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Lynda Marx Macro Thread

Hi Lynda,

This is your very own “Macro Thread” where you and I can discuss any questions you may have about the Triathlon Season Roadmap (TSR) that I created for you here. This is also a space where we can discuss any big picture, season planning, race schedule and other related issues you may have going forward.

Welcome aboard!

Comments

  •  

    My Tri Season ends this Saturday.  How do I approach my "off season"?  

     

    Side note: I again experienced anxiety during my swim of the Tri this past weekend.  My heart was racing, could not get my breath, my legs were dead.  I was able to do the breast stroke for a minute and then freestyle for a minute for the first 500 yards.  Finally I was able to start swimming the freestyle continuously for the rest of the swim.  I'm perplexed as to what to do.  I do start at the end of the wave, I'm not afraid of open water, I don't really mind people bumping me(it is a pain but not scary), I don't start out to fast, I make sure I am breathing out, my thoughts aren't all jumbled, I focus on the "here and now", I maintain a positive attitude,   It seems to occur during races.  IDEAS????????

     

     

    I did load the Balanced Marathon plan-thank you. 


  • Posted By Linda Marx on 05 Sep 2016 07:31 PM

     

    My Tri Season ends this Saturday.  How do I approach my "off season"?  

     

    Side note: I again experienced anxiety during my swim of the Tri this past weekend.  My heart was racing, could not get my breath, my legs were dead.  I was able to do the breast stroke for a minute and then freestyle for a minute for the first 500 yards.  Finally I was able to start swimming the freestyle continuously for the rest of the swim.  I'm perplexed as to what to do.  I do start at the end of the wave, I'm not afraid of open water, I don't really mind people bumping me(it is a pain but not scary), I don't start out to fast, I make sure I am breathing out, my thoughts aren't all jumbled, I focus on the "here and now", I maintain a positive attitude,   It seems to occur during races.  IDEAS????????

     

     

    I did load the Balanced Marathon plan-thank you. 

    Linda,

    Sorry to hear that. I think your situation would improve with more experience but know that this usually happens with everyone. I'm a former college D3 swimmer and I experienced a bit of anxiety at IMLP this year -- rough, fast swim start, the wetsuit felt constrictive on my chest, could feel myself getting more out of breath than I liked, etc. I flipped over on my back for a few seconds to get my shit together then carried on but I've never had anything even close to that happening before. 

    I recommend you post your question in the General Discussion Forum, where the rest of the team will see it and likely share with you their experiences and recommendations. 

  • I completed my last Tri for the season.  I wore my heartrate monitor therefore got information regarding my heartrate during the bike and run.  What do I do with this information??

  • Here are my bike stats for the 25 mile bike:

     

    Time:  1:22

     

    157 Avg HR    164  Max HR

     

    40 W Avg Power   145 W Max Power   5%/95% L/R Balance   46 W Normalized Power   0.407 IF   22.5 Training Stress  114 W FTP   199 kj

     

     

    I have no idea what these numbers mean or how to use them in the future.  Thank you for any suggestions you have.

     

  • I completed the various run workouts during the week.  Completed the 20 mile run this morning.  The time that was given to complete the amount of miles(200 minutes) was unrealistic for me.  It took 240 minutes.  I'm feeling that maybe the Endurance Nation program is too advanced for me, not just in the run but also in the swim(haven't looked at the bike yet).  When looking at the "OutSeason" swim plan I saw that in the Beginner Workouts Week 5 to do 20X50 - odds Hard and evens Easy.  Swimming is my weakness and seeing such a workout totally intimidated me.  I'm not afraid of working hard and giving my all however I don't want to be set up for failure.  From receiving the various emails sent by your current members to you the coaches, most seem to be IM or HIM in training at a high level.  I really want to improve my training approach to Triathlons.  I have been excited to peruse the materials, videos, resources, etc.  BUT why would you spend time or effort coaching a person like me??? Would you really develop a plan suited to me?

     

    God, I sound like a baby.

  • Lynda, Stick with it. Go with the beginner level. I completed my first IM via EN last year. I remain a slow swimmer, and middle of the pack or worse on the bike and run. Yet, I finished. Yes, a lot of folks within EN perform at a high level. Don't let that intimidate you. Work YOUR plan, at YOUR level.
  • Hi Lynda!  I think maybe you are one of the very nice ladies I met and shared the podium with at Ohio 70.3.  Honestly, you are performing at a pretty high level for your age group!  There is no reason for you to think that you don't perform well enough to be an EN member.  I think many of the really high performing members know a lot and are very willing to share with the group.  Therefore they are more of a presence but they are probably not the majority here.

    I just joined EN last December.  I have done 2 HIM races and several shorter races.  I have followed the HIM Intermediate plan. I can definitely tell you that my racing has improved between the workouts and all the racing information available.  I think bike workouts are very hard.  Honestly, sometimes I cry but I do the best I can.  The runs are very reasonable overall and most of the time I hate the swims!  If the swims seem overwhelming maybe just try to see what you can get done in an hour and be done with it till next time and hopefully you will see improvement over a matter of months.

    I hope you don't give up!  I think the plan really works.  Also don't feel pressured.  All of us can only handle what we can handle and sometimes we just can't do what others are doing.  These plans are written for all ages and we are definitely a little older than many so we may have to adapt at times.  In the end we are still out there competing and that's a great thing!

    All the best to you!


  • Posted By Linda Marx on 18 Sep 2016 03:23 PM

    I completed the various run workouts during the week.  Completed the 20 mile run this morning.  The time that was given to complete the amount of miles(200 minutes) was unrealistic for me.  It took 240 minutes.  I'm feeling that maybe the Endurance Nation program is too advanced for me, not just in the run but also in the swim(haven't looked at the bike yet).  When looking at the "OutSeason" swim plan I saw that in the Beginner Workouts Week 5 to do 20X50 - odds Hard and evens Easy.  Swimming is my weakness and seeing such a workout totally intimidated me.  I'm not afraid of working hard and giving my all however I don't want to be set up for failure.  From receiving the various emails sent by your current members to you the coaches, most seem to be IM or HIM in training at a high level.  I really want to improve my training approach to Triathlons.  I have been excited to peruse the materials, videos, resources, etc.  BUT why would you spend time or effort coaching a person like me??? Would you really develop a plan suited to me?

     

    God, I sound like a baby.

    Lynda,

    Sounds like you're in the marathon training plan. You should seek out Patrick in the Micro Forum for specific questions about that training plan.

    With regards to the rest of your comments:

    • Yes, we are primarily a long course triathlon squad, with most of our members racing the half and full Ironman distances. Many of these athletes race short course races in route to their longer races, and we do have short course-specific athletes on the squad as well...but, yes, lots of long course geekery goes on here.
    • However, I can guarantee that you'll never meet a more supportive and knowledgeable group of athletes then what we have here. We have a VERY high quality community that values knowledge, sharing and open ness over pure speed / athleticism. We have many crazy smart, but slower athletes who I wouldn't think twice to put into a coaching knowledge cage match with "real" triathlon coaches. 

    My bottomline for you is you can help and customization you need from us and the team...but you gotta ask for it. When you do ask for it you'll get it, in spades, but don't be shy  

  • Thank you.  I now have a better understanding as to this team and the various goals members are striving towards.  Initially I was overwhelmed since most teammates were discussing IMs or HIMs training plans which now makes sense because they are still in the season.  I had completed my HIM earlier and therefore not on the same page as others.  So a lightbulb has gone off in my head.  Asking for help is not a strength of mine but I REALLY want to learn and increase my skills.     I do want to thank the members who have reached out to me to give information, support and encouragement.  This is how I envisioned a team to be.  After the Chicago Marathon I am excited to develop an "OutSeason" plan and training road map for my 2017 season.   ..............Linda

     

      

  • I still need to get the heck of the training zones for the run. They seem low however with patience, I will figure them out.

    During the week I ran: 5miles:11:37 pace 5miles:9:46 pace 6miles:11:43 pace 13miles:11:24 and today in a 8K race I finished in 42:47, a 8:36 pace.
    The differences in pace is due to my running with my training partners. The faster paces are when I run by myself.

    I also swam 4 days: 2,100 per day. Each swim included a warm-up, drills, kicking sets, speed sets and cool-down. I plan to use the OutSeason EN plan in a couple weeks.

    I started working with a personal strength trainer two weeks ago. If he doesn't kill me I should become stronger!
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