Question:Does anybody know where I can find an affordable professional triathlon
coach?
Answer:
I've been using Tri-Hard (www.tri-hard.com) for the past two months and
am quite happy to date. Won't be able to give you details on
improvement until the season starts, but I can say that I'm the
strongest I've ever been at this point in the off-season.
I use a guy in NYC (I live in TX) and he is awesome. Got me ready for a
half IM in 4 months, and this year I am going to do a half and CDA full.
www.hm4fitness.com
He can do programs and training via phone and email. Don't know what
cheap is for you, but for what he did for me, I thought it was totally
worth it.
Here is a USAT certified coach in NJ that I know - checkout
http://ironpete.com/
But I have this theory on coaching for triathlon, so I am going to add
mytwocents..
The only coach you really need to have in person is a swim coach or a
good instructor. This is because most triathletes need to improve
their swimming technique to get faster, rather than spend endless laps
of distance and interval swims. No one can improve a swimming stroke
without good observation and corrective feedback, and then drills to
make the correct movements permanent.
That said, I believe a major factor in people's improvement when they
are under a coach actually comes from the person's personal commitment,
not from the coaching. Seeking the coach simply is a symptom
representative of that personal commitment. What I mean is, by simply
investing in a coach, an athlete all of a sudden trains harder, doesn't
skip workouts, just because their head is saying, "I am paying $25/week
for this coach, so I better do the workouts!" Additionally, just the
fact that an athlete is seeking out a coach says that their focus is
changing - they are mentally and physically ready to dedicate more of
their lives to this sport than they had previously.
I really believe that the available books, magazines and internet
information is a sufficient guide in designing an overall program for
training. As long as you have time to digest it all and sit down and
plan it yourself, and the desire to carry it out. But get yourself a
swimming coach and don't try that over the phone.
Trying to learn from books, do it all yourself etc doesn't work. Been
there - done that.
The best athletes in the world have a network of support ie coach,
physio, massage, family etc.
A coach has experience and can design a program based on sport science.
People pay 6000 for a bike but won't pay $100 for a program? What a
joke!
Swim squads are ok but you usually end up training at the wrong pace.
Coaches can give you drills to do on your own.
