Training, Training Logs, Coaches, Over Training

Hi,

I'm a big fan of having a coach, if you're in a position to afford one. They'll be able to help you plan out your season, and make the journey to IM run alot more smoothly. If you find a coach you're confident in, they'll be able to provide you with answers to all the questions that will arise between now and then, and keep a close eye on you to ensure you're training hard, but not too hard. IMO, the races you have planned to do, seem like a reasonable season, but that's just what I think.

I pay my coach $150/month for essentially unlimited access. She does my program, planned out my season, helps me setting realistic goals, meets with me as often as possible to teach technique (works out to about once every 3 weeks...she lives about 8 hours from me, but is now training in California), frequent phone calls and regular emails. I think having a good coach is THE best investment you could make in training for IM.  There is SO much information out there, and SO many different opinions, I find it invaluable having one person I can go to that I trust completely to advise and guide me.

Good luck in your training!

Last year I did ......

2 marathons (Boston and a BQ at Baltimore), a half mary, a HIM, a sprint, an olympic, an iron distance aqua velo, a full IM and numerous other smaller running races.

All non-coached.  I make my own plans using some different ones out there as the base for them.

Have I made mistakes??  Sure ..... have I learned from them and improved my training each go round?  Yup.

The key is to pick which are your "A" races and main focus.  Then plan the other events to fit into that schedule.  You do not have an aggressive racing plan so I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

I second a coach. This is my 2nd year with a coach and the performance improvement I've seen has been huge. Like from feb to Oct I dropped 11 min off my half mary time. And that was going from a flat course to a hilly course! I dropped 14 min off my A race from the previous year (and that was a sprint)

But, most importantly, having a coach meant I was prepared for each race, I wasn't overtrained, and I was not injured. Have a coach meant all the difference in the world.

Now I'm training for my first IM and I can't imagine doing it without a coach.

Yes, it can be done, but if you can, get a coach, you will most likely feel like it's worth it. I pay mine around $125 per month, but her fees have gone up to 150 for new clients. So that number is about what you can expect. I've seen some do it for less, but they are typically only doing it via the web and not meeting with you. My coach is local.

Your HIM in Sept may be a bit too close to the IM. 6-8 weeks  is considered optimal.

Self coached -  nuff said.   

I wanted to thank you all for your great comments.  I haven't decided on rather or not to have a coach or not, but the feedback has been very helpful and ultimately will affect my decision.  I want to thank all of you for your comments and I wish you a great season.

Sincerely yours,

RAY

_{Yeah cuz there's no such thing as a bad coach. Not like ANY of them use cookie cutter plans.}

Agreed, but they'll still GLADLY take peoples money and call it coaching.

That is where YOU the ATHLETE have a responsibility to do your due diligence before hiring a coach. If you pay for bad coaching that is your problem, like any profession there are good and bad.

What's your personality type? If you're the type of person who:

1. Needs constant communication.

2. Needs affirmation from outside sources.

3. Needs training structure not just a training plan.

4. Needs a second opinion.

You might need a coach. But also if you're an unassuming person who doesn't think he knows everything about a sport that he just started and can use the advice of someone who has lived and breathed this sport for years you might consider a coach.

Triathletes by nature are independent animals. But I'm not as arrogant to think that I can't learn from someone with more expertise and knowlege than I have. And as long as I'm learning then it's money well spent.

If you said yes to these things you might need a coach. I think a coach is only as good as his/her ability to meet what you need. Some coaches have pre-made plans but are so attentive to your details that people love them. Other coaches may work diligently for months to create a unique plan for you but never answer their e-mails. Picking a coach is like picking a spouse - well not really but close. You have to figure out what they have to offer and if it matches what you have to offer or is it just "nicely stated." Does it match your needs? And you might have to "date," a lot.

I did sprints, Oly and HIM all without a coach. Then 12 months ago I decided to do an Ironman. So I hired a coach. I did sprints, Oly and HIM with a coach. I was neutral about my coach experince mostly because she wasn't local but also she didn't really teach me anything I didn't know. And I thought, "WTH? I don't need a coach. I can do what she did...."

So after going without a coach for Sept., Nov., and December and January, I recently hired another coach. A person who has coached athletes for years. And she's local. But local or unlocal here was the difference:

I e-mailed my new prospective coach before we started and told her that I was doing a 1/2 Mary on the weekend and that I would get back to her during the week. She e-mailed two days after the race and asked me what happened between mile 9 and mile 10. That's where my splits had slowed down. I hadn't even paid her a dime. She went and found my race and looked up my time and my splits. After talking to her, we realized I wasn't eating early and often enough and now she makes me eat a gel every 45 minutes. I still haven't paid her a dime. Some may call that stalking - I call it initiative and attention to detail.

Now that's a coach. She's giving me information that I need. That's helping me improve. She's noticing stuff that I don't notice myself and giving me a solution for it. I'm not big on hand holding but I am big on expertise and knowledge. Sooo don't just think paying someone $150 a month is going to get you where you need to be. If you were hiring a nanny or a teacher for your kid or a new employee you'd do your homework wouldn't you? Well do your homework. And pick the right person for the job. Or decided you don't need a person for the job.