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15 JAN 2026
"The difference between the ones that are truly, truly successful and the ones who are almost successful is...the successful ones take all of the imposter syndrome and anxieties that they have, and they combine that with the self-awareness and introspection that they have about how their body feels under duress, and they turn that into the fuel for the bonfire of succeeding."
— David Tilbury-Davis
David Tilbury-Davis has coached for 31 years, getting into the game in 1995 and not stopping since those middle-early days of triathlon. He's seen training fads come and go and...come again and go again. In that time he's coached many of the household names of triathon: Lionel Sanders, Ashleigh Gentile, Cody Beals, Skye Moench, Josh Amberger, Corinne Abraham, David McNamee, and many many more. You don't coach that long at that level without deeply understanding the physiological, intellectual, and emotional cornerstones of athletic success.
Which is why I was so pleased to have him on our podcast, The Infirmary, this past Monday. David is one of those coaches who, through long practice at his trade, has smoothed the sharp edges of his work into something very simple and effective. It's been my experience, too, that the longer you coach, the simpler your workouts get and the more willing you become to stand on your principles. Another coach I admire once said "I wish early in my career I had told more athletes 'No' more often when they wanted to do something I didn't think was a good idea. I've never regretted having an athlete do less, but when I was less experienced I let athletes do more than I thought was advisable, and setback was almost always the result."
David's mass of expertise (what some coaches might call the "science" part of coaching) is only slightly eclipsed by his mastery (which those other coaches might call "art"). Expertise is, basically, "knowing stuff." Mastery, on the other hand, is having the wisdom of which "stuff" to apply at the right time with the right athlete in a manner that opens a door for them to walk through. If you listen to the episode you'll hear a coach with nothing left to prove, articulate and confident in all aspects of his game.
David's coaching company, tilburydavis.com, deploys the tagline "Success Rooted in Knowledge," and in our conversation he unpacked the difference between "evidence-led" coaching versus "evidence-based," and I think his answer reveals the kind of coach he is: someone who knows that there is very little certainty in endurance sports, so your process needs to be flexible and creative. Here's what he had to say:
"In evidence-based coaching there is no allowance for intuition or gut feeling based on coaching a lot of different athletes. Everything has to be 100% based on sports science, sports psychology, and those sorts of things.
"Evidence led is, I think, is more knowing, thinking, and guessing. Knowing is that 80% of what you do at an elite level is absolutely based on established fundamentals. 15% what you think based on your experience with many athletes and also what you learn when you work in partnership with the athlete versus a dictatorship. And 5% is just...pure guesswork of, maybe we try this thing because it seems to be something that maybe might help and is sort of new and novel, or the athlete might say, 'Hey, actually, can we just try this?' And you go 'Yeah, you know what? Let's give that thing a go.'"
Too many athletes, I believe, have a rigid sense of how their training needs to go. You see this pathology in the "TrainingPeaks 100% Green!" obsession/compulsion, or athletes that collapse in despair when a workout doesn't go "perfectly." Ironically, it's that holding on too tightly that actually hurts an athlete's performance, and if you'll forgive another of my jaunts into Esoteria, I'll leave you with a quote from one of the masters, E.B. White, who wasn't an dedicated athlete (he loved to sail but more as a delighted hobby), but would have been a good one because his instincts were right:
"I find this morning that what I most vividly and longingly recall is the sight of my grandson and his little sunburnt sister returning to their kitchen door from an excursion, with trophies of the meadow clutched in their hands—she with a couple of violets, and smiling, he serious and holding dandelions, strangling them in a responsible grip. Children hold spring so tightly in their brown fists—just as grownups, who are less sure of it, hold it in their hearts."
E.B. White, "A Report in Spring"
Don't strangle your training, I'll summarize, even if you believe you're being "responsible." True development requires embracing uncertainty, and that's what I took away from my interview with David.
It's a fantastic conversation and one that I hope you go and listen to. As always you can listen on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, and our whole conversation is also up on our YouTube Channel.
David Comes to CAMP!
And if you listened all the way to the end of the episode, or have been paying attention to our social media channels, you know that DAVID IS COMING TO BEND CAMP! I am very excited about this reality, and you should be too. This is an incredible opportunity for you to get coached by one of the world's best coaches, and David will be on deck, in the support van, and out on the trails with us as a full coach.
He'll be available for you to ask questions, and he'll be giving an exclusive lecture to our campers. There are only a few spots remaining to camp, however, so act quickly if you want to take advantage of this rare chance. You can reserve your spot with a $600 deposit and the balance paid at the end of January.
As always, thanks for reading.
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—The Counselors at Campfire Endurance
Presented by Campfire Endurance Coaching
Today's newsletter is presented by Campfire Endurance Coaching.
We help endurance athletes improve their results (get FASTER), find more joy in the process of getting faster (get HAPPIER), and achieve lifelong wellbeing through sport (get HEALTHIER).
Our company has two major services:
- One-to-One Coaching: fully customizable, high-touch coaching built for your life and your goals. Our coaches carry a maximum of 15 athletes so you know you and your goals are always a prioity.
- Training Camps and Clinics: immersive multi-day and single-day events aimed at getting you the most improvement in the shortest amount of time.
If any of those sound like something you would like to take advantage of, you should consider booking a 45-minute FREE coaching and training consultation with us
