To the guy that says running is 60% form:
Way to pull a number out of your ass, and a bad one at that. The Kenyans and the Japanese are probably way ahead of us right now because they spend way more time doing form drills. Right.
To the guy that is looking for a good runner with bad form:
Watch Zersenay Tadesse run.
I think its obvious that having a live coach is better than an online coach. There is no real substitute for that. However, if you can't have a live coach an online or a "coach by mail" is way more effective than coaching oneself. If anyone could replicate the training of a knowledgeable coach by "reading a few books", why doesn't everyone know everything about running. To say that any number of books on training can replace years and years of coaching experience is asinine.
Also, if one could read everything they need to know about training then they could read about form and form drills as well. If need be, make a video tape and send it to coach.
Bottom line is, this guy isn't trying to run 2:10, he wants to qualify for Boston. While he might lose a little by not having a real coach, he will gain a ton over trying to coach himself.