Guidnace for Ed C's 2016 Training Focus

Edwin Croucher · November 22, 2015 6:42AM

I have raced triathlons since 2003 mostly ½ iron distance. For the first ten years, I was a totally self-coached athlete. I made some gains, but I was not satisfied. I started with Endurance Nation after IMLP 2013. I have completed 3 ironman races and 1 half Iron race since that time and recorded a PR on each one. In addition, since joining EN I have race two Olympic triathlons where I place 1^st & 2^nd in my age group. I ran an open ½ marathon placing 2^nd in my age group and recording a 13 minute PR Here are my race results. I have no doubt that I owe these results to the guidance I have received from the EN coaches and community.

Race	Swim	T-1	Bike	T-2	Run	Total	Place
Ironman
IMLP ‘13	1:15:55	7:39	5:59:28	5:34	4:40:33	12:09:09	44 AG, 688 OA
IMLP ‘14	1:13:07	6:14	6:03:42	4:44	4:19:50	11:47:35	24 AG, 365 OA
IMLP ‘15	1:14:22	6:46	6:04:52	4:49	4:03:04	11:33:53	19 AG, 214 OA
IMFL ‘15	1:21:35	6:20	5:27:36	4:00	4:14:48	11:14:16	20 AG, 251 OA
½ Iron
Tupper ‘13	37:42	2:07	2:38:23	3:09	1:49:52	5:11:10	7 AG, 56 OA
Tupper ‘15	37:15	2:07	2:43:50	3:30	1:38:06	5:04:45	4 AG, 31 OA

Although race times cannot accurately tell the story of how the race went, they do shed some light on where I feel I need to improve.

TRANSITIONS: First, there is very little reason that my transition times should be any different between an Iron and half Iron race other than total distance from swim exit to the start of the bike. The Swim to Bike transition for Lake Placid is not 4.5 minutes further than Tupper Lake and my Tupper Lake Transitions are too slow to begin with. Also, my Bike to Run Transitions are just too slow. I need to practice this and stop giving away time.

SWIM: My swim times are simply too slow. I can not get to where I want to be when I am 8 to 12 minutes slower than the leaders of my age group. The 6 weeks before IMFL I spent more time in the pool than I have ever done before a race. This netted me 51^st in my Age Group. Although conditions were tough, they were tough for everyone and I wore a wetsuit. I need to cut ten minutes from my swim. I intend to add 2 to 3 sessions weekly where I am in the pool and working on technique.

BIKE: For races that are not Lake Placid, I ride fairly well. Tupper Lake is a rolling course and there are some good climbs. I am able to ride that course fairly fast. I rode IMFL course with good speed and execution. I received a penalty during the second half and had to sit for 5 minutes. My overall time not including the penalty was actually faster for the second half. My power did begin to drop as I neared 100 miles. I was not happy that over the last 10 miles my power and speed both dropped. Overall, I am not happy with the power level I am riding at for any of the races and want to improve that. I feel I can lift my power to a much higher level than I am at right now. My half Iron speed has consistently been between 20 to just under 22 mph. I need to be able to ride a 112 mile rolling course at 20.5 mph.

RUN: My running has improved quite a bit since I started with EN. During my training for the 2015 season, I completed the "Run Durability" program. At IMLP this year, I was one potty break and a poorly executed final hill away from breaking the 4 hour marathon. The run I had at Lake Placid and earlier at Tupper Lake gave me great confidence heading to IMFL. However, since every race is really its own entity, I did not run the way I thought I would. At Florida, I felt overwhelmed by the heat right from the start. I began the race with a full stomach. However, that feeling did not go away as I ran. Taking in more fuel did not give me a good feeling. Even so, I forced myself to do that during the first lap and a few times during the second lap. I also experienced something new to me during the run, I needed a bowel movement. That was followed shortly down the road by the need to stop and pee. These two stops were expensive on the clock. I felt I managed the heat well using lessons I learned at IMLP this year. I only walked at the aid stations. Now it’s time to do the work needed to finish where I want. For that, I need to be able to run an average of 8:45 per mile. I am definitely capable of that.

Now, how am I going to get to these goals? I am a firm believer in the run durability program especially for the 140.6 distance. However, I now there are large time gains to be made on the bike.