Originally Posted by
mattm
No. Well, maybe. It depends. =] But it's not about the money.
What I definitely wouldn't want is someone to say "these are the rides you'll do for the next few weeks/months" - I need more flexibility than that. So I don't want to pay someone to tell me how to train, then possibly not do it - it's a waste of their time and of my money.
If racing was my job, of course things would be way different!
'here's your plan for the next few months' is one type of coaching. in my opinion, that is impersonal coaching…and poor coaching at best. even if a coach does supply a long-term plan, it would be just that: a plan.
if an athlete cannot (or is not allowed to) communicate with a coach and if a coach cannot communicate with the athlete, the relationship is worth little. people get sick, have days when they can do more, days when they can do less, y'know…life gets in the way. plans -- good ones -- account for this and can be changed.
an analogy: do you enter your races with a plan? i do, but we all know that our plans need to be modified as the race unfolds. i've heard it said best that race plans are like war plans -- they both go out the window when the first shot is fired.
perhaps some bring a pre-conceived notion about coaching and inflexible plans to the table. i guess i have a preconceived notion about training, too, but perhaps mine is more broad and more about relationships vs. a plan. i'd characterize the latter as impersonal coaching -- and definitely not
great coaching.
i know some 'coaches' who have 50+ athletes. they do not spend every waking hour coaching…they basically offer canned plans that do not change. IMO, this is a bad thing.
i'll ask again, if a
great coach offered you their services for free, would you do it?