"I Don't Need a Coach!

"I Don't Need a Coach!"

Those words echoed in my head as I, a recently 295-pound man with little athletic background, signed up for my first Ironman 70.3 triathlon. After all, I was motivated, newly disciplined, and had access to books and YouTube. What more could I possibly need?

Having no adult athletic experience to speak of, I borrowed the book IronFit, typed out the cookie-cutter training plan, and set out on my journey. I'd tailor the plan to me as I went along. It was too early to invest in myself, I reasoned. That would be a waste. I needed to learn more first. But I didn't need a coach.

Not knowing how to swim, I got help from a friend and watched YouTube videos until I figured out the breathing. I followed every workout to the letter, and if I deviated, I did more, not less. I never missed workouts and doubled up if I had to. I was making progress, all while unknowingly reinforcing bad habits and mechanics. But I still didn't need a coach.

My target was a sub-6-hour Ironman 70.3 finish—very respectable for a self-titled "non-athlete" doing their first triathlon. When I crossed the finish line at 5:25 feeling like I had more to give, I was in shock. Humility and gratitude quickly morphed into arrogance as I started my next training block, this time for a full Ironman. I had gotten myself to the finish line over 30 minutes faster than my goal. Clearly, I knew it all. I had proven my potential. I was learning training strategies and technique on my own. Why would I need a coach?

I continued down the path where more was always better for workout volume, embracing what I now recognize as significant overtraining. I was Type A. No one knew me better than me. I was in touch with myself, so why would I need some coach who doesn't understand me and probably has a cookie-cutter approach they read in a book? Two years, countless missed training sessions, and multiple injuries later, I was still forcing myself to start lines. But I continued to believe I didn't need a coach.

Then everything stopped. I've been out of racing and training for over 15 months until recently. After months of soul searching, riding the ups and downs of not being able to train at all, one thing became painfully obvious. 

I needed a coach all along.

I’ve now spent days and weeks in expert level classes, hours with a mentor coach learning appropriate training volumes, and consuming countless hours of coaching education.

What I’ve learned is that it's exactly the fact that the coach is not you that allows them to be objective. Good coaches don't deliver cookie-cutter plans; they use proven strategies and tailor them to you specifically because they can survey the experiences and data of many athletes and layer that information with your uniqueness. Exceptional coaches become partners alongside you, sometimes having insights that allow them to take better care of you than you do yourself.

It's precisely those of us early in our endurance sports careers—the self-driven, motivated types—who need coaches the most. Get a coach before you develop the bad habits and techniques that will ultimately slow you down and lead to injury. Learn the right skills now so you can spend your training time reinforcing efficiencies instead of flaws. Invest in scientifically supported, evidence-based training plans developed by a coach with expertise to help you avoid injury, consistently train, and incrementally improve.

Prioritize your future self and accelerate your success. Finding the right coach will save you time, money, and heartache in the long run. Yes, even if you're just like I was—driven, motivated, and convinced you can figure it all out—you probably need a coach too.

Your future self will thank you for making that investment now.

Stay in the Race!

By: Henry R. Shoemaker

March 15, 2025

*This blog was authored with the editorial assistance of Claude AI.