Coach Wanted

I don't know of any specific coaches, but kudos on deciding to "tri" to lose some weight

I didn't get as big, but decided to lose weight when I realized I was obese, and LOVE it!!

Best of luck, and I hope you've found something you love!!

( I don't think you'll find anyone with anything negative to say here, but if you do, screw em )

Hello, and welcome to BT! There are several coaches who post here regularly who do a good job. Talk to a couple of us before making your decision. Besides selecting a coach who is knowledgeable, it's important to have a coach who's philosophy you are comfortable with and that you and he/she communicate well.A cornerstone of my personal philosophy as a coach is that I only coach age group (amateur) athletes who do this for enjoyment and health. I tend towards a slightly conservative approach to training and race planning that emphasizes enjoying the process, minimizing injury risk, and successful race completion. Because of this, I'd encourage you to consider adjusting your goals, pushing the 70.3 back 1 year to 2017, and scheduling a sprint tri in the spring of 2016, an Olympic in the fall, and a couple other events throughout the summer between. ETA: Sorry about the lack of paragraph breaks. I'm posting from my phone, and it won't add them.

Edited by TriMyBest 2015-08-19 5:55 AM

if you walk ten miles easily, do your HIM in 2016, not June 2017. ...although I would recommend August or September for your HIM so you can do an Olympic early spring.

I'm curious...what is your logic behind this advice?

As someone else already said, be sure to check out and talk to a few coaches. Having a good relationship & completely trusting your coach will go along with in your journey!

If you have questions or I can help in any way feel free to reach out!

Tony

I sent you a PM about the coach I've been working with. I've been in the same boat, but not to that extreme (I've lost about 75 pounds, maybe another 20 to go for optimal race weight). I believe he will be the first to tell you that he's a triathlon coach and not a dietician, but if you do what he says and change your eating habits you'll have success.

I'm a firm believer in having a goal each year that scares me. Next year it will be my first IM, and that scares the hell out of me! Fortunately the coach I work with is awesome and I know we will put together a plan that will help me get there.

Good luck! Feel free to PM with any questions about coaching, triathlon, weight loss, etc.

Congrats on making the decision. You will one day look back and wonder how the heck could I be carrying 200 exta lbs. And you will probably be debating the merits of saving 100g on your race wheels :-)

I had to lose 70lbs. I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes, and my doc intentionally scared the krap out of me by telling me I had probably already hurt my kidneys. The fear of that pushed me to lose about 60lbs in 6 months. It was brutal. But when you are driven, you do it. For that reason, I think you need to keep that lofty goal. I was driven by fear, you need to figure out what is going to drive you because there will be some really rough patches.

I have done about 15 of these HIMs, I believe they are attainable by all, but by no means easy.

I don't know if you've ever seen the TV show "Doctors" ? I was on it. Apparently many more people try this than those that succeed. You need to keep that goal alive. During that show recording I met a few doctors that worked with people like us.

You might want to break this journey down into 2 (or even more steps). Step 1, is mostly focused on nutrition. I would hire a coach that is very nutritionally focused. Someone who will help you learn to get a better handle of calorie consumprion, burning and what differentiates good calories from bad. When I went on my weight loss binge I was doing 99% of my exercise on the bike. If you don't know how to swim, focus on swimming and biking for the purpose of burning calories and learning to properly swim. Forget running for now.

For me, weight loss is more about diet and nutrition than it is exercise. I train 14 hours per week and I still struggle with weight. Weight is your first big challenge, hire a person that will get you on the right track. Once there, then get someone that will refine your training.

Step 2) once you've lost say 60-70lbs (you pick a number) start bringing in someone that will make you a better triathlete. You will have got your weight and nutrition on the right path, you will have learned to swim so you can start doing more structured swim training. Running will be more accessible with less chance of injury. You will have a bike base from all that time simply burning calories.

As a person that had to lose a lot of weight, a person that has done HIM, a person that has been coached and coached others, I would really find someone that will help you with step 1 first.

Good luck, I can guarantee that if you persevere you will succeed and the reward cannot be described.

Thank you all for taking time to provide constructive and thoughtful feedback. It is very much appreciated!

I am too much of a newbie to recommend a coach, but wanted to say that marcaq's advice sure seems solid to me. More importantly I wanted to wish you the best on your journey. You are awesome!