If you are on a tri team

[gumi]

did you have to sign a contract?

I am on a team but very loosely.  I really like the people.
The coach's girlfriend is one of my favorite people to run with.

Anyway, he wants to coach me full time and I am open to the idea but he also wants me to sign a contract.  Is this normal?  Basically, I cannot opt out of his services without 30-days notice and I have to log my workouts by 5pm or I cannot get the next workout.

I understand committing until my race (Sept) but I dont even sign up for races until the last minute because with my kids, I just dont feel like that I can commit to anything.  I am horrible about logging workouts.  And I am horrible about following a schedule.

I looked at this week and these workouts are DETAILED.  And I already dont want to do half of them.

Is this how it is with most teams?

I almost feel like if I dont proceed, it will cause tension between him and his girlfriend, which will put stress on our relationship 

[joenali]

Yes. Actually I did have to sign a contract. Basically it said, you have to wear the kits (at least the top) at races, volunteer at a couple of races, be a good sportsman and represent the team and bike shop well. Essentially, we represent the cycling shop by advertising for them. We have 2 coached workouts a week, one or two captain led workouts (I'm a team captain and I get the workout, put out the emails for the workout, and tell people what the workout is, I don't coach). Other coaching services, like personal coaching requires an additional monthly payment but is not mandatory. I didn't mind signing the contract.
ETA: I don't think personal coaching requires a contract. There is however, a pay scale. Like $100 month gets you a months worth of workouts, weekly emails and some texting and perhaps a modifying of a workout schedule. $200 might get you a more personalized service, like nutritional guidance etc.

[trigal]

Don't feel pressured! You don't need a coach to do triathlons! This is the first year I've had a coach and I started doing tris in 2002. There are many free plans and good books out there that you can use to organize your own training schedule.

That said, I am not on a team, but I do have a coach. It's nice to not have to think about what I should be doing. But I think my years of self-coaching help me understand what my coach is doing and why he is doing it.

[joenali]

I don't have a coach through my tri team. My cousin is coaching/mentoring me.

[joenali]

Or, if you do decide to get a coach, find one that can work with you and your schedule. One of the coaches on our team is awesome. She has a kid, full time job, and still coaches and is also training for Norseman. She breast fed her baby in the midst of a super triathlon (slightly longer than an Ironman). Someone like her would know exactly what it's like for a mom who is training for something. It sounds like this guy doesn't really understand families.

[gumi]

He doesn't have kids so he does not understand. But I think will tell him my
concerns at track tomorrow. He is a very serious coach, it's an elite squad, but I just don't feel like I can promise anything. When it starts getting too serious, it stops being fun for me. I was willing to try it, but if I sign that contract, I can't turn back. There is no yoga on that schedule. Or masters swim. Or leisurely runs with friends. Or trail running without watch.

I guess having fun is more important tho me than being good. I hope he understands. My kids and work stress me out enough....I can't be stressing over my hobby too. I need my hobby too be my escape from stress! Plus its 117 degrees here, with monsoons/humidity, a bunch of hard workouts sound horrible. I don't like how I have to report back. I need freedom to slack.

I feel like tomorrow I have to have the "let's just be friends" conversation. With the whole, "it's not you, It's me..I have commitment issues."

[joenali]

My dad always asks and has always asked me if I have fun. Fun is the most important part. If it stops being fun then you quit something you once enjoyed.

Is there an opportunity for a trial period? To see if it's a good match?

[katandkevin]

I didn't have to sign a contract with my tri team. I did with my coach and training plan though. I wouldn't be able to deal with the logging workouts by 5 pm thing. I need to look at my entire week of workouts to move it around to fit my schedule and I generally only log my workouts once a week. It sounds too intense to be fun.

[kams]

No contract for my team. I blv there is a contract for coaching, though.

[gumi]

So I delayed signing the contract - although he said every week is modifiable to fit that week's circumstances. At track, there was a dust storm and I choked on dust...between that and the wind, it was a horrible workout. I am not logging it  (devil)  I am also supposed to do a swim assessment test today but my throat and chest hurt from the dust, and I dont feel good in general so I am going to yoga instead  (devil).  I texted my friend/his girlfriend to tell him this, lol.  Day 1 and I broke like 5 rules!

I really do like  the idea of a coach, and having someone do all the brain work (make sure I don't over-train, under-train, incorporate periodization).  This particular person has post graduate education and uses a lot of science, which is something that I cannot do on my own.  I just don't the part about HAVING to do stuff.  My basic instinct is always to do the opposite of what people tell me to do.  I think I might be a coach's nightmare.

[shorewife]

It sounds to me like he may just not be the right fit for you. I don't think I would like that style of coaching either.

[katinthehat]

I'm going to disagree just a tiny bit and give advice back to yourself you've given to others. If you want to get better, sometimes you have to go outside the boundaries of what you're comfortable with. If someone wants to get faster but doesn't want to put in speed work, they probably aren't going to get faster. So yeah, you might night want to log your workouts by 5 p.m. and you might not want to do what he says for that day, but until you at least try it, you won't know if it's going to help you or not. I know tris are just fun for you, but you are competitive and you do like to see improvements and I think it wouldn't hurt to give this guy a shot.