My training partner and I are thinking of getting a coach for remainder of year and for targeted IM races next year.
What can we expect to pay and what type of coaching/follow up daily/weekly is recommended?
Can coaching be effective via online - ie reviewing workout stats and feedback from us or better in person?
I just did my first IM, second half of the training was with a coach. I was 4 months out and had to have surgery. I was doing fine with an online plan, but I didn’t know how to have 2-3 weeks totally down and build up to being back on plan.
I think I ended up with as good an IM, if not better than I would with plan alone, even with the down time.
I’m doing my first IM in November 2012 and will start with a personal coach this November or December. He coaches only IM and HIM distance athletes and only takes on a max of 25 athletes. He has a very hands on philosophy and is very active with his athletes (lots of group workouts, rides, runs, swims, drinks). He is $200 a month and for a newbie I would rather pay for someone to coach me through it than find an online plan and try to stick with it. But that’s just me. Good luck!
There are as many plans and methods as there are coaches. Many have a tiered system of packages you can select from depending on the level of feedback and communication you are looking for. The lighter communication and feedback packages usually start about $100 and the sky is the limit for what you can expect to pay for lots of hand holding, testing, group training, video analysis and feedback. Lots of folks will offer a basic plan and then an a-la-carte menu of add on services you can add at will when you want them (like nutrition analysis, testing, video analysis etc…) Data analysis can take time if the coach is not good at it. If you are sending power files for review and feedback every two days, you can expect to pay more for sure.
The most popular package I have for athletes is $125/month and it includes a meeting in person or via skype every two weeks, workout feedback at least every couple of days (via training peaks using analysis via WKO+ or via email) I usually load calendars in two to four week blocks into training peaks but every athlete is unique. If your coach is working in your best interest, they will schedule your workouts around your work travel schedule or injury rehab, not just regergitate workouts an tell you to HTFU and do them.
You will get out of it what you put into it. If an athlete never enters their post workout comments, never emails or calls me with issues, I am not a mind reader and can’t help them.
Personal referrals are best when selecting a coach. Coaching philosophy is also importsant to ask about. Some only take IM athletes, some will take all comers. Some will only take you on if you own a power meter and a GPS. There are coaches who are unyielding advocates of LSD work all the time while others embrace interval style training. Some like to run athletes 5-6 times a week, incorporating a lot of brick workouts while others will not. There are coaches who stack big workouts on weekends back to back while others will not want to do that and prefer to have a long day mid-week. They should be super flexible with you. If not, run for the door. Be ready with lots of questions when interviewing them. If you go into it prepared, they will know you are serious and you will end the conversation with a confidence that you are on the same page or on different planets.
I got all of my clients through referrals. If you find a coach you think you would like to work with, see if they will sign a one cycle contract with you (4 weeks) and give it a test run. Some will do it, others will not. Either way, expect an up front fee for taking you on. I charge folks a $200 athlete intake fee that includes a two hour sit-down meeting to gather athletic/medical history, review goals and expectations and a preliminary nutrition and equipment survey. All packages $125 and up include an initial Bike LT Test and a VDot run test in the package. The intake fee also serves to weed out the wishy washy folks that want free services. That time in the beginning is very important and a coach should be paid for it.
Coaching online can be effective if you have regular communication with the coach.
Monthly rates vary from about $100 for a plan that is not changed very often (not really coaching) to $500, or more, for regular contact.
I would not pay for a fixed length training plan that does not allow for changes. You can get that info from a book or online for free.