Rhett Bratt Macro Thread

Team Endurance Nation

Hi Rhett,

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!

Rhett Bratt

Thanks, Rich -- digesting a lot of stuff, but didn't mean to put off my response to you so long.  Appreciate the season training plan -- I've been self-coached for the past 13 years, and I'm amazed at how much energy the planning was taking from me.  Feels a lot different to just have to focus on executing the workouts rather than thinking about what they should be.  Plus the accountability feels a bit different too -- much more motivated to do the workouts as written as opposed to modifying on the fly (usually to less intensity -- I've been guilty of that more and more frequently as the years go on!).

My goals for IMLOU are, in order:  1) finish; 2) finish with a smile; 3) finish with a smile because I set a PR (13:20 @ IMWI last fall); 4) finish with a smile because I finished in top 25% of my age group (~12:30 last year); and 5) finish with a smile because I finished sub-12 hours.

Questions:

1)  The preseason plan doesn't have explicit strength-training sessions -- do any of your plans incorporate that, or do you feel there isn't enough ROI there?

2)  I've got a lot of work to do before IMLOU -- I'll check out the forums too, but your macro perspective on my priorities given my challenges/ goals below would be very helpful:

• I want to get up the physical curve without injury.  The intensity of the workouts you've got me doing are taxing given that I haven't been working out consistently for a couple months, and not at all for the 3 weeks before my trial membership (international travel with my family).  I'm definitely fatigued, and my soft tissues are showing their normal responses (i.e., tightness), so I'm stretching a lot and rolling a little.  It will take a couple more weeks before I'm in rhythm and my body gets used to the new workload.
• I'd like to drop at least 15 pounds (I'm at 181 now, which is an all-time high -- I raced IMWI at 165, and I'm usually 175-177 in the early winter), which will take some stress off the body for training.  Given your lower-volume, higher-intensity approach compared to my last year's high-volume training, I think I'll need to do more with diet/ nutrition, which I've not done before.  I generally eat good quality, but I haven't done as much portion control for the past 2-3 months, and I have a sweet tooth that I've been feeding more regularly than usual during the holidays.  I'm getting into a more normal feeding cycle now that my daughters are back at their schools (and there aren't cookies and toffee and nut brittles everywhere!), but I haven't focused as much on nutrition in the past and just let my body find it's natural weight with generally good food choices.
• I'd like to do better at recovery -- I currently average 6-7 hours sleep per night.  I'm 57 this year, and I don't seem to need as much sleep as I did when I was younger, but I feel like I should get more sleep than I do.  Getting to bed at night is my challenge.
• My swim is slow (1:23+ at IMWI) -- I feel like my technique is good viz body and head position, but I don't have much upper-body strength, and my stroke is very long and slow (but smooth!).  You guys make a compelling case that the swim isn't the best place to invest because there's not as much time to be gained compared to bike and run, but I think I can get closer to the average swim time with some attention there.

I have enough time to address everything before I start tackling the IMLOU-specific training, but what are your suggestions for what I can/ should tackle first?

If this is better covered in a phone call, happy to schedule that.  Thanks again!

Team Endurance Nation

Rhett Bratt said:

Thanks, Rich -- digesting a lot of stuff, but didn't mean to put off my response to you so long.  Appreciate the season training plan -- I've been self-coached for the past 13 years, and I'm amazed at how much energy the planning was taking from me.  Feels a lot different to just have to focus on executing the workouts rather than thinking about what they should be.  Plus the accountability feels a bit different too -- much more motivated to do the workouts as written as opposed to modifying on the fly (usually to less intensity -- I've been guilty of that more and more frequently as the years go on!).

My goals for IMLOU are, in order:  1) finish; 2) finish with a smile; 3) finish with a smile because I set a PR (13:20 @ IMWI last fall); 4) finish with a smile because I finished in top 25% of my age group (~12:30 last year); and 5) finish with a smile because I finished sub-12 hours.

Questions:

1)  The preseason plan doesn't have explicit strength-training sessions -- do any of your plans incorporate that, or do you feel there isn't enough ROI there? Rich: Strength training doesn't make you a faster triathlete, which is our job as triathlon coaches, to improve your SBR. That said, many people do strength training for personal/wellness reasons and we get that. Our advice is to (1) be aware that it's not going to make faster and (2) limit it's impact (time, admin cost, fatigue, etc) on your ability to do the SBR workouts. 

2)  I've got a lot of work to do before IMLOU -- I'll check out the forums too, but your macro perspective on my priorities given my challenges/ goals below would be very helpful:

• I want to get up the physical curve without injury.  The intensity of the workouts you've got me doing are taxing given that I haven't been working out consistently for a couple months, and not at all for the 3 weeks before my trial membership (international travel with my family).  I'm definitely fatigued, and my soft tissues are showing their normal responses (i.e., tightness), so I'm stretching a lot and rolling a little.  It will take a couple more weeks before I'm in rhythm and my body gets used to the new workload. Rich: that's normal. Just be smart and don't hesitate to turn things down if you feel you need to give your body more time to adapt.
• I'd like to drop at least 15 pounds (I'm at 181 now, which is an all-time high -- I raced IMWI at 165, and I'm usually 175-177 in the early winter), which will take some stress off the body for training.  Given your lower-volume, higher-intensity approach compared to my last year's high-volume training, I think I'll need to do more with diet/ nutrition, which I've not done before.  I generally eat good quality, but I haven't done as much portion control for the past 2-3 months, and I have a sweet tooth that I've been feeding more regularly than usual during the holidays.  I'm getting into a more normal feeding cycle now that my daughters are back at their schools (and there aren't cookies and toffee and nut brittles everywhere!), but I haven't focused as much on nutrition in the past and just let my body find it's natural weight with generally good food choices. Rich: HIGHLY recommend you read and follow this process of logging your diet against your exercise. 
• I'd like to do better at recovery -- I currently average 6-7 hours sleep per night.  I'm 57 this year, and I don't seem to need as much sleep as I did when I was younger, but I feel like I should get more sleep than I do.  Getting to bed at night is my challenge. 
• My swim is slow (1:23+ at IMWI) -- I feel like my technique is good viz body and head position, but I don't have much upper-body strength, and my stroke is very long and slow (but smooth!).  You guys make a compelling case that the swim isn't the best place to invest because there's not as much time to be gained compared to bike and run, but I think I can get closer to the average swim time with some attention there. Rich: yep, I get it. In your case, this would be a good time of year to get some quality one-on-one swim instruction

I have enough time to address everything before I start tackling the IMLOU-specific training, but what are your suggestions for what I can/ should tackle first?

If this is better covered in a phone call, happy to schedule that.  Thanks again!

Team Endurance Nation

Rhett, see me in italics above. Sorry, this new forum for some reason doesn't easily allow different colored text so not as easy to see. 

Rhett Bratt

Super -- thanks, Rich.