kickstart

Starting September 14, 3G TriDot Kickstart will give a group of athletes four weeks to learn TriDot together with coaching support, weekly calls, help with setup and assessments, and time to figure out whether they are happiest using TriDot independently or with a coach.

The four-week Kickstart includes free access to TriDot with no credit card required.

Want the written version?

The companion blog for this episode is now live: “How to Get Started With TriDot: What to Do in Your First Two Weeks.”

It’s a practical beginner guide to setup, syncing, scheduling, assessments, missed workouts, and building consistency.

Read it here:
https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/how-to-get-started-with-tridot-what-to-do-in-your-first-two-weeks/

Want details about the first group? Send me a DM on Instagram at @3gcoaching.

Train with purpose, race with confidence, and make yourself proud.

AI is part of my life every day — both as a triathlon coach and as an athlete.

But I do not use every AI tool for the same job.

In Episode 8 of Coach Erin Says, I explain why I trust TriDot’s FitLogic AI with the data-driven side of endurance training, where ChatGPT fits into my coaching process, and why I believe AI can actually make coaching more human, not less.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why I do not ask ChatGPT to write my training plan
• What made me comfortable trusting FitLogic with my own training
• How I use FitLogic differently as an athlete and as a coach
• The difference between quantitative training data and the human information a coach still needs
• How ChatGPT helps me organize information, communicate, reflect, and think through coaching
• What I will never outsource to AI
• Whether AI will eventually replace triathlon coaches

For me, the goal is not to use technology to remove the coach.

It is to let technology handle the things it does well so I can spend more time doing the part that matters most: coaching the human behind the numbers.

AI can know your numbers. Your coach should know you.

Want to dive deeper into this topic?

Check out the companion blog:

Should You Use ChatGPT to Create Your Triathlon Training Plan?

I explain where ChatGPT can help triathletes, where purpose-built endurance AI like FitLogic fits, and why technology should support—not replace—the human side of coaching.

Read it here: https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/should-chatgpt-write-your-triathlon-training-plan/

Have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode? Leave a comment or DM me on Instagram at @3gcoaching.

Learn more about 3 Goals Multisport Coaching:
https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/

Train with purpose, race with confidence, and make yourself proud.

I lost the Athena National Championship by just 22 seconds—and the winner passed me during one of my walk breaks.

But “I faded on the run” isn’t a diagnosis.

In Episode 7 of Coach Erin Says, I investigate my performance at the Olympic-Distance Triathlon National Championships. Instead of assuming I simply needed better run fitness, I look for evidence throughout the entire race.

Was it my aggressive swim start? The final climb on the bike? My fueling? The heat? Or did I abandon my run plan once the effort became uncomfortable?

In this episode, we explore:

• Why a triathlon run fade may begin before T2

• How bike pacing can affect the run

• How to determine whether fueling was actually the problem

• Strategic walking versus reactive walking

• How heat changes the cost of your planned effort

• What happened when I created a new heart-rate rule during the race

• The run-walk negotiation that followed

• What I’m changing before IRONMAN 70.3 Michigan

• How to investigate your own disappointing triathlon run

This is not a story with one simple explanation. It is an honest look at how pacing, fueling, conditions, fitness and race-day decisions can interact—and why “I’m just not a runner” is not a useful diagnosis.

Watch Episode 7 on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/8fABkRR_BHA

Read the companion blog:
https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/triathlon-run-fade-checklist/

Start with a free triathlon training plan:
https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/freeplan/

Learn more about 3 Goals Multisport Coaching:
https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/

Have a question for a future episode? Send it to [email protected].

Train with grit, give yourself grace, keep chasing your goals, and go make yourself proud.

When do you know it is time for coaching—and how can you show up well for your coach and team?

You do not need to be fast, experienced, or training for an Ironman to benefit from coaching. Sometimes you are willing to do the work, but you do not want to carry the mental load of deciding what the training should be or how to change it when life does not follow the plan.

In Episode 6 of Coach Erin Says, Coach Erin shares:

• Signs personalized coaching may be right for you
• The difference between a training plan and actual coaching
• When a self-guided plan may be enough
• What a good coach should provide
• How to communicate honestly with your coach
• How to show up as a supportive teammate
• Questions to ask before hiring a coach

A training plan tells you what to do when everything goes right. A coach helps you decide what to do when it does not.

You are not hiring a coach because you are incapable of doing hard things. You are hiring a coach so you do not have to figure out every hard thing alone.

Learn more about 3 Goals Multisport Coaching.

Want a little more help deciding whether you need personalized coaching or a structured plan?

Read the companion blog, Do You Need a Triathlon Coach or Just a Training Plan?, for a practical comparison, signs coaching may be a good fit, and questions to ask before hiring a coach.

Train with purpose, race with confidence, and make yourself proud.

Episode 5: How to Choose the Best Triathlon Race for You

Choosing your next triathlon is about much more than picking a distance or finding the closest race on the calendar. In this episode of Coach Erin Says, Coach Erin walks you through the five biggest things to consider before you hit the registration button.

Whether you're training for your very first sprint triathlon, thinking about stepping up to a 70.3 or Ironman, or planning your next race season, you'll learn how to choose an event that fits your goals, abilities, lifestyle, and the experience you want to have.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to start with your personal goals before choosing a race
• What first-time triathletes should look for in their first event
• How course layout, terrain, and logistics can impact your race day
• Why your B and C races should support your A race
• The role that community, volunteers, and atmosphere play in creating an unforgettable race experience

If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the race options out there, you're not alone.

🎯 Free 15-Minute Race Selection Consultation

If you'd like help choosing your first triathlon or deciding what race should come next, I'm offering a free 15-minute consultation. We'll talk through your goals, experience, concerns, training schedule, and the races you're considering so you can register with confidence.

Book your free consultation here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with a training partner who could use a little guidance.

Want the written version? Read How to Choose the Best Triathlon Race for You: 5 Things to Consider Before You Register for a deeper look at matching your next race to your goals, experience, schedule, strengths, and ideal race-day experience.

Remember...

Train with purpose, race with confidence, and make yourself proud.

hat happens when you train for months, miss one finish-time goal, and immediately decide the entire race was a failure?

In this episode of Coach Erin Says, I share the real secret sauce behind 3 Goals Multisport Coaching: the Happy, Super Happy, and Rockstar Goal System.

You’ll learn how to:

• Set ambitious but realistic triathlon race goals
• Choose a Happy Goal based on something you can control
• Use past results, current fitness, and race predictions to shape your goals
• Shift from Rockstar to Super Happy or Happy when race day changes
• Apply the system to assessments, long runs, and brick workouts
• Finish a race with something meaningful to feel proud of

I also share how this system helped Miguel recover from an early swim incident at IRONMAN Texas, helped me continue after a bike crash, and helped me protect my Super Happy Goal at IRONMAN Lake Placid.

Get the free fillable 3 Goals Race Planning Worksheet:

Read the companion blog:

Join the free 3G Multisport Community:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3gmultisportcommunity

It is great to feel like a Rockstar sometimes—but being Happy is good too.

How do you know when to push through... and when to back off?

In this episode of Coach Erin Says, Coach Erin shares a simple traffic light system to help triathletes make smarter training decisions.

Inspired by a question from one of her athletes who had to decide whether to race while sick, Coach Erin explains how to recognize the difference between normal discomfort, warning signs, and true red flags.

You'll learn when it's okay to keep training, when to modify a workout, when it's smarter to stop, and why one missed workout almost never ruins your fitness—but making the wrong decision can.

If you've ever wondered whether you should skip a workout or even a race, this episode is for you.

Have you ever looked at an easy workout and thought, “This cannot possibly be enough”?

In this episode of Coach Erin Says, Coach Erin Byrge from 3 Goals Multisport Coaching answers a real athlete question from Margaret about staying in the right training zones and understanding the purpose of easier efforts.

We’re looking at training zones through the lens of an investment portfolio.

A smart training plan needs balance. Easy workouts are steady, lower-risk investments. Hard workouts are higher-cost investments. Recovery, fueling, and sleep help protect the account. And adaptation? That is the raise.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why easy training is not wasted training

• What each training zone is actually doing for you

• Why Zone 3 can become the sneaky “medium-hard” trap

• Why harder is not always better

• How staying in your zones helps you show up ready for key workouts

• How training discipline shows up on race day

If you are constantly turning easy workouts into medium-hard workouts, this episode will help you understand why staying in the right zone may be one of the smartest things you can do.

Read the companion blog: https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/why-easy-triathlon-workouts-feel-too-easy-and-why-they-work/

Start with a free triathlon training plan built around your fitness, schedule, and race date:
https://www.3goalsmultisport.com/freeplan/

Submit a question for a future episode in the comments or to [email protected]

Train with grit, give yourself grace, keep chasing your goals, and go make yourself proud.