Coach vs. no coach

You just have to evaluate what you want out of the experience and be honest with yourself with your strengths and weaknesses.  If you can do that, and you don't have any problems with motivating yourself to meet your workouts no matter how hard they are, or how tired you are, then you can get away without one I would think.

I personally am not using one nor have I for my two HIMs.  But I tend to be pretty much a clock when it comes to getting my workouts in as needed regardless of conditions, and I know my main weaknesses.

I think everyone stated the pros and cons.  It is about accountability and what YOU want to achieve in the race.  If finish is the top goal and you are self-driven, then a coach probably isn't needed. 

I just finished CDA withOUT a coach.  Plus I used the BT Ironman plan.  I think my time and race speaks for itself. 

I will likely use a coach NEXT time.  Not because the plan isn't adequate.  I feel that I have a lot of unused potential.  A coach will help identify these areas and I bet that I can significantly drop my time. 

I haven't done an IM but plan to in the future. I've had a coach, the same one, for this is my third season with him. I really can't imagine training/racing in tris without one. He helps me so much and I've improved far more than I ever could on my own.

He is educated and has vast experience working with lots of athletes and can help design my training so my time is used most efficiently sort of getting the most out of my training. Plus he helps me with picking out new equipment, regular and race nutrition, mental aspect to racing and training, helps me figure out what to do when injuries crop up and is very supportive when things go well and when they don't. I have a plan for each workout and know what I'm supposed to do and why.

For me it makes training more fun. I remember about a year ago being in the pool and watching folks that I see all the time, doing the same workout each time they are there. Man that would for me be so boring. Each of my swim workouts is laid out, variable and has different purpose. So many folks just do time in the pool. I though to myself I never want to be like them...with a coach I'm not.

For me it isn't being accountable, as I don't miss workouts or need outside motivation/pressure to do them.

IM is a huge undertaking and having someone with knowledge, experience, and guidance takes a huge responsibility off you...you have someone else designing your training all you need to do it execute it to the best of your ability. If you think of all the $ and time you'll invest in doing an IM, the additional cost of a coach who will help you prepare and get to the starting line ready to race, is small but can make a huge difference in your experience. Cost varies and it doesn't have to be super expensive...sure some coachs are very expensive, others like mine is reasonable.

I'm training for my first HIM this season and  I decided to hire a coach. Why? Well mainly for 2 reasons.

 1. I needed to get faster and I wasn't sure how. I had a good endurance base, and while I'm not trying to qualify for anything or win anything, I really needed to get faster so I could compete as a MOPer. More for my ego than anything. I was tired of being BOP.

2. I needed to be able to train and get through the season without injury. I tend to over-do and not rest when I should. So, having a plan to follow with specific rest times is awesome. And when I feel a twinge here or there, my coach tells me exactly what to do (or not do).

So far, it's been awesome. I've dropped about a 1 min/mile off my 5K time in 4 months. I've gone from about 15 mph average on the bike in a race for a sprint to 17.5 mph average. My swim hasn't really gotten any faster, but I can tell my swim endurance has improved. I hope to drop another :30 /mile off my 5K time and I hope to go up to about 18 mph average on the bike by the end of the season.

I would say get a coach but I might be a bit bias (FYI - I also have a coach)

I have had experience with self coaching, coaching, self and then coaching again.  I did my first HIM with the BT plan.  It worked great and I loved the structure.  Then I got lucky and a friend of mine just got his Level 1 certification and asked to coach me.  I said sure (the price was right!).

My training go so much more focused when I had a coach.  Especially with IM, it helps to have someone who is looking at the big picture constantly.  If left to my own devices, I would taper for a small race that he would have me do a 60 mile ride and tempo run before.  Why?  Because it's just a workout and not an "A" race.  Plus IM training is tough the last thing you will want to do is figure out your next workout.

After FL 70.3, I lost my coach (decided he wanted to travel) and I've kinda just been doing stuff.  I didn't realize how much I was getting out of a structured regiment.  I now have a coach again and can tell the difference in my training.  You will get some workouts that you could never have come up with on your own.  That's the cool part.

So, in short, I'm a fan of having a coach.

What I do is to keep constant communication with my guys (email, msn, phone calls, logs, PM). I spend lost of time preparing each plan and it is hard to change it everyday hence if we communicate often we can sort of plan together in advance.

I try my best to accommodate any particular changes and modify the schedule when need it. I also set goals for the training cycle (i.e. improve running frequency/volume) and mark key workouts, hence the athlete knows what sessions not to miss even it if means to switch it around due to a hectic schedule and what sessions aren't as vital in the context of the training cycle. (i.e. if the focus of the cycle is running, then missing a swim won’t affect the plan as much)

That been said I keep them in the loop and point out when they are missing too many sessions (to keep’em real and avoid misunderstandings down the road such as - athlete:  “why I am not getting any faster”, me: “uummm well you haven’t train all week! )

Finally I try to develop certain routine so it becomes second nature for them to know what’s expected week after week (i.e. SWIM - Tue, Thur and Sat, RIDE - Mon, Wed, Sun, etc) although almost every session is different in terms of content/goal, the format is similar.

In summary every plan (depending whether they want the bi-weekly or monthly plan) I outline the cycle goals, focus and key sessions. Then every day I follow their logs to find out what they’ve completed and every week I request for them to send me their training files (if training with power meter, HRM, GPS, etc) that I keep on a training program and I encourage them to call/email me anytime they have a question.

I hope this helps...

http://www.usatriathlon.org/Coaches/FindACoach.aspx

another thing to keep in mind is that even though it might be an added bonus to have a coach in the same area is not vital or necessary.

I coach athletes (including BTers) from FL, NY, CT, NH, and even Canada & Mexico!!! Also my coach lives in Maine and I live in Massachusetts.

I would highly recommend a coach. But I just wanted to comment on everyone giving accountability as a reason to hire a coach. If you need to be "accountable" to someone other than yourself to stick to your training, especially when pursuing your first IM, then you are in this for the wrong reasons. And, accountability is certainly not a good enough reason to go out and spend $$ on a coach. But, I don't know that's just me. (And, I didn't say that to offend anyone by saying that.)

A coach will help you develop a training plan to achieve your goals based on your abilities, time available, adaption/response to previous workouts provided by the coach, etc., and will give you specific sessions to help improve your limiters. There are many things you can get from a coach that you can't get from a cookie-cutter training plan (or yourself for that matter).

But, you need to analyze what you want out of the experience and how a coach can help you, what you want from your coach, the type of relationship you hope to have with your coach (e.g., frequency of phone calls, emails), and how much you are able/willing to spend.  Coach hunting is not easy, so you need to go into it fully committed and aware of want you want. Good luck!