Here’s a general guide as to which sources you can probably trust, and which sources you should take with a grain of salt.  The least trustworthy sources are at the top (with higher numbers), and the most trustworthy are at the bottom.

10.  Product reviews from a website that is also selling the product. Obviously they want to frame the product in a positive light so more people will buy it.  Get your information elsewhere.

9.  A triathlon magazine. Even if the advice is from a columnist, magazines are in the business of making money as well.  It’s rare that you see a negative product review in a triathlon magazine.

8.  A source that claims it’s a scientific “study,” without providing a link to the study, a description of the study protocols or any other documentation about the study. It’s easy to manipulate data to “prove” something about a product, especially if they don’t provide any information about how the study was created.  Look for documentation before buying into any claims of “scientific improvement,” and beware of the placebo effect!

7.  Internet forums. Many knowledgeable people frequent the popular triathlon internet forums.  Many MORE idiots post on the same forums, offering misinformation, personal anecdotes and trolling that is not at all helpful.  If you’re looking for information on internet forums, be ready to identify and wade through huge steaming piles of bullshit to get accurate information.

6.  Testimony from a famous superstar athlete. This athlete may be getting paid to say what s/he’s saying.  Besides, how relevant are the training habits of a pro triathlete (who can run 6 minute miles in his sleep) to you (who ran a 6 minute mile once, like 17 years ago in college)?

5.  Traditional wisdom in the sport. Though certain fundamentals have withstood the test of time, as our knowledge of sports science improves, others are not.  Take anything to which the “traditional” or “fundamental” label is applied with a grain of salt.

4.  Your training partners. The plural of anecdote is not data.  Though they may have some relevant information on local training, race strategy and where best to pick up the hot runner babes, their knowledge of triathlon is necessarily incomplete.  Take heed of their advice, but don’t act on their advice alone.

3 (T).  Your personal experience. In the end, you do know your body best.  You’re learning more every day about the types of stress you can apply in training, what equipment choices work best for you, what foods you respond to, and more.  However, still keep an open mind–you may find out you’ve been doing something wrong all along, or a new scientific development may come along and suggest a change of habit.

3 (T).  Your coach. Depending on your coach’s knowledge and the intimacy of the relationship you have with him or her, you may consider this a better or worse source than your personal experience.  So I’ll call it a tie.  A knowledgeable coach not only knows what you best respond to, but is also on top of the latest scientific developments in the sport.  S/he is a great source of information, second only to (and you may have guessed this)…

1.  A double blind, controlled, peer-reviewed, published, well-documented scientific study conducted over a large sample size and funded by independent sources who do not have a conflict of interest. These are the primary sources upon which all accurate sports knowledge is based.  The only flaw–there are so few studies that fit this bill that we’re left making up stuff as we go along and calling it “sports science!”

A good triathlon coach:

1. Plans workouts for the athlete (requiring knowledge of workout timing/intensity/workload, race selection, periodization, etc)
2. Gives the athlete technical instruction (requiring knowledge of exercise physiology, swim technique, training with power, bike fit, other relevant equipment choices, etc)
3. Provides motivation, personal and moral support (requiring communication/teaching/interpersonal skills, time available to be with the athlete personally, “reading between the lines” skills, etc)

The time and energy the good coach devotes to these tasks is variable, and depends on the specific needs of the athlete.  For example, a Junior or newer athlete may require more technical instruction, while an elite athlete may have plenty of motivation and technical skills, and requires only expert planning of his or her workouts.

(Notice how nowhere on this list does it mention that a good triathlon coach must be also an elite athlete, or even an ex-elite athlete.  Often, I find that this creates an “I did it this way, so you should too” attitude in the coach that is unproductive for most athletes.)

While the skills to plan workouts and provide technical instruction can largely be learned through study and experience, the last basic task of a coach–the ability to motivate his or her athletes and relate to them on a personal level–is far more difficult to learn, and is far more often simply part of the coach’s personal identity and world view.

The ability to motivate an athlete, to communicate well, to teach effectively and to understand what’s really going on “under the surface” of the athlete is fundamentally what separates the “decent” coaches from the great ones.  It can be the largest factor in determing the success of an athlete (behind the athlete’s basic fitness level, of course).

In the end, if you’re looking for a coach, you can probably find many who will provide you with a good training plan over the course of weeks or months.  You may even find several with a wealth of technical knowledge to assist you in your training.  However, the coach you want to hire is the one among those whom you feel best motivates you, communicates easily with you and understands you as a person and athlete.