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 As the sport of triathlon continues to enjoy great popularity, there is
 huge demand for advice on how to best employ one's limited time to maximize
 improvement in pursuit of one's goals.

 To meet this demand for coaching, there is an abundance of people who are 
 willing to assume the barrier-free entry to defining oneself as a coach.
 I often joke with friends that all one needs to do to place a "Coach" 
 placard over your door is to have stayed at a Holiday Inn the night before.

 Although I imagine different people are looking for different things in a
 coach or a group program, if I were to look for a coach I would be looking 
 for a special level of expertise.  

 Why else would I pay someone to guide me in an activity that requires 
 significant time investments, concentration and hard work, and ultimately
 represents an important part of who I am?  

 If I were to invest my trust, time, and money in a Coach, I would ask 
 the following questions and expect good answers.  It would not take too
 many questions to very quickly narrow the field of contenders to but a 
 few.

 Has the coach demonstrated some form of competitive excellence which 
 might validate his/her training methods?

 Do top professionals consult the coach on a substantive basis?

 Is the coach currently training?

 Has the coach practiced, extensively, different training methods?

 What are the underlying principles that support the coach's workouts 
 training progressions, or is it a general "we will tailor a program to meet
 your specific needs?

 Does the coach write his own workouts and progressions, experimented 
 himself with these same progressions, raced and drawn conclusions from 
 these progressions, or does the coach cut and paste workouts from a 3rd
 party library of workouts?

 Does the coach offer anything beyond what can be quickly gleaned from a
 generic book on training methodology?

 I recognize that triathlon is a casual hobby for some folks, a way to get
 outside, meet some people, have some fun, lose some weight, etc.  Certainly,
 all good things.

 However, I think that most folks who stay in the sport look at it as a 
 vehicle with which to explore their limits, to test themselves both in
 training and in racing, to find out just what they can do.  For these 
 folks I think it behooves them to expect certain answers to the questions
 outlined above.