Jen Ertler's Macro Thread
I have two questions:
1. I'm a decent cyclist and my run is very weak (even stand alone running, not off the bike). How should I prioritize my workouts during the week so I make speed gains on my run?
2. Right now the preseason plan calls for 7 days a week of training. This is not always possible for me because I travel extensively for work. Should I double up any workouts? If so, which ones? If not, should I just skip that day and move on? Or prioritize which workout to drop?
Thanks!
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Hi Jen,
In your notes for me you described yourself as having taken quite a bit of time off since your last race. So I put you on the PS plan to get you back in the groove, in advance of the Run Focus plan which you'll start in a few weeks. That's where we'll start making you faster. Up until then I just want to get you running consistently and staying healthy.
I'd like you to run 3x/wk in the PS plan, bike minimum of 2x/wk. Swim can slide a bit this time of year. So cut/drop workouts within that guidance, if that make sense.
The OS is going great and I am really enjoying the workouts! Quite frankly, I've never been happier executing a plan and can see a path to reaching my 2015 speed goals!
I have a macro question about bike modifications during the week. There is one spin class at the gym that I LOVE and have been trying to "work in" to my OS plan per the guidelines you provide. Currently, I am following the protocol by replacing the low priority Saturday bike (2x10 and 2x8) with the spin class. However, when looking at my HR data from the class (no power meters on the spin bike), we do more really intense/shorter VO2 max intervals vs. long efforts. In fact the intensities are much higher (From a HR perspective I will hit a HR of 180 during my intervals in class vs. 170 on the trainer). The class is filled with cyclists and the instructor is intense, so there is a lot of competitiveness :-). That said, I should note that I not "fried" and this workout doesn't impact other scheduled workouts. Compared to other spin instructors, she is actually a trainer, so she does a great job of building and bringing us back down for recovery - there is structure to this workout.
My concern is this: by swapping the Saturday (2x10, 2x8) ride with my Sunday spin class (mostly VO2 max interval), I suspect I am missing the opportunity to execute higher power over longer intervals. If my goal is to be a better 40KTT, then I am not really accomplishing this with essentially two VO2 max workouts/week.
My questions are as follows:
1. First, if you tell me to get over it, skip the class and do the plan, then I respect that recommendation as my coach. :-) I'm not trying to sabotage my workouts.
2. Given the type of workout that this class provides, if it's ok to swap, should I instead swap the Sunday class with my VO2 Thursday workout?
If I did #2, then my week would look like this: Long run Tuesday, Wednesday I will do the Sunday workout, Thursday rest, Friday-Sunday I execute the 3 day priority workouts. With greater thought...I think this schedule would also accommodate my travel schedule (I travel 40 weeks a year, typically in the middle of the week). This would increase the likelihood of getting these 3 high-priority workouts within 24 hours of each other since I have more control over Friday -Sunday vs. the mid week workouts.
Thoughts? and Thanks!
For whatever reason, in the Outseason Plan the Saturday ride is the only ride marked as "low" when I print out my weekly workouts. Perhaps that was an oversight? Now that I understand that the Saturday ride turns into the long ride, the entire structure makes sense and of course it's not low priority. Thanks for the guidance; it gives me what I need to make modifications when I need to emerge from my pain cave and hang out with other people during my workouts :-)