Coach or no for first IM?

My n=1 experiment hiring a coach for a HIM isolated me from my training partners, rather than increasing the group training.  I suppose if everyone in the group is on the same plan, then that's a different story. But when friends were going 4:00 and I had a 3:30 ride, no hills, with x in zone 2, y in zone 3, etc., it didn't really work.

Can you join a "coached" training group?  Might not be a bad option if you have that available.  I would also recommend you check out Endurance Nation if you haven't.  I joined about a month and a half ago and I'm very pleased so far (my legs are pretty pissed though). 

Are you the type of person who would feel more confident knowing a coach was outlining your training?

I am, but I opted for no coach for my first IM mainly because of the money. I got through just fine, but this time around I've already hired one because A) I want to get faster, and B) I would like the confidence that my plan is optimized for ME (taking into account my background, speed, past injuries, strengths and weaknesses), not taken from a generalized book like last year.

Its certainly not necessary, there is more than enough content out there for someone to learn to create their own (or use a prebuilt one) training plan.   I'd recommend it if you have the money to spend, but a coach isn't going to make you a whole lot faster unless you have major form or motivational issues.

I never went with a coach because its alot of money and there isn't a local one around that I trust.

So the coach is local? He/she offers organized runs and rides?

You discuss your goals, your strengths, weaknesses, how you like to train, review your training and racing before you start with them, they help you decide on races....then they guide you with training. What I understand you to describe is much different type of coaching than many if not most folks here on BT use. Most is via the internet,you get a plan, you do the workouts, record them someplace he/she can review, email and chat with your coach to discuss issues, goals, ect.  Trusting someone else to prepare you can be a relief for some and other can't give over that control. Ideally the coach's view on training lines up with yours and you click well so you get along. Do they have the knowledge, experience and track record with others of your ability?

Sounds like you want friends to train with more than a coach but I may be off on that.

Local tri club or BT is great way to find others with same passion as you have.

I've belonged to two different tri clubs since '04. Issue I have is to do some training with them a hour swim now becomes 2.5 hours with drive, chatting and swim. A 4 hour bike takes 6, ect. I don't have extra time for that on a regular basis with my kids and their activities. I want my training to be as efficient as possible. I have made tri friends mostly through BT that I will meet to ride, swim in lake or pool but not often.

I like having a coach on many levels. It makes it easier and they are watching over my training and adapting it as necessary.

I dunno, I'll let you know on August 28, but....
Of the multiple coached friends I have, there seems to be something about a coach telling you to run X:XX/minute miles for XX minutes, then switch to X:XX/minute miles for XX minutes - or ride at such-and-such heart rate for this long, etc... things that they or I would never think up on our own, or even know if it was productive or not. And no book is going to tell me because the book has no idea what my capabilities, history, or strengths/weaknesses are. That is why they are coaches and we are not
 

Exactly my experience as well.

I had a coach for my HIMs and got rid of him when I trained for my IM. I just went with the group and it was waaaaaaay more flexible.

I've done two IM's with no coach.  I decided against using a coach primarily because I like the freedom of making things up as I go.  But, if my goal were to nail my best possible IM performance, then I'd restructure certain aspects of my life and get a solid coach.

Also, IME, the most important thing a good coach will do for a first IM is protect you from yourself.  I could have used this for my first IM.  I wasn't careful enough with my run volume/pacing and got a stress fracture in my hip.

This nugget is something that is lost a lot of times.  I feel it's important to keep a 20,000 foot level view of things and I find it hard to do as an athlete.  That's why, even though I'm a coach, I have a coach.  Also, it keep you on track when the emotions and uncertainty enter into it.

@ Whizzzzz and ChrisM - that's bad to read. Was the coach adamant of not letting you be flexible with your session when group training? Did he/she knew about your interest for group training? If so, did you communicate with him to let him know your displeasure?

I feel my approach is ever changing and I understand that enjoying training is a big part of successful AG coaching. With a Pro/Elite I can be more tough in what it needs to be done, but also, they have very defined goals. And while some AGers do too, still, keeping the lifestyle fun aspect of training alive and social for many is very important (including myself). IOW, a good coach has to adjust to the athlete's personality and develop a program based on that.

One of the things we do is to ask our athletes if they participate in group training and we plan around that. Sometimes they might go longer/harder or easier/shorter of what the plan suggests but that's ok. There has to be flexibility because no matter how much I plan in my head what athletes can do, I can't know for sure so they have flexibility to go based on how they feel. I try communicating what sessions are important in the big scheme of the program but also, as long as they communicate what they do helps adjust/tweak the plan when necessary.

I request from athletes a weekly training summary to learn what worked, what didn't, what's coming up (trips, maybe new group sessions) etc. and adjust based on that, but then again, we also provide planning delivered every week as opposed to every 4 weeks which can limit flexibility.

Anyway, I hope that experience hasn't completely changed your perception about coaching and please be aware that there are more than a few coaches who understand and develop programs with this stuff in mind.

There is most definitely lots of information out there, however lots of people don't want to bother to sift through it all and then build their own plan.  Further, for every piece of solid training advice, there is at least as much poor training advice, and in many cases it can be hard to someone to figure out which is which.



This is most definitely not my experience; many athletes, even those who have plateaued for several seasons, make solid gains when they start working with a coach because their training is now specific to their events and goals.

Shane

Yeah...I haven't looked into online, that was my next step. I hear on the scheduled thing at the same time, I don't think I really want to spend 6 hours on a bike ride alone! I have two kids who play sports and I rarely miss a game.

As to everyone else, you got me thinking. I want to finish an IM strong-not looking to break any records. I have a training plan and am confidant in my ability to follow it and tweak if necessary. In the future seasons, I'd like to see my shorter races get even better and stronger so maybe THAT is something I should save the $ for towards coaching. 

x2

I like having someone else build my plan. I do not think a pre built plan would have worked for me. Too many things pop up that alters my training, like work, injury ( which I can not seem to get rid of), family, etc. So having a coach worked really well for me because he could alter the plan to fit my needs and still get the most out of my training. On the other hand I understand the social aspect of having training partners. For me though I like to do nearly all my training on my own so no big deal. I do think a coach can make you a lot faster especially with those type of athletes who tend to train their strength and not focus on their weaknesses. For an IM I am not sure you can hide a weakness because they tend to affect the other legs to some degree and not in a positive way.

X2 to all of this for me...except maybe the "trust" part...

Actually, eventually I did raise it with her.  At first I wanted to be a "good pupil"  , but realized I was missing too much of the social aspect.  i was getting faster, however, but as I felt at the time, having a "good time" was more important to me than having a "good (fast) time".

So she agreed that Saturday long rides were mine to do as I wished.  Unfortunately, the next week I got sick and stopped training and racing for several months, so I never really got to find out how it would have worked.

X2 I saved some money, I finished my first IM and learnt a lot of lessons, and now I'm thinking about a coach for my second go around. I now know that I can train and finish an IM on my own, now the lesson I want to learn is what is the optimal time and that is where I believe a good coach can help me out. It is a little more risk in doing your first IM on your own, but you certainly remember all the mistakes you made! Good luck,

who is the coach you are thinking about highering and how much??

i coached my self and was able to make that 12 hour finish



Edited by tri-dg 2010-12-17 9:53 AM

As said above, it really depends on your goals, experience and comfort with the coach.
In addition, I want to say it is also a matter of how much mental effort you want to put into making training decisions.

Paying a coach is a great way to get help handling the details of what to do when. In addition, a coach gives you an outside, more objective look at what is happening.

I was self-coached from sprint to IM. Happy with my progress and growth, but spent a lot of time researching and trying new things.

I am thinking of getting a coach for my next IM. My concern is finding someone I am going to be able to trust enough to listen to if I want to do something different. 

Good Luck! 

I'm not going pro and I can't seem to find that "extra" money laying around to spend on a coach. There is more than enough information available out there for AG athletes so that they can create their own training plans. If you do have the "extra" money and are more comfortable having an expert guide, go for it. But is it necessary for an AGer.... no. I'll spend the money I save on Christmas presents for my kids. Sorry, sometimes I think us amateur, AG, athletes get a bit carried away. Enjoy the sport, the lifestyle, and compete! But it doesn't have to be that complicated.