Working with a coach

[katyintx]

Y’all sick of me “being back” on h&f again and posting nonstop...? 

Now that I’m actually excited about running and racing again, AND I’m signed up for a June full, I’m thinking of my training plans. I’m also very seriously thinking that I could benefit from a coach...  I think my pace has kind of plateaued AND I’m a bit bored with the training plans I’ve done. So I thought maybe a coach or personalized training plan could be beneficial. 

I guess what I’m looking for here are your experiences or advice. I’m not an elite runner, clearly, so I don’t need anything/anyone fancy. I’m also not looking to break the bank. I guess I would just like to know how you found a coach, if you think it helped you, and any other helpful knowledge about it. 

[melmel48]

Hi,

I don't have a coach, but my friends do. They both really enjoy theirs. They used to have the same person, but one of my friends didn't vibe well with the coach, so she found another. Both of them found their coaches by referrals.

They both speak very highly of having a coach and feel it really helps them. One spends $150 and the other spends $100/month. I can ask them both for more info if you are curious.

[reginaphalange72]

I have worked both with and without a coach, and my experiences with coaches have been both amazing and mediocre, depending on the situation. I've been doing endurance racing since 2009, and most of that time has been self-coached. A few years ago I started working with a local coach who is really well-liked and an excellent person, but I don't think that I was in a good mental space for it yet. I was really struggling with why I was running and racing, and I just never really followed through with her plan or being in regular contact with her. Now, I'm working with a different coach, who I totally adore and it's FANTASTIC. But a large part of that was that I did a lot of soul-searching in the past year and have really sorted out my intentions and motivations.

For finding coaches, there are a number of different things you can do/consider:

* Do you want someone local or are you open to mostly e-coaching?

* What's your price point? Coaching comes in all forms and all price ranges. It really depends on the coach (and their experience level/reputation) and coaching style/form (e.g. are you getting a plan from them and not much else? Or are you getting daily/weekly communication, flexibility in plans, troubleshooting, etc?)

* What style of coaching/personality will you find the most helpful/motivating/pleasant to work with? This is really just like dating, or finding the right therapist for you - not all styles or personalities will mesh well, and sometimes you just have to try things out and see if they work, and move on if they don't.

* What's your time frame for coaching? Do you want to pay monthly or in one big chunk? I've gotten discounts on coaching by pre-paying up front for X months (unfortunately that was the time that I wasn't in a good headspace for it, and it ended up being money wasted, but if you know it's the right fit and you're committed to it, this can save you some money)

I ended up working with my current coach (David Roche) because I spent a LOT of time during all the aforementioned soul-searching watching videos where he was interviewed (like the Ginger Runner Live episodes - this one was the one that made me convinced I needed to work with him because I as I was watching it I was like "THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH!!!  THIS IS ME!!!") and I knew that his (and Megan's) philosophy was exactly what I was feeling in my life and my running. In previous years I had gotten sucked in to racing as validation, and it was disastrous for me physically and emotionally. I was broken from that and I was actively working to change my mindset to running and racing as a way to experience the world and experience joy and beauty, and their whole SWAP idea was the perfect fit with that mental shift that I was already actively working on.  I emailed David in December and asked about coaching, and he replied that they were already completely full, but gave me some suggestions for coaches they had mentored and recommended. But I knew that I was only interested in working with him and Megan. They are local to me, and it turned out that we were all at a race kickoff event that weekend, so we chatted there and I gave the short version of the above and said that I knew they were the right coaches for me and they were the only people I was interested in working with.  So he said to email him again in January and we would work something out.  So New Year's Day I literally rolled over when I woke up and emailed him. By the end of the day we were getting started. A couple weeks in now and it's a completely different vibe than my previous experience with a coach, and I'm loving it.

All that to say, if there's someone you feel is truly the right fit, don't be afraid to stress that to them even if they might be full.  You never know what you might be able to put together.

[reginaphalange72]

@vtcupcake - I didn't know you were coaching now! How did you get into that? What are you coaching?

[foundmylazybum]

I'm a coach, and have been coached and not coached. Im also a mental performance consultant.

The benefits to having a coach is 100% outside perspective and feedback in multiple areas and avenues of your training and goal pursuit. You are the one doing the action so you cant and wont always be able to evaluate yourself accurately.


Bc coaching is really about the feedback loop, its important then to figure out what type of feedback you are really looking for and if you trust and believe the coach you choose.

A bad experience I had, I really never believed my coaches race plans, so I never did them fully! Thus his/my half cocked plans consistently failed lol. I blamed "his plans," but upon reflection I realized I was never doing the plan bc I didnt trust it!

We ended our relationship and now, that's something I look for in a coach: do I trust you enough to DO YOUR PLAN ON RACE DAY.

So, if you are thinking of using a coach, I'd personally look for concrete outcomes where you need help and feedback and look for a person who 1. Will possibly challenge your own beliefs but not so much you wont do the process (all my coaches try to get me to slow down on easy runs! It's so hard, but I NEED the coach with the opposing view of mine)

2. That provides feedback in a way you understand and can work with

3. Believes in you

4. Has training! Right now there are a LOT of "coaches" out there who are "coaches" bc of name, or experience in running. They are or were athletes themselves. There isnt a lot of governance, training or requirements to become a coach and there are BAD coaches out there who look good bc of name and marketing.

I'd personally advise people to beware of many of these people.

Being a good runner =/= any skill or ability in the multiple facets of coaching, including physiology, perodization, adaptation, injury prevention and management and the mental side of sport.

Look at their educational background as well as their athletic background
Does it make you feel comfortable if a coach has a BA in communication and no education in kinesiology or physiology?

If you look closely into their running background were they good but chronically injured? How did they handle it and honestly what role did THEY play in that? Will that play into their beliefs about running? How are their other athletes doing? (A team near me came out strong and now a lot of people are leaving or seriously injured)

[katyintx]

Jan 20, 2020 10:00:42 GMT -5 melmel48 said:

Hi,

I don't have a coach, but my friends do. They both really enjoy theirs. They used to have the same person, but one of my friends didn't vibe well with the coach, so she found another. Both of them found their coaches by referrals.

They both speak very highly of having a coach and feel it really helps them. One spends $150 and the other spends $100/month. I can ask them both for more info if you are curious.

Are they local coaches, or someone they work with online?  

[reginaphalange72]

Jan 20, 2020 13:51:21 GMT -5 @vtcupcake said:

Jan 20, 2020 11:47:36 GMT -5 reginaphalange72 said:

@vtcupcake - I didn't know you were coaching now! How did you get into that? What are you coaching?

Yep! Coaching triathlon, cycling, track, and doing personal training. Took a big life swing and jump out of my comfort zone last year.

That's awesome!  So jealous.  I seriously considered doing that for a WHILE.  How are you liking it??

[melmel48]

Jan 20, 2020 13:28:55 GMT -5 katyintx said:

Jan 20, 2020 10:00:42 GMT -5 melmel48 said:

Hi,

I don't have a coach, but my friends do. They both really enjoy theirs. They used to have the same person, but one of my friends didn't vibe well with the coach, so she found another. Both of them found their coaches by referrals.

They both speak very highly of having a coach and feel it really helps them. One spends $150 and the other spends $100/month. I can ask them both for more info if you are curious.

Are they local coaches, or someone they work with online?  

I think online because one of them mentioned uploading her runs to her coach.