Everyone has their reasons for choosing to participant in
races; health, competition, personal growth ….. whatever the reason, the fact
of the matter is there is a need to get some guidance. Personally I’ve never gone out and hired a
coach, I’ve researched on my own and spent time working a plan that made
sense for me. I’ve spoken to many
coaches, seen their training plans but never pulled the trigger on partnering
up. Each coach is unique, there is no
coach that’s one size fits all and there certainly isn’t a one size fits all
athlete. Every athlete’s situation and
circumstances are different, it’s this difference that should drive we athletes
to spend time getting to know potential coaches and interviewing each other
before jumping on board with whoever is popular, the cheapest or who most of
your friends go with. I wanted to
provide some things to consider if you’re looking in to stepping up your
results or looking for guidance hiring someone.
Group vs. coach; in my area where there is a local Ironman
race there are an abundance of coaches and groups. It’s important to distinguish between the two
as a starting point of the selection process.
Training groups are just that, groups that use their size and number as
a means to “never train alone”. There
are varying levels of groups from the informal group that maintains an email or
Facebook list to keep all it’s members up to date with places, times and type
of workouts that are occurring. Often
times the groups are organized to help people come and go as they need if
they’ve built or using a training plan acquired outside a coach. There are more organized groups that are
normally associated with running/triathlon stores. All members of the group pay the same price,
get the same gear and discounts and also get the same training plan and
schedule. Your life and the other
members of the group lives are all structured and laid out for you to
follow. These groups flourish with first
timers whether its first time 5k runners or runners looking to step up to
longer distances or even triathlons. The
groups have proven success with getting people to the finish line and helping
those who may not be organized or motivated to research on their own, but they
also bring in a team feeling of being a part of something larger. Although the training plans are all the same
the group organizer recognizes the varying ability of the athletes and have
varying ways to handle that so all in the group may train at their preferred
pace. I feel these are ideal for those
who are ‘first-timers’ with any race type; triathlon, 5k pick a race type. The group and getting to know people adds accountability. The structure helps build the habits of
training more and there is normally access to “coaches” within these
groups. The experience and
certifications of these group coaches may vary but in general it’s expected
they add value by being there and answering questions regarding nutrition, pace
or anything else you can think of. The
downside to these groups is in the structure and customization of the work
outs. If the group workouts all take
place on Wednesdays and Sundays and one of those days will never work for your
schedule, then you may not receive the full benefits of the group. If these workouts are supported in some
manner with hydration and nutrition on the workout routes and you have to miss
one or some of the workouts, then there is a benefit that’s been paid for but
not used. Furthermore, if you really
want to focus on getting a PR, your only option to do so is to work within the
group and it’s structure. For example,
many running groups will have pacers running a specific pace for the training
runs, if you’ve done races at an 11 min/mile pace and you want to get faster
you’re only choice within the group is to force yourself to hang with a faster
group. This certainly may work but may not
make the most sense.
Selecting a coach over a group – if you are someone who
needs reassurance or wants to be more confident in a training plan’s ability to
carry you to the finish, a coach may be a better option. With coaching you have an individual that
knows you, knows your goals and creates a specific plan custom to you. There’s ongoing discussion and feedback
between coach and athlete to continue to treat the training plan as a
living/growing GPS navigation. Any
hiccups or detours and the two of you are right on it to continue to give you
peace of mind and confidence you’re on the right track. If you’re an experienced athlete who’s done
races before and wants to focus on knocking out PR’s, a coach will normally
suit you better than a group.
Selecting a coach – a coach isn’t a coach isn’t a coach. .
. As we do with buying new running shoes
we should do with a coach. Try it on,
walk around a bit, get familiar with the nuances and take them for a test spin
before purchasing. If you’re going to
work with a coach, you’re going to have an investment of money so choose
wisely. All coaches will provide a work
out plan/schedule for you and that plan should be unique to you, your abilities
and goals. Coaches will have different
processes to start whether it’s an interview to learn your finish times and
quantity of races or to emphasize an evaluation of your form; gait analysis,
stride, swim stroke and spinning technique- this type of coach helps find ways
to make you more efficient and maximize your efforts. All coaches will most likely have different
systems in place that may operate like part of the group training mentioned
above. Organized and supported training
runs or rides, and group meet ups are common examples. This of course isn’t the case with a coach
that is virtual or remote from afar. The
“virtual” coach is just as accessible as someone in your town, but there is no
face-to-face component and will most likely focus on the plan itself. All
coaches will have certifications of some sort or a great deal of experience,
they will likely differ slightly in how they put it all together typically
based on their background and preferences.
For example some coaches are researching the benefits of high intensity
training as it relates to endurance athletes.
These coaches focus on intense short burst weight lifting as a means to
maximize the body’s ability to prepare for the beating and punishment of
running a marathon. This type of
training may require less overall hours spent, but when there is a workout, the
workouts are intended to have you operating at a vigorous level. Other coaches may balk at the idea that short
burst intense workouts make any sense for endurance athletes as they prefer a
methodology that focuses on maximizing time running and little to no core or
weight room work outs whatsoever.
If you’re considering a coach or group, the best advice I
could give is to ask lots of questions, forget what your friends are doing and
talk with different coaches openly and honestly about your goals, your
situation, how you best train and stay motivated, how they would describe the
athlete that is most likely to flourish with their help, what their core
philosophies are that they put in to their teaching, how they differ from other
coaches and how they are the same. If
you’re taking the time and spending the money to train for an event that you’re
considering hiring someone to help you get there, then do yourself a favor and
don’t stop asking questions or make assumptions, the person you choose to hire
will be a very important piece in your happiness as you prepare for your goal
race.
