Welcome! I noticed you didn't mention swimming. I have been swimming for 25 years now, competitively for the most part of it. If you would like assistance or guidance with the swim discipline please let me know, I would be happy to help. I recently got into the "coaching" aspect of swimming and have helped several people here and have worked with one personnaly. I am sure he will be reading this thread soon or a later, so maybe he will vouch for me here....ltubound, any comments?

-Anthony

I'm sure you're finding that there are a ton of options out there for coaching with a range of prices and services. Some of the cheaper options primarily feed you a "cookie cutter" plan based on some basic background information. It might also include a monthly phone call and/or some email contact but this isn't coaching in my personal opinion. There are plenty of training plans available online for cheap/free and if all you want is a plan to follow then I wouldn't bother with a coach. On the other hand, if you want someone to help you make the most of limited training time, provide support and encouragement, maybe even some education about how and why your training program is structured a certain way then a coach might be the right path for you to take. Do yourself a favor and make a short list of the reasons why you are interested in coaching and what you hope to get out of the relationship. That should help you evaluate the various options out there. Once you have a few potential coaches identified get in touch with them to discuss what you are looking for. If a coach isn't willing to set up a short phone call to talk things over then I'd cross that one off the list. IMHO, communication is one of the most important aspects of a coaching relationship. Find someone willing to take the time to listen and find out what your specific needs are and someone that can tailor their services to you personally. I've worked with athletes both locally and long distance. There really aren't a lot of drawbacks to not having your coach local unless you want a lot of form/technique evaluation and/or are looking for a training partner. It's nice to sit down face to face on occasion but if that's not possible I wouldn't necessarily let it discourage you from working with a coach. One final note on selecting a coach - A good coach = happy, satisfied clients. It's great if your coach is a good athlete with impressive results but that definitely should not be the most important factor in your decision. You are paying for their knowledge, experience, education, and time management skills above all. In addition, you want to develop a relationship with your coach so it's important to connect on a personal level as well. You don't need to be best buddies but without a certain comfort level that open communication (both ways) won't happen and you won't get as much out of the experience as you should. Ask for references from past or current clients and see what they have to say about their experience. Find happy clients and you're on the right track. If you are interested in my coaching services let me know and I'll give you my email and web site to check out.

Joel