For people who need the human interaction, if you want to turn a hobby into a job and gradually lose enjoyment in it, keep the coach and do everything alone.

Some people thrive on it, and good for them. There may even be room for both, but as soon as you sway, you aren't following "the plan". So it begs the question, why pay for "the plan"?

The way I look at it is this.. when all is said and done, 5 years from now, 10 years whatever, will you regret skipping the impromptu coffee ride with buddies, or will you regret skipping the "training planned" 3 hour brick? It doesn't matter. Life matters.

Figure out what rides / runs / swims you want to do with the training group(s). Do those and tell your coach that's what you're doing. If it's truly a personalized plan, your coach should be able to accommodate and work those events into your plan, especially once they get a feel for what those look like as far as duration and intensity goes.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

A good coached training group, especially if he is your personal coach will hardly ever have the group only doing X workout. I coach a group of 3-7 athletes who in a week have ability to do various group workouts, and hardly ever are any of them doing the same sets. But what the group dynamic allows is for commradderie and knowing the next guy is out there working hard too. That's a pretty rewarding experience, but if your this triathlete who only wants to train alone or in his pain cave alone because of whatever reason, then the group training will be pointless for you. So you have to ask yourself what you want out of it, that will help cue you in on which direction to take.

Now if your doing an online coach and working within another group, etc,. that will be more challenging because the goals/dynamics likely wont mesh well. Unless you know specifics and it sorta stays the same then it'll work out.

I coach master's as well, and I have athletes who have their own coaches. I tell them monday's will always be form focused day, Thursdays will be a "hard set". It helps their coach help plan and/or figure out if my class works for them.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

exactly this. I have an online coach and this is part of the reason I have one. managing my training for my A/B races while working in other events/workouts I want to do along the way while still reaching my set goals. I just communicate with her stuff I want to do outside of the training plan and she accommodates that. Obviously, if I say I'm doing a 100 mile gravel ride a week before an Ironman I've been training for she tell me it's a really bad idea but she wouldn't stop me.