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Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! (Page 115)
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 2010-10-19 10:36 PM in reply to: #3161251 |
Master  2404   Redlands, CA |  Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED!PennState - 2010-10-19 4:11 PM So just thought I would update a bit again on my coaching hire: I spent the last year looking into this issue as I have been coached in the past, but not since 2008. I looked into local coaches and non-local. To me the only real issue was did the coach have a track record of getting clients that had similar goals as me to where they wanted to go? ie; if your goal is to do your first IM, then did he/she have a clientele that was like this and did they succeed? I was looking for a coach with a very specific clientele and very specific goals. I e-mailed him numerous times over the summer and finally decided upon him. Of note, many of his clients are physicians and have similar work schedules as me. Also important was refernces. I have a really good friend who knows my coach well and lives in the same area. My friend also is going to be coached by him. The coach I have chosen would not be ideal for everyone, as he doesn't 'baby much and there is practically no 'hand-holding'. My guess is for my first IM he would not have been the right choice, but IMWI will be my 4th. I want someone to guide me through to the next level. I am aware that he also has fired clients in the past for not following the training plan, while this may seem harsh, I'm OK with it as I know what I can do on my own and want to see what I can do with his guidance. I will be training with power as well, as most of the improvements will be related to high-intensty interval training on the bike. The actual number of hours I will train will not be more than what I currently do. I will be getting an SRM power meter or possibly a Quarq. Over the winter I will be training with my computrainer. Nutrition is a huge part of his coaching as well. I have not nailed my nutrition in the IM distance yet. I have for HIM distance. He has a formula that works for the majority of people. I plan on using it. Lots of thought went into this process and MOST importantly, my wife is on board.  I hope it works out well for you and he's a good fit. I don't think there's a such thing as a 'best coach' just a good match. The sport is way too complex but I think you have all the basics figured out and just need a coach to kick your . It would be a bonus if he has an Australian accent because in addition to being awesome at triathlon, the accents almost make me laugh. |
| 2010-10-20 2:05 PM in reply to: #3161251 |
Master 3546   Millersville, MD | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! PennState - 2010-10-19 7:11 PM So just thought I would update a bit again on my coaching hire: I spent the last year looking into this issue as I have been coached in the past, but not since 2008. I looked into local coaches and non-local. To me the only real issue was did the coach have a track record of getting clients that had similar goals as me to where they wanted to go? ie; if your goal is to do your first IM, then did he/she have a clientele that was like this and did they succeed? I was looking for a coach with a very specific clientele and very specific goals. I e-mailed him numerous times over the summer and finally decided upon him. Of note, many of his clients are physicians and have similar work schedules as me. Also important was refernces. I have a really good friend who knows my coach well and lives in the same area. My friend also is going to be coached by him. The coach I have chosen would not be ideal for everyone, as he doesn't 'baby much and there is practically no 'hand-holding'. My guess is for my first IM he would not have been the right choice, but IMWI will be my 4th. I want someone to guide me through to the next level. I am aware that he also has fired clients in the past for not following the training plan, while this may seem harsh, I'm OK with it as I know what I can do on my own and want to see what I can do with his guidance. I will be training with power as well, as most of the improvements will be related to high-intensty interval training on the bike. The actual number of hours I will train will not be more than what I currently do. I will be getting an SRM power meter or possibly a Quarq. Over the winter I will be training with my computrainer. Nutrition is a huge part of his coaching as well. I have not nailed my nutrition in the IM distance yet. I have for HIM distance. He has a formula that works for the majority of people. I plan on using it. Lots of thought went into this process and MOST importantly, my wife is on board. Thanks for sharing all this thread. I have been thinking about the coaching route too. Was curious what your experience (or expectation is) with the following: 1) feedback. How does the coach know when he's pushed you hard enough? How does he know when he can ask more of you? 2) acceptance. Did you look for someone who shares a lot of your same training philosophies and will train you similar to how you would have self-coached yourself, or are you looking for someone to put your faith in who may take you in a very different direction? I feel like writing to a specific coach on BT who is apparently my lost twin brother - he shares practically every view of training I do, has never written anything on BT I disagree with, has defended a few unpopular ideas I also have, has great results with athletes like me, is very responsive to helping his athletes understand WHY he is doing what he's doing (important to me), etc. I want to say to him, "dude you're practially my hero but what would you offer me that I don't already have besides a little extra time since I wouldn't be doing the work of coaching myself?" Should I go for a coach like that, or should I go for one who would (for example, in my case) encourage me to drop my mileage and add intensity to the run... something I'd be very reluctant to do. |
 2010-10-20 5:57 PM in reply to: #3163028 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. Edited by PennState 2010-10-20 6:01 PM |
| 2010-10-20 5:59 PM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Master 2404 Redlands, CA | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! That wouldn't be newbz would it? |
| 2010-10-20 6:08 PM in reply to: #3163674 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2010-10-20 6:14 PM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Master 2404 Redlands, CA | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! Paul Devashish. If you read st at all you know who he is. He doesn't advertise his coaching but he sent a message to me when we both were in agreement about certain philosophies in coaching. |
| 2010-10-21 7:02 AM in reply to: #3163674 |
| Master 3546 Millersville, MD | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! furiousferret - 2010-10-20 6:59 PM That wouldn't be newbz would it? LMFAO @ the newbz comment. Let's just say he is not "practically my hero"!!!! I don't think he'd mind me mentioning it - I was referring to Jorge. Appreciate all of your feedback Fred. I work as a regulator, so I am very familiar that the answer to almost all difficult "what should I do in X situation" question is, "it depends." I appreciate you sharing your insight on how you came to a decision though, and your recognition that it might now be the same for everyone. Thanks to both Fred and FF for the reminder that I need to have a longer-term perspective and recognize where I am in that process right now. When I can run sub 3 IM mary, I'll drop my run mileage  |
| 2010-10-21 1:31 PM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Extreme Veteran 610 San Francisco CA | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! Interesting discussion on coaching, it is great to hear how other people approach it. I'm dealing with the same decision for next year for IMAZ. For me, I tend to be obsessive about my training and having a coach schedule my workouts takes a lot of the pressure off of my mind in terms of deciding what to do each day. For most of this year I've done "coached programs" where the coach is working with more than one athlete at a time to prepare for the same event (Wildflower, Vineman and now California International Marathon). I've enjoyed the format and it is much cheaper than individual coaching but I miss have customization that would come with having a coach work with me one-on-one. This is why I am considering individual coaching for IMAZ. I'm very slow on the bike so having a coach that could help me design a plan to keep my swimming and running consistent while making me much faster on the bike would be ideal. I'm trying to try out some of the local coaches who work with my tri club and I click very well with the woman who is coaching my marathon program right now. The next step for me will be to see if I can afford a coach for July-November of next year and see if it makes sense. |
| 2010-10-21 1:39 PM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Expert 943 Highlands Ranch, CO | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! Hey There, Wanted to give you an update. I have purchased my plane ticket and am going to volunteer at IM Arizona! This means that unless I have a panic attack in line, that I will be signing up for next yea'rs race. Thanks again for all the feedback about taking on this challenge. I am very excited to be a spectator! On the subject of coaching, the coach that I am working with has done IM Arizona twice and is doing it a third time this year with the hopes of qualifying for Kona. I figure it can't hurt to have a coach that knows the course that I will be taking on next year. So far, the coaching has been great and the interaction has made it all worth it. Having to be accountable helps also  |
| 2010-10-21 3:25 PM in reply to: #3165365 |
| Master 3546 Millersville, MD | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! Kath2163 - 2010-10-21 2:39 PM Hey There, Wanted to give you an update. I have purchased my plane ticket and am going to volunteer at IM Arizona! This means that unless I have a panic attack in line, that I will be signing up for next yea'rs race. Thanks again for all the feedback about taking on this challenge. I am very excited to be a spectator! That's very cool!!!! I suppose we are all partly to blame |
| 2010-10-21 4:12 PM in reply to: #3165365 |
| Extreme Veteran 610 San Francisco CA | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! Kath2163 - 2010-10-21 11:39 AM Hey There, Wanted to give you an update. I have purchased my plane ticket and am going to volunteer at IM Arizona! This means that unless I have a panic attack in line, that I will be signing up for next yea'rs race. Thanks again for all the feedback about taking on this challenge. I am very excited to be a spectator! Wohoo! I'm so excited for you, and that means that we'll get to follow each other's training next year.  I really wish I'd able to go volunteer. I'm out of vacation days and my husband and I figured that a community fund spot would be cheaper than the flight/hotel if I'm not able to get in online. But I think volunteering is an awesome way to see the course and get excited for 2011. |
| 2010-10-21 4:39 PM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Master 2404 Redlands, CA | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! I finally signed up for Masters swimming! Nice heated olympic pool, the problem is its 20 minutes away, but it will be nice having someone help with my form. |
| 2010-10-21 5:24 PM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2010-10-21 5:57 PM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Extreme Veteran 610 San Francisco CA | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! I'll play! This is at the very end of my HIM in July coming into transition, and is the only pic I have of my current bike fit from a side angle. I had one professional fitting a few months before this was taken. I'm pretty comfy in this position aside from my saddle which gives me issues no matter what I do. I know my bike fit will change substantially when I get aero bar clip-ons on my bike next year but I'd welcome any thoughts people have.  |
| 2010-10-21 6:21 PM in reply to: #3165812 |
| Master 2404 Redlands, CA | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! PennState - 2010-10-21 3:24 PM Bike position. I finally found a reasonable pic of my position on the bike. This was at the Savageman 70.0 race this year in September. I do NOT have a very aggressive position, but ride fast. Let me know your thoughts on my position and feel free to post a pic of yourself on the bike so we can comment.  I'm leaning towards the Slice, and your position looks close to mine on a roadie (knees close to arms, smaller frame, can I ask what size bike you are and your inseam or height? (if you do dont want to answer I understand). My biggest fear about shopping is I'm gullible and could get talked into buying a bike not my size so I want to be sure of size before I walk in. I actually take my father in law with me to purchase high end stuff because he's a good negotiator. Also, what exactly is the shoulder to elbow supposed to be at? I see it varying anywhere from 45-90 degrees. |
| 2010-10-21 11:53 PM in reply to: #3165887 |
| Expert 759 | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! furiousferret - 2010-10-21 7:21 PM PennState - 2010-10-21 3:24 PM Bike position. I finally found a reasonable pic of my position on the bike. This was at the Savageman 70.0 race this year in September. I do NOT have a very aggressive position, but ride fast. Let me know your thoughts on my position and feel free to post a pic of yourself on the bike so we can comment. I'm leaning towards the Slice, and your position looks close to mine on a roadie (knees close to arms, smaller frame, can I ask what size bike you are and your inseam or height? (if you do dont want to answer I understand). My biggest fear about shopping is I'm gullible and could get talked into buying a bike not my size so I want to be sure of size before I walk in. I actually take my father in law with me to purchase high end stuff because he's a good negotiator. Also, what exactly is the shoulder to elbow supposed to be at? I see it varying anywhere from 45-90 degrees. Fred that looks like a great comfortable but rather aero position. thanks for posting the pic. and that bike is just SO NICE! |
| 2010-10-22 6:29 AM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2010-10-22 6:31 AM in reply to: #3165887 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2010-10-23 6:41 AM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Master 3546 Millersville, MD | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! Fred - I'll start by saying you definitely need a white/black/red aero lid! I'm 100% certain it would be faster! |
| 2010-10-23 11:38 AM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2010-10-23 11:52 AM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2010-10-23 3:38 PM in reply to: #3165365 |
| Master 1471 Dunedin | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! Not gonna lie... my hands shook when I handed over my credit card on registration day!!!! Congrats on committing to git 'r done! Kath2163 - 2010-10-21 2:39 PM Hey There, Wanted to give you an update. I have purchased my plane ticket and am going to volunteer at IM Arizona! This means that unless I have a panic attack in line, that I will be signing up for next yea'rs race. Thanks again for all the feedback about taking on this challenge. I am very excited to be a spectator! On the subject of coaching, the coach that I am working with has done IM Arizona twice and is doing it a third time this year with the hopes of qualifying for Kona. I figure it can't hurt to have a coach that knows the course that I will be taking on next year. So far, the coaching has been great and the interaction has made it all worth it. Having to be accountable helps also |
| 2010-10-23 3:40 PM in reply to: #3165758 |
| Master 1471 Dunedin | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! furiousferret - 2010-10-21 5:39 PM I finally signed up for Masters swimming! Nice heated olympic pool, the problem is its 20 minutes away, but it will be nice having someone help with my form. Isn't a 20 minute drive a positive not a problem?!!!! =) That sounds darn close to me!!! |
| 2010-10-23 3:49 PM in reply to: #2769226 |
| Master 1471 Dunedin | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! Fred, thanks for the pic fit discussion-it is an interesting read! It's also interesting to read about the comments related to coaching. I was so excited for triathlon because it was something I was training for without a coach...something I hadn't done in over 10 years of swimming. It was a relief to rest and not feel like I was letting the big guy down...but also lead to more slacking off. To me, it seems like coaching is where you turn to to win. What are thoughts on coaching if you just want to finish? For example, I see Team in Training people training for a marathon with coaches, but two friends of mine blew up on race day because they had no coaching on nutrition.... |
| 2010-10-23 5:36 PM in reply to: #3168654 |
| Master 2404 Redlands, CA | Subject: RE: Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! WittyCityGirl - 2010-10-23 1:40 PM furiousferret - 2010-10-21 5:39 PM I finally signed up for Masters swimming! Nice heated olympic pool, the problem is its 20 minutes away, but it will be nice having someone help with my form. Isn't a 20 minute drive a positive not a problem?!!!! =) That sounds darn close to me!!! Not when your other pool is 5 minutes away! |
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