From a thread three weeks ago asked by Wrymouth:
Re: How do you choose a coach? Questions to ask. [WryMouth] [In reply to] Edit | Delete | Quote | Reply
Things I would think about (and did):
Figure out what your goals are in the sport. I.e. improve in technique, improve in time, improve in finishing place, something else altogether?
Figure out what you want to put into the sport, do you want to maintain your current level of involvement, or do you want to bet the farm and do whatever it takes to reach your goal. You might also look at this as a quantity (volume) vs quality issue. Or, are you willing to try something completely different? How firm are you on doing something you are familiar with versus something quite different?
How much do you want to spend?
How much support do you want from your coach? How much support do you think you need from your coach?
How strict of a coach are you willing to deal with? How strict of a coach do you need to make sure you stay motivated to do the workouts?
There are probably a few more things you should be asking yourself.
Now, you need to evaluate your coaches' philosophy in all of these areas. Check the websites, shoot them an email, give a call on the phone. Ask about their accessibility. Ask about their flexibility (an issue for me at least). If they are interested, they should ask you for your athletic background, your goals, and your resources (time and energy) available for training. With that info in hand, ask them what they think they can do for you.
That would be my approach.
All things considered, I have been extremely happy with my coach. Mostly this is due to the fact that we have similar philosophies. I can almost predict, and some cases I actually do, the tenor of workouts for the coming week. This gives me alot of confidence in what I am doing as well as when race time comes around. It is a great feeling.
Lastly, if I were you, I would put Mike Plumb on your list to evaluate. And while I can't speak from any direct personal experience, Desert Dude and Paulo, both of whom post here regularly, seem to know their stuff really well also.
Good hunting.
Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
New Comments: I would do a Search Posts for the last two years on the Triathlon Forum. You will easily come up with a good half dozen threads regarding selecting a coach and recommended coaches. Half of the individual posts will not have real detailed information, which unfortunately somewhat simplifies the comments down to a popularity contest. But, the votes are still valuable as they indicate positive responses. Even in my case, I have experience with only one coach, thus I really can't provide any comparison data.
My perspective though, after two years of reading and following the coaching threads on Slowtwitch is that just about any recommended coach on Slowtwitch will result in improvement. I.e., it is hard to go wrong picking a ST recommended coach. And, somewhat to my chagrin, I now agree that a coach is very helpful and is a valuable resource to the serious triathlete. You may find ancient threads where I once pooh-poohed the idea of a coach.
In my mind, there are five to six most likely reasons for coaching induced improvement. These range from "low end effects" such as simple self inflicted pressure to complete the coach assigned workouts, and a placebo effect generated by paying someone money for telling you to swim, bike or run. The high end effects are related to the value of coaches who know how to get people to improve based on real knowledge, experience and objectivity. I think most novices starting with a coach benefit from all the factors, while more experienced, and elite type athletes require a lot more of the latter to show improvement. Of course, the latter can result in some real high monthly expenses!
All that said, I still think the most critical thing is to find a coach one is compatible with in philosophy and goals. Trust in the coach and assignments is crucial (especially for the "low end factors" mentioned above).
Now, back to the popularity contest, I still vote for Mike Plumb.
;-)
Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)