I think personality is more important than that. Whatever their background you need someone you gel with.
If you can find a coach you get along well with and you like their training philosophy, you can afford, then you’re good…AND also a triathlon star then you’re laughing.
define training philosophy
How about I illustrate it with an example? If I was talking with a coach and they said they based all their stuff on MAF or the lifestyles of a lost running tribe, I would say “no thank you” because that doesnt do it for me. I wouldnt take advice from someone whose philosophy is something I have already rejected.
they are training principles not training philosophy…
I could post my philosophy up but its nothing to do with training principles and is ever evolving based on my experiences. I would be wary of any coach that says I use MAF or any set principle as everyone has different starting points and goals. Their bodies react differently to certain stimulus. Some train 5hrs a week some 20. No set principle is right for everyone. Also as an aside Maffetone did not invent anything he just noticed that lots of elite athletes spend huge amounts of time training steady and wrote a book on it. Its not new, ancient Greeks trained that way!
Completely agree.
A 15yo could be a great coach, but it’s less likely. The “walk the walk” is irrelevant there, it’s simply a case that they’re of an age where they are likely very early in their coaching journey, to have developed their coaching skill set.
I’ve seen elite level American football coaches, who hardly played at all, and developed a specialism in one particular position. But they then get hired by the GB setup to coach a different position as that’s where there’s an opening. That appointment is on the basis that they’re a good coach in general, and can learn the position specific stuff in their own time and on the job.
Maybe I didn’t express my point particularly well; and in fact it was on a tangent. I was talking more about harvesting knowledge from those who have already ‘done it’. Everyone does that right? Whether it’s Kona, climbing K2 or whatever; that’s where the bit about life advice from a teenager came from.
Indeed, harvesting knowledge is important in coaching (and part of this comes from participation, part from being coached, part from watching coaches, part from the books and studies and part from practice) and perhaps a 15 year old may not yet have experienced enough*
But the concern with using your own racing is the risk that you apply your own experience to influence how you coach and in reality, it is really hard to avoid doing this…
*I’d rather have a coach who was always seeking experience than one who claimed to know all…
that’s a good reason…
Good article on Lucy’s training
“gruelling programme” - standard
Coach to me “you doing any training today?”
Me ……yes might jump on Zwift for an hour later
Coach ….you haven’t run for a while when you gonna do that?
Me……I would rather ride
Coach …yes but your bike is good it’s the second half of the run where you fade
Me…perhaps I will run instead
Coach OK
Wise woman Mrs Hen…….
So, which course on Zwift did you ride?