Need a triathlon coach? How QT2 1-1 coaching works

If you need a triathlon coach, QT2's 1-1 Coaching gives you an assigned QT2 coach who builds your training, reads how it's landing and adjusts it every week. QT2 Systems is a remote triathlon, running, and cycling coaching company, and at QT2, a coach makes the decisions. Software handles the data and administration so your coach can spend their time on the calls that shape your season. 1-1 Coaching comes in two tiers, QT2.0 1-1 Comprehensive Coaching and QT2.0 1-1 Coaching, and both run on the same framework, anchored to your Critical Power and Critical Speed.

How QT2 1-1 coaching works

Every QT2 service runs on the same framework: the QT2.0 Block Periodization model, the StressLogic framework, and Critical Power and Critical Speed as performance anchors. What changes from one service to the next is how training is scheduled and how much coach support you get, and in 1-1 Coaching, training is always delivered weekly.

Each week, StressLogic sets a training stress target for each sport. Your coach weighs objective signals, like fatigue, fatigue trends and stress accumulation, alongside how training is actually landing: soreness, motivation, sleep, life stress and orthopedic strain. Then comes the call to push, hold or pull back. Because QT2.0 treats training stress and life stress together, a demanding stretch at work or at home is part of that decision, not something your plan pretends isn't happening. Missed workouts aren't crammed in later; your training moves forward from where you actually are. As QT2 puts it, "A great Tuesday workout is not worth much if it compromises Wednesday through Saturday."

Both 1-1 levels include TrainingPeaks Premium and partner discounts, and both give you direct 1-1 access to your coach, with weekly plan updates and structured feedback. Comprehensive is the tier with more contact.

The two 1-1 tiers

QT2.0 1-1 Comprehensive Coaching is the top tier, for athletes who want a deeply engaged partnership, frequent feedback, and flexibility around travel, work and life stress. Your coach builds and adapts your training continuously and applies StressLogic weekly and in real time. You get daily workout feedback, frequent field testing with in-depth analysis to set your intensities, a fully managed Performance Management Chart, individualized swim programming and technical focus, and fully personalized fueling recommendations for all your workouts.

QT2.0 1-1 Coaching is for athletes who want a real coach but are comfortable executing without constant oversight. Your training is fully individualized, built and overseen by your assigned QT2 coach, and delivered weekly within a stable framework. Each week you get feedback on your Key, Quality and Long workouts, StressLogic guides your load decisions, and your coach makes targeted, deliberate adjustments when performance, recovery or execution signals call for it. Critical Power and Critical Speed testing and analysis and a fully managed Performance Management Chart are included. Day-to-day micromanagement and fully personalized swim technical progression aren't. For current pricing on both tiers, see QT2 triathlon coaching.

Critical Power and Critical Speed, in plain terms

Critical Power is the boundary between sustainable and unsustainable effort on the bike. Below it, your physiology stays stable; above it, you start drawing on limited anaerobic reserves. Most athletes can hold it for roughly 30 to 70 minutes, and it's close to what many people mean by functional threshold power (FTP). QT2 measures it with three maximal efforts of about 3, 6 and 12 minutes and fits a line through them.

Critical Speed is the same boundary for running: the fastest pace you can sustain before your physiology becomes unstable, often close to threshold or 10K pace. Most athletes can hold it for roughly 25 to 40 minutes, depending on durability, and QT2 calculates it from three runs of short, medium and long duration, for example 400 meters, 800 meters and two miles.

Together, they're QT2.0's performance anchors. They set your training zones, define your effort levels and help your coach choose what each block of training should focus on, and testing for both is included at every QT2 tier.

Who 1-1 Coaching is for

1-1 Coaching is for first-time triathletes through IRONMAN athletes, and it isn't only for fast or elite athletes. What matters is wanting a coach making decisions with you, not how fast you are. It suits busy professionals, full-distance and IRONMAN 70.3 athletes working on bike pacing, preserving the run and fueling, and serious athletes looking to get the most out of themselves, Kona-aspiring athletes included. QT2 also coaches single-sport cyclists and runners, with the bike anchored to Critical Power and the run to Critical Speed. It isn't a good fit if you want a fixed plan with no adjustment, or you don't want a coach involved in your decisions.

For a look at what that can mean on race day, read how Andrew Cruz paced his IRONMAN California marathon: he placed 3rd in M45-49 with the fastest marathon in M45-49.

Who coaches you

QT2 coaches are located all over the country. Your QT2 coaching team:

  • Tim Snow, QT2 Master Coach, joined QT2 around 2006-2007 and coaches by a simple rule: coach the athlete in front of you, treating numbers like power and heart rate as communication tools.
  • Anne Basso
  • Bob Richter
  • Courtney Kutler
  • Hillary Schmitt
  • Jennie Hansen
  • Molly Zahr
  • Reem Jishi has qualified for and finished the IRONMAN World Championship.
  • Tim Gerry went from self-coached IRONMAN athlete to QT2 athlete to QT2 coach, and coaches a wide range of athletes, from beginners to the experienced and from younger athletes to athletes in their 70s and beyond.
  • Paul Duncan
  • Jack Pilla (Single-Sport)
  • Jon Falk is a 13-time Boston Marathon finisher.

The track record

QT2 has coached 1,000+ athletes over 20+ years, with 300+ Kona qualifications and a 98% athlete retention rate, meaning the share of QT2 athletes who continue coaching with QT2 over a six-month period (as of Sept 30, 2026). None of that is a promise about your season. No coach can promise a Kona slot; QT2's job is to build your fitness, manage your stress and get you to your race prepared.

Talk to a QT2 coach

If you're ready for a coach making decisions with you, start a 1-1 coaching inquiry. To compare tiers and see current pricing, visit QT2 triathlon coaching.

Start a 1-1 Coaching Inquiry

FAQ

How does QT2 1-1 triathlon coaching work?

An assigned QT2 coach builds your training and delivers it weekly, using the QT2.0 Block Periodization model, the StressLogic framework, and your Critical Power and Critical Speed as performance anchors. Each week, StressLogic sets a training stress target for each sport, and your coach decides whether to push, hold or pull back based on objective signals and how training is landing in your life. QT2 coaching is remote, and every coaching decision is made by a coach.

What's the difference between QT2.0 1-1 Comprehensive Coaching and QT2.0 1-1 Coaching?

Both give you direct 1-1 access to your coach, with weekly plan updates and structured feedback. Comprehensive is the top tier, with more contact: training adapted continuously, StressLogic applied weekly and in real time, daily workout feedback, frequent field testing, individualized swim programming and fully personalized fueling recommendations for all workouts. QT2.0 1-1 Coaching is fully individualized training delivered weekly within a stable framework, with feedback on Key, Quality and Long workouts and targeted adjustments when your signals call for it. Current pricing for both is on the QT2 triathlon coaching page.

What are Critical Power and Critical Speed?

Critical Power is the boundary between sustainable and unsustainable effort on the bike, and Critical Speed is the same boundary for running. Below them, your physiology stays stable; above them, you draw on limited anaerobic reserves. Most athletes can hold Critical Power for roughly 30 to 70 minutes and Critical Speed for roughly 25 to 40 minutes. QT2 uses both to set your training zones and choose your training focus, and testing is included at every QT2 tier.

What happens if I miss a workout?

Missed workouts aren't crammed in later. Your coach uses StressLogic to decide the next step from where you actually are, weighing fatigue, sleep, soreness, motivation and life stress, and adjusts the week from there.

Do I need to be fast to work with a QT2 coach?

No. QT2 coaches first-time triathletes through IRONMAN athletes, and 1-1 Coaching isn't only for fast or elite athletes. What matters is wanting a coach making decisions with you, not how fast you are.

Can a QT2 coach help me qualify for Kona?

No coach can promise a Kona slot. What QT2 can do is build your fitness, manage your stress and get you to a qualifying race prepared. Over 20+ years, QT2 athletes have earned 300+ Kona qualifications.