Chris Oubre's Macro and Cheeze thread
A question on my latest season road map. My swim sucks. Bad. I'm giving up 20-30' on the swim to my age group. Should we put a swim block somewhere in there?
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I don't know if we need a "block," but you can certainly swim more / get outside technique help / focus more on drills within the plans I have scheduled for you. If you load up and check out the Swim Camp training plan (print it out) the swims in there would be a good template that you could insert your existing plan(s), replacing the swim. The Focus block I have you doing in July would be a good opportunity to swim more.
This season I started with the JOS. I usually do IM New Orleans or IM Galveston due to proximity. I followed that up with IM Raleigh.
Here are the problems with that schedule:
1) not enough swimming. My best swim week was 1 that hot 9k. Most every other week was 3k or less. Swimming during the school year is costly. I have a lot of swim bandwidth in the summer
2) no breaks. It was constant 3:30 am starts. That means no/limited late night times with my friends and wife. I find that every few weeks I need 1-2 late nights. And after a while I need a week of regular human nights (not pointy hat early tri nights)
3) because of 2 I quickly gave up the cord and core training.
So far in 2016 my bike has really improved. I set a 2:30 HIM PR in New Orleans. And followed that up with a 60' HIM swim in Raleigh :-(
I'm thinking I need something that holds the line with the bike, keeps run durability and let's me swim and build core strength. I'll work with Patrick on crafting a training week for my next block. What I wanted you to know/helps with for 2016-2017 is to force instructed weeks in my plan. I know I need them and I feel guilty taking them when they are not in my official plan. Like one reset week between each block. Not sure. Need your help
Thanks for the detail. Rather than a reset week, how about giving yourself permission to skip a few workouts now and then while doing your best to get in the key workouts? Would doing early/mid summer races be a positive change, with more hours of daylight, etc?
I have taken days off on an ad-hoc basis before and, because it's not scheduled it has a high mental cost on me. A scheduled three day "mini-recovery" session with stretching somewhere in the HIM build as well as a three-day "mini/mental recovery" between each plan transition would be awesome. Perhaps drop the three-day just after the first or second RR??
I know that I will take off/cheat on the plan so why not plan to recover then it costs me less mentally
3/9/2017
Hello Coach. Let's talk season planning.
Quick Recap
My ultimate goal is Kona (like many others I'm sure)
In 2015 and 2016 I raced 3 HIMs a year
I've been a swim slacker often swimming only one time a week
In 2016 at IM New Orleans 70.3 I biked a 2:30 , ran a 1:49 HIM split and swam a 59' ( My worst swim for 2016 was 60' at IM Raleigh 70.3)
2017 goals
Not interfere with my wife's build up for her first HIM attempt (Augusta 70.3)
Actually swim and fix my weakness
Stop racing as much to give me time to work on my swim
Race at least one HIM (Now I'm thinking New Orleans since they moved it to October)
set up 2018 Full Distance race
2018 goals
Go Sub-11 at a full distance IM (Current PR was 13:56 @ IM Coeur d'Alene)
I don't feel that I'm ready to make a KQ attempt but I'm also ready to race a full again. (Not a goal, just a note)
Soooooooooooo
My question is should I do a HIM in July and one in October? The July one seems far enough away that Mia can take the training hit to come to the race with me. I'm thinking IM Canada 70.3. It's also around our anniversary so we can do that thing after the race.
I'm thinking that IM New Orleans in October sets me up perfectly to start the November OutSeason for my 2018 run.
So what should I do? Race one or both HIMs. I have various sprint distance races that I can sprinkle throughout my year.
Yep, I think that's a good plan! Wow, I didn't know that IMNO had moved to October from April...
Also what about my surgery? The plan doesn't look like it cares at all about the 3 week hole it will make.