ironman without coaching? (Page 2)

After much looking around last year, this is exactly what I did (and it worked great for me)...

if you really want a full time coach you gotta be ready to spend $300+

$125 is only e-mail questions and plan.  The plan is made up weekly based on progress, no face time.  The coach trains herself and invites her coachees to join her.  Has finished multiple Ironmans one at least under 12, multiple marathons, 50 milers, etc.   Has high marks from other coachees.

Aside from their fees, how does one know a 'good coach' from someone who just thinks they are a good coach?

For the recreational triathlete doing their fist ironman, I would say a "good coach" is one that:

1. Gets you across the finish line without any injuries

2. The overall IM experience is a positive and enjoyable experience

3. The client is happy with their performance

My best IM was 14:30.  If I hired a coach I probably could have gone sub 14...and maybe even sub 13...but I seriously doubt it.  Anyway, based on MY criteria, I was a 'good coach' (to myself). 

Well you know I'm not signing a contract, I could always pay a month and see if I improve and I like it   She charges $300 for the emails, plans and 3 swims and 2 strength sessions per week in groups of 4-5 and also does personal training, swim coaching in groups, etc.  Could it also be the area and what people are willing to pay?  Because other coaches were charging $100 and $175 and $280 with 2 sessions per week of your choice SBR help.

I have my goal of doing an IM by the time I'm 35 and IMTX '13 will fulfill that a few days early, so I kind of don't want to leave it to chance.  I also need a lot of help with my nutrition during races.  And I think I'M not slow but there's something else causing the 2:40 Sprints.  Having high marks from others and good finishing times shows she both has the knowledge and the ability to teach.  The times I got from around finishing websites on the Internet, onlineraceresults and athlinks.  I researched all coaches that way to look at their times and compare them.  I prefer that to asking them to tell me

X 2, I did IMLP last year and am doing Florida this year.  I don't have the money to spend on coaching.  I am a MOP athlete and am fine with that considering how busy my life is (wife, job, kids sports, etc.)  This sport is a hobby to me that I love.  I have some older EN plans and Matt Fitzgeralds book.  While in training every Sunday night I will sit down and write out that weeks workouts according to what's going on for me that week.  I travel some for work so I may have adjust bike/run days etc. 

I agree.  I buddy of mine hired a coach and was paying him good money and not seeing the value in it.  I asked him why he felt the money spent was not worth it and he said because he felt his coach was putting his goals on him.  That is, the coach wanted to KQ and was coaching as if his client also wanted to KQ.

You've done well coaching yourself Fred!  But you are hard-headed and too opinionated to listen to a coach.  ;-)  (just teasin')

Two things that stick out to me as potential concerns with this coach:

1. You say that she invites clients to train with her when she does her own workouts.  But, she is a sub-12 hour IM finisher?  I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be able to keep up with someone that fast, so training with them wouldn't be useful.

2. If you are getting 5 sessions a week, why are 2 strength?  I realize that many argue for or against strength training during tri training.  Personally, I'd agree it has a place.  But, that place is not above run and bike training.  IMO, it would be way more useful to have some run/bike sessions where you get some technique feedback.

She sounds suspiciously like a personal trainer that also does triathlons?

Well, I'm not gonna make everyone happy lol  Make it sound like I won't use one, bunch of people saying I should.  Say I'm gonna use one, bunch of people saying I shouldn't.  She personal trains AND swim coaches AND tri coaches.  2 strength and 3 pool swims in groups of 4-5 for the people who spend $300 (plus plan and emails) and you can get bike and run sessions for a fee.

Of course you're not going to keep up with her but you see her at the start, gets people together, some may be your pace, etc

BT Gold membership was my coach for IM.

The key to any coach is to do what they tell you to do. Deb, I've seen you post here off and on and one fairly common theme is that you want to do what you want to do. Are you really willing to follow a coaches advice?

AdventureBear - 2012-04-03 11:46 AM

GatorDeb - 2012-04-03 8:11 AM   Having high marks from others and good finishing times shows she both has the knowledge and the ability to teach.  The times I got from around finishing websites on the Internet, onlineraceresults and athlinks.  I researched all coaches that way to look at their times and compare them.  I prefer that to asking them to tell me

Deb your last comment makes me laugh...about not being able to please everyone. You're right about that, and if you please yourself then that's all you need!! However...there is no correlation between the coach's speed and their ability to teach or even coach. I would be wary of using her finishing times alone (either fast or slow) as a criteria for selection. How you interact with her and the feedback you get from other athletes is going to be more important.

You left out part of my sentence, look at the part you left without bolding.  The high marks from others who have received tri coaching from her show she can teach, the good finishing times show she knows what she's doing.

And I've been using a coach for two months now following their plan to a T.

Currently training for my 3rd IM...have never had a coach.  If I hadn't pulled a hamstring in a fall before my first IM, would have likely gone around 12 hours (as it was, before the injury finally gave out on me in mile 17 of the run and I had to walk, I was on my way to about 12:20-12:25). 

Nothing special in my athletic background, but I did compete in track, cross country and swim 30+ years ago and I suppose that makes some really small difference vs. someone with absolutely no competitive history at all.  I've found that there's a ton of useful information here and elsewhere on the Web and that getting trained up for the distance really isn't rocket science.  IMO, what a coach provides more than anything is structure and accountability.  Personally don't feel any need to pay for either one...I'll work out what I need to do for training and have never had any trouble motivating myself to hit my workout targets.  For people who need to be accountable to another person to stay motivated to do the work day-in and day-out, that's another story...

(I'd like to say that coaches also help with nutrition, but I've seen several examples recently of coaches who were atrocious in terms of not personalizing a nutrition strategy that encompasses planned weightloss during the training calendar for very overweight clients.)

For what it's worth, I have done 3 so far, and preparing for my 4th, all without coaching.

I think if you get in there and learn, read, ask questions, research, you can get a pretty good understanding of training/preparing.  That and selecting a good plan, can get you a LONG way.

Did I maximize my training/potential without a coach?  Perhaps not, but I think I am almost knowledgable to be a basic coach myself now, so I think I am doing ok.

ETA:  For ME, this was also a good route because I just like learning.  I wanted to know all the ins and outs of training.  So it was enjoyable to read training books and do the research.  Could I just get the workouts from a coach as provided and just crank them out?  Sure, but I like to know WHY I'm doing something, not just what I'm doing.

I didn't say those who don't have good finishing times don't know what they're doing.  One thing does not imply the other.  But someone who goes sub-12 in an Ironman obviously knows a thing or two about racing triathlons.  

And someone who gets high marks from others for their tri training results probably knows how to coach.