Hi Patrick, Thanks for the feedback. You are right about fatigue. I've been on a airplane every week without a break for the past 5 months. Travel stress and training stress is catching up to me.
Here is how things went at the end of this week (Week# 15/Camp week).
Overall Health and fitness: Still had a linger cold and was feeling worn down on Tuesday morning (8/11). I decided to take Tue and Wed off and tried to recover. I had taken off from work and all I did was lay in bed for most of the day and forced myself to rest. I was feeling about 98% okay on Thursday morning but still decided to take an additional rest day. I was feeling much better on Friday morning and was ready to do my 6hr/112mile ride.
Swimming: I had to skip the race rehearsal swim on Thursday because I wasn’t feeling that I had recovered from my sickness. Overall I still feel pretty confident on my swim and don’t have any issues with it so far. My goal pace for the swim is about 1:45/100yards.
Biking: The 6 hrs/112 bike race rehearsal on Friday went pretty well. I was unable to complete 112miles before 6hrs and had to stop at 100miles which took 6:03:07 (Moving Time). I was able to stay Aero for the most part and maintain my goal IF of .66. I Consumed 1 1/4 bottles of Gatorade Endurance per hour plus a Power gel every 45 minutes. (Liquid intake was based on my sweat test.)
The Saturday ride was a completely different story. My intention was to complete at least 50 - 60 miles. Within the first 30 minutes I know I could not maintain an IF of .66 as I did on Friday. That was 35% due to tired legs and 65% saddle soreness. I did ride 68 miles though (4:31:04 Moving Time). https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/866685909 . I also did have some lingering Achilles pain on Sunday morning after the ride through but it seem to have gone away by Sunday afternoon after some stretching and rolling.
I also am trying to estimate if my race day IF of .66 is a good estimate for IM Lake Tahoe? I used bestbikesplit.com to estimate my bike split at different IF (.66 - .69) and below is what it came up with.
FYI: My FTP is 225 or 3.30 W/kg
Time
6 hours 36 mins 47 secs
6 hours 34 mins 3 secs
6 hours 31 mins 25 secs
6 hours 28 mins 39 secs
Avg. Speed
16.72 mph
16.84 mph
16.95 mph
17.07 mph
Avg. Power
140.02 watts
141.82 watts
143.66 watts
145.55 watts
Normalized Power®
148.28 watts
150.42 watts
152.34 watts
154.26 watts
Variability Index
1.06
1.06
1.06
1.06
Intensity Factor®
0.66
0.67
0.68
0.69
Training Stress Score®
288
294
300
306
Watts/Kg
2.07
2.1
2.13
2.15
The EN bike pacing chart does not have TSS values for splits over 6:30. Is a TSS of 288 safe for a novice runner like me?
Running: I’ve been struggling with this for the past 4 weeks due to hip/IT band injury. My legs finally felt back to normal early this week but I feel sick. I did run for 45 minutes on Friday after the bike RR. It went pretty well for the most part bad but my knee/IT band began to lock up after about 30 minute. It was fine after I took a 20 second break to stretch and then was back running again. I feel like I need some durability since I took a break from running. Below is my running history for the past 90 days.
(The Grey bar is what I was supposed to do according to the Training plan. Blue is what I actually completed)
I did run on this evening (Sunday) for 90 minutes/9.13 miles. I just ran based on what felt good for today and didn’t push myself to keep up with any numbers since I hadn’t been running much for a few weeks now. I could feel Achilles bothering me for the first 5 – 10 minutes or so but was fine after that .The first 60 minutes was relatively okay but after that I started get some tightness in my knees. Also could feel my Achilles bother me again towards the end of the 90 minutes and I backed off running. Feels like I needs more durability runs since i took a break/cutdown running due to injury a few weeks ago.Should I stick with what is in the training pan or should I modify.
Any feedback would be really appreciated. Just want to be able to run and not rather walk for at least 90% of the race if possible at this point.
AP, great ride for you…good call on resting that week! I think your ride went well as your HR showed, so pumped there. And impressed with your Day Two ride (not easy, but that’s why we do it!).
Re your IF, we recommend you just sit on .7 and let the TSS fall where it may. There are plenty of downhills were you won’t be pedalling and a VI of 1.06 means it will be closer to .68 (or less) simply by nature of the course.
I agree with your durability question. First and foremost I recommend ART to increase mobility if that’s an option with a chiropractor or specialist in your area. I just want you running 4 hours a week…I don’t care HOW you do that, and I want it at Steady Z1 to Z2 on a flat surface.
From a durability perspective, it’s not a bout the long run, just how much running you have on your legs…so let’s keep that rolling. If you need me to lay out a more definitive structure across your week, let me know!
Thanks for the feedback Patrick. this is very helpful.
As far as ART, I have two sports massage therapy sessions scheduled in the next two weeks. If I feel that is not cutting it, I will find a Chiropractor who specializes in ART.
As for the run i'll keep it to atleast 4 runs a week. I'll plan on one long run 75-90 minutes and three other runs 30-45 minutes per week. Will increase the long run duration as I feel better.
Thanks again coach. Will keep you posted on how things are going.
ART really helps..I find that most issues, caught early, are induced by restricted mobility...IOW, range of motion, when reduced, puts undue stress on other parts of your "machine"....let's hope this does the trick!
ART it is Coach! I did go to a chiropractor who does ART in the Dallas area this morning and he said my hip/glute tenderness is most likely due to tight hamstrings. He did some ART therapy on me and I did feel immediate relief. I have a couple more sessions scheduled next week. Will keep you posted on the progress. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.
Hi Patrick, I’m going through a roller coaster phase with my Injury. I did feel somewhat better last week after ART treatment with the chiropractor and also spending an hour of stretching twice daily. This week my Hip/Glute seems to be bothering me again since Monday. It bothers me while walking and also while sleeping at night. I went to a chiropractor for ART treatment again on Tuesday and Thursday (today) this week and the recovery this week seems to be minimal. I was able to run for an hour in Zone1 on Tuesday week but it wasn’t pain free. I also had a sports massage yesterday and took the day off hoping I could recover but there has been no drastic change.
At this point I’m trying to assess what I can accomplish realistically speaking and I’m beginning to doubt if I can complete the run. Given that my last long run (11 miles) was 7 weeks ago and I’m unable to run more than 60 – 90 minutes pain free, what do you think is the best course of action? Just trying to be realistic here.
AP don't underestimate the value of frequency of runs (total weekly volume) vs one long run. So do all the painfree (shorter) running that you can. Race day can often be managed with Tylenol and will power, esp if you aren't doing damage.
Have you checked in with Leigh over at www.athletestreatingathletes.com ? She's a member and really good and diagnosing stuff with treatment options. I suggest you reach out to her.
Patrick, I just signed up for a phone consult with Leigh. Also have another sports massage this afternoon and another ART and massage session scheduled next week as well.
This week was not that great at all. I took Wednesday and Thursday off. I did do the swim Race rehearsal on Friday and it went as planned. I completed 4000 yards in 1:11:18 with out much effort. It was a mental booster since this was my longest straight swim set and did it quite easily.
I got on the bike this morning but had to stop after an hour an a half. My hips/Upper IT band area started to bother me and I decided to stop so that I didn't add more damage.
I think what may have aggravated the situation was may be because I did two brick runs last weekend (minutes and 90 minutes). I was in a little bit of pain/discomfort and still decided to push myself to run.
Right now I'm doing as much as I can that can be done pain free. I feel like i cant put too much load on my right leg. It feel good immediately after a massage or doing some deep rolling and stretching but it wares off after some time.
Thanks for all the advice Coach. I'm still marching forward and will keep you posted on how things progress.
I did speak with Leigh and am working with her. She think the cause of my hip pain is most likely due to tight/inflexible ankle. I think she's probably right and it's something that may have been overlooked. I also have an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedic Doctor on Tuesday just to make sure that it's not anything too serious .I have a feeling it’s most likely tendonitis in my hips at this point. I haven’t done much training this week apart from swimming and physical therapy/stretching exercises. The pain has drastically reduced and I can now sleep and walk without pain but there is still pain when I stretch deep.
With that said I'm going to pull out of Ironman Lake Tahoe this year. It was a tough decision but I think it's the right thing to do at this point. I'm mentally broken and having to reset expectation every week has drained me mentally and was a roller coaster. I’ve barely done much running at all in the past 8 weeks and any running I have done wasn’t pain free. My running confidence is pretty low at this point to complete a 26 mile run. I'm going to attempt to complete my first IM again in 2017.
I’ve been getting injured too many times and would like to fix that. I'm a heal striker and I did pronate a lot in the past. I been using ceramic orthotics the past 4 years to fix the pronation. Do you think it would be beneficial to
1. Try and change my gait from a heal striker to mid fit striker? (If yes need some tips on that) 2. Get Orthotics redone?
I’ve had a gait and running wellness analysis done at irunsafe ( https://www.irunsafe.com/) about 3 years ago. Do you think it's a good idea to get another analysis?
Also where do I go between now and end of the year with regard to my training plan? something to improve my running? For 2016 I plan on doing a few Olympic and a 70.3 race and most importantly get a stronger running base. Any suggestions here?
I have another overseas trip Nov 15 - Dec 5th so I was I'm planning to start the OS after that. Should I send a TSR request to Coach R?
AP, I stand by your decision. Not worth it to have such a crappy long race after such challenging training. Here are my thoughts:
1. Let's get big stuff ruled out via your doc. 2. Then let's set a plan in place for your ankle / hip. During this time we can keep you active on the bike/swim. 3. Let's identify a good race for you in 2016... 4. The Nov OS starts 10/26, but that might be too early. I have no problem outlining a week that you can use until Jan OS start when you are ideally closer to 100%.
Either your doc or Leigh can give us a timeline for getting back to running. As for the mid-foot stuff....YES. Heel striking is not good at all -- goes right into your hip! We have some stuff in the wiki, but you can also ask the team for input...
Hi Patrick, Wanted to give you an update on a couple of things.
With regard to the injury, The Doc and ruled out any stress fracture or any muscle tear. My chiropractor found a big knot in my lateral quad and has ironed that out. I've been working with Leigh for the past four weeks on physical therapy and focusing on getting back to running. It has been very helpful.
I've also just started running again this week. I'm doing walking for 15', easy run for 15,' brisk walk for 5' and then a final 10' easy run on alternate days. Things have been good so far. For the last three week, I've kept my workouts to just swimming. I will add some riding again next week.
I'm hoping to start the OutSeason during the second week of Dec if possible. Any recommendation on how to maintain or improve my run durability until then?
Coach, I can stick with the Run Re-Entry Protocol starting with week #3 if that's what you want me to do. I say week#3 because I really didn't have anything torn or broken (Just major muscle knots) and the first two weeks seem too slow/basic.
As far as "A" race, I only have Vineman 70.3 and a couple of Olympic in mind right now because I don't know how my work work travel schedule is going to look like in 2016. I should have a better picture in Jan/Feb. If i can get a block of 3 months where I don't have to travel, I will pick a Full IM race regardless of any destination. This year was totally crazy when it came to travel (100,000 miles of domestic travel in 6 months) and partly cause of my injury because I could not get PT/Chiropractor help in a timely manner.
As far as what I'm going for exercise right now, below is how my week looks like/(or plan to look like). It's unstructured workouts just to stay fit and it's in no specific order. Just no back to back running days.
2 x 60mins Swim 2-1 x 45-60 min Bike 1 x 200 min Bike ride on Saturday 3 x 45-60 mins run. May be a 1 or 2 Yoga sessions if I can.
With regards to Outseason, I do agree with you that experience/motivation is much better when done with the team. I did the 2015 with the team and it was awesome. The only reason I'm contemplating on starting a little early is that Dec is slow for me in terms of Travel. I want to grab any block of time where I don't have to travel and make use of that time. I should know more in the next few months. If I happen to know my travel schedule in advance and if it works with my training plan, I will start with the Jan OutSeason group.
AP, you are all good here...I agree with an early OS start as "different" as that might be. And yes to "skipping" slightly ahead with the run durability program to match your current running ability...Vineman sets you up will for a year that could go either way for an IM...early or late.
But priority number one right now is staying healthy!
Comments
Hi Patrick, Thanks for the feedback. You are right about fatigue. I've been on a airplane every week without a break for the past 5 months. Travel stress and training stress is catching up to me.
Here is how things went at the end of this week (Week# 15/Camp week).
Overall Health and fitness: Still had a linger cold and was feeling worn down on Tuesday morning (8/11). I decided to take Tue and Wed off and tried to recover. I had taken off from work and all I did was lay in bed for most of the day and forced myself to rest. I was feeling about 98% okay on Thursday morning but still decided to take an additional rest day. I was feeling much better on Friday morning and was ready to do my 6hr/112mile ride.
Swimming: I had to skip the race rehearsal swim on Thursday because I wasn’t feeling that I had recovered from my sickness. Overall I still feel pretty confident on my swim and don’t have any issues with it so far. My goal pace for the swim is about 1:45/100yards.
Biking: The 6 hrs/112 bike race rehearsal on Friday went pretty well. I was unable to complete 112miles before 6hrs and had to stop at 100miles which took 6:03:07 (Moving Time). I was able to stay Aero for the most part and maintain my goal IF of .66. I Consumed 1 1/4 bottles of Gatorade Endurance per hour plus a Power gel every 45 minutes. (Liquid intake was based on my sweat test.)
Here is the Garmin link for the Friday’s ride. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/865627427 . Let me know if you have any feedback on this.
The Saturday ride was a completely different story. My intention was to complete at least 50 - 60 miles. Within the first 30 minutes I know I could not maintain an IF of .66 as I did on Friday. That was 35% due to tired legs and 65% saddle soreness. I did ride 68 miles though (4:31:04 Moving Time). https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/866685909 . I also did have some lingering Achilles pain on Sunday morning after the ride through but it seem to have gone away by Sunday afternoon after some stretching and rolling.
I also am trying to estimate if my race day IF of .66 is a good estimate for IM Lake Tahoe? I used bestbikesplit.com to estimate my bike split at different IF (.66 - .69) and below is what it came up with.
FYI: My FTP is 225 or 3.30 W/kg
Time
6 hours 36 mins 47 secs
6 hours 34 mins 3 secs
6 hours 31 mins 25 secs
6 hours 28 mins 39 secs
Avg. Speed
16.72 mph
16.84 mph
16.95 mph
17.07 mph
Avg. Power
140.02 watts
141.82 watts
143.66 watts
145.55 watts
Normalized Power®
148.28 watts
150.42 watts
152.34 watts
154.26 watts
Variability Index
1.06
1.06
1.06
1.06
Intensity Factor®
0.66
0.67
0.68
0.69
Training Stress Score®
288
294
300
306
Watts/Kg
2.07
2.1
2.13
2.15
The EN bike pacing chart does not have TSS values for splits over 6:30. Is a TSS of 288 safe for a novice runner like me?
Running: I’ve been struggling with this for the past 4 weeks due to hip/IT band injury. My legs finally felt back to normal early this week but I feel sick. I did run for 45 minutes on Friday after the bike RR. It went pretty well for the most part bad but my knee/IT band began to lock up after about 30 minute. It was fine after I took a 20 second break to stretch and then was back running again. I feel like I need some durability since I took a break from running. Below is my running history for the past 90 days.
(The Grey bar is what I was supposed to do according to the Training plan. Blue is what I actually completed)
I did run on this evening (Sunday) for 90 minutes/9.13 miles. I just ran based on what felt good for today and didn’t push myself to keep up with any numbers since I hadn’t been running much for a few weeks now. I could feel Achilles bothering me for the first 5 – 10 minutes or so but was fine after that .The first 60 minutes was relatively okay but after that I started get some tightness in my knees. Also could feel my Achilles bother me again towards the end of the 90 minutes and I backed off running. Feels like I needs more durability runs since i took a break/cutdown running due to injury a few weeks ago. Should I stick with what is in the training pan or should I modify.
Any feedback would be really appreciated. Just want to be able to run and not rather walk for at least 90% of the race if possible at this point.
Re your IF, we recommend you just sit on .7 and let the TSS fall where it may. There are plenty of downhills were you won’t be pedalling and a VI of 1.06 means it will be closer to .68 (or less) simply by nature of the course.
I agree with your durability question. First and foremost I recommend ART to increase mobility if that’s an option with a chiropractor or specialist in your area. I just want you running 4 hours a week…I don’t care HOW you do that, and I want it at Steady Z1 to Z2 on a flat surface.
From a durability perspective, it’s not a bout the long run, just how much running you have on your legs…so let’s keep that rolling. If you need me to lay out a more definitive structure across your week, let me know!
Thanks for the feedback Patrick. this is very helpful.
As far as ART, I have two sports massage therapy sessions scheduled in the next two weeks. If I feel that is not cutting it, I will find a Chiropractor who specializes in ART.
As for the run i'll keep it to atleast 4 runs a week. I'll plan on one long run 75-90 minutes and three other runs 30-45 minutes per week. Will increase the long run duration as I feel better.
Thanks again coach. Will keep you posted on how things are going.
I’m going through a roller coaster phase with my Injury. I did feel somewhat better last week after ART treatment with the chiropractor and also spending an hour of stretching twice daily. This week my Hip/Glute seems to be bothering me again since Monday. It bothers me while walking and also while sleeping at night. I went to a chiropractor for ART treatment again on Tuesday and Thursday (today) this week and the recovery this week seems to be minimal. I was able to run for an hour in Zone1 on Tuesday week but it wasn’t pain free. I also had a sports massage yesterday and took the day off hoping I could recover but there has been no drastic change.
At this point I’m trying to assess what I can accomplish realistically speaking and I’m beginning to doubt if I can complete the run. Given that my last long run (11 miles) was 7 weeks ago and I’m unable to run more than 60 – 90 minutes pain free, what do you think is the best course of action? Just trying to be realistic here.
Have you checked in with Leigh over at www.athletestreatingathletes.com ? She's a member and really good and diagnosing stuff with treatment options. I suggest you reach out to her.
Any idea what the trigger was over the weekend?
I just signed up for a phone consult with Leigh. Also have another sports massage this afternoon and another ART and massage session scheduled next week as well.
This week was not that great at all. I took Wednesday and Thursday off. I did do the swim Race rehearsal on Friday and it went as planned. I completed 4000 yards in 1:11:18 with out much effort. It was a mental booster since this was my longest straight swim set and did it quite easily.
I got on the bike this morning but had to stop after an hour an a half. My hips/Upper IT band area started to bother me and I decided to stop so that I didn't add more damage.
I think what may have aggravated the situation was may be because I did two brick runs last weekend (minutes and 90 minutes). I was in a little bit of pain/discomfort and still decided to push myself to run.
Right now I'm doing as much as I can that can be done pain free. I feel like i cant put too much load on my right leg. It feel good immediately after a massage or doing some deep rolling and stretching but it wares off after some time.
Thanks for all the advice Coach. I'm still marching forward and will keep you posted on how things progress.
Just want to give you an update.
I did speak with Leigh and am working with her. She think the cause of my hip pain is most likely due to tight/inflexible ankle. I think she's probably right and it's something that may have been overlooked. I also have an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedic Doctor on Tuesday just to make sure that it's not anything too serious .I have a feeling it’s most likely tendonitis in my hips at this point. I haven’t done much training this week apart from swimming and physical therapy/stretching exercises. The pain has drastically reduced and I can now sleep and walk without pain but there is still pain when I stretch deep.
With that said I'm going to pull out of Ironman Lake Tahoe this year. It was a tough decision but I think it's the right thing to do at this point. I'm mentally broken and having to reset expectation every week has drained me mentally and was a roller coaster. I’ve barely done much running at all in the past 8 weeks and any running I have done wasn’t pain free. My running confidence is pretty low at this point to complete a 26 mile run. I'm going to attempt to complete my first IM again in 2017.
I’ve been getting injured too many times and would like to fix that. I'm a heal striker and I did pronate a lot in the past. I been using ceramic orthotics the past 4 years to fix the pronation. Do you think it would be beneficial to
1. Try and change my gait from a heal striker to mid fit striker? (If yes need some tips on that)
2. Get Orthotics redone?
I’ve had a gait and running wellness analysis done at irunsafe ( https://www.irunsafe.com/) about 3 years ago. Do you think it's a good idea to get another analysis?
Also where do I go between now and end of the year with regard to my training plan? something to improve my running? For 2016 I plan on doing a few Olympic and a 70.3 race and most importantly get a stronger running base. Any suggestions here?
I have another overseas trip Nov 15 - Dec 5th so I was I'm planning to start the OS after that. Should I send a TSR request to Coach R?
1. Let's get big stuff ruled out via your doc.
2. Then let's set a plan in place for your ankle / hip. During this time we can keep you active on the bike/swim.
3. Let's identify a good race for you in 2016...
4. The Nov OS starts 10/26, but that might be too early. I have no problem outlining a week that you can use until Jan OS start when you are ideally closer to 100%.
Either your doc or Leigh can give us a timeline for getting back to running. As for the mid-foot stuff....YES. Heel striking is not good at all -- goes right into your hip!
Let me know what the PROs say!
Wanted to give you an update on a couple of things.
With regard to the injury, The Doc and ruled out any stress fracture or any muscle tear. My chiropractor found a big knot in my lateral quad and has ironed that out. I've been working with Leigh for the past four weeks on physical therapy and focusing on getting back to running. It has been very helpful.
I've also just started running again this week. I'm doing walking for 15', easy run for 15,' brisk walk for 5' and then a final 10' easy run on alternate days. Things have been good so far. For the last three week, I've kept my workouts to just swimming. I will add some riding again next week.
I'm hoping to start the OutSeason during the second week of Dec if possible. Any recommendation on how to maintain or improve my run durability until then?
Do you need to do the OS on your own? Or can you wait to January to start with the Team? I think you'll find the Team experience 10x better.
Did you pick a 2016 "A" race yet?
I can advise you on run durability, but what else are you doing for exercise. For starters, you can check out this template return to running protocol. Run Re-Entry Protocol: http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Run+Re-Entry+Protocol
I can stick with the Run Re-Entry Protocol starting with week #3 if that's what you want me to do. I say week#3 because I really didn't have anything torn or broken (Just major muscle knots) and the first two weeks seem too slow/basic.
As far as "A" race, I only have Vineman 70.3 and a couple of Olympic in mind right now because I don't know how my work work travel schedule is going to look like in 2016. I should have a better picture in Jan/Feb. If i can get a block of 3 months where I don't have to travel, I will pick a Full IM race regardless of any destination. This year was totally crazy when it came to travel (100,000 miles of domestic travel in 6 months) and partly cause of my injury because I could not get PT/Chiropractor help in a timely manner.
As far as what I'm going for exercise right now, below is how my week looks like/(or plan to look like). It's unstructured workouts just to stay fit and it's in no specific order. Just no back to back running days.
2 x 60mins Swim
2-1 x 45-60 min Bike
1 x 200 min Bike ride on Saturday
3 x 45-60 mins run.
May be a 1 or 2 Yoga sessions if I can.
With regards to Outseason, I do agree with you that experience/motivation is much better when done with the team. I did the 2015 with the team and it was awesome. The only reason I'm contemplating on starting a little early is that Dec is slow for me in terms of Travel. I want to grab any block of time where I don't have to travel and make use of that time. I should know more in the next few months. If I happen to know my travel schedule in advance and if it works with my training plan, I will start with the Jan OutSeason group.
But priority number one right now is staying healthy!