personalized training backed by science
Hi, I’m Coach Rebecca! The Performance Project provides personalized online coaching for runners, trail ultrarunners and multisport athletes: busy professionals with full lives and big goals – whether that’s a World Marathon Major, a 100-mile trail ultramarathon or a multi-day ultra.
Picture opening TrainingPeaks each week to a plan built around your actual schedule, one that adjusts when work runs late or a session doesn’t go to plan. You’ll have strength work that keeps you healthy, a running form analysis, and nutrition coaching for training and race day. You can reach me by text whenever you need me and have a monthly video call to chat about training and life.
You’ll also join a team that likes to geek out about sports science, train smart and have fun along the way. It all starts with a free 30-minute consultation, where we’ll talk through your goals and what’s possible.
"At the performance project, our mission is to figure out what type of training will lead to optimal performance for each athlete. the figuring out is backed by science."
Meet Your Coach!
Rebecca Johansson, PhD
I learned what it takes to train at a high level in the pool. As a national-level swimmer, world-ranked in the 1500m freestyle, I spent years fitting serious training around everything else life asked of me. That lesson never left me.
Curiosity about why training works took me into science. I earned a master’s in exercise physiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and then a PhD in exercise science from the University of Cape Town. That research now shapes every decision in your plan, from how I monitor training load to how each phase of your season is built.
Put those together and you get my approach to coaching: training grounded in exercise science, built around real life. That means your job, your family, your stress, your sleep, and the goal that keeps you getting up early.
For 18+ years I’ve coached busy professionals chasing big goals, from a World Marathon Major to a 100-mile trail ultra.
A plan alone rarely gets anyone to the finish line, so you get me too: unlimited messaging, monthly video calls, and consistent feedback on your training.
Athlete Services
Testimonials
"No goal is too big for Rebecca, and with her coaching me I managed to go from running my first road marathon, to finishing a 100km trail race in Northern Mongolia roughly 7 months later (with very little experience or fitness when I started). Since then she has coached me for another ultramarathon, and continued to push me to run faster, while advising me on strength training and recovery, and I have found her input to be invaluable. I have also managed to stay injury free the entire time she has coached me, and I strongly believe this to be due to her careful management of my training load."
"...I was impressed not only by her meticulous attention to detail and scientific rigor, but also her sensitivity to each athletes abilities and training needs. While she is very scientific in her approach this is never at the expense of how I feel on a day or other stressors I may be experiencing. Despite all of our coaching being via email and telephone, Rebecca has always been fully engaged in my progress and available when I needed a session clarified, some extra motivation or even just a random check in on how things are going or a congratulatory text message. Rebecca’s programs have challenged me to rethink my approach to training. They’ve taught me to become an athlete that enjoys the process rather than be too fixated on results. To be more flexible, more coachable and to understand my motivations for wanting to achieve certain goals. Together we have achieved the following results in the last few months. A 1h25 finish at the Gun Run half marathon, an age group podium finish at the Discovery ITU Duathlon and a 1h25 finish at the Two Oceans half marathon (a 3min course PB)."
