Go coach yourself.

people are just so dependent . Of course it will take more study and research but i think self coach is the way to go if you intimately love the sport

But but but who can I blame when I don't perform well???!

Cbsjdjdjdjdjdksk wrote:

But but but who can I blame when I don't perform well???!

This could be lining up to be a great thread on self-reflection for the 99.99% of the non-elite runners out there. Not to mention the money they give away to self-described geniuses.

Agree fully.

Same goes with dietitians. Who the heck needs them? All the info is there.

I’ve got colleagues with Doctorate degrees in health care that spend hundreds per month on personal trainers???!! A high school kid with a certificate knows more about the human body than a Physical Therapist with a doctorate??!

+1

I never had a coach and am doing better than most people with a coach. Just read and experiment with yourself.

Lydiard subtly or overtly gave many the belief they were not cut out for 800m by dividing the running community. Lydiard divided running community: 100m to 400m over here and 800m to Marathon over there. Pre-Lydiard, there was greater fluidity from 400m to 800m. If muscle systems and cardio differences were a reason to divide runners as stated by Lydiard, high school & club swimming coaches would divide swimmers: 50yd/50m to 100yd/100m over here and 200yd/200m and longer swimmers over there. The fastest high school 500 yard freestyle swimmer is usually also one of six fastest 50 yard freestyle swimmers on high school swim team. Lastly, regarding Lydiard and 400m/800m athletes: Coaches who follow Lydiard have too often insisted 800m athletes participate in college XC. There are (46 to 48) second college 400m athletes who will not move up to 800m, because of some coaches following Lydiard.

Daniels: If he were so smart, he would have told Ryun, altitude training for 1500m for a 7300ft. elevation race in Mexico City, Mexico will help but will not allow Ryun to defeat high altitude Africans at 1500m. If Daniels were so smart, Daniels would have had 6'2" 170 lbs. Ryun focus on 800m. I know Ryun for a time considered an 800/1500 double at '68 Olympics. Ryun should have laser focused on 800m.

Lydiard & Daniels wrote:

Lastly, regarding Lydiard and 400m/800m athletes: Coaches who follow Lydiard have too often insisted 800m athletes participate in college XC. There are (46 to 48) second college 400m athletes who will not move up to 800m, because of some coaches following Lydiard

Show me a current coach who flows Lydiard original schedule to the T for 800 runners? Sure, there are some coaches that are influenced by him(but even than you could adapt Lydiard to a fast twitch 400/800 runner). But this idea Lydiard ruined the 800 in America is absurd. Most competent coaches should know there's difference in coaching a 400/800 runner vs 800/1500 runner. America's best non-sprinting event in the track is the 800. So?

What the OP said is true, but what the missing element here is the psychological support a coach provides. Anyone can learn how to write a training plan, but for many runners it takes an outside person to believe and encourage the athlete to do their best. I am a running coach and most of my time is spent on this aspect of the relationship.

Yo, bump. If you were coached well in HS and college and had the wherewithal to understand the training concepts, and have internet access, there is no reason you can’t put together your own training plan.

Bingo Bailey wrote:

Cbsjdjdjdjdjdksk wrote:

But but but who can I blame when I don't perform well???!

This could be lining up to be a great thread on self-reflection for the 99.99% of the non-elite runners out there. Not to mention the money they give away to self-described geniuses.

this, sir, is the invisible hand I spoke of earlier.

that said, who would like an seo expert to be competitive with google?

(give me a reason why not) wrote:

I'm dead serious. People can and should do this. It would certainly save us from a CRAP TON of headaches.

Unless you can pay your coach with a cut of the money you make from running, you should self coach.

A pro should have a coach, coaches are more than just people that make up training plans. They can evaluate an athlete's progress make suggestions, provide encouragement or a kick in the ass when appropriate.

I've been self coached for 25 years, I have no problem putting together a training plan. But when it comes to self evaluation I really suck. I'm always too hard on myself which leads me to push harder than I should at times and try to come back from injuries too quickly.

If all the NOP talk is giving you a crap ton of headaches, stop clicking on the threads.

(give me a reason why not) wrote:

All the information you need is at your fingertips.

- Become familiar with basic undergraduate level anatomy, nutrition, and physiology.

- Read up on Lydiard and Jack Daniels training philosophies.

And that's it!!!! It's not difficult. We're not talking PHD level crap here.

And by coaching yourself you don't have to ever worry about being abused or outraged or offended or God knows what else. You take care of you. Simple.

I'm dead serious. People can and should do this. It would certainly save us from a CRAP TON of headaches.

But I don't want the responsibility. I want to be able to eat the big cookie and blame my coach for my weight gain and subsequent decline in performance and injuries ;-)

++1 wrote:

+1

I never had a coach and am doing better than most people with a coach. Just read and experiment with yourself.

Are you sure you didn't? If you were born in the '50s or '60s that's likely but these days 100% of US teenagers who run are coached. I was self-coached at 15 (I assume the other 30 kids in my age group at every road race were too, but that was a different time) and at 51.

I suspect the title of this thread should have been:

If you are 25 or older and not enrolled in any school, Go coach yourself.

I disagree with that sentiment, believing school coaches are the biggest problem in US distance running, but I suspect it's what the OP meant.

It is probably true that I would have done better in high school and college without a coach since

I essentially did not have one anyway. The key would have been to have had the same teammates.

Ultimately to do my best a good coach who listened to me would have been best.

Way too many internet "running coaches" and websites. All trash. If you read their "coaching advice" just be sure you never pay for one of their canned "programs" likely modeled after Hal Higdon.

Lots of scammers and people who can't coach their way out of a paper bag trying to create internet businesses selling courses in the running niche.

Especially the joke of a guy that says listen to me because I am a 2:39 marathoner, despite never improving on that time after a only attempting a handful of marathons. Time to make money off of suckers instead. I've met that guy out here in Colorado. He can't have a conversation without saying he is a 2:39 marathoner. I'm a 2:25 marathoner and no one gives a crap.

The only thing a coach can do is provide insights into your blind spots.

HOLD YOUR OWN STOP WATCH AND GO COACH YOURSELF!!!

(give me a reason why not) wrote:

All the information you need is at your fingertips.

- Become familiar with basic undergraduate level anatomy, nutrition, and physiology.

- Read up on Lydiard and Jack Daniels training philosophies.

And that's it!!!! It's not difficult. We're not talking PHD level crap here.

And by coaching yourself you don't have to ever worry about being abused or outraged or offended or God knows what else. You take care of you. Simple.

I'm dead serious. People can and should do this. It would certainly save us from a CRAP TON of headaches.

This is actually way more then what someone would need to coach themselves but knowing what to do isn't usually the issue. People have to get out and get it done. Then what do they do if something isn't going right? How do they not get injured? Do they know how much is enough and how much is too much? Can they look at themselves through an intelligent lens and not overdo it?

The reason is that most are unable to look at themselves objectively.

And yes, there is a lot of good information out there but also a ton of bad information. There is a mix of that here even.