Brian Grasky (seebritri) of Grasky Endurance helped me finish my first IM in 9:57. My plan was very specific to me. It was well balanced, easy to follow, progressed nicely from the build to peak phase, and most importantly, it was fun and successful. I highly recommend Brian Grasky to write you a plan.
I used a local coach last year though I use the term “local” a bit loosely as most of this group’s membership is out in the 'burbs. They might as well be in a different city. I’m investing my “coaching” money in weekly swim lessons which as we all know isn’t cheap. I get a lot of return on that investment.
I’m sure that I could get a great coach for a few hundred bucks each month if I looked hard enough but I want to see what kind of results I can achieve on my own with a little professional guidance in the form of a training plan. My first big race this year is Florida 70.3 though my goal is just to finish the distance without walking too much of the run. Augusta 70.3 is my “A” race next year and I might get a coach in preparation for that race depending on how Florida 70.3 goes.
Exactly. I wish I could afford you for the coaching. I’ve heard nothing but good things about your coaching. PM me if you do anything like what I need. Thanks.
that was funny! but i dont think it works that way… you might have to put on your** best application** and contact the coach hoping to be pick and not the other way around. But i m sure some buisness man might email you offering there service and to get another client onboard!
I would be more than happy to share some ideas with. If you would like to pm me. Greg
give richard nixon a call…
I think Iron Guides would have been similarly problematic since off the shelf plans will all suffer from this limitation.
The limitation being that it’s not coaching.
Hi friendly friends,
Greetings from beautiful Lagos, Portugal.
I just want to clarify that there is a big distinction as Paulo notes between coaching and training plans.
At ironguides, we offer both Custom Training Programs that come with coaching advice, at a price that depends on the level of email support you want from your coach, paid monthly, and “canned” or “pre-built” Training Plans that come with no coaching advice.
We do this to offer different price plans for the same or similar information. We view “Coaching Programs” as completely separate from “Training Plans.”
The Training Plans we sell are built to target a specific event anywhere from sprint to IM distance. These are NOT coaching – they are our best effort to put together a training plan that WORKS, built on the principles around which we structure our training:
No gadgets neededTraining structured to achieve a balance between what we categorize as “anabolic” or “catabolic” effect on the body – the effect is better recovery, faster improvement and less of a “hole” at the end of your training as race day approaches
Focus on power and speed and reduced volume from what most consider necessary to improve (especially at Ironman)
Gradual build-up and shorter taper than what many consider "normal"Guidelines to help with adding other races or volume, dealing with stress in daily life and pre-race, nutrition info’ and some core stability workouts to add in (optional)The Training Plans are a way of providing training by the same structure and principles without having to pay for coaching – ie. “just the plan” is what you get, along with support and access to our free forum to ask your questions, if any.
The Training Plans are offered for Beginner and Intermediate only because we don’t sell “Expert” or “Advanced” plans because i) they aren’t necessary; and ii) if you really want to improve at the “advanced” end of the game, it implies you have been at it for quite some time and have “tried everything”, or have reached an ability at the sharp end of the game – both situations where improvements are going to come from very specific changes to your training, and where personal coaching is probably advised.
The Plans are tailored to AG individuals, but have been used by a number of Professionals with great success. Chris Dmitrieff bought one and used it to go 8:28 at IM Western Australia (13min off his PB, after a few years of going backwards since setting it, following high volume, “standard” training…). A top-three men’s professional finisher at Kona bought a plan and is incorporating the ideas from it in his training now – look out for his results in Kona. (We’ll not keep it a secret if he goes well, let me put it that way.) 
Mostly though the Training Plans are structured to help people avoid the trap of over-distance training. There is no “secret” or “magic” behind the Plans, but they definitely do work without anyone needing our guidance except for the odd question at our forum. To be honest, the main reason they work is because they are DIFFERENT to what is being offered out there. If you always train in one way, whether that is by zone, by power, over-distance, long and slow, etc. – you will, if you are not careful/imaginative/fully energized and aware, over time – build a “rut” in your training. I know there is no one else providing training structure lke us, and that is why the plans work:
Emphasis on repetitionTrains your mental focusCarefully structured to balance training across what we call the Five Systems – one or more systems work while the others rest…in this way all your sessions are “hard” without ever depleting yourself…day to day recovery is no problem in other words, making longterm consistency possible, without digging the deep holes of over-distance training.
Structured from a perspective that has nothing to do with aerobic intensity, but focuses instead on developing motor skills, speed, and strengthUsing built-in “insurance” sessions to ensure you don’t go too hard on the days that intense aerobic effort is required of youThat’s it in a nutshell. The Training Plans work, we built them to offer an alternative to more expensive custom plans and coaching, we have absolute faith in them, they are not some “standard” mix of traditional bullshit, careful thought went into preparing them, and you don’t need a coach to improve using them if you are willing to follow their structure and outline consistently.
Enjoy your training!
I recommend Mark Kleanthous www.ironmate.co.uk he has a new website with custom coaching plans www.ironman-triathlon-training-programs.com he sorted me out last year for my first Ironman and is the best.
I 100% agree with the seeing the athlete on the deck is real coaching, sometimes athletes don’t even know how they are feeling, but you can see it in how they move or how they talk.
Here’s my $0.02:
Coaching can involve standing on the deck and yelling or standing at the track with a stopwatch. It can also involve someone who really knows what they are doing looking in depth at power and HR files online and asking the tough questions to get inside an athlete’s brain to really figure out what’s going on. The second means time must be spent on the phone and through email. You don’t have to physically be there to “coach” just as much as simply being there doesn’t mean you’re “coaching.” I know plenty of people who yell from the deck and they are far from doing anything remotely related to coaching.
Training plans are very appropriate for athletes who need a little direction and accountability. They are not appropriate for those who need full coaching. When I write training plans I make sure I write specifically for that athlete and not take a stock plan off the shelf, increase the price and call it a custom plan. Video analysis or 1-on-1 work is offered with all custom plans. This is what sets a custom plan apart from a stock off-the-shelf plan. I’ve had a newbie go sub-10 on a custom plan, and no one has not-PR’d on one.
That’s not to say stock plans aren’t viable either. For some, they are. The first timer is a good candidate for a stock plan. This gives just a bit of structure so that a newbie can determine if the sport is for them, or allows a group to train together.
“Coaching” is another form of instruction. Do you need instruction on form (then, yes, you need someone on the deck) or in structuring your season (then you need a plan) or in preventing injury and maximizing results (then you need full coaching).
The biggest thing is to decide what you’re looking for, what you’re budgeted for, whether they match, and then seek out someone who has the coaching philosophy that fits your sport philosophy. You’re doing right by getting the opinions of the coach’s athletes.
I know there is no one else providing training structure lke us, and that is why the plans work:
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Are you really sure about this or are you pulling a Phelps on us?
I know there is no one else providing training structure lke us, and that is why the plans work.
Are you really sure about this or are you pulling a Phelps on us?
Oh, I’d say I’m really sure, Brian.