Why hire a triathlon coach?

Rather than tell you why you should hire me as a coach (…maybe you shouldn’t!), I’ll share why I hired a triathlon coach for myself.

In 2006, I fell short of my sub-nine hour goal at the Quelle Challenge in Roth, Germany. In spite of a renewed focus on training and more time for training, I did not achieve the breakthrough race that I hoped to achieve. I also realized that I had been racing at a performance plateau for several years. My own efforts to improve my performance were not successful so I needed a change in perspective and training routine. After meeting him in Germany, I hired top Germany professional triathlete and coach Olaf Sabastchus.

Photo: Interviewing Coach Olaf Sabastchus at the Quelle Challenge in 2006

There were three main criteria that looked for in my coach. I suggest that these criteria are perhaps universal to any successful client - coaching relationship: (1) Trust, (2) Specificity and (3) Objectivity.

(1) Trust

I am an experienced and successful Ironman-distance triathlete having had raced more than 20 races in the ten years before I met Olaf. In hiring him as my coach, I had to be prepared to “throw away” my own biases and experiences to follow what he prescribed. Essentially, I had to take a “leap of faith.” My trust in Olaf as a coach is based on his own results, his reputation and my interview of him in Roth last year. If I can’t trust my coach or second-guess what he is telling me, then why bother with a coach?

(2) Specificity

I went to Olaf with a clear goal: I wanted a training plan that would help get me to his level of performance in Ironman-distance triathlons. I had been consistently hitting 9:15 - 9:45 hour races the past few years with one 8:57 back in 2002. I wanted a coach who had “walked the walk” with consistently fast times at the Ironman-distance - Olaf’s PR is 8:07 at Ironman Austria. Plus, I wanted a coach to whom I could ask questions about pacing, nutrition, etc based on his own experiences versus something that he read in a book. The workouts that Olaf gives me are specifically designed to enable me to achieve my Ironman-distance race goals.

(3) Objectivity

As a triathlon coach myself, I can easily look at what one of my client’s is doing and say “Do more of this” or “You’re doing too much of that,” etc., but I find it difficult to objectively look at my self. I tend to rationalize what I “should be doing” to what I “feel like doing.” Although the rationalization does not necessarily bring poor results, I was not improving so I would argue that rationalization does not bring optimal results. My coach also serves as a “sounding board” for my training, my issues and any questions that I have.

Photo: Me and Coach Olaf Sabastchus at the Quelle Challenge in 2007

Other Factors

Those three factors served as the foundation for what I needed in a coach. There are some other factors that I considered as a well:

• Level of interaction and type of interaction: How much interaction did I expect from my coach? Do I prefer to communicate by email, phone or in person? Am I or the coach expected to initiate communication?

• Experience – athlete, coach: Has the coach worked with athletes with similar goals and experiences to my own? Does the coach of the knowledge and resources to provide me with the information that I need?

• Personality match: Is the coach someone I can talk to easily and understands my motivations, communication style, etc?

• Philosophy: Does the coach prescribe to a training philosophy that I believe in?

Truthfully, coaching is not for everyone nor is every coach right for every person. As the athlete, I still have to do the workouts consistently (key word: me) and I’m the one who is actually racing, not the coach. The goal of the coach, therefore, should be to help me get myself to where I want to be with the understanding that I am ultimately responsible for my performance.

The final question that I asked myself before I hired my coach was: “How much is it worth to me to finish an Ironman in 8:29?” For me the answer is “priceless.”

David

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David B. Glover
Experiential Writer, Elite Athlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net

©2007 David B. Glover