Thomas Nichols Micro Thread

triathletewms

Starting Outseason coming off of a 3 week cold.   I am probably 85%, but definitely not all there yet.   Getting in my first week of run durability just fine.   

This cold is getting very old.  Just want to feel 100%.

Coach Patrick

TN, that's the worst. Just keep it up and remember to keep the effort down for right now....we just want consistency and frequency first.

triathletewms

Not sure if this is Macro or Micro.    I'm going on vacation for 12 days starting later this week.   I don't miss any workouts traveling, but I don't really have access to a bike or anything where I'm going.   Runs should be no problem.    I figure to nail my runs and try to limit holiday eating damage.     

Am I thinking about this right?

Coach Patrick

That's right! I humbly suggest the Endurance Nation annual holiday run challenge...get your run on and have fun!

http://bit.ly/2hwMT6V

That outline is EXACTLY what we recommend you do...and HAVE FUN!

~ Coach P

triathletewms

So, about 2 weeks ago my brother in law died suddenly while my family and I were on vacation in FL. I flew from warm FL to NH. I had no cold weather anything. I was swamped with family stuff. Honestly, I hadn't even thought about training. I'm finally back home in WI after being away for 26 days. I haven't ridden a bike in all of that time. I haven't run in 2 + weeks.

I was literally just going to jump back into the OS where I 'should' be in the plan. (week 7) I'm not sure if that's what's best or what I should do. I was thinking I'd have about 10 days off from cycling and that's it. I did nail my runs while i was in FL but it all stopped as soon as we got the news. I'm just looking for a little guidance as to where to jump back in. I kind of feel like the wheels have fallen off in the past 2 weeks.

Coach Patrick

Wow...that's terrible news. I am sooooooo sorry. I would jump in, but I suggest very low expectations for the first 10 days (through the end of Week 8). 

There is testing in Week 8, but it't not required...in fact, you might want to do Week 6 this week, and Week 7 next...then jump to Week 9? What say you? 

~ Coach P 

M.S.Ironman

That sounds like a good plan.   I'm not sure how my bike test next week would have been any good without having ridden in a month.   

Coach Patrick

Me either...but I'm sure NOT GOOD.    

Have a great weekend!

~ Coach P

M.S.Ironman

There's about a 90% chance a family thing is going to interfere with camp weekend.  I REALLY want to do it.   Is it better to go a week early or a week late.    I'm in week 12 (I think ) of my IMWI plan.   

Coach Patrick

These things happen. No worries...it really depends on how consistent your training has been. If you have been a rockstar so far, and then you can afford to go early. If you got a late start to the season then I would push it back a week.

Whichever when you go you can just swap it with the other week. So if you're going early then move the week he would've done to be subsequent so it will be 15 14 16 17 etc. make sense?

M.S.Ironman

I have a stupid question.    I'm in week 18 of Int IM plan.   BIG weekend bikes on Friday and Sat with a Sunday day off.   My tribike had an almost catastrophic failure last Sunday.   I get it back from the shop Friday night.    Is this weekend more about race sim or wailing on the legs one last time.   I can ride my road bike Friday and tri bike Saturday or push the rides to Sat/Sun.    Is there a better way to go?  I'm probably over thinking it and should probably just go out Fri/Sat....but wanted to check in and get an opinion.

Coach Patrick

It's all about the Steady. Tri Road Tricycle just get out there, be steady, and Eat / Drink like race day. 

Bummer on the bike but glad it happened now vs race week!!!!!!

good luck. 

M.S.Ironman

I literally had the worst week of training in 3 months last week.   Week 18 of my training plan.   Literally, every possible thing that could go wrong this week, did.   I probably only hit 15-20% of my training load and my aerobars broke again.    Focusing on getting my bike right and moving past last week and focusing on executing my plan this week.      

Hopefully, i will have some great workouts this week...not overdoing them....executing them properly.   I guess I didn't really NEED anything....just writing it down makes it better.   

Coach Patrick

Man...the upside here is that it didn't happen on race day! Better to get all of this sorted now so you
can focus on transitioning into your race mindset with full confidence in your gear. 

Besides, you likely needed some rest anyway!!!!

Sending you all positive vibe this week. 

M.S.Ironman

So I started IMWI yesterday and had a very bad day.   Very bad cramps in the swim and bike.  I also threw up several times on the bike between miles 42-60.   I got very dizzy at mile 60 and got off the bike and fainted.    I figured I better call it a day since I hadn't been able to keep any fluid down for 20 miles.    My legs are a tick sore, I think it's more from the cramping during the swim and bike.

I've never had a day like that in training or racing ever.   I know they can happen, it's just never happened to me.    I have a sore throat today...maybe I'm getting sick and my body wasn't having it yesterday.   I don't really know what happened.    

My friend who picked me up from Medical yesterday told me 'great, you can now run my fall marathon with me since you didn't kill your legs on a marathon today.    I'm intrigued.   It's the second weekend of October.    I am thinking about doing IMWI 2018 but haven't really thought about next season.

I guess I'm not sure if I should do it or just call it a season.   

Coach Patrick

 I am so sorry to hear about your day. If your cramps started and swim and you were throwing up by the 40 mile mark on the bike, I can only hope that you were sick. Because if you weren't, that means somehow you managed to effectively poison yourself in the 12 hours into the race. 

 There are lots of reasons why that could happen, from overhydration to poor breakfast choices to a predisposition to being low on sodium… All the way to a much harder swim than anticipated. 

 If you want to outline what you eat the day before, for breakfast, and during the race… I would be happy to review that with you.

In terms of next steps, your friend is right. You simply haven't done any running that would preclude you from doing a marathon. It's more about what your goals will be for that race and anything else. Let me know what you're thinking and we can go from there. 

Coach Patrick

@thomas nichols - 

Here's your updated Season Plan, as promised. This is where you'll return to post all your "coach" questions as responses; I'll see them and reply. This first post is my best outline of how to proceed with your races, but you can ask any / all questions you want. So post away, know that I reply here usually M/W/F each week.

Power User Tip: Click the Star icon by the Title of this thread to subscribe, and you'll get email updates when I do reply.

 

Your Notes

I had a disaster of an IMWI 17. I just had a bad day. I ended up being sick, just one of those things. I've been running a bit since then and am about to start a run durability plan for the next 8 weeks leading up to the offseason. I've averaged almost 20 miles a week running this year. I've had a few 3-4 week gaps with family issues. We've had a death in the family and it's caused a couple of large gaps. I've averaged 4 hours of biking a week this year, past 40 weeks, with those same gaps. I almost never swim during the offseason and usually start off with some kind of masters or swim class in January kind of time frame. I'm a comfortable 1:30 im distance swimmer. I'm super comfortable running. I need some work on the bike.

I did a pretty poor job this past year with my gaps in training. I just couldn't overcome the death of my wifes brother. There were a LOT of external pressures this year and I'm really just looking to follow the 'EN Way'. I think i finally 'get' the bike protocol. It's been hard to knock it through my brain. I am not sure I quite 'get' the running training. I just need to go 'all in' this year.

I'm REALLY looking forward to the upcoming season.

 

Your Races

Main Race:

• Ironman Wisconsin 2017 (2018-09-09) #IMWI_18

Additional Races:

• 07/15/2018 Door County Triathlon Half Ironman

 

 

Season Update

These are your recommended training plans, including the date you should start each one (sometimes you won’t complete a full plan but transition to another one).  You can change your plans on the Training Plan page by clicking the Move / Change button. Learn more about each plan on the Training Plan Central Page.

• Last updated by Coach on 11/30/2017
• On 11/27/2017 Load the -- Run Durability 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/24/2017
• On 12/25/2017 Load the -- Run Durability 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 1/21/2018
• On 1/8/2018 Load the Beginner OutSeason (Run Focus) Plan, 14wks to end on 4/15/2018
• On 4/16/2018 Load the -- Swim Camp to end on 4/29/2018
• On 4/30/2018 Load the -- Bike Focus Block, 6 Weeks to end on 6/10/2018
• On 6/4/2018 Load the Beginner EN*Full to end on 9/9/2018
• On 9/10/2018 Load the -- Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 10/7/2018
• On 10/8/2018 Load the -- Run Durability 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 11/4/2018
• On 11/5/2018 Load the -- Run Durability 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/2/2018

 

Coach Notes

Man, what a terrible year you have had. At the end of the day, triathlon is just a game...but sometimes one of the few things that can help keep you going when the rest is going to $shit. I am hopeful we can keep you on track with this year...and that your year improves!

Ignore the Run Durability Program dates if you have your own, but do join us in the Run Durability on GroupMe  for some accountability and fun. Then we roll through the OutSeason Plan, recover with Swim Camp (yes, you can start swimming in Jan if you want, let me know if you need help adjusting the schedule) and into the Bike Focus block (build that bike!) before your Half and then into the EN*Full Plan. 

Remember if life gets crazy, forget the workouts...just get something in. My default "always can do" workout is a 3 mile run...24 minutes of workout, and if I hustle I can get dressed and shower in the remaining 6'. Anything to keep rolling and to stay sane!!!

Let's get to work!

 

~ Coach P