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Virginia's Microthread

Hi Coach,

Is there anything from week 10 (like the sweat test) that I should pick up in week 11?  I have been on vacation and away from home and the ability to train.  I have been following the schedule pretty religiously to this point so I don't feel anxiety about missing a week, but I would like to add anything to next week that you think was important.  Thanks!

Virginia

Comments

  • Virgina, YES to the sweat test....that's mission critical, otherwise, onwards!

    Please keep me posted and let me know if there's anything else I can do....

    ~ Coach P
  • Hi Coach,

    I have a RR next week (week 11 of the full IM intermediate plan). I will be away from my home, but can easily do the bike and run. I think I may have a pool to go to, but in the event I can't swim, do you recommend a run before the 4 hour bike? I know that I do that in my training plan before the Friday long bike and thought it was meant to put you on the bike a little worn out like the swim will do.
    Thanks!
    Virginia
  • Virginia, I think you are referring to the Big Day (S/B/R) vs the Race Rehearsal...both important. You can run 30' prior to the bike...just keep it easy and consider it your "warm up" for the day.

    Remember our goals are to check your positional fitness, quality of nutrition and more...so don't worry about riding super hard...just super steady and capture all your lessons learned!
  • Yes, that's the one.  I may be able to swim after all so I probably will.  I have read it is ok to do the swim in the evening of the night before.  Can I do that? It would let me get on my bike an hour or two earlier than I would swimming the morning of. 

    another question, I am at week 11 of the intermediate IM plan for Florida.  I signed up for a 100 mile supported ride on 9/19.  Do you think that is a good idea?  I can turn around at any point.  It is an out and back on a trail.  I thought it would fit with my current training but I don't want to jump the gun.  What do you think?

    Thanks!!

    Virginia

  • Viginia, yes to the night before...we made that option precisely for situations like yours. And the training ride sounds fun...supported, safe, and social...I like it. Watch out for the other riders and really stay on top of your nutrition....that will be the difference between a good ride and a bad one. Your goal will be having to pee by halfway! image
  • Hi Coach,
    I wanted to report some big day results.
    I finished the swim, bike and run and only ran into some nutrition issues on the bike that spilled to the run.
    I used the same food plan as I did last year with IMFL. That consisted of tailwind, nuun, a Go Macro bar every hour and two sunbutter and jelly prefabbed sandwiches.
    Today I prepared three bottles (72 oz) of tailwind and I drank all of them: 300 calories, 200 calories and 150 calorie bottles=650 calories
    I had two bottles of nuun and drank 1.5 (36 oz)
    I had four Go Macro bars with me. I ate two=540 calories. The first at one hour in and the second at 2 hours
    At 2:50 hours I felt hungry so I ate one of my sun butter and jelly sandwiches
    At 3:15 I still felt hungry so I ate the second sandwich. I drank tailwind during this time too.
    I stuck with tailwind and nuun after that
    My energy on the bike was good.
    When I started the run, I felt pretty full and felt a little bit of nausea. I finished the whole hour run and even maintained a 9:30 pace, but did not feel as awesome as I think I could. Energy level and legs felt good, but my stomach was off. I experienced the same feeling on my first Big Day a couple of weeks ago.
    Am I eating too much? The only thing that has changed since last year is that I was about 10 pounds heavier. I thought with the weight loss that I would have less reserve and that I may need more to eat.
    Overall it was a good training day and I enjoyed a great nap with my dog after!
    I would love any feedback about my nutrition. Thanks!!
  • Hi Coach,

    So I watched the Coaches video for this week and you talk about how important it is to do the workouts as suggested in the next eight weeks and now I have to switch up this week! I will be able to fit in all the training, I just need to know if it is ok to not do my long bikes right next to each other. I have been doing it up to this point, but this week and this week only, I might not be able to. Is that ok?
    I also have a question about the swim workouts. For the time in the corner, when it says 60 minutes or 75 minutes, if I finish the workout, should I keep going to make that time and what about a workout that takes me longer than what is in the corner? I am sure this is in a wiki somewhere, but I have not seen it yet or just don't remember. Sorry! but thanks for the help!!
  • Virgina, two things...

    1 - I can't tell if you are getting 1,o00 mg of sodium per hour...so please check on that across your products...and if you need to supplement with salt pills (always good to have on hand in case your tummy goes wonky on race day too).

    2 - sounds like too much food at one time. I'd rather you have a system whereby you space your calories out across each hour of the bike...like a bar every hour, starting at the 30' mark would be good..example:

    0:30 = Bar 1
    1:30 = Bar 2
    2:30 = Sandwich 1
    3:30 = Bar 3
    4:30 = Bar 4
    5:30 = Sandwich 2 (if you still want it).

    We need your plan to be digestible...
  • Hello!
    An update on my nutrition. I did the 4.5 and 3 hour rides for this week and followed your eating plan from the last post. I felt good on both rides. Maybe a little full towards the end of my 4.5 hour ride only. So I will stick with this plan for eating. Thanks!
    Another question: I am doing a 100 mile ride on Sunday. How should I handle riding this week? Skip the Saturday ride and just ride Sunday?

    Thanks Coach!
  • VE -- SWEET! That's great news...so pumped for you. Keep it up!

    As for the century, yes i'd drop the Sat ride for Sunday only...maybe turn the Sat brick run into a stand alone run, just get in a steady 45 minutes...then enjoy Sunday!
  • Thanks Coach! Sounds like a plan.
  • Hi CP!
    I am jumping ahead with a question for week 15 of the IM full intermediate plan. Picture this, it is race rehearsal week, I make it through the race rehearsal and XX(X) miles of the next day ride. Then Sunday comes and I have to work at 7 am which means leaving my house at 630. How important is it that I do the long run the day after the RR day and the second long ride day? I can get up and start my run at 4 am if you tell me it is that important, or I can do the run at the beginning of the week on Monday when I am off. What say you, decider of my fate?
    Thanks !!!

    Virginia

    A good note! My pool will be opening at 530 starting Oct 1 so I will be able to get in to swim early therefore getting on my bike early for the RR. Pretty happy about that.

  • Do it on Monday!!! That's a four-day session with work in between....you are a monster!!!!
  • Thanks Coach!
    My century ride was great. My nutrition seemed to be on point and I was able to stay in my zone 2 heart rate the whole time. Really fun and a good confidence builder.
  • Best news a coach could hope for...nicely done!
  • Hi Coach,
    Hope all is well!
    Wondering how to proceed with marathon training post IMFL. The marathon is January 10th.
    I just did two weeks of very light training. My first week was all walks and a swim. Second week added easy, short runs, biking and a swim.
    Entering week three, I have loaded up the balanced, intermediate marathon plan. I will be picking up at week 18 in order to finish by the 10th. I hope to follow the plan as it is with the exception of the long runs. I was not sure that I should start with a 16 mile run at this point (am I ready for that three weeks after IM?). Instead I was going to start with my first long run at 10 miles and add 2 miles each week to end up with my longest run at 18-20 on the 26th. How do you feel about this?
    Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

    Virginia
  • Virginia, thank you so much for taking time off after Florida. :-) Your legs will also thank you in the future, I promise.

    I am not so worried about your long run giving the training you did for Florida and the race itself. I would rather you split those long runs if anything. I don't mind you running eight on Saturday and then it again on Sunday for example for this week. And continuing to do that through the rest of the plan… Maybe one weekend put it together for a single long run about two and half hours. But that's really it. You need to walk the fine line between getting ready for the marathon but not doing so much work that you tap into the fatigue you created through Florida. Does that make sense?
  • Yep, makes sense. I should follow the plan, at the current week and just split up the long run over two days. Will do.
    Thanks CP and Happy Thanksgiving !

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