The 2017 OutSeason® Plans are Here!
What is the OS?
Our OutSeason® Training Plans reflect the unique Endurance Nation training philosophy of putting FAST before FAR. In just foueteen weeks (14) you will build incredible bike and run fitness, setting the tone for the remainder of your season.
Over the past nine years more than 3,500 athletes have taken the Endurance Nation OutSeason® challenge. Training together as group, the energy and motivation are contagious -- it’s hard not to get faster!
Overview
We’ve raised the ante once again for 2017, with several new updates to the training plans and the related support materials. We still have Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced level plans available. The higher in ability level you go, the more training (especially on the run) you’ll do!
Official OutSeason® Start Dates are:
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10/31/16 = November OutSeason®
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12/05/16 = December OutSeason®
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01/09/17 = January OutSeason®
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02/06/17 = February OutSeason®
2017 OutSeason Training Plan Availability
If you go to your Training Plan page and click on the Move/Change My Training Plan button, you'll see that we've removed the 2016 OS plans from the drop down and the 2017 plans are available. And for any of you who had the '16 plan loaded, for whatever reason, note that we've automagically replaced the '16 plan you had loaded with the '17 plan, while keeping the same end date.
The Swim
The OutSeason training plan still contains swim workouts in Weeks 11 through 14, so you can get a head start on the swimming in your next training plan, or to get you wet before most of you do the Swim Camp training plan, or if you’re just itching to swim.
However, in the first couple weeks of the plan you’re directed to a resource page that contains a video and text from Coach Rich explaining our thoughts on swimming in the OutSeason and resources available to you, in the form of the Swim Clinic and Swim Faster Ebooks, if you do decide to swim.
The Bike
There are two distinct changes for the bike workouts. First, we’ve added some skill based elements to the bike warm up period, such as single leg drills and spin ups.
We also adjusted the VO2 workouts back down to 30/30 -- 30 seconds ON followed by 30 seconds RECOVERY. Rather than putting you into a specific effort “box,” we encourage you to ride as hard as you can sustain for the whole set. There’s only so much damage you can do on a bike for 30 seconds, and we think many of you will benefit from the chance to push your limits.
The Run
The main focus of your OutSeason® running will continue to be Run Durability. The Team has seen excellent results on this approach, and we are continuing to refine it.
First, we improved the progression of the weekly run training load. This means that each week will see you incrementally increase time spent running across the week. Last year’s plans had run sessions that randomly increased / decreased in time...no more!
Second, we increased the mid-week steady TRP Run duration in the final weeks, peaking some of the plans up to 90 minutes long on this Wednesday. We did this by adjusting the run duration upwards every two weeks -- so you will do 60-minute runs for Weeks One and Two, then in Weeks Three and Four you’ll do 65 minutes, etc. There is also new Treadmill Guidance for those of you unable to train outside during these sessions.
Finally, we changed the VO2 sessions for the final five weeks of your Sunday run. In the past we used distance to manipulate the duration of your intervals, but that led to some really fuzzy math (aka measuring 200 meters on your Garmin or Treadmill). This year we will use a simple formula: 3’ @ Zone 5 / Interval Pace with 2’ @ Zone 1 / Long Run Pace. You will do several repeats of this main set before continuing on with the remainder of your Sunday run. Note: You might want to walk the first 30 seconds of each recovery interval!
Updated Training Plan Videos and Podcasts
The coaches have recorded all new podcasts and videos for the 2017 OutSeason training plans.
Aggregated Resources
We have heard the call for help with our training plans, and we are doing our best to get organized. The first step has been to beef up the main OutSeason Plan Page resources for Members via the Training Plan Central Page:
Training Plan > Training Plan Central Page > OutSeason Plan Resources (here)
Here you will find links to the most relevant instructional resources, as well as the various tracking sheets around Body Composition, Running Durability, and Core.
OutSeason = Triathlon Season RoadMap Refresh
Finally...while we have your attention...we wanted to remind you that now is a great time to submit your 2017 race calendar to us via the *Triathlon Season Roadmap survey here. When you submit your TSR, we now know what you’re racing and can message you important information about your races -- race weekend activities, race-specific tips, and more -- in a timely manner.
Thanks and we hope you “enjoy” the 2017 OutSeason, our 11th OutSeason!!!
Comments
Thanks Coach R and P
Yep, that's the plan