(Is) Coaching for Dummies?

One thing I will have to make a decision on relatively quickly is whether or not to hire a coach, or at least whether to purchase some kind of customized training program. On the one hand, I've been racing for 5 years now so I do know a little bit about the sport. On the other hand, I'm pretty much chronically undertrained and probably not reaching my potential. A potential I might add that gets just a little diminished each year as I get older.

Coaches, however, do not come cheaply. From a basic "we'll email you your program and let you get on with it" type of thing at around $100 CDN per month to the deluxe "we'll design a program for you, make sure it fits with your daily schedule, call you on the phone twice a day to see how you're feeling and then hold your hand when you cross the IM finish line" for upwards of $350 per month, there are many variations available.

The other option is to buy some training books and cobble together something that looks do-able. I'm leaning towards this option, but will likely invest in a heart rate monitor (recommended by every book i've read on this subject) and a lactate threshold test. Just to see how fit I am / am not.

Details to follow...