Getting a coach.....cost? benefit?

I'll toss a snowball in the fire...

Firstly, this website is built around an infrastructure of coaching and vending coaching and training plan services, so take all of our perspectives with that in mind.

Now: My opinion.

Triathlon coaching in the U.S. is not regulated to a degree that insures consistent quality. That places the onus of finding a qualified coach on you. Caveat Emptor- Let the buyer beware.

There is an enormous cadre of so-called "coaches" who have done a couple Ironmans, been to the USA Triathlon coaching clinics and call themselves a "triathlon coach". In my opinion, those qualifications may not enable someone to dispense responsible coaching services.

Now, in fairness, there are qualified triathlon coaches in the U.S., some of them on this forum. I expect (hope) we will hear from them in this thread. They have had a tough road to achieving competency and our NGB (National Governing Body) has not done all that could be done to help them.

In most other countries claiming the title "Coach" is nearly identical to being a physical therapist, advanced nurse, physician's assistant or other advanced degreed academic. Then, before credentials are issued, the candidate must serve a practicum in their field, often times with a national sporting team.

We need that in the U.S. Coaches should have to have a Master's in Exercise Physiology with a peer-administered appreticeship before accepting paying clients. Until we reach that level of accredation the truly good triathlon coaches in the U.S. will be dragged down by the shadow of the coaches with dubius qualifications.

So how should one proceed in choosing a coach, based on the information you provided?

My husband is a coach.  He always offers up information concerning his degrees, certifications, work history and triathlon history to any perspective client.  He also has references from past/current clients.  I think references are the most useful tool in finding the right coach for you.

In my opinion, a good coach will ask you as many questions as you ask them.  They should want to know about your health, fitness level, goals, weekly schedule, weaknesses, strengths, time to commit, etc.

"So how should one proceed in choosing a coach, based on the information you provided?"

In my opinion, and I am not a coach but have experience being coached by accredited National Team level coaches in three countries (U.S.A., Belgium, France), I would actually start with exactly what you are doing- posting on this forum.

I would also use this resource from USA Triathlon:

http://www.usatriathlon.org/audience/coaching/find-a-coach.aspx

It is an index of USA Triathlon certified coaches. This is a good start point.

Also, you will need to interview coaches the same way you would interview a person you were hiring for a job position for yourself- because that is exactly what you are doing. Interview them like a job candidate.

Finally, don't allow a coach to subvert your own ownership of the training knowledge and physiology of the sport. In other words; "become a student of the sport" (the late Mike Walden, USA Cycling Hall of Fame and Olympic coach). Learn the sport. Learn the physiology. Learn the technology. Read. Research. Read some more. Never stop learning.

VeloPress among others has a massive catalog of excellent titles on the many aspects of exercise physiology and triathlon training. Use their titles and others as research materials and don't neglect doing research on your own.

I hope those suggestions help. Best of luck- stay on the forum and relate your experiences!

The "to get a coach or not to get a coach," along with the "to coach or not to coach" is practically a constant conversation I have in my own head. I have been reasonably successful coaching myself, taking advice from peers and literature, along with learning through trial, error, and brutal self-honesty. That said, I too wonder if a coach would be able to help me more than I can help myself. 

While I truly agree with you, Tom, that there is precious little in the way of qualification standards for coaches, I wonder if requiring advanced degrees and apprenticeships is the right answer. This would automatically price many many triathletes out of hiring a coach. After all, if I had a Masters in Exercise Physiology (and the student loans to go along with it), and then spend several years in an unpaid position, I'd want to be earning well over $50,000 a year by coaching. Say I had 10 clients per year. I'd need each of them to pay a minimum of $300 per month for coaching, and that doesn't even cover my costs of doing business, my taxes, etc. Either I'd have to take on a large # of clients, thereby de-personalizing my services, or I would have to charge the equivalent of a modest mortgage payment for coaching. And all the degrees in the world don't mean a thing when it comes to a coaching personality - a good coach must be able to find what makes an athlete tick - what motivates her, what pisses her off, how to deliver constructive criticism, and how to earn the athlete's trust. 

With triathlon largely being a recreational sport - even those of us who consider ourselves competitive or are winning local races are still nowhere near pro level - I wonder if the coaching model as it stands now isn't really the best option. Still, you're right - a huge reason I have not hired a coach is because I am wary of their expertise, the value of their services, and the confusion surrounding whom to hire, simply because there are so darn many of them. 

I've had many friends tell me I should be a coach - my (half-joking) response is that my "wing it and haul a$$ on the bike" approach is unlikely to sell. Plus, the closest credential I have is a minor in nutrition... and I don't think I could learn how the human body works in one Level 1 cert. weekend. However, at the same time, I can't imagine being happier doing anything else than helping people become awesome athletes. It's a tough one. 

I'd love to hear what others have to say. 

 "a good coach must be able to find what makes an athlete tick - what motivates her, what pisses her off, how to deliver constructive criticism, and how to earn the athlete's trust"

Valid point, but how do you make the decison that he/she is going to be that type of coach based on the 30-60 minute interview stage you have with them that Tom has suggested.

This is only my second season, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

When I started tris, I lived in the middle of nowhere, 40 miles one way from the closest lap pool.  I hired a swim coach to critique my stroke.  He was pretty young.  He gave me a few pointers and then it was hard to get him to commit to meet with me again.  So I became a student of triathlon.  I joined this forum and read every book I could get my hands on about the three disciplines.

Now I live in Austin, the tri mecca.  I have been in the masters program where they write the workout on the board.  I can't even read the board without my glasses, and for sure can't get the whole workout finished in the time allotted.  So that didn't work for me. 

I ride with whatever group is riding the distance and intensity I need on my long rides.  I do the same with the run.  I do lots of solo training and I ask lots of questions and read lots of advice on this and other forums.  I listen to Endurance Nation podcasts while I am running.

I notice a lot of people seem to need a coach to make sure they do their workouts.  I'm pretty self-disciplined.  My issue is needing a flexible plan.  The coaches in town seem pretty awesome, but they are several hundred dollars/month.  After careful analysis, I have decided that the benefit that I might gain from an expensive coach is not enough for me for the cost it would take.

I also notice since I am an older athlete, some of the younger coaches don't seem to know how to coach people who are older than they are.

I see that I am steadily improving.  Perhaps in the future, I will hire a coach.  Right now what I'm doing seems to be working for me.

Hope this helps.  Good luck with your decision.

I'm a brand new coach - my background is in engineering and I do not have Tom's requested "Master's in Exercise Physiology with a peer-administered appreticeship before accepting paying clients"... That said, my services are priced accordingly, and I'm completely up-front with my background and experience.

I have a few clients this year - and, for most of them, our initial interview was enough to figure it out, and things are going swimmingly. For another - we parted ways after about three months because she found someone local and she felt that was a better option than my distance-coaching. No hard feelings on either end.

Keep in mind that you can always go to a coach, spend some time with them, and then decide to go a different route. You'll then approach the next coach with a much better idea of what you like and don't like.

For the initial interview - have a bunch of well-thought out questions and talk openly and honestly. That should give you some positive direction.

To all of the great advice in the preceding posts, I would add one thing based on my experience with a level 3 USAT coach earlier this year. My coach earns Kona slots routinely, holds a Master's degree in exercise physiology, is a registered dietitian, always seeks new research and keeps abreast of what's what in industry and sport. And yes, during my time with this coach, I realized gains that astounded me.

However, I ultimately learned that I was paying $350/month to this coach as a personal reward for their experience and education, not for this knowledge and experience to be passed on to me. I would ask questions, the coach would then ask what my thoughts were, and then the answer I got was nearly always "we'll just agree to disagree." The coach did not meet with me as much as promised, and then did not offer much critique on form, etc. Essentially, I purchased a hot rod but was only allowed to ride in the passenger's seat.

LESSON: Unless you simply like to be told what to do, make sure the hows and whys are going to be passed on to you. (That little lesson cost me a little over $1100. I hope others learn it for free.)

Well I am training for my first IM next March.  I joined a tri club where i know a few people - it's not that local so I don't get to use their facilities all that much but a nice tri suit!  In the summer months I will swim in the ocean with them - they train on the IM course (Melbourne).

Part of the package is a free coach!  He's coached a lot of IM successes in this little club - as I said I'm not close by so I can't meet up with him but I wanted someone to keep it real, keep me accountable.  I'm anal about logging every little workout etc - I can follow a plan to the letter (Don Fink my poison of choice!).  But being accountable to Brian has really helped me - he calls me every week, I email him my workouts and my times.  He knows my goal (to finish in less than 17 hours!) and he can work with that.

He's fine that I like to work out alone - he said it will stand me in good stead for the race - it can be lonely out the back which is where i'll be.

For swimming I joined a 'masters' squad.  Coach John Van Wisse - a legend here in Melbourne.  Google him if you have a chance.  I joined because he does a local OW squad December through to March - wow what a difference this guy has made to me.  Just technique improvements, confidence in the pool and the OW.  He is a distance swimmer (3x winner Manhattan swim) has swum the Channel - so when he tells me to HTFU I listen coz he KNOWS!  He trains swimmers and triathletes together so knows the different skill sets needed - in the OWS we train in a pack, wave starts, mass starts and most of the summer it's in excess of 60 people.

Anyway I'm rambling!  My advice, get a swim coach or a masters class.  Then if you think you need one to keep you accountable or you're getting nowhere on your own, then get a coach.  In Australia they come free with tri club membership...

I have had a coach every year I've done tris since 2005. 

For me having a coach enhanced my experience of training and racing. I had one coach for 4 years, one for a season, and last one for 2 years.

The coach I used just one season was like a previous poster, not wanting to explain the why behind what I was doing. If I asked a question he felt like responding to, he would share his experience or that of a Pro or top level AG he knew, not addressing my question as it applied to me. He had one way of doing things and only wanted to help folks racing IM going for PBs and KQ.

Other two coaches taught me a lot, discussed and explained the why, listened to me, encouraged, and helped me in many other ways.

Last weekend I attended the USAT coaching clinic in part because of my experience with the two quality coaches I have had. I didn't learn much I hadn't learned by being involved with triathlons over many years.

I agree that now is not time to hire a coach to help you for IMFL.

When it comes time to consider one for next year. Make a list of questions and traits that you would like to see in a coach when you contact and consider possible coaches.

The following are things important to me in choosing a coach:

Does the coach agree with my goals in triathlon
How do they coach?
Do they just write a plan or do they check on how workouts went via logs of some type?
Frequency of how often they put your plan together?
Will they adjust my plan with life changes?
Do they limit the number of athletes they work with? Will I get a fair share of coaches time and attention?
Do they focus on fast folks or those trying to KQ?
How do they structure rest and build?
Do they train athletes by pace and power?
Do they race themselves and are unavailable at times?
How long does it take for them to respond to questions?
How will I contact them? email? text? calls?

Above are things I consider...they may be similar or different for you.

I've been shopping around coaching options this past week.  Just curious...would it be fair to ask a coach how many clients they have?  I did...and one coach said that was confidential.  Seemed a bit odd.  

Also, what is a reasonable monthly fee?  Like I said, I've just starting looking around, so I'm getting a feel for it...

100% agree on this one.  If a coach is not willing to tell you how many athletes are coaching that is a red flag.  I can *potentially* see if an athlete didn't want someone to know they were being coached, so that might fly (ie I can't tell you who but I have 10 athletes).  But to not tell you how many is crap.

An athlete should be able to determine how much time I have for them and consider that with what they are paying me. 

I got a coach when I decided to up to ironman distance races.  I have a job where it can be difficult to follow a cookie cutter plan for a book.  I might have to be at work some days at 6 am and others I might not get home until 9.  Or, I could have to go away to remote sites for a week with no access to a pool and working 12-14 hour days. 

On top of that, I tend to over analyze things and am a worry wort, I wanted to take all planning out of my hands and let my coach figure it out.  I tell him as early as I can what I have coming up work wise and he plans my workouts around them.  He has been coaching people doing ironmans for other 10 years, so I trust him.

My coach charges around $100 per month depending on the level of coaching you want.  I think he was invaluable to me completing my first IM, PBing in the olympic and half ironman distances and taking almost half an hour off my second ironman despite being a much more difficult course (IMFL vs. IMWI).  I should have also PB'd at the half marathon as well, but had a chest infection race day.

I chose my coach based on personality.  There are two coaches in my area that train IM athletes.  I talked to people that were coached by both and one person I know started with the other coach and switched to my coach half way through.  I also talked with my coach before signing up and I think his personality really suits me.  I am uptight and a perfectionist and he is more laid back.  The other coach is also very results driven, and my goal isn't to make it to Kona or to win my age group, it is to improve on my own times and have fun.  Get to the start line injury free.

A friend asked me to coach him. I agreed. So he asked  me "how much?". I thought I started off "high". "A case of 24 a month". He agreed. Dam, I should have started at 2 cases. I am guessing this is the minimum.

I definitely think you have the right to know how many athletes a coach is working with so you can have a better idea of the amount of time/attention you're going to get. Another thing to consider is that the same coach may be working with different athletes at different levels of involvment as far as the amount of face-to-face contact (from totally online to in person almost daily) and individualization (from simply providing a generic plan to totally individualized plans and feedback.) When I was training for Olympic Trials, the coach I worked with did both inidvidualized plans with a select group of athletes (who paid a higher fee), and several levels of group plans and workouts for others (who paid a different fee). The two groups often met for workouts and social events; the "individual" athletes (mostly elites and top age-groupers, or people who aspired to that) also did some other things as a group such as weekend "training camps" and trail runs. I'd want to know how many athletes the coach works with at each level. I could understand if a coach didn't want to say exactly WHO he/she coaches--I think that's their prerogative and clients may request that it be kept confidential. But a good coach should have some satisfied customers who can be contacted as references.

Also think that coaching is both a science and an art. My best coaches did not have ex-phys. degrees (some had coursework) but they were avid students of the sport and that included a working knowledge of physiology and training principles. All were athletes themselves and at least had done the sport they coached for many years, though not always at an elite or top AG level.  Most importantly, they took the time to get to know each athlete and, as others have said figure out what made him/her tick, physically and emotionally. A willingness to explain the why of what is being done, and to admit when something doesn't work and make changes as needed, is also important.