If you want a customized training plan, you normally have to hire a coach. Renowned coach Greg McMillan shows you how to create an individualized program in You, Only Faster. ACTIVE.com
Cool Running: Training

By Peter Gambaccini Photo of Jerry Schumacher with Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan by Victah Sailer What does coach Jerry Schumacher expect from his athletes Matt Tegenkamp, Lopez Lomong, Evan Jager, and Chris Solinsky at the Dash to the Finish … Continue reading →
Newswire

By Peter Gambaccini Photo by Victah Sailer Khadevis Robinson, the 800-meter veteran who competed in his second Olympics this summer at age 36, has been hired by Ohio State University as coach of the women’s cross country squad and as … Continue reading →
Newswire

In her Monday New York Times column, Gina Kolata looks at three different types of people: those who enjoy working with coaches, those who don’t, and coaches themselves. (Fun fact: Anyone can claim to be a coach. There’s no certification process required.)

Kolata falls into the pro-coach camp: “Who else…wants to hear how far or how fast I ran or whether my legs felt heavy?” she writes.

Photo by Mitch Mandel

She names a number of runners who’ve chosen to work alone, including Olympic great Joan Benoit Samuelson and American half-marathon record-holder Ryan Hall. Benoit Samuelson says she was unable to find a coach whose personality worked with hers, while Hall cites the flexibility of self-coaching as his reason for going solo.

What about you? Have you ever worked with a coach? Why or why not? If not, would you ever try it?