Evolution of an EN athlete - my story and what am I doing now?
I've been with EN for 4 years next month. Wow, where does the time go? 
As written up in the article by RnP on the arc of the development of an EN athlete, I've come a long, long way. in 2008, I did my first HIM, following a plan in a Matt Fitzgerald book. Did OK, wanted more. Found EN in 2009, and learned how to work. Built up my FTP and Vdot, and had a lot of fun. Learning about race execution was absolutely key, and I executed the heck out of my goal race (Patriot HIM, 4:50:58 and a nearly 30 min PR). That season and experience also gave me the confidence to volunteer at IMLP and sign up for the race in 2010.
2010 with EN was a season of overcoming significant adversity, from overtraining in the OS to overcoming a death in the family during the IM build, teammates were there to support me, and coaches were there to get me in the right headspace, and get the necessary training in. Despite many sub-optimal elements to my training, I had a phenomenal race, going 11:53 and loving every minute of it.
I took 2011 and 2012 to focus on shorter racing and to build my FTP and Vdot before a return assault on the IM distance. Raced Nationals both years with mixed success, and had plenty of life getting in the way along the way. But had a lot of fun, and much less "gotta get the training in" stress.
But, I was also left with a big question mark. Over the last few years, my FTP has gone nowhere. My running has plateaued. I've always felt weak, that I could keep up with folks on the flats, but just get blown to pieces as the grade goes up. I've found myself looking into various sources such as Core Performance Endurance, Crossfit Endurance, and other sources for getting stronger. I knew something was missing, but had a hard time figuring out what to do about it. Problem was, I could never figure out how to put it all together, to do the training, spending the necessary time and effort on the bike, run, swim, but also getting stronger.
And then, I saw myself run on a treadmill in high def slow motion. My eyes were opened up to why I was plateaued. I'd gotten everything I could out of my chassis the way I was using it. I needed to go back to the basics, and figure out how to build a chassis that could benefit from and absorb the kind of work we do. I didn't have it.
So, I've been working on a different plan this OS. One that focuses on a different approach. Not necessarily a better way (one man's better is another man's worse), but one I feel drawn to, feel that I need right now. It is incorporating lots of different elements, from strength training to improve hip drive to neuromuscular power intervals to VO2 and lots of different elements.
For athletes along their own arc of development, EN is a terrific system to help you learn what hard work is. The training plans are the real deal and prepare athletes well. For me personally, I think I'd ceased to benefit from them based on my own imbalances and lack of strength. So I'm working to get more strong and durable.
So, for anyone wondering where I've been or why I don't seem to be playing along in the OS, there you have it. Still lurking, just not quite as active. Looking forward to the build to IMLP, and racing with the group out there!
Comments
Your mention of looking into different aspects other than just more training reminds me of a couple things I've thought I'd like to partake in if I ever get the chance or time - some actual physiologic testing (probably @ Blackstone Valley Human Performance), and a run gait analysis (probably from Pursuit Athletic Performance). Although I've certainly improved my running form a lot over the past year or two, I'm certain I could do more. And the physiologic testing could be good to help correlate what my actual LT and VO2 values are. So assuming I still have the drive to continue with HIM or IM after IMLP this year, I might make the time to look into some of that more core, functional stuff to get the most out of the time I put into training. Yes, they cost money - but the time returned on the investment in terms of training hours could easily make up the cost. I like your way of putting it - building a chassis to absorb the work.
Best of luck in the direction you are going - please keep us up to date on where things stand and what you felt contributed to any improvement. Triathletes, and especially EN folks, are always open minded about new techniques, and are not slave to the methods of conventional wisdom
Hey Mike great to hear from you and get an update...In fact I was just wondering where you had gone as I was scanning posts the other day...
Yours is a great message...I have been trying to work through some similar issues...feeling as though I have developed biomechanical inefficiencies and even structural changes which are impacting my ability to move to the next level of performance (or I should say back to my ability levels of prior years)....you comments support some of my own concerns/thinking....some of my inefficiencies today are not just "running form" they are structural/biomechanical isses that need to be corrected...........
Best of luck to your continued progress...keep us in tune.
In Mike's case, he has found limitations that he is unable to solve with hard work and fitness alone (which most can), things that he can explore more specifically. We totally encourage this journey, and I for one am really grateful you are (1) sharing it in the spirit of EN and (2) being respectful of the fact that folks pay us to coach them and you aren't putting links to new websites here.
The broader message to most EN folks, however, is Be Patient.
Three years is a long time and there are countless ways to improve grow and tweak inside EN. Who knows, by the time you get to your personal limits, we might have additional resources to help. I am working on a list of new resources to add and welcome your input...feel free to PM me!
Looking forward to updates, Mike!
To build on P's comments, I'm in my 3rd year. And, I am JUST NOW feeling like my eyes are opening to what they're trying to get me to do, to not do, etc. I have no timeline/deadline for results, just trying to get the most out of what I have available.
Not sure if it's related to this thread, but.....my own tweaks this year....since I'm getting a feel for how the week's work is laid out, now I'm trying to pay more attention to Sleep/Recovery/BetterDiet (notice I never said Perfect Diet!), etc. The little pieces of this puzzle that we easily dismiss cuz we got the sweat in.
BTW, your description of your frustration re: " I've always felt weak, that I could keep up with folks on the flats, but just get blown to pieces as the grade goes up. " Parallel universes, I know EXACTLY how you feel. When I run (not quite as much on the bike) with the friends or at races, I'm immediately wondering why my paces have to drop so dramatically on any inclines so that I can run a strong race. I know, that's smart, it just seems like I'm the only one who gets slower times cuz I'm the only one running smart. However, the bottom line is that I'm faster (despite being very average) than I ever thought I could/would be at my age and with my busy life.
Keep us updated, and if we don't hear from ya, I'm gonna nag you!
Mike, great to be able to read your stuff again. It sounds like an awful similar story here. Just returned to EN this AM and am already looking forward to following your journey again. I missed this crowd so much!
I seemed to have missed this the first time around. Thanks for the bump Dave.
Definietly an interesting story and as mentioned at somepoint you need to move away from the plan and focus on individual aspects for improvement. Looking forward to meeting up in Lake Placid.
Gordon
I've progressed in my strength training to the point where I am on the cusp of feeling not weak. Still have a ways to go before I'll feel strong, but getting past weak has been a huge step forward. I'm able to knock out 2 minutes of side planks now (nowhere near Withrow's superhuman 3+ minutes, but I'm coming for him!), and am in a much better place when it comes to control of the pelvis to apply force via hip extension. I'm seeing a big difference both in biking and running.
The cool thing for me is what it's done for my running. Runs of 90+ minutes used to beat the crap out of me. Now, I seem to be able to knock out a 1:45 run, grab a chocolate milk, and get on with life. It's a very cool feeling.
I have a whole separate thread to write up about trainers, testing, and frustration, but suffice it to say that I'm pretty happy with where my FTP is at for this time of year. I think I've got about 10-15 watts to go get when I get outside, and once done, I'm going to feel terrific about my progress.
One of the coolest things I wasn't expecting was the results of a 200 yard swim TT I did this past Saturday at the Multisport Expo in Boston. I swam a 2:42, which for me was inconceivable a year ago. I actually feel like I could have gone a couple seconds faster, as I started missing some water when I tried to take the stroke rate up in the last 50. I still have a ways to go to beat Rinnie, who knocked out a 2:27 (and probably wasn't working that hard!), but I'm thrilled with it.
AT, so good to see you back, and great to hear from you. Love to hear more about what you've been up to in the interim.
Gordon, looking forward to seeing you in LP!