When you decide you want to do something new or do something better, it often pays to consult with someone who specializes. If your kitchen sink is leaking, you call a plumber, unless you happen to be a competent do-it-yourself person. The same goes for triathlon. A competent coach has done some studying, keeps up to date on the latest knowledge-base and has the experience of seeing athletes and their responses to various training regimens and loads.

I know of several coaches who all meet the preceding criteria. So how do you choose YOUR coach?
1. Make sure you get along and communicate well with each other. Without that, the relationship will never work.
2. Ask about their training philosophy and methods. You don’t need every detail, but you need to know that your coach’s goals are in keeping with yours.
3. Ask other athletes who have been coached by that person to help get a feel for what the experience is like working with that coach.

Once you have a coach, believe in the plan they provide. Having said that, it is perfectly fine to ask questions so that you understand why you are doing certain things within your training plan. In fact, there are times when it is particularly important to know why you are doing a certain workout so that you focus on the correct things during that workout. With any concerns out of the way, you can trust that your coach’s plan will take you where you need to be. You can focus on doing without worrying about scheduling, whether you are doing the correct distance, duration, intensity, etc.

It is much easier to focus on the task of completing workouts if you don’t have to think too much about the planning and scheduling, especially if you are not the aforementioned do-it-yourself person.

A final caution, once you have chosen a coach (even if that coach is you):
Beware of the voices.

There are several different ways to achieve the same goal. As long as you choose one way and stick with it, you will be fine. The problem comes when you start getting advice from many different sources. This applies to all athletes, but especially those new to the sport. There are articles in magazines, articles on websites, blog posts, training forums and other people you know who are doing different things than you or have different training zones leading up to the same race. Things get muddy very quickly if you listen to all that (sometimes conflicting) advice. I often use the analogy of being in one area of a city and asking directions to another area. Ask five people and you will get five different routes. They will all get you there, but you want to choose one and follow start to finish. If you pick various parts of the five different sets of directions, you will more than likely get lost. The same goes for training for triathlon. Once you and your coach have a plan, stick to it. It is much easier to believe in one well conceived plan than to try to follow every piece of advice you hear, unless that advice fits in with your plan.

When you find the right coach and are able to focus on the task of training, it frees you to pursue new limits.