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ARE YOU LOOKING for guaranteed improvement and a personal best, or simply a structured program and the companionship of other runners in training? What should you as a runner expect from your coach? What should your coach expect from you? To avoid disappointment, you probably need to determine the answers to those questions. Not all coach/athlete relationships turn out successfully, either for the athlete or the coach. The athlete quoted below (who prefers to remain anonymous) is a physician with a 10-K best near 35:00 and a marathon under 2:50. Several years ago, he decided to seek a coach in hopes of improving to a new level. The experience proved unsatisfactory. He explains why: I learned a lot during 16 years of running. I've gotten a little better each year, reaching my peak at age 45. Having done it all myself, I was looking for an `edge.' Recently, I hired a coach. I paid him $75 a month to supervise my training. I'd known the coach for several years, since he supervised group practices for my running club. I liked him, still do. But as soon as we started to work together on a one-on-one basis, we encountered problems. A lot of coaches who work with young athletes use training techniques not made for old timers. I wasn't given enough time for recovery. I was training for a track race. By the time of the race, I could hardly walk, much less run. I had to take a week off, I was so overtrained. I ran the race and finished only two seconds off my best, but wasn't happy. I've learned over the years what my
body can do and what it can not. My new coach didn't know this.
I know how to taper from trial and error, but he didn't give
me enough rest. If I had followed all his advice, I would have
gotten into real trouble. Is this an example of a coach who failed to comprehend the needs of the runner he trained--or is it instead an example of a runner with unrealistic goals, who failed to communicate those needs to his coach? (After all, the runner did run within two seconds of his fastest 10-K time at an age when most people slow noticeably each year!) It could be a little bit of both--or it could be neither. Without question, effective communication between coach and athlete is an essential ingredient to a successful program. Equally important is the recognition by a coach that his or her system may not work for all athletes. "Too many coaches fall into a trap of believing it is the system that is the solution," says former Washington State University's track coach John Chaplin, "but this overlooks the fact that every athlete has different needs and different levels of ability." In approaching a coach, thus, the runner has to carefully evaluate what he or she has to gain from the relationship. WILL THE COACH LISTEN? According to Gordon Bakoulis, five-time Olympic Trials qualifier on the track and in the marathon, "First you need to establish whether your coach will listen to you to determine what your goals are, what your needs are, what your training history has been, and what you want out of the coaching relationship." Bakoulis stresses that no matter what level the runner, he or she needs to find someone who can communicate. Second on Bakoulis's list is stress/injury prevention and fitness ahead of competitive goals. "Not that competitive goals aren't important," she says, "but you need to be healthy to compete. "On top of that, it depends on what your level and what you want to achieve. Are you looking to lower your PR? Do you want to build a consistent training program, which might have eluded you in the past? Is your goal a marathon, or some other important race? Anyone looking for a coach has to do a little bit of thinking before they sign on the dotted line." Cathie Twomey Bellamy qualified for the marathon at the World Championships in 1987. She was an Olympic Trials finalist in three different events: 1500, 3000 and 10,000 meters. She now coaches masters runners in Eugene, Oregon. Bellamy believes that runners seeking a coach should not merely check that coach's credentials, but also see how he or she reacts with runners. "I invite prospective clients to show up at our workouts a couple of times," she says. "Check the chemistry between athlete and coach. If it doesn't exist, they probably don't want to join us. See how much feedback athletes get during workouts. What's the atmosphere? Is it fun?" Bellamy believes that workouts should be relaxed, but in an organized fashion. "Let's face it: if you want to hire a coach, you're obsessed with your running. You're probably not training that hard only for the fun and camaraderie. You're looking for improvement. You want to set PR's. But training needs to be flexible, depending upon peoples' goals. And there's no reason why it can't be fun." She also believes in a hands-on approach. She meets runners in her program three times during the week at the track or on trails for workouts. She speaks of another coach who operates long distance by phone and email. Understanding that may be a necessity for runners who don't have access to coaching in their area, she nevertheless dislikes operating that way. "I like to personally be there at the track, observing form and talking with the runners while they work out," says Bellamy. "Sometimes you arrive at the track after having had a terrible day at work. I'll change your workout. Just because we wrote a workout plan a month in advance, I'm not afraid to change it." PERSONAL TRAINER Some people don't want a coach; they want a personal trainer. There's a difference, suggests Bakoulis: "They want someone to run with them every day. Like Madonna, they want a body guard." Bakoulis was contacted by one runner looking for someone to run with him at 6:00 in the morning. The runner trained at a 10:00 mile pace, considerably slower than Bakoulis's regular training pace. Bakoulis said no, but concedes that under certain circumstances she might have agreed to become a personal trainer. Some coaches run with the runners they train; some do not. Some runners stand beside the track with a stopwatch; some ride alongside on a bicycle or travel by car, stopping to offer fluids and encouragement on long runs. Some remain back at the parking lot and wait. Others coach by phone or fax. Depending on the situation, and the individuals involved, one coaching approach is not necessarily better or worse. The important fact is that the runner seeking a coach know what to expect in advance. If not, both runner and coach may walk (or jog) away from the relationship disappointed. That's not fair for the runner, but it's
also not fair to the coach! Most coaches accept their paid assignments
not only for the money--which often is minimal--but because they
sincerely enjoy working with runners in a personal relationship
and sharing their achievements. He had worked for a year with a woman who set as her goal 2:50 for a Midwest marathon. Williams notes that he was the first coach to have kept the woman healthy during an intense training program lasting that long. She ran one of her best-ever races, placing in the top ten, but because of having to buck a stiff headwind for 13 miles, ran only 2:52. "She thought she had failed," sighs Williams. "She took a nosedive emotionally for six months. It was partly my fault. I didn't read the warnings, the red flags that popped up every few weeks, that this woman was putting her entire life into this one race." For the coach/athlete relationship to work, both coach and athlete must communicate their needs and goals. APPROACHING A COACH If your only goal is fitness and losing a few pounds, it may not make sense to enter a program centered around interval quarters on the track twice weekly. If you want to improve your marathon time--not merely finish--a group program designed for beginners featuring mostly slow jogging and advice you read three years ago in Runner's World won't satisfy you. On the other hand, part of the job description of a good coach is to assist runners in setting their goals. The coach must be willing to listen and perhaps offer options that the runner might not have considered before. "One of the problems with many runners is they become PR-oriented," says Bellamy. "They want to continuously move from one Personal Record to another. But after you've been running a while, and after you've begun to age, continuous PR's no longer are attainable. The coach needs to teach runners to cope with that fact. The coach needs to show runners how to set reasonable goals--and I mean goals that both coach and runner can achieve together. It's particularly important when you're working with masters." WHAT TO TELL YOUR COACH 1. What is your general health? This is basic information. A coach can't work with a runner without knowing his or her medical history, particularly in the area of injuries. A look at wear on the runner's shoes sometimes will give clues that can be helpful in injury prevention. (Inevitably, however, you are responsible for your own safety and are obligated to communicate any potential medical problems to your prospective coach.) 2. What type of training have you done? Is the runner a beginner, or an experienced runner who already knows the meaning of fartlek and interval running? A runner's base and background--particularly whether he or she may have competed in high school or college--dictates where the coach can begin. 3. Where do you train? If the athlete doesn't plan to run each workout under the coach's supervision, what access does that runner have to training facilities: track, trails, road? Particularly if the coaching relationship is to be long distance--mail, phone or e-mail -- the coach needs to know where his runner will be training and, particularly, on what surfaces. 4. What do you expect from running? Does
the athlete merely want to get in shape, or is he or she an experienced
runner looking for improvement, or guidance in finishing a marathon
or making the Olympic team? Most good training programs are goal-oriented.
Coach and runner need to determine that goal early in the relationship. |
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