Do I need a Coach?

I recently got an email from an associate asking for some advice as she gets ready for Ironman Kansas 70.3. Her situation is not unique, so I felt some info about her and my response might be of interest to others, so here it is:

Bit of Background:

She is the mother of a young child, is married to a supportive husband. They both have strong athletic backgrounds - marathons etc., but this is her first 70.3. She shared that she was feeling overwhelmed and was very busy with work, family and other commitments. She also stated, "I am getting little bits of information from everywhere. It's hard to make sense of it all and put it into practice." She went on to explain that she had a "plan" but was already concerned about it. "It's kind of like training for my first marathon, fear of the unknown." She wrapped up the email with, "I'm not sure that I need coaching, I just have a lot of questions."

My Response:

Dear ____,

Interesting that you say you don't need coaching yet you are overwhelmed, confused and afraid. Isn't answering questions and reducing anxiety part of what a coach does? The main reasons people hire me are so they don't have to figure it all out on their own and, as my motto says, they arrive at the start line "confident to go the distance".
My advice would be, if you developed or picked a plan then commit to it and be 100% confident in it. If you aren't sure about it before you even start then its not the right plan for you, that anxiety will only grow as you do your training. I believe for an athlete to succeed they must have confidence in three things, without all three the chances for success are greatly reduced:

1. Themselves
2. The Plan
3. The Coach

There are a lot of resources out there - too many. I have worked with athletes that want to try every new thing they read on some random website or in an article in Triathlete Magazine. My job as their coach is to keep them focused on the task at hand and have them commit to their training rather than spend time reading blogs or articles with lots of conflicting "advice".
With that said, the best book on long course triathlon training is Going Long by Gordo Bryn. I have followed Gordo's career as an athlete and coach for many years. I spent a week with him at a training camp last summer and I agree with his coaching philosophy. I recommend his book to any 70.3 or IM athlete looking for more knowledge. But, though reading a book can be helpful, trying to put the concepts into practice for yourself for an event that is less than 5 months away is another thing altogether.
I had suggested earlier that you consider taking advantage of the Kansas 70.3 training plan I have put together for KC Multisport members, I continue to encourage you to do so. If we work together to achieve your goals the anxiety will fade and your questions about what, how much, when, how often, how hard etc. will start to be answered.
Regards,

Ken