Do you really need a coach for endurance sport?

Do you have a coach? Plenty of people don't (and some of them are performing at pretty elite levels). Let's take a look at the benefits of working with a sports coach so you can decide if it's for you.

Of course, being a triathlon coach, I would argue the case for athletes having coaching support. But I do recognise that coaching isn't for everyone, and that not everybody needs a coach. Let's take a look at reasons why a person might decide to go it alone.

But I truly believe that most athletes would benefit from being coached. Here's why:

• A specialist endurance sport coach will carry out a full assessment, and probably pick up on things that you might not even think about (it's their job!)
• They will take the guesswork and doubt out of your programme, so all you have to do is the training.
• He or she will use a combination of scientific methods, book research, experience and intuition to design and tweak you programme.
• They'll be an excellent source of motivation, feedback, encouragement and information.
• You'll always have an external, objective professional to turn to (far more useful than friends or family members, however well-meaning!)
• They'll be someone to bounce ideas off when you're feeling overwhelmed, emotional or confused.
• You can go to your coach for the very latest ideas, research and opinions in your sport.
• Your coach will know exactly how to take into account your current fitness levels, current training times and lifestyle.
• When you get a training programme from a coach it will give you confidence to crack on, and not over-think things.

Do you use a coach for your endurance sport training? Or have you ever used the services of a Personal Trainer, club coach or any other external coaching support? What are the benefits of this approach for you?