Chris D's 2016 Macro

Chris Davis

Hey Coach R.

2016 is going to be a "down" year for me as far as long course racing goes, and thus no Iron or half Iron distance races.  Instead I'm going to be run focused early in the year, and then switch over to some short course racing starting in May, through the end of the year, with an eye toward doing IMTX in 2017.  

Without a long course tri this year, I'd like to do a marathon either in February or March.  But I dont want to miss out on the mojo from the outseason.  Is there a good way to hack the outseason plan to get me to that marathon so that I can join the November outseason?  I know in the past this was a big no-no.  But maybe with the focus on run durability it's a bit more achievable.  Maybe?

Or would it be better to focus on running over the winter and plan to do the February marathon, and then have my outseason a bit later than everyone else?

Thank you for your input.

Coach Rich

Posted By Chris Davis on 30 Oct 2015 04:26 PM

Hey Coach R.

2016 is going to be a "down" year for me as far as long course racing goes, and thus no Iron or half Iron distance races.  Instead I'm going to be run focused early in the year, and then switch over to some short course racing starting in May, through the end of the year, with an eye toward doing IMTX in 2017.  

Without a long course tri this year, I'd like to do a marathon either in February or March.  But I dont want to miss out on the mojo from the outseason.  Is there a good way to hack the outseason plan to get me to that marathon so that I can join the November outseason?  I know in the past this was a big no-no.  But maybe with the focus on run durability it's a bit more achievable.  Maybe?

Or would it be better to focus on running over the winter and plan to do the February marathon, and then have my outseason a bit later than everyone else?

Thank you for your input.

Chris,

1. Reach out to Patrick re using the OS plan as a marathon training plan.
2. Based on that feedback, edit your TSR and notes to reflect his guidance and I'll do your TSR for you. 

Thanks!

Chris Davis

Thanks for the feedback Coach! Sorry I didn't see your reply until today. I'll get with P and get his thoughts on the Marathon. I actually may have convinced Christina to let me race a 70.3 next year, so this all may change. It's amazing what kind of negotiations go on the week AFTER an Ironman as opposed to those same negotiations the week BEFORE an Ironman.

Coach Rich

Posted By Chris Davis on 10 Nov 2015 10:22 AM


Thanks for the feedback Coach! Sorry I didn't see your reply until today. I'll get with P and get his thoughts on the Marathon. I actually may have convinced Christina to let me race a 70.3 next year, so this all may change. It's amazing what kind of negotiations go on the week AFTER an Ironman as opposed to those same negotiations the week BEFORE an Ironman.

No worries. Yeah, I imagine a spouse could be rather maleable in a post-Ironman addled state 

Chris Davis

Hey Coach! 2016 has been a bit of a bust for me so far. But I was out at IMTX yesterday, and am thinking about where I'm going in my tri-life. So I need some guidance. I've got a few variables to consider.

1. The goal is IMTX (or whatever early season race is available) in 2017.
2. I am battling plantar fasciitis right now, so I will be tweaking the plan to keep my running to a minimum until I get this foot taken care of.
3. Christina went back on her word and is planning to do Ironman Maryland. Thus the late summer/early fall needs to be short/focused workouts.

So what do you think? How do I get from here to IMTX 2017? Thank you ahead of time Coach!

Coach Rich

Posted By Chris Davis on 15 May 2016 05:03 PM


Hey Coach! 2016 has been a bit of a bust for me so far. But I was out at IMTX yesterday, and am thinking about where I'm going in my tri-life. So I need some guidance. I've got a few variables to consider.



1. The goal is IMTX (or whatever early season race is available) in 2017.

2. I am battling plantar fasciitis right now, so I will be tweaking the plan to keep my running to a minimum until I get this foot taken care of.

3. Christina went back on her word and is planning to do Ironman Maryland. Thus the late summer/early fall needs to be short/focused workouts.



So what do you think? How do I get from here to IMTX 2017? Thank you ahead of time Coach!

Hey Chris!

1. Think of fixing your foot as a 12mo process. So don't rush it, or make it worse. But once you feel you're up to it, gradually work yourself up to 5x runs per week, of any flavor, and then build on of these runs to a consistent ~1:20-30 long run. Months of months of 5x/wk would be huge.
2. Recommend you add a social component to your cycling: a weekend ride(s) with fast friends or a fast group. Think killing yourself to hang on to much faster riders for about 2-2.5hrs on a Saturday and some flavor of similar on Sunday. Bonus if you can fine something similar during the week. And/or find a safe route and basically TT that solo, tracking your progress on Strava. I have a go-to hilly route that takes me 1:20-1:25 door to do and I'm at .98-1.0 IF at the 52' mark. Very efficient workout. 
3. See my posts in the blog and wiki about creating a process to continue address and stay on top of body composition via logging diet and exercise.
4. Find and register for fun cycling and running events to put stuff on the calendar that keeps you motivated to keep up with ^this^ guidance. 
5. As for swimming, 1-2x/wk would be bonus but it's always difficult to know what someone's admin cost is for swimming and if it's worth keeping up with it for months and months, vs getting back in the pool next January for IMTX. 

Good luck!

Chris Davis

Good stuff Coach. Thank you.

Good thoughts on the social component while biking. I really haven't plugged into any local clubs or anything. I've got a buddy that's aiming for IMTX with me, so that will definitely help out.

I'm at that stage with my foot that I am doing a bit of running. I'm thinking a "wake up" mile would be good for me most mornings. I'll see how that goes with the foot for a week or so, and then go from there.

Body comp is always a challenge for me. My weight isn't too far off right now, but it's not muscle... I'll take a look at your recommendations for tracking that. I'll bet there are huge gains to be had there.

As for swimming, I was at 1:40 at IMTX last year. I've made some gains, but still have a long ways to go. Admin cost is low for getting to the pool. I can do it at night when the kids are in bed, and get about an hour in there a couple times a week. All that being said, I dont mind pushing the swimming a bit (especially while the foot is hurt). My form is obviously poor, and I know I need to push the drills. But in conjunction with the drills, what kind of swim workouts should I be doing? Short sprints, with lots of reps, or long distance, with my face constantly in the water? I always notice on my long swims, that my form is good for the first few lengths and then falls apart. Thus I'm thinking short distance with reps, and maybe build on that distance as form holds.

As always, I'm seeking that 4 hour PR next year, so all of the advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.