A word about Coaching

I have already indicated this week is a little unusual in that I have some father-son time planned and am away this weekend at the Isle of Wight for an U10 rugby tournament. I have been struggling a bit to get all the biking in before I go away, which has been made even more difficult by the recent poor weather. However, the Coach has certainly considered my family commitments and made every effort to build my plan around them.

I was sent an e-mail this morning from one of my 'London 2 Paris 2011' team mates, who is getting into his cycling big time, asking the following question...

Is getting a personal Coach worth it?

It was a question that I asked myself a few months ago, however I now feel qualified to answer.

In summary I do think it is worth it, especially if you have a goal or future ‘A’ race in mind and want to really get the best out of your training. I did consider a cheaper generic one size fits all plan but when you hire a personal coach, you get someone who can modify your plan when something disrupts your schedule. You also get a sounding board, and someone who knows when to tell you to back off some and when to push yourself.

My first recommendation would be to join a local cycling / triathlon Club because you obtain a lot of great free information and are motivated by simply being around driven like-minded individuals. You might also get lucky (like me) and find the Club Coach also provides tailored-made personal coaching for a limited number of athletes. If you regularly go to Club training, events etc. you get to see your Coach in person quite often. You are also likely to get a slightly better deal on the costs because he/she may even discount the fees for Club members. It would be a good question when selecting a local Club – have they a Coach and does he/she provide personal coaching? If so, you may investigate if they have a website and more importantly testimonials / recommendations from happy clients. Be prepared to pay £40-£80 per month. Also ask if they recommend some initial testing (VO2 Max, lactate threshold, etc.) to establish zones. They should also employ the use of some decent training software for creating your plan, i.e. Training Peaks making it easy for you to keep a record of your progress.

Now at least half way through my training I really am seeing the benefits of a structured program, varied sessions, test sets and regular feedback from my Coach. So much so I am thinking I might even commit to some 'B' and 'C' races later in the year and continue with the coaching beyond July. I think there is a real risk of 'Ironman Blues' and it might be worthwhile to think about the next challenge. Even though I have some family plans and some R&R time scheduled for the summer months it would be a bit of a waste to lose the fitness I have worked so hard to build.

Anyway, more on my future plans later!