I was wondering if anyone on here has had any experience with Tridot coaching (http://tridot.com/). The overall plan philosophy sounds sensible - essentially Daniels’ VDOT system adapted to swimming & biking as well. Seems to be broadly in line with Allen & Coggan or Skiba, but it’s a bit hard to tell from the website. Anybody use it?
I listened to a 30 min. Online presentation and was floored that the guy babbled on about nothing of substance for the entire time. I never went beyond that.
I currently use the TriDot coaching plan and have for almost 2 years now. It is AWESOME! It is really geared for athletes of all levels, from new triathletes to pros. For me, the thing I like most is waking up and looking at my plan that is tailor maid to me… and knowing EXACTLY what I have to do that day for training. It takes the guess work out of training and allows you to efficiently use your time to increase speed and endurance. As a business owner, husband, father, etc., my time is pretty limited so I have to make every workout count. I completed my first Ironman in 2012 with amazing results. With the TriDot plan, I also shaved nearly 30 minutes off of my IM 70.3 time in one year. Bottom line, do yourself the favor and sign up. You can’t beat the price for a tailored made plan. The coaches are awesome and the online system is very easy to submit assessments and request plans for specific distance training.
First time poster, but have been reading ST Blogs for this past year. as a relative newbie to Triathlon, husband, father and business executive my time to train varies week to week. as a competitive age grouper (40) and Tri.dot member since Dec 2012 after trying other training plans along. I really like the tailored and structured approach, daily delivery of customized training plans and ability to quickly provide feedback on what worked or needs tweaking after key workouts to my coach Natasha. PR’d in recent half marathon and have dropped swim’s dramatically sticking to the plan. Plan for Galveston 70.3 is already laid out for me. Their recent web site revamp was a great improvement and makes navigating on a tablet or smart phone a breeze. The ability to plan my schedule and adjust days, weeks or just a single workout is tremendous. One recommendation is for Tridot to turn on cookies (remember me functionality) on their web site. Minor inconvenience on small devices to have to log in every time.
I’ve been training on TriDot since October 2011 and I can honestly say that I have never used a plan that had more impact. I took a minute and a half off my 5k time after training on TriDot for less than a year. I also ran the fastest 70.3 half marathon ever on my 6th try at that distance. I had always ended up doing the death march on the run of the 70.3 distance but TriDot prepared me to have the best run ever. I’m also a huge fan of the targeted minutes in each workout…no garbage minutes. Every workout is structured around intervals that are geared toward specific improvement in each discipline. I really believe there is nothing else out there like TriDot. In a word…BigFan!
The best way to describe the Tridot plan is that it is a Quality over Quantity Training plan . Each workout has specific purpose for a specific outcome or adaptation.
Each workout is tailored to the athlete and their specific needs. So you have exact intervals in the swim, power numbers or hear rate on the bike and pace on the run to hit for each workout. Another key element is that Tridot has a RaceX function that will give you an exact pacing plan for your races based on your Tridot numbers. This has been huge for me since i had always just raced by feel before and my results were always erratic ( read - blow up on the run )
For me, i am mentally fresh and excited for each workout ( key ), each week i get a little stronger ( sweet ), and it has allowed me to be the most consistent in my training than ever before (clutch)
I will share my personal experience with you. My first triathlon was in 1987. I was an ok swimmer as a child and teenager. I am a lazy trainer. I am not a great athlete by any ones definition. After an 8 year break from any consistent triathlon training (I was self coached in the past, consistent MOP to BOP) I decided I would get a coach. One criteria I was looking for was an organization that was centered on the greater common good as opposed to me just focusing on me. Triathlon is a selfish sport after all. TriDot met that criteria for me. TriDot really stresses proper form = greater efficiency = less injuries = faster paces. In swimming they team up with Total Immersion in many areas. Cycling form is stressed (a few things I never thought of). I even learned how to run with a new proper form at age 60… high cadence, proper body position a la Bobby McGee. Changed from a heel striker to a mid-foot runner.
I started with TriDot in April 2012. I couldn’t run a mile at the time. I did 5 races last year starting with a Sprint in June and ending with a half ironman in October. I had fun. Enjoyed my training. Was free from injuries. Best of all I finished toward the front of my age group for the first time in my life.
TriDot has great coaches and coaching plans, good on-line resources, and they care about me. A hard to beat combination IMHO.
So I am here to post some feedback from my experience with the Tri-Dot Training Plan! I am going in to my 9th season as a triathlete-completed 4 IM’s, 10 HIM’s and multiple OLY & Sprint race. Should hit 100 this season. Anyway, I have used different training plans & a couple other coaches before switching to Tri-Dot almost a year ago to the date.
I think it no ‘secret’ that pretty much all training plans follow some sort of Swim, Bike & Run training. Some used perceived effort & some HR. What I have found that is soo unique about Tri-Dot is that you go thru the ‘testing’, Zones are set by YOUR results and your workouts are geared as such that you get major Quality over Quantity AND the most surprising to me is how much I have improved over the last year. I am able to still work, be a Mother & Wife and have been able to balance it much better with the Tri-Dot plan and its structure.
I get a ton of feedback from my Coach, Natasha, and the program is PROVEN! Multiple Pro’s utilize the Tri-Dot plan and Coach as well.
The structure, yet variety, with in your workouts has you feeling stronger and knowing you will be improving. No matter your level, the program automatically adjusts to you!
For the ‘nay sayers’ out there - if you work the plan…that plan works. Plain and simple. I am a completely different athlete than I was a year ago and have far exceeded what I thought even possible for a 49yr old woman. 
I really look forward to 2013 and wish y’all all the same!
I used the tridot system for my training upto IM CDA last year. I had been coached under a different system prior to that. I am using a new coach this year for IM AZ. Of the three different systems I liked the tridot the least.
I am sure it works for a majority of those that use it, it just didn’t for me. That being said, I was able to podium every race I did last year except CDA, so maybe it worked better than I thought. I do know that I went into my races healthy but a little under trained but that was a function of my age more than the system I think.
If someone asked me what type of coaching to choose I would recommend my current coach or my old coach prior to the tridot system due to the personal attention, totally customized plans that personal coaching offers.
Just my 2 cents for what it is worth.
4 first time posters on this fine saturday morning. and more coming, i’m guessing. welcome to slowtwitch!
I am fairly new to triathlon, but have been a runner and biker (mostly mountain) for several years, and was very athletic in school and growing up (20+ years ago…) I decided to jump into the sport and completed a HIM last November self-coached, my nutrition was painful, literally. I have a HIM in Galveston next weekend and I have IMTX in May. I realized I needed more than books, so I looked into several local coaches, online coaching programs and more books. I was down to Endurance Nation and TriDot - a good mix of hands on and online plans/resources. I signed up with TriDot in February and am feeling great. I have a solid nutrition plan that has been tested and my run and bike have improved noticably. My swim is a work in progress, but that has little to due with TriDot, and more to do with the fact that learning to swim at 39 was not my smartest idea 
I think like most things in life, you get out what you put into it, and training plans/coaching programs are no different. Find one that works for you and pair that with a knowledgeable coach who can see from the perspective of doing the work (not just coaching, but competing also), you have a great plan. That is what TriDot has been for me, Natasha is a professional triathlete, a great coach and a good motivator, and I’m glad to have her keeping me honest and keeping me from pushing too much.
TriDot is working for me and a good friend that is training for IMFL, at least look into them before you write them off.
4 first time posters on this fine saturday morning. and more coming, i’m guessing. welcome to slowtwitch!
No joke…reading through this thread I thought I was in an infomercial. Obvious sales pitch is obvious.
just, so that i know, for you first time posters (5 and growing), what caused you to find this forum thread?
“reading through this thread I thought I was in an infomercial. Obvious sales pitch is obvious.”
that established - and i see how you would think this - there has been a triathlon boom in metro houston over the past half-decade or decade. i cannot say for sure, but i sense it’s mostly north (woodlands) and west (katy and pearland, and environs). i think a lot of this is an infrastructure that has been built up by metro-houston shops like bicycle world and fitness, and tri on the run, and the coaching, training, fitting spin-offs from tri on the run.
houston used to be a distant third in triathlon behind metro dallas and austin. if you look now, texas is probably above florida in terms of active triathletes, and metro houston is as big as metro dallas and each are ahead of metro austin. so, while some of the best known bike shops in texas, like richardson bike mart, ATC, jack and adams, etc., are in dallas and austin, houston has been quietly kicking ass in tri.
for example, using our own internal metrics, visits to slowtwitch increased from 3 years ago this month, to the current 30 days trailing, by just over a third in metro dallas. same in metro austin. but we’re up by almost 50 percent in visits from those in metro houston.
i’m not sure, but i think a lot of trispot’s customers are from metro houston. if that’s so, i think they may be onto something, notwithstanding the possible targeting of this forum thread for stratetic purposes
To respond to the original poster:
I don’t think TriDot’s system is particularly innovative, nor does it have any particular negatives to it. I personally haven’t been very impressed with their promotional materials and opted for coaching from an organization that I really clicked with (Tri Training Harder - really worth the look if you’re doing longer distance races / might want to train someplace warm in Europe over the winter months).
What it comes down to is going through a checklist with coaching schemes / programs that looks something like this:
- Do they use a sensible sort of metrics to base your training on (ie. no ‘one-size-fits all’)
a) vdot or a similar flavor for running, CSS or another metric for comparative swim analysis, and then a cycling metric that works with your measurement devices (threshold paces, power, PRE, etc.) - Do they have a system of continuous feedback BUILT INTO THEIR COACHING CONTRACT (this is critical, a lot of coaches say they will be available x days, etc. if its contractual, that’s important)
- Do you agree with their beliefs / promotions / process
- Is their pricing reasonable compared to other companies for the same contact hours / feedback / plans
If Tridot checks those boxes for you, go for it and give them a try. But look around first, there are a lot of up and coming coaching teams or referral only folks that are amazing value for money.
I believe Tridot is a commercial extention of tri4him.org. I think both are owned by the same person and are headquartered in the same suite in south lake texas (around Dallas). I know tri4him has a large group here in texas and assume many of tridots initial clients came from that group. As to how good they are I don’t know, but I do get a lot if emails from them about price increases coming soon. As to whether this is an infomercial or not ill let the masses decide.
Has anyone ever called your kid dumb? I heard there was a legitimate question about TriDot and a response about “babbling” so I thought I would respond with my experience so far. You can take it or leave it, but looking beyond what some call babble, you might find something.
I typically don’t comment on many posts because most seem self-serving and a place for others to boast. I’m not trying to do that, but when you call my kid ugly, I stand up and decide to post.
I’m not training for anything and I’m not a current client, but I was around as Tridot was being built and I benefited from the strategy and the early system. Not exactly sure what the current version looks like, but I will vouch for the people involved and the vision of the leadership. When I’m back in the game, I’ll be a client again. I’m not a new poster - not very frequent - but been around this forum for a few years.
Hi, welcome. Just a heads up. Slowman is the creator and owner of this site and I believe he has actually complimented the system. Also, he doesn’t have kids, but he typically refers to all the "boys on this site as his own and tries to beat us into submission when we get out of control. He knows a little bit about the tri world. His name is Dan Empfield. Have a look. First tri wetsuit, first tri bike. Small company called Quinata Roo.
Relax, it’s ok, all is well.
Thanks. I had meant to reply to Lactic Acid, nit Slowman. I will relax for the night