My biggest fear about working with a coach is that it's going to be like trying to find a good doctor, chiropractor, massage therapist, dentist, friend, spouse. I don't know if I can endure the bad ones to find the good one, and I don't know that I know enough people to get a good referral.

I am also a little afraid of a coach that is all about training professional/elite amateur athletes, though I know they have to make their money off of more than just that.

A lot of coaches have multiple levels - from just providing training plans, to the occasional phone consultation, to regular phone/email, to in-person.

I also wonder about women being coached by men vs. women. Is there a benefit? Does it matter?

I like the idea of someone who can take a training plan and make it work for me because when I compromise on a training plan I might be missing something important or just skipping rather than re-working. Having to sit down with someone and work through it might make for something that's more well-suited for me and helps me focus on where I need/want to improve.

I'm also interested in whether they help with nutrition, provide referral to nutritionist/dietitian, or something else. Food is such an important part of training and racing.

Looking forward to the answers to this one.