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Adding races

Wolf GottschalkWolf Gottschalk
in Coaching Forum 🧢

Hey Coach-

I am adding two races to my season plan since we last communicated. I have a HIM at the end of June (6/23/2013) and then also another HIM at the beginning of September (9/7/2013). I may do an Oly in August, but haven't decided yet.

I am currently on week 9 of 14 of the Advanced Outseason Plan, scheduled to end on 5/26/2013. Do I stay on this course or do I need to alter or load up something different? Please advise when you get the chance.

Thanks! Wolf

Comments

  • Coach RichCoach Rich
    Wolf, please take the Season Planning Survey (under Training above) so I can plan this all out for you.
  • Wolf GottschalkWolf Gottschalk
    Hey Coach P-

    Done!
    Thanks,
    Wolf
  • Wolf GottschalkWolf Gottschalk

    Hey RandP-

    I have a race goal question. I am posting this here because I wasn't really looking for peer feedback or comment necessarily, so sorry if I should be posting this elsewhere (please let me know for future reference).

    I'm having some self-doubt lately. I've recently started to try and look at the community forum postings, time permitting. I don't have a lot of time available, so they have been brief snapshots. I've watched some of the posts on the forum and people are posting some pretty sick numbers! Amazing FTP stuff, crazy hill climbs, ridiculously long yardage in the pools, fast 1/2 marathon times, etc. All of this is making me feel like I really don't know where I'm at with my current fitness/ability relative to my goal. My goal, A-race is IMAZ. I want to try and finish it between 10:00 and 10:30. I don't know if this is realistic or not. Watching what other people are doing and seeing their numbers makes me feel like that this will not be possible if I'm supposed to be at that kind of level. I'm not comparing myself to them, but rather looking at their numbers and mine and then wondering where I'm supposed to be at at this time in the season to make my goal a reality. I know, I know; anything can happen on race day, race execution is huge, etc. But, if I stick to the plan, keep doing the workouts as written (I'm on the advanced stuff; just switched into the HIM plan for a HIM on 6/23 per Rich), which I've been doing successfully, is it feasible for me to get to this goal? Here are my current numbers:

    RUNNING: VO2 max test = 62.9. vDOT = 46.2.

    BIKING: FTP = 266. Watts/kg = 3.29.

    SWIMMING: 1000 meter time trial = 13:44 (1:22/100 meter pacing). I've done this a few times, this last time was in a crowded pool so I had to swim around people a number of times. I always try to swim the 1K tt at what I feel is just a little faster than my HIM pace. I'm breathing a little heavy when I'm done, but not winded in any way. I do it with open turns (no flip turns) and minimal push off the wall. Stroke count/length = 15-16.

    I'm assuming you have access, or at least can see, my run and bike HR and power zones and paces, etc.

    Do these numbers align with someone, at this point in the season, who could potentially hit a goal time of 10:00 - 10:30 at IMAZ (again, assuming that I stay healthy, keep hammering the workouts as instructed, execute good race strategy, etc). I know that those are big assumptions, but I guess I'm just wondering if you could give me some insight into how I'm doing right now since you've coached so many people and have seen so many at various stages. Sorry to be high maintanance here, and there's no hurry in any of this so please reply when it's convenient for you and/or the spirit moves you.

    Thanks,

    Wolf

  • Coach RichCoach Rich

    Hi Wolf,

    My notes:

    • We have alllll types of people on the team. Some are obviously much more postie postie about what they are doing and some of those have gone rather far off the reservation in terms of "modifying" the EN training plans to better fit opportunities they have, given lifestyle, time commitments, experience in the sport, etc. I wouldn't worry about other people's numbers or what they are doing, for that matter. 
    • You still have a loooonnnggg time before IMAZ and a looonnggg time to make improvements. To spitball some numbers at you, that we've seen express themselves as fast IM times:

    Swim -- at 1:22/100m...you're there, no worries. Easily well sub 60'

    Bike -- the pointy end of the AG IM field starts at about 3.8-3.9w/kg. North of 4.0w/kg and you're in range of a top 10 in your AG bike split. You're there at > 4.3w/kg. That said, IMAZ is a relatively flat course where absolute watts (big numbers vs big w/kg) have a greater effect, as well as aerodynamics.

    Run -- 49-51 VDot. Your fast swim buys you some time on the run. That is, most guys racing in the low 10hrs will be swimming 65-70'. You'll be ~54-56' buying yourself ~10' on the run. ^Those^ guys will need to be ~>53 VDot.

    All of this is a total SWAG. I HIGHLY encourage you to network with your peers. EN has a ton of experience racing IMAZ and you get a huge amount of information about what numbers have yielded what numbers on race day. 

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