Reviews
I met Joanne in 2023 at my first ever 70.3 , where we were both racing. At the time, I wasn’t sure triathlon was the sport for me; the race had been brutal and the training leading up to it felt impossible to manage long-term. Joanne completely flipped the script for me that day. She was incredibly encouraging and supportive. The way she spoke about sports impact on her own life and how it could positively impact mine, convinced me that this was a sport I wanted to continue to pursue
For the next couple of years, I was mostly self-coached and eventually suffered from burnout after a heavy race season. Following a few months break, I knew I needed a coach if I wanted to continue triathlon, and Joanne was the very first person I thought of. When I called her and explained my situation, she was beyond understanding, patient, and eager to help. She created a personalized plan to steadily get me back to structured training
I signed up for my first race in two years, and Joanne prepared me both mentally and physically. For the first time in my training life, I went a whole season without a running injury. I attribute this to Joanne’s PT expertise that she incorporated into my strength training sessions and my run form. Before the race, when I was nervous and doubting myself, she was calm and reassuring. Historically during triathlons I fall apart during the run. This race, the run was where I felt the strongest. This breakthrough was because of Joanne’s programming in both the run workouts and strength sessions. After this race, I knew I wanted to stay in the sport and continue to find races to challenge myself
People like Joanne make the sport better. And having a coach like Joanne has made me a better athlete and a better person. She taught me how to trust the process, build steadily, and find a balance between hard work and rest. Most importantly, she helped me rediscover the joy in training and showed me it can be a manageable, rewarding part of my life rather than something overwhelming. I would recommend Joanne as a coach to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, supportive coach who truly cares about her athletes
-EK
I started with Joanne in the spring for structure to my Olympic triathlon training. I wanted to step it up and Joanne helped me do just that. She introduced me to using power for cycling and maintaining for endurance. A summer of tough bricks really built my stamina. I finished the White Mountain Olympic Triathlon in Vermont strong and improved my cycling base by season's end. Thank you, Joanne!
-MO
I started working with Joanne a year ago to level up as a triathlete. With five 70.3s and one full Ironman under my belt, I felt like my performance was slowly stalling. Joanne began with an extremely thorough intake and in-person visual analysis of my form, and quickly identified my current limiters and where a different training approach could help. That included switching to power-based running, targeted work on a more efficient pose-fall-pull running form, and a new strength-building routine to support better form and more effective energy transfer through my body across all three disciplines
What's been most transformational though is how Joanne introduced me to the mental work required to perform and persevere at higher intensity in order to build speed. She's taken both my body and my mind on a journey of change that's still ongoing, and opened up areas of development I wasn't even aware of. Throughout, I've felt both ambitiously challenged and carefully held. She knows how to push me past my thresholds and boundaries, and at the same time, she catches me when I fall, builds me back up when I doubt myself, and treats me as an equal as an athlete. I also love how much she prioritizes rest and recovery as essential to going hard when it counts. Her background as a PT informs all of her coaching. It's given me a much deeper understanding of my own physiology, shaped a genuinely long-term approach to building a healthy body, and been invaluable when navigating injuries and the training and rehab adjustments they require
Joanne coaches the whole person, and I've grown in far more areas than just athletic ability. I've become more confident, more daring, and more self-assured. And on the results side: She coached me to my first single-digit age group placement in a 70.3, and, despite an ankle injury, to qualifying for this year's Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice
I'm really excited to continue working with her and to see what next year will bring!
-KF
Working with Joanne completely changed the way I understand endurance training. I came to her with years of experience in endurance sports, but she taught me that being able to suffer and knowing how to train are two very different things
She taught me how to slow down, trust consistency, fuel properly, recover, and stop treating every workout like something I needed to prove. She also taught me how much fitness can be built through patient, boring work, and how to trust that work when it matters
We trained for IRONMAN Lake Placid together, and my race ultimately didn’t end at the finish line. I crashed on the bike, continued, made the bike cutoff, and later had to stop on the run. Joanne’s coaching helped me understand that one result didn’t erase an entire year of growth
The biggest thing I gained from working with Joanne wasn’t a race result. I learned how to be a smarter, more sustainable athlete and how to listen to my body without questioning whether that made me less tough
I came into coaching wanting to become a better endurance athlete. I left knowing myself better as an athlete and as a person. That’s something I’ll carry far beyond any race
-RN
I loved Joanne’s strategic coaching approach! She made sure I was fully prepared not just to finish— but to finish strong — in my first full Ironman at Lake Placid
Joanne made sure I was fully prepared to conquer my first full Ironman at Lake Placid this year! Her expert coaching ensured that I did not hit the wall but finished strong! From careful planning of my ramp up races, to laying out race tactics and strategy, Joanne gave me everything I needed to succeed
Trust the process- especially Joanne’s process! Her expert coaching propelled me over the finish line at IM Lake Placid this year — still running strong at the end. She made sure that I could conquer the course in my first full Ironman— at age 61!
-CP
I loved Joanne’s strategic coaching approach! She made sure I was fully prepared not just to finish— but to finish strong — in my first full Ironman at Lake Placid
Joanne made sure I was fully prepared to conquer my first full Ironman at Lake Placid this year! Her expert coaching ensured that I did not hit the wall but finished strong! From careful planning of my ramp up races, to laying out race tactics and strategy, Joanne gave me everything I needed to succeed
Trust the process- especially Joanne’s process! Her expert coaching propelled me over the finish line at IM Lake Placid this year — still running strong at the end. She made sure that I could conquer the course in my first full Ironman— at age 61!
-CP
Fitness & endurance training became a passion of mine when I started training for triathlon 10 years ago. Initially, my return on gains climbed high but began to plateau the past few years. That's when I decided to seek out the expertise of a coach and I found Joanne Gribler at Aspire Endurance Coaching
Being a father, athlete, husband and working two jobs demanded lots of flexibility so I needed a coach who was as dynamic as my schedule--that's exactly what I found with Joanne
Joanne created a training schedule that was efficient, engaging and worked perfectly with my busy schedule. The training plan she crafted was progressive and I could literally feel my fitness climbing from week-to-week. In a matter of a few months, Joanne's swim programming had me swimming over 20-seconds faster per 100 yards. Long runs began to feel like a walk-in-the-park and I was able to hold high power on the bike for extended periods of time
Last but not least, it's important that I mention the race day preparation she provided me. Joanne was great about studying my race course and providing me with specific workouts that mimicked race day conditions so I showed up fully prepared. I finished my Half IRONMAN race with a personal-best time feeling strong, unlike all other previous race efforts where I felt like a broken shell of myself
If you're looking for a coach who's going to craft you a plan that is efficient, effective and leaves no stone unturned, I highly recommend working with Joanne Gribler at Aspire Endurance Coaching
-AT
I was originally a PT patient of Joanne. She helped me turn the corner with my shoulder injury at a time when I was just trying to heal, not thinking about endurance sports at all. I wanted to be able to run someday, but ankle pain made it feel unrealistic, even walking hurt. Up until this point, I had never been a runner and had zero endurance background. While we were focused on my shoulder, she gave me tips for my feet and ankles, planting seeds I didn’t fully understand yet.
I eventually moved away from the DMV and built some momentum on my own, but I knew I needed structure and a plan. That’s when I reached out to Joanne and told her I wanted to run a 50-mile race. She said, “Cool, it doesn’t scare me. Does it scare you?” I knew that things were about to get serious, but I also knew she would put me on the right path based on her collegiate and Ironman experiences.
Starting was scary. I was pushed into distances, times, paces (power targets) that I had never done before. We made quick progress though, building my fitness to a level I had never reached in my life at 30 years old. In a few short months of training, I was clipping 6-minute miles consistently and running 40+ miles per week. All of that training led me to run my first marathon in 3 hours and change in brutal conditions. I went into the race extremely confident because we had put in the work, and I trusted both my training and Joanne’s masterplan for me. I feel confident in my build for the 50, and I’m looking forward to a great race in May.
Working with Joanne has been one of the most positive experiences in my life. As endurance athletes, so much of what we do comes down to us (the athlete) and she understands that. She won’t hold your hand, but she will give you the tools to be as successful as possible. She guides you, teaches you, and challenges you to learn about endurance sport, the body, the mind, and yourself.
I never thought I would be in the position I’m in today. Working with Joanne has made me a faster, stronger, smarter athlete. And outside of sport I feel more confident, disciplined, and overall happier. This journey has been so much fun, and I’m excited to keep exploring how far I can push myself with Joanne guiding me.
-JG
I’ve been working with Joanne for close to 8 months now…it feels like so much longer than that. I can talk about how she took me from total laughably rookie road cyclist, to successfully completing my first medio fondo with 6k’ elevation 4 months later. I can talk about how her targeted training helped my cycling FTP increase by 15 watts. I can talk about how she took my 10 min mile average running pace and dropped it to ~9:20 min average pace. I can talk about how I can now clock a mile in 8:21 minutes and how she helped me shave 10 minutes off BOTH my half marathon and 10k times. But instead, I want to talk about how Joanne unknowingly helped fix me
Last year was the darkest year of my 46 years on this earth. They say some people take up endurance sports as part of their midlife crisis, and I am certainly the poster child for that: I went from diehard strength athlete to setting (seemingly, at the time) insane competitive goals in both cycling and running that I expected to complete within less than a year's time. While training on my own, I discovered that my biggest struggle was that I was redlining myself in every workout, impeding progress in both sports. Constantly feeling like a failure in my training was not helping my mental state whatsoever. I finally admitted to myself that if I really wanted to achieve these goals, I needed guidance
That’s when I found Joanne. I was drawn to her because she is a lifelong elite endurance athlete herself, a doctor in physical therapy, and I had heard about her beautifully balanced multi-sport programming from a close friend
Joanne indeed provided beautifully balanced multi-sport programming: she listened to my goals, explained why she felt they were doable, and laid out a plan that I simply had to follow. She initially reined me in to more reasonable pacing, especially for running, but it was exactly what I needed: because I wasn't exhausted all the time, I gradually started making progress...not just in one, but BOTH sports. In fact, the improvements in one sport helped me improve in the other sport. After struggling so much, my training now felt magically effortless. Unbeknownst to Joanne, her support, her training and my progress through her training, helped pave the way for me to find the inner strength to fix myself
Joanne doesn't just provide the training: she sees the athlete as an individual, meets them where they're at in their journey, and provides detailed targeted coaching that helps that athlete achieve their goals in a way that makes them feel seen, heard and supported. She is kind, empathetic, and cares deeply about her athletes. For me, Joanne didn't just salvage a year that would have otherwise been terrible without her. In a way, she saved me as an athlete and as a human being by showing me what I am capable of
-NA
I have worked with Joanne for over three years now and I am so proud of what we have achieved together. She’s coached me back from injury; she’s coached me to PRs. I am learning so much about the mental aspects of endurance sports, how to train for them, and recovery as I continue to train with Joanne. For me, she has been critical to my near term athletic goals as well as laying the foundation for my long term wellbeing
-LM
I’ve worked with Joanne for just about a year! She has been a fantastic coach and educator during that time. While I had some races under my belt prior to working with her, she quickly helped me across all facets of the sport: setup, fit, nutrition, form, and training.
She is keen to understand your schedule and what works best for you. She’ll also tailor a weekly/monthly plan just for you - to ensure you’re ready for race day.
Joanne helped increase my running cadence from sub 150 to 160+ with specific drills. In the pool, her workouts made me more comfortable and stronger. Finally, Joanne helped make a connection to a local bike store to dial in my bike fitting.
She gave my triathlon toolkit an impressive facelift in just 12 months! Her monthly phone calls were a great time to catch up and reset. It was a forum for us both to share what did/didn’t go well, areas to work on, and general tri-focused questions.
Joanne has helped to make me stronger and faster! With her help, I’ve continued to hit new PRs. I’ve grown immensely in this sport through her guidance and support.
-RL
Joanne takes an individual approach to each athlete. She took my health, personal life, and work commitments into consideration when developing my schedule. When I started with Aspire, I couldn't jog a half-mile and had asthma caused by long COVID. In just six months with Joanne, I was able to finish an Olympic distance triathlon (and even placed!) I couldn't recommend her enough!
— JR
I have had the profound privilege of working with Joanne. I am by no means an elite athlete, but had the goal of riding long, with a specific event in mind. I also had an exceptionally demanding schedule between work and life events. Joanne listened and designed my training, making it incredibly intentional, targeted and effective. She approaches her job with phenomenal passion and professionalism, but most importantly, she has an ability to understand an individual beyond their role as an athlete and see them as a human. She is also an encyclopedic wealth of information on training and racing, which is bolstered further by her own personal experiences. Being an elite athlete herself, she has a level of empathy and understanding that most do not. This contributed to her ability to listen carefully and understand wholeheartedly, making it extremely easy to communicate with about anything. Further, she analyzed every workout thoroughly and put an immense amount of care on how I felt and scaled workouts based on progress, injury, sickness and so forth. She showed wonderful support when she rode with me for a part of a 10-hr solo effort. She stopped by in the morning and again in the afternoon to make sure I was still pedalling and texted me throughout the day to offer kind words of wisdom and encouragement. I can say unequivocally that I had not only found a coach, but a friend who listened deeply to my needs as an athlete
-MA
I am so thankful I found Joanne! Joanne was supportive and flexible throughout my whole training cycle, checking in and adjusting my schedule to fit into life's various demands. She provided the perfect balance of pushing me outside my comfort zone while building my confidence, celebrating small wins, and sharing helpful advice throughout the process. After years of not making it to starting lines due to injuries, she set me up for the healthiest training cycle I've had since I started endurance sports over 10 years ago. It's clear she truly cares about her clients and is not only knowledgeable, but passionate about her work. I have never felt so prepared going into race day, and am so excited to see what the future holds with her guidance!
— LT
“Joanne is an amazing and super helpful coach. She coached me for about 4 months for my first Ironman 70.3 I did in Atlantic City. Having little triathlon experience myself, who only ran running races (half marathons mostly) and being a middle aged man, I knew I needed a coach to help me get through the swim and bike parts especially.
Joanne gave me daily workouts over TrainingPeaks and I requested to have 3 in-person sessions for each of the 3 sports for form and equipment guidance. Those sessions especially were helpful since she was very knowledgeable about each of the sports and could pinpoint where and why I was having pain in my body due to poor form. I had knee pain from running and it was due to heel striking and low running cadence. With Joanne's guidance I felt immediate improvement with my knee pain.
With the workouts themselves, I slowly ramped up the workouts with Joanne's guidance and could definitely feel improvement and confidence I could do the whole 70.3 Ironman race as I progressed. I touch based with Joanne twice a week on my workouts to see how I was doing. She gave great feedback on each of the sports on pacing, nutrition, pain mediation, flexibility/strength training.
Whether you are someone with triathlon experience or not, or any age, Joanne is very professional, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with. I certainly recommend her for your triathlon coaching needs!”