Should I get a coach?
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UFTriGator posted 34 weeks ago.
I say get a coach. Everybody I know who has gotten a coach has dropped tons of time in their races. And you're definitely right about learning from the coach as well....he'll probable have you doing drills that you've never heard of and putting together workouts that you've never thought of.
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-Matt
Not fast enough.
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mdd posted 34 weeks ago.
It all depends on what your goals are. If you want to become a triathlon coach then you need to get certified and begin that process. It will take you awhile to reach all of the different levels of USAT certification plus you should look into certifications/training outside of USAT. If you want to be a coach you need professional training.
If you want to be an elite triathlete and are willing to dedicate the time and money to it then you need to get a coach. Like Matt said, you will improve with a coach (assuming they are good) and you put in the time. However a good coach can be expensive and there are no shortcuts to success so be prepared to spend a large amount of time and energy training.
First determine your goals...then find the path that will take you there!
Best of luck and keep us updated!
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fitnessman03 posted 34 weeks ago.
I already spend a large amount of time and energy training. It may not be the most efficient plan but I train alot. If a coach can lead me in the right direction, then I can see myself becoming taking my performance to the next level.
When I read through triathlon coaches bio's, I see that the very good ones have had great success as an athlete before they became a coach. To me, if you can show that you performed at an elite level and competed and won many triathlons and then decided to start coaching, that gives you more credibility. That is why I would want to go the route of training with a coach first, then get certified later in my career. I already train people, just in a strength and conditioning atmosphere, which is great. But, I feel with some knowledge from a great coach, I can learn so much and I can build my resume so when people ask me what I have done, I can have a long list of accomplishments. For me, deciding on a coach depends on their career and what they have done. What level did they get to? They had better be a damn good triathlete in order for me to pay them to help me out, ya know!? I don't want just some person who got certified with not much training experience. I want someone who knows their SHI*!
By the way the coach I am looking into is Melissa Mantak. Anyone heard of her? She seems like a great coach.
Justin Levine
www.justintrain.com
"Be excited to live and enjoy every day to the fullest!"
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kylie posted 34 weeks ago.
First off, I don't think that performance is the only measure of a good coach. You can definitely know your stuff and teach it really well, but just not have the same pure talent. I think the best measure of how good a coach is will be very personal: It has to be someone you can easily communicate with, that you respect, that you want to make proud of you, and that will help you bring out your best. But a good measure to use to get an idea of a coach is to look at their athletes and the improvements they have made under that coach.
That said, I think having a coach is great. It helps to have someone says "don't be a lazyass" or "don't push it to injury" when I want a day off, judging which reason I want one. It's great to have some one else to be accountable to. It's great also to know that each workout has a purpose: time can be limited and a great coach will make the most of the time you have. I do use one (actually a couple) and find their input and aid irreplaceable :)
Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
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tantric.triathlete posted 34 weeks ago.
Let me share with you my personal experience. Me and a friend both decided to sign up for IMFL 2007 a year ago. In Feb of 2007 we decided to get serious about training for the race (since we had already signed up). He took the approach of buy a new bike, new set of Zipp wheels and all of the latest and best gear. I took the opposite approach and hired Lee Zohlman (USAT Level 3) of Bodyzen.com to coach me. I did this even though I really wanted to replace the road bike that I was still using. Lee not only set a plan but kept me to it and when life changed (my wife delivered our first child 2 months into the training) he adjust the plan. He also helped with nutrition advice and mental preparation for the race. In the training for IMFL he recommended that I do a half IM about 8 weeks before my IM. The training worked and I set a new PR for the half IM distance by 50 minutes (5:58:00 to 5:08:00). You read that right, nearly an hour, and this was done on a harder course than my existing PR. The night before IMFL he gave me my final lecture on doing my first IM and some of the words from that night truly stuck with me through the whole race and I actually think that they made it such a good day. So to bring this story full circle I ended up finishing IMFL 2007 in 10:50:27 and my friend that bought the new bike finished almost 4 hours to the minute behind me.
GET A COACH!!! You won't regret it, he is now training me for Vineman 70.3 2008 and IM Louisville 2008.
So here is the deal....
I have been seriously thinking about getting a coach to structure my training plan. I know I do pretty good with self coaching and it is my goal in the next year to get Level 1 certified through USAT. But I was figuring, if I get a coach that knows a ton more than me and has 25 years of experience, that would be the best education I could ever pay for. I know I will learn so much about coaching and structuring programs by going through with this. Plus, it will help my credentials by getting my performance better and maybe win a few of these things, who knows?!
Again, I am not bad at setting up my own and other programs, not yet certified though. Do I spend the money and get certified or do I wait, spend the money to get a good coach (one of Friel's coach's) and then in the future get certified? I do want to become a triathlon coach once I get more experience underneath my name.
Any thoughts.....?
Justin Levine
www.justintrain.com
"Be excited to live and enjoy every day to the fullest!"