I think this is great advice, Sarah. (And it was fun running into you briefly on the trail at Miwok!) I hired a coach for the first time this year, and it's been awesome, but I wonder if I he charges too little -- $90 / month for a 12 month contract. Do your clients ever give you cash gifts? Would that be weird if a client offered that?
I’d ask the coach why he or she charges that amount and how that equates to time spent on coaching you individually. I might be concerned with a 12-month contract that you get guidance up front but then you’re put more on autopilot with less coach-client interaction as the months go by. Does your coach monitor your notes from workouts & give feedback and modify the plan based on how your training is going?
He responds to all my notes and he leaves comments on most of my runs. He builds my training schedule about two weeks at a time. He notices when I move runs around or do an unscheduled double-run. So, I'd say he is super-supportive and is doing everything that I think a coach should do.
Just re-read this post as I'm beginning to talk to prospective coaches. This is great info, thanks!
I think this is great advice, Sarah. (And it was fun running into you briefly on the trail at Miwok!) I hired a coach for the first time this year, and it's been awesome, but I wonder if I he charges too little -- $90 / month for a 12 month contract. Do your clients ever give you cash gifts? Would that be weird if a client offered that?
I’d ask the coach why he or she charges that amount and how that equates to time spent on coaching you individually. I might be concerned with a 12-month contract that you get guidance up front but then you’re put more on autopilot with less coach-client interaction as the months go by. Does your coach monitor your notes from workouts & give feedback and modify the plan based on how your training is going?
He responds to all my notes and he leaves comments on most of my runs. He builds my training schedule about two weeks at a time. He notices when I move runs around or do an unscheduled double-run. So, I'd say he is super-supportive and is doing everything that I think a coach should do.