I see a major scheduling conflict coming up this month. On 2/21/ I have my "Big Day" for week 11 of HIM beginner. I need this training day badly as a feel for where I am for this race and how I need to get ready. I also have a class that day with my wife from 9am to 4pm, basically all day. Can I take Friday off work and do the big day a day early without the rest day before? Or can I do the big Day Sunday and just be really tired on Monday?
Anthony love your goals and focus -- here's to hoping I don't see any Starbucks from you...evah!
We'd prefer the Friday Big Day (off of work) then Sat to recover and Sunday as an optional bike or run. I'd do the week as planned but do the Thursday WKO in the AM and keep it to an hour max!
Wow a lot has changes since I last asked for some guidance not much of it that great. I lost a week due to a death in the family with traveling and funeral. That week gave me the flu / cold crud that has been going around this year and lasting weeks. And I spent a week playing single dad with the wife traveling for work. As a result, I simply gave up on Galveston.
I'm now in week 2 of Get Faster and focused on IMFL. I have a lowly sprint C race this Saturday. Do I just drop Saturday's bike ride and sub the sprint? Should I take the Sunday off too and skip that run?
And running is still very problematic with the knee. I can do it, but it swells up and hurts. I did every workout for wk 1 of Get Faster. The knee felt pretty solid and fine until this morning after Sunday's 4 x 1/2 mile Z4 intervals. The knee felt fine during and after the run but it got really stiff and swollen last night / this morning. I am icing right now at work. I'm going to have to start icing immediately after each and every run. I'm really focusing on shortening my stride and quickening my stride rate to not abuse the knee. Should I drop all L priority runs? Turn L priority runs into walks / hikes?
Also the hill repeats on Tuesday. I have plenty of hills near me that will work, but I think the "bounding" part of the workout seems like a really bad idea given the current knee problems. I know I need the hill work to get faster though, but bounding is probably out of the question. Any suggestions for the hill workouts?
Also as an example, I have a commitment Wednesday evening so I can only do one of the days workouts at lunch time. Skip the L priority swim and do the ! priority run instead?
Anthony, ouch...life just plan sucks sometimes. But I am glad to hear that you are powering through it. ONWARDS!!!
1) Just do the sprint vs the ride, that's fine...
2) Yes, if you can only do one session, choose the higher priority workout! So glad you are using that !
3) I don't want you in GF for "running" if the knee is still an issue. With IMFL being six months away, we are under zero pressure to ramp up the run intensity.
I'd rather get you on a basic week that allows you to build some baseline fitness before you get into IMFL mode come August 10th. You could either follow the Bike Focused plan right now (mostly cycling) or we could devise a week for you here in the forums. Let me know which you prefer!
Okay I will do the sprint Saturday and enjoy a nice leisurely 5k stroll.
Yesterday I did the swim workout. After the swim I did lots of stretching and some hot tub time at the gym for the knee and also took my anti-inflammatory. The knee is still stiff this morning but I am walking fine. I could run later today or tomorrow. Basically the knee recovery after a run is probably 48-72 hours right now not the 12 hours I need it to be. I'm going to see a trainer today at the gym about some stretches and exercises for the knee and leg. I would say this morning it doesn't hurt anymore, but it does still feel "tight" if that makes sense.
I looked at the bike focus plan. It's all bike / run. Why not just drop a run from the current GF plan and add a bike workout? I can also just get out with the baby stroller and do lots of brisk walking too. Or I can sub swims for the runs on the bike focus plan too?
Another thought / question. After 1 week of bike rides and since I've been out of it for so long I can already feel I'm going to be significantly more powerful by week 4 of the plan thank goodness. Should I retest on Tuesday of week 4 and reset my power targets for the last four weeks? I'm thinking that would be a good idea. Since I've been off training for so long or low volume I'm thinking I will be up 20-25W by then. Hopefully I will be down a kilo or two as well.
AS - thanks for the update. I suggested the Bike Focus as the GetFast plan has fast runs; the Bike Focus is less-so and more bike oriented. Totally your call (you are the boss) but as you noted in question two, retesting and bumping up the bike numbers is ALWAYS nice. Seriously. The run is limited but your overall performance can still be trending upwards!
Great and Bad news coach: First the bad. I didn't run at all the past 7 weeks while doing the Get Faster plan. I just did biking and swimming. Good news bike power went up 30 watts, so my W/kg went up due to W up and kg down. Now to keep on that path for the next 20 weeks to IMFL.
More bad news: Flooding in TX has moved a lot of races, so the races I was going to do after Get Faster and some short course work are caput. The lakes are over full and the starting areas are under water. So the races have been pushed out. As a result, since I'm 20 weeks out I just switched to the IM Beginner plan earlier since I need the 8 wks of foundation anyway.
So the GREAT news. Today was Tuesday. Workout was 3X1/2 mile Z4 run intervals. I ran the intervals, and my KNEE FEELS GREAT tonight. I noticed last week at the Rangers game I was walking up and down the steps and finally didn't notice my knee at all. Same on today's run, albeit very slow run for many reasons. I can train! I'm slow but as the weight goes poof (2 lbs per week last 5 weeks), and fitness improves speed will come back quickly. I know at <210 I can run a 30 min 5k. I can't wait to see what I can do when I'm <<200. <br /> After all the news, 1 quick easy question.
Week 4 I have my first real race non injured in almost 2 years. It's a local sprint. The Saturday workout in week 4 is a 150min bike ride and 30 min run. I will get the run volume and a short 350m pool swim. Should I ride another 90 min or so after the race or should I just take the rest of the day off with the Sunday off? I'm really looking forward to the week 4 bike, swim and run tests right now. I expect my bike power will be up another 10-20W and I will be down another 3+kg since my last test 3 weeks ago. For the runs I will be jogging only and quite slowly until I'm <200 and I'm 100% confident in my knee. I was really worried about today's workout, but all went well. <br /> P.S. I hope you can read fast, since I can type pretty quickly.
Anthony, I am pumped that you are finding the positive in these challenges...and that you are doing all the right work to get back! Let's keep an eye on that knee...if you ever need to back off, just do it and we'll sort it out afterwards here in the Micro.
I say just do the race as a race, and enjoy it. If you can get out on Sunday for an easy 60 'to 90' spin, great...but no pressure. You need to celebrate being BACK, baby!
I agree I'm going to just enjoy being able to do a triathlon and not sweat my speed or time. I think my bike will be quick thanks to training with power, but I'm really holding back on the run. Being an engineer I actually made a spreadsheet of Z4 speed vs weight today..... For my long runs this is my do not exceed speed. Right now it's really slow, but it looks like by November I will be back in the 10 min/mile range for my long runs so I'm quite happy. I'm actually 2lbs ahead of my planned weight loss as of this morning too. Low carbs and no sugar really does work.
Here's to actually being able to train! Swim today, walk/jog later tonight and long bike tomorrow. 19 weeks to go....
I'm not doing it just yet. I took a photo in my race singlet last week.... and I will take one every 4 or 5 weeks until the race. I will update my photo in October or so when I look reasonable. Right now I just look a lot like a sausage. I'm actually going to post all the photos from start to finish with my final race report one day though to show people what you can do with the right planning, motivation and execution. I went from fat to a MOP triathlete over a 3 year period 2 years ago. Then we had a baby and I got injured. So now I'm on a fast journey from fatman to IM.
I could post my HIM Austin photo from 2012, but that's two and half years ago. I was thinner for HIM Galveston in 2013 but I was also sunburned to lobster color. I got sunburned two days before a HIM at opening day for baseball. That was a bad lesson learned.
Great news, yesterdays slow run went off without a hitch. I was tempted as heck to speed up because the treadmill next to me was hauling ass, but then I remembered that's not my plan or goal. Stick to the plan....
OH MAN: HUGE PROBLEM coming soon. Okay I'm in week 5 of the plan. The huge problem is work related. I will be in Kuwait for two weeks, the last week of September and the first week of October. These are weeks 15 and 16 of the IM plan. They have a decent gym at the hotel we are staying at with a 20m pool on the roof, and indoor bikes and treadmills. The bad part is that week 15 is Race Rehersal 1!!!! Can I really do RR1 on an indoor bike and on a treadmill? I can pack food and drinks to take with me so nutrition isn't a huge issue, but seriously can I do these inside? It seems like a really bad time for a work trip, but there is probably zero chance I can get out of it. Can I switch Weeks 15 and 16 and do RR1 on the Saturday the 10th? I'll be tired as hell after the trip, but I can do it on my bike outside that week. It'd also lead to a really rough week 17 with no rest until Friday.
On a side note the knee feels fine after the tri this weekend. I had a bit of an ankle issue for a week, but it wasn't the knee! All better and still on track. I'm slow, but I go. As I get lighter, I will get faster.
I also have a sprint TRI on Saturday the 12th of Week 12, and a 50 mile tri on the 20th, Sunday of week (1/40/9) 13. I'm hoping to learn a lot about my fitness at that point during this race. I should also be under 200 lbs by then which will be the first for a race.
Anthony...crazy stuff, but all good. I suggest you plan on doing the RR _before_ you go...so you learn it up. Then we can plan on a maintenance / run focus while you are there...then when you get back, it will have to be mostly bike focused to get you back up to speed...but it can be done!
So make a note to yourself to swap weeks 15 and 16...and to check in with me that week for a tentative plan to set you up on the road!
Can't do it before I go. The weekend before I go I am doing the 50 mile Disco triathlon..... I suppose I could do it Friday before I fly out on Friday or Saturday. IT would make for an awful day. We have meetings all day Sunday since their week is Sunday to Thursday. I will have Friday and Saturday off when there, and a limited gym (no real bike). I wouldn't get the 2nd long ride on Saturday as I would be traveling. That would mean replacing week 14 with week 15. Switching 15 and 16, doing 16 first, I will do the RR right after I get back and two weeks before RR#2.
Either way after the Triathlon September 20th, I am going to update this Topic on September 21st. That will give us 2 or 3 days to hammer out a 2-3 week plan. We will need to rough out a plan for the 25th to October 10th. I will have my tickets by then and know exactly when I will be in the air and on the ground and where by then too. The good news is that after this trip I will have enough miles to take the wife business class to Europe next year (big SAUs score there).
One the weight loss front today I am using a new hole in my belt which is nice. I'm 3 lbs behind my target right now which I think I will make up this weekend (probably 1 or 2 lbs of that deficit), and I take an update photo this Friday too. If all goes according to plan I will do the 50 mile tri at a weight less than 200 lbs, and I've never raced at that weight. My lightest ever was HIM TX in 2013 at 208. It was a bad day, but I finished. Never get a major sunburn two days before a HIM.
AS, love the weight loss stuff...focus on what you can control, and you are doing just that! Sweet! If you can keep that rolling the pressure comes off the fitness side.
Can you do the RR earlier in September...like 2 or 3 weeks earlier? We have several weeks to play with so I'd like to make sure we get it in. The more we know about how your body responds to that work, nutrition and pacing, the more specific we can be with your final few weeks!
Sometimes things just don't work out.... It's an awful story, but I'm going to make the best of it. I've lost two weeks of training to what I thought was a bad cold. I just couldn't put out any sort of effort or I'd go into a coughing fit. I had lots of bad workouts. So after seeing a doctor it turns out I have pneumonia which causes real low O2 levels. Well I'm recovering but I can't really exert myself for probably 2 more weeks. So losing these 4 weeks. plus the 2 for work at the end of October I can't feasibly do IMFL. I just won't be ready, and I know it. My wife who is ultra supportive understand and agrees. She's upset now for not forcing me to a doc sooner, but I'm stubborn and tough. I did climb up to the Window Arch in Arches Nat'l park on my busted torn meniscus knee.... I also played 3rd leg for a coworker who sprained her ankle on that trip. I laugh about it now but at the time I didn't know the meniscus was torn in two places, just that my knee hurt a lot.
I'm going to switch my plan to a close to home in LA half distance race on November 21st. We will spend the next day in New Orleans eating well with family. I feel I can still put in the effort to do a PB half at this point. I am down to 210 by sticking to the diet and watching my weight. 208 is the lightest I have ever done a tri. I will easily hit 180 by Nov 21st I feel, so a PB half will be no problem.
I will build on it next fall doing the Galveston Half. Then I will plan and conquer my first full after. I hate losing the money but a DNF would hurt way more in so many ways.
Anthony, there is no one right decision, just the right decision for you. Getting you healthy and keeping your momentum by building off your successes is mission critical...so let's keep it rolling. Let me know when you are ready to talk more about plans, etc!
Okay let's talk about health and momentum. I'm down to 207, which is lighter than I have ever been for any triathlon I have ever done. I'm going to continue to lose. That said the motivation of having a race to look forward to helps.
I have a sprint race in 3 weeks. No issues really. I will finish easily and healthy, but will be fairly slow since I have now missed 3 weeks of working out due to this illness. I am going to go ride this Wednesday slowly and see how things are going (I have a new bike; sold my old B16 and F5 and have a new AR5 instead since I'm more comfortable on a roady anyway). The week after the sprint I have another race. I can do a sprint again (OWS though), Olympic or 50 miler (1, 40, 9) if I want that week. I'm thinking in this shape sprint or Olympic might be better than 50.
So the real question is can I be ready for a half distance race on November 21st given how badly the past two years have really gone? The great news is the knee is now a non issue and I'm light enough to start running in earnest. I'm on track to be around 185-190 by then too which only makes things easier. I can be on track to be 165-175 (probably close to my ideal weight) next spring.
So is 11 and half weeks enough to have fun at a half iron distance race? I've done two in the past (Galveston and Austin) so I can handle the distance. I was 215ish for Austin and 208 for Galveston. I'm thinking I can do it, but that going fast won't really be my goal but finishing with a smile and having fun at it is a good goal at this point. Next year I can worry about speed when I try Galveston again. What does all of your experience tell you?
And should I just switch over to the HIM beginner plan now and go for it knowing that it will take 2 or 3 weeks to get up to speed?
Anthony, thanks for the update! You can totally do it...and I think it will keep you motivated. I am NOT worried about run intensity for you; we need to be mindful of your knee and the transition from your current workload to a half. Give it like 3 weeks of Half Training (follow schedule but don't go nutz on the run intensity) and we'll see how you feel.
So to recap...sprint now, then drop in the HIM plan to end on your target race, but take the first three weeks easy on the run and we'll see where you are at!
Wow it's been 2 months since I really did anything. Pneumonia really sucked. Don't ever get it. If you think you have congestion going into your chest get it fixed ASAP and don't wait like I did.
Okay so I got an email reminder about coming back and doing something. Well I discussed things with my wife and made a decision to not do anything the rest of this year. I also decided to just do short local sprint races next year, and they do a half distance race again next November (same one I was considering this year). I should be ready and then I can reevaluate and worry about IM distance after that.
So I submitted a new season roadmap and am planning on starting with outseason very soon.
Smart call on the rest...and the re-entry stuff will suck but remember this -- you'll be better after six weeks. Make a note from day one of serious training and find day 42 on the calendar and do whatever it takes to get there.
Also, don't stress to much about the intensity stuff in the early OS...I want consistency first....then performance!
Comments
We'd prefer the Friday Big Day (off of work) then Sat to recover and Sunday as an optional bike or run. I'd do the week as planned but do the Thursday WKO in the AM and keep it to an hour max!
I'm now in week 2 of Get Faster and focused on IMFL. I have a lowly sprint C race this Saturday. Do I just drop Saturday's bike ride and sub the sprint? Should I take the Sunday off too and skip that run?
And running is still very problematic with the knee. I can do it, but it swells up and hurts. I did every workout for wk 1 of Get Faster. The knee felt pretty solid and fine until this morning after Sunday's 4 x 1/2 mile Z4 intervals. The knee felt fine during and after the run but it got really stiff and swollen last night / this morning. I am icing right now at work. I'm going to have to start icing immediately after each and every run. I'm really focusing on shortening my stride and quickening my stride rate to not abuse the knee. Should I drop all L priority runs? Turn L priority runs into walks / hikes?
Also the hill repeats on Tuesday. I have plenty of hills near me that will work, but I think the "bounding" part of the workout seems like a really bad idea given the current knee problems. I know I need the hill work to get faster though, but bounding is probably out of the question. Any suggestions for the hill workouts?
Also as an example, I have a commitment Wednesday evening so I can only do one of the days workouts at lunch time. Skip the L priority swim and do the ! priority run instead?
1) Just do the sprint vs the ride, that's fine...
2) Yes, if you can only do one session, choose the higher priority workout! So glad you are using that !
3) I don't want you in GF for "running" if the knee is still an issue. With IMFL being six months away, we are under zero pressure to ramp up the run intensity.
I'd rather get you on a basic week that allows you to build some baseline fitness before you get into IMFL mode come August 10th. You could either follow the Bike Focused plan right now (mostly cycling) or we could devise a week for you here in the forums. Let me know which you prefer!
Yesterday I did the swim workout. After the swim I did lots of stretching and some hot tub time at the gym for the knee and also took my anti-inflammatory. The knee is still stiff this morning but I am walking fine. I could run later today or tomorrow. Basically the knee recovery after a run is probably 48-72 hours right now not the 12 hours I need it to be. I'm going to see a trainer today at the gym about some stretches and exercises for the knee and leg. I would say this morning it doesn't hurt anymore, but it does still feel "tight" if that makes sense.
I looked at the bike focus plan. It's all bike / run. Why not just drop a run from the current GF plan and add a bike workout? I can also just get out with the baby stroller and do lots of brisk walking too. Or I can sub swims for the runs on the bike focus plan too?
Let me know what you think!
~ Patrick
More bad news: Flooding in TX has moved a lot of races, so the races I was going to do after Get Faster and some short course work are caput. The lakes are over full and the starting areas are under water. So the races have been pushed out. As a result, since I'm 20 weeks out I just switched to the IM Beginner plan earlier since I need the 8 wks of foundation anyway.
So the GREAT news. Today was Tuesday. Workout was 3X1/2 mile Z4 run intervals. I ran the intervals, and my KNEE FEELS GREAT tonight. I noticed last week at the Rangers game I was walking up and down the steps and finally didn't notice my knee at all. Same on today's run, albeit very slow run for many reasons. I can train! I'm slow but as the weight goes poof (2 lbs per week last 5 weeks), and fitness improves speed will come back quickly. I know at <210 I can run a 30 min 5k. I can't wait to see what I can do when I'm <<200. <br />
After all the news, 1 quick easy question.
Week 4 I have my first real race non injured in almost 2 years. It's a local sprint. The Saturday workout in week 4 is a 150min bike ride and 30 min run. I will get the run volume and a short 350m pool swim. Should I ride another 90 min or so after the race or should I just take the rest of the day off with the Sunday off? I'm really looking forward to the week 4 bike, swim and run tests right now. I expect my bike power will be up another 10-20W and I will be down another 3+kg since my last test 3 weeks ago. For the runs I will be jogging only and quite slowly until I'm <200 and I'm 100% confident in my knee. I was really worried about today's workout, but all went well. <br />
P.S. I hope you can read fast, since I can type pretty quickly.
I say just do the race as a race, and enjoy it. If you can get out on Sunday for an easy 60 'to 90' spin, great...but no pressure. You need to celebrate being BACK, baby!
Here's to actually being able to train! Swim today, walk/jog later tonight and long bike tomorrow. 19 weeks to go....
That said, we have to get you to update that profile picture! http://screencast.com/t/Rf5Oizuy69
I could post my HIM Austin photo from 2012, but that's two and half years ago. I was thinner for HIM Galveston in 2013 but I was also sunburned to lobster color. I got sunburned two days before a HIM at opening day for baseball. That was a bad lesson learned.
Great news, yesterdays slow run went off without a hitch. I was tempted as heck to speed up because the treadmill next to me was hauling ass, but then I remembered that's not my plan or goal. Stick to the plan....
On a side note the knee feels fine after the tri this weekend. I had a bit of an ankle issue for a week, but it wasn't the knee! All better and still on track. I'm slow, but I go. As I get lighter, I will get faster.
I also have a sprint TRI on Saturday the 12th of Week 12, and a 50 mile tri on the 20th, Sunday of week (1/40/9) 13. I'm hoping to learn a lot about my fitness at that point during this race. I should also be under 200 lbs by then which will be the first for a race.
So make a note to yourself to swap weeks 15 and 16...and to check in with me that week for a tentative plan to set you up on the road!
We can do it!
Either way after the Triathlon September 20th, I am going to update this Topic on September 21st. That will give us 2 or 3 days to hammer out a 2-3 week plan. We will need to rough out a plan for the 25th to October 10th. I will have my tickets by then and know exactly when I will be in the air and on the ground and where by then too. The good news is that after this trip I will have enough miles to take the wife business class to Europe next year (big SAUs score there).
One the weight loss front today I am using a new hole in my belt which is nice. I'm 3 lbs behind my target right now which I think I will make up this weekend (probably 1 or 2 lbs of that deficit), and I take an update photo this Friday too. If all goes according to plan I will do the 50 mile tri at a weight less than 200 lbs, and I've never raced at that weight. My lightest ever was HIM TX in 2013 at 208. It was a bad day, but I finished. Never get a major sunburn two days before a HIM.
Can you do the RR earlier in September...like 2 or 3 weeks earlier? We have several weeks to play with so I'd like to make sure we get it in. The more we know about how your body responds to that work, nutrition and pacing, the more specific we can be with your final few weeks!
Ps congrats on the SAU victory!
I'm going to switch my plan to a close to home in LA half distance race on November 21st. We will spend the next day in New Orleans eating well with family. I feel I can still put in the effort to do a PB half at this point. I am down to 210 by sticking to the diet and watching my weight. 208 is the lightest I have ever done a tri. I will easily hit 180 by Nov 21st I feel, so a PB half will be no problem.
I will build on it next fall doing the Galveston Half. Then I will plan and conquer my first full after. I hate losing the money but a DNF would hurt way more in so many ways.
I have a sprint race in 3 weeks. No issues really. I will finish easily and healthy, but will be fairly slow since I have now missed 3 weeks of working out due to this illness. I am going to go ride this Wednesday slowly and see how things are going (I have a new bike; sold my old B16 and F5 and have a new AR5 instead since I'm more comfortable on a roady anyway). The week after the sprint I have another race. I can do a sprint again (OWS though), Olympic or 50 miler (1, 40, 9) if I want that week. I'm thinking in this shape sprint or Olympic might be better than 50.
So the real question is can I be ready for a half distance race on November 21st given how badly the past two years have really gone? The great news is the knee is now a non issue and I'm light enough to start running in earnest. I'm on track to be around 185-190 by then too which only makes things easier. I can be on track to be 165-175 (probably close to my ideal weight) next spring.
So is 11 and half weeks enough to have fun at a half iron distance race? I've done two in the past (Galveston and Austin) so I can handle the distance. I was 215ish for Austin and 208 for Galveston. I'm thinking I can do it, but that going fast won't really be my goal but finishing with a smile and having fun at it is a good goal at this point. Next year I can worry about speed when I try Galveston again. What does all of your experience tell you?
And should I just switch over to the HIM beginner plan now and go for it knowing that it will take 2 or 3 weeks to get up to speed?
Thanks, Anthony
So to recap...sprint now, then drop in the HIM plan to end on your target race, but take the first three weeks easy on the run and we'll see where you are at!
Sound good?
Okay so I got an email reminder about coming back and doing something. Well I discussed things with my wife and made a decision to not do anything the rest of this year. I also decided to just do short local sprint races next year, and they do a half distance race again next November (same one I was considering this year). I should be ready and then I can reevaluate and worry about IM distance after that.
So I submitted a new season roadmap and am planning on starting with outseason very soon.
Also, don't stress to much about the intensity stuff in the early OS...I want consistency first....then performance!