Al Truscott - 2017 Season EN Elite
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Age Group, Height and Weight. |
65-69; 5'8.5", 149# |
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140.6 Best Time in Last Five Years |
12:16:239 Arizona 2015 |
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70.3 Best Time in Last Five Years |
5:31:57 USAT National LC Champs 2016 |
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Oly Best Time in Last Five Years |
2:27:56 USAT Natl Champs 2014 |
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26.2 Best Time in Last Five Years |
3:46:10 Missoula 2013 |
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13.1 Best Time in Last Five Years |
1:40:46 Tacoma 2015 |
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Your Strongest Discipline * |
Swim |
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Your Weakest Discipline * |
Swim |
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Your Weakest Discipline: Tell Us More... * |
I generally am near the top in all three disciplines in my AG. I don't fear any one of them, nor do I feel I rely on any of them. So I refuse to claim a "weakest" or a "strongest" discipline. But of all the three, I wish I could swim faster. |
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Your Injury / Difficulty History * |
Permanent spinal cord damage 2010 which affected upper limbs, thus swimming. My times for meters distance suddenly became my times for yards. 2015/16, recurrent high hamstring + piriformis on both sides, from too aggressive return to training after either time off or Ironman. |
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Top Three Lessons Learned in your triathlon career. * |
1. Consistency, consistency, consistency - daily, monthly, yearly. |
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Your Top Three Races / Events this Season (with dates): |
"A" race: ITU LC World Championships, Penticton, BC Aug 27: 4.5K/120K/30K |
Comments
Apr 10- Apr 26: Home in WA
Apr 26-May 1: BRC
May 1-May 3: WA
May 4-5: Drive to CA
May 6-13: Southern CA, staying in BnB or with family on the beaches of LA and San Diego
May 14-15: Drive to CO
May 16-22: Mini Camp in CO with a couple of EN friends
May 23-June 1: In CO by myself
June 2-June 11: Bad Ass Bike camp in CO, ending with Ragnar trail relay
~ June 14-July 18 - WA, Thursday bikes in the mountains
July 19-24: Sherpa for EN crew @ Lake Placid
July 25-Aug 20: WA, Thursday biking in the mtns
Aug 20-22: Central Oregon for Solar edclips
Aug 23-26: Penticton BC for A race on August 26th
Getting in a quality 20 week training plan for August 26th will require a bit of discipline and commitment, first to running in different environments on a regular basis, second on getting some periodic intensity work on the bike, 3rd taking advantage of the biking opportunities in NC, CA, CO, WA, and NY, and 4th remembering to make time to swim.
But this is kinda like how the pros have to do it, so I'm sure it's feasible. Just not as easy as staying in one spot and grinding out the same routes day after day.
So great to chat. I think that you are on a great path between training and fun, and agree that keeping that balance will be key towards keeping you on track for a great race when you are 80.
Swim - I am not worried about it much. I think the dry land work can help you out. And since you are already doing a bit of gym work, it can’t hurt to dial in some more swim specific strength (combination of cords and specific weights). Are you open to doing that?
Bike - Yes to riding hills. Can’t think of a better way to build you up…besides it’s fun to really push against the hill. And you’ve structured your year accordingly. Kind of nice to stay at a good level of bike fitness and then get “tri specific” in the final weeks to your next race.
Run - All about consistency here. That piriformis thing has me slightly concerned. Do you ever do any kind of dynamic warm up before you run? Let me know, we have one in the run wiki here: http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Running+Master
Race Build Up - See the chart above. I began by looking at your travel and then lining up each sport as an individual undertaking…color changes by discipline emphasis a growing / fading emphasis. So while the bike builds early and quickly in several cycles, the run is more deliberate and the swim really comes in at the end.
Video explanation is here: https://goo.gl/3Nuhu1
You can access and edit the sheet here: http://bit.ly/2oySXjE
I think once we sort out these different priorities, we’ll have a better sense of where the opportunities lie!
~ Coach P
- Swim - I'm only going to be away from easy pool access for two weeks; during that time, we will be staying at the beach in LA and San Diego. So we're taking our wetsuits and hope to get a couple of 30-45 min OWS during that time. I think that will keep my stroke and swim fitness in line. But 57 years of continuous swim training is really my best friend at this point.
- Bike - I've got nothing but fun planned from BRC through the summer, lots of opportunities to hit the hills (mountains, really) with groups, so as long as I keep the rubber side down, I'm not worried.
- Run - Yes, I've used those dynamic warm-up tips from EN - and other sources. I had to put an 8x11 sheet with the words "FIRE GLUTES" written in Sharpie on top of my shoes and my shorts to remind me to do this every time I go out the door. Almost got it as a habit now after 6 weeks. Here's my routine: (1) 8' of dynamic stretching trying to hit all muscle groups, almost yoga-esque. (2) Two piriformis dynamic stretches, 20-30 seconds each side. (3) 30 sit ups. (4) Bridge, with 30 single leg extensions each side (this is REALLY HARD). (5) 30 x each leg of : single leg raise, clamshell, something I call reverse clamshell. I really concentrate on feeling the small muscles in my hips and pelvis during these. (6) Seated tailor (dynamic) stretch x 30 sec - I'm really stiff in the adductors (7) 30 x each side single leg squats (not all the way to the floor - barely 90 deg drop)
The main thing, I will not be doing any thing harder or faster than easy Zone 2 running until I'm sure there are no funny feelings in my left hip/butt area."...while the bike builds early and quickly in several cycles, the run is more deliberate and the swim really comes in at the end..." - Exactly my thought, but it's great to have some specificity, visualization, confirmation, and a PLAN to go with my vague intentions.
I need to figure out a way to keep /\ /\ /\ this front of mind over the next 4-5 months, especially when I'm not at home...
For the glutes something that my PT told me here that really helped was focusing on the Big Toe. If you want to engage the glutes properly, that Big Toe has to play. You can really feel it when doing light weights, for example. So when I run, I really focus on guiding myself over that Big Toe to "set up" the glute. If I try to fire glutes, I think my running stride takes a hit.
Food for thought!
See you shortly,
~ Coach P
Ps I know it's early, but when appropriate I'd appreciate some feedback Elite*EN via this survey. This is a free pilot before we roll it out to select parts of the Team (Year 3+ folks) as a paid service. Thanks!
Twelve weeks or so to go before the ITU Long Course World Championship race in Penticton. Looking at the start list, I have a goal of a top ten finish in my AG. I think I can do even better than that - top five, top three US.
I'm running the half IM program for this race. The distances are: 3K Swim, 120k/74 mi bike, 30K/18 mi run. Rich emphasized the value of the harder efforts in the half IM program for this distance. I was a touch worried about managing the distances at race effort following the HIM plan exclusively.
Swimming I'm not too worried. I can complete the current HIM plan swims in 50 minutes or less. I'll just add time at the beginning and end of each session to make sure I go a full 60 minutes 3x/ week. I figure it should take me an hour to do the 3K on race day.
Bike I'm also not worried about. I've been doing A LOT of biking, multi-day tours and camps, so my endurance and strength are solid. Every week June-Aug I go into the mountains with a group of guys who push me as we hit 4-5 hour rides, 1-2.5 hours uphill at a pop once a week. That plus weekly interval work and second day ABP rides after the mountains seems sufficient to me.
>>> What about the run? I'm not familiar with the HIM plan, so I don't know what the longest runs are. But I expect I'll be going for 2:40-3 hrs depending on the temp on race day, and wonder if I need to modify several of the long runs between 8 and 3 weeks to go to get ready for that.
So, overall am really excited where you are headed into Penticton...your Big Bike experiences combined with your Run Durability work should, on paper, make you very formidable. It's a pretty effective combination!
Here are my thoughts for you:
I need access to your Training Peaks...you said it was trusam1 trainingpeaks5 but that doesn't seem to work for me...maybe you can update me using the chat icon or put it here...either way I'd like to see it, thanks!
The Bike...you are fitter than you might think you are...and so we have a few weeks left to "find that out". Of course there is that pesky "new bike" thing happening...so I leave that part for you to get up to speed on (ha ha). My thoughts are that with your few remaining 4h/3h sessions, that you try something like this:
The Run...Nothing flashy here. I want to push your bike but not really the run...the risk element is too high. The only suggestion I have here is to drop the track 10k speed running for some hill running. Not hard or bounding...just you doing your micro steps up that hill and getting gravity to do it's thing to hold you back. It would be something like easy run up....jog around at the top for a few minutes to get loose..then back down smart. Now you do 3 repeats of good form up the hill by HR, not pace, down smart every time. Then you are done. Do _that_ for July, then we come back to normal speed work protocol post Placid for 2 weeks to see what we get. Thoughts?
Placid Trip...It will be great to have you in Placid. I think you should do a long run out on River Road (so fun) and plan on a long bike as One Loop, with you flipping it at Northwoods to go back down to Wilmington and then repeating the final climb. The down doesn't count that much, but it would be a 78 mile ride that is perfect training I should think. Otherwise I leave it to you and obviously plenty of swimming, it's just so gorgeous there.
Let me know what you think, about TP.com and pics of the new ride please!
~ Coach P
PS - No swim feedback on purpose..you are all good there!!!!
First: training peaks - since I never go there (Garmin uploads to their website, then it shoots out into the ether, strava, TP, and ends up on my computer in WKO, which is where I dig in), I went back and actually looked up my PSWD...which is jaime5.
Bike - my "Sat/Sun" rides are on Thur/Fri, to coincide with my weekly group mountain climbs. Looking at yesterday's ride, I did pretty much what you're suggesting. I looked @ TP, and see the power doesn;t show up there. but the HR tracks it pretty well. I started with a 20 min warm-up @ 0.64, then did 3 x 25' (5') @ 0.78/0.81/0.81, finishing with about 18' @ 0.855. 4000' steady gain during that time, going up Mt Rainier. Down for 1/2 hr, then a progressive finish of 35' @ 0.75>>0.85. There's one guy in the group who is pretty much my speed (the rest are strung out behind us), and he shot out in front once we reached the bottom, so I used him as a rabbit (no drafting), and we finished together - he hit the city limits sign first, I entered the parking lot first, he got to the car first. Next time, we should agree on the finish line! Total moving time: 3:30. Then today, I did 2.5 hours, as best I could, which was mainly @ IM effort level, although it felt harder! So it looks like I'll be able to use those climbs (this will be the shortest one, I think) as my Saturday Ride, and then work on getting stronger the day after.
I'm loving the metaphor a having bike strength like a nuclear weapon - overwhelming power that you don't intend to use, but can still keep enemies at bay. So I thought of those intervals as spinning uranium in centrifuges, then packing the plutonium into my quads.
Run - I'm all on board dropping the track/"speed" work. I tried it again two days ago, and ... its just not there. Frustrating, because I like to go fast, but I'll take advantage of my local terrain, and just think staying steady on the hills, no stress on the leg/hip, but maintain form and effort. I don't do them as repeats, since there are no flats on any run from my house. And do a minimum of 7 runs a week.
Got a call from the bike shop, the bike arrived in its cardboard box today, when they build it, I will pick it up. Planning on taking my old bike there so they can try and mimic my current fit best as possible.
Next phone call, scheduled for Aug 1...I'm feeling really good about my training progress in all three disciplines (see below). What I need at this point will be a focused conversation about race strategy, given that this is a new distance for me. If it were a half or full IM, I;d *know* what IF to pace the bike, and how to structure the run. But these distances are long enough to require some good discipline on race day, yet don't fit into a structure, "Oh, just go 10% harder than a full." Specifically, the bike is 74 miles, followed by an 18+mile run. Given the course and my current training efforts, I'm pretty sure I can do that in 3:40-3:55. But I don't know how to translate that to an IF target.
Training progress: my swim feels steady, getting 1-2 OWS/week, and 1-2 indoor sessions, all about an hour each, which will be the time I should be in the water on race day. On the bike, my weekly mountain rides are progressing from 2 hours worth of 25' @ 0.82 three weeks ago, to 45'-1:30 intervals @ 0.85, total work time (uphill or flats) of almost 3 hours. Followed by a 2-3 hour bike the next day. Last weekend, I did a quasi-Olympic triathlon, 23 miles @ 21 mph, hitting 0.88 on the bike, with a good steady 4 mile trail run @ 8:30 pace.
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We missed connections on a phone call past two days, I'm hoping we can connect sometime in the next week or so to discuss my bike pacing for the upcoming 3/120/30K ITU race on Aug 27. Today, I did some thinking on that. I looked at the bike leg of my past three races, an IM, HIM, and Oly. All were FLAT courses (Maryland, Miami, and local), and I was at or near the top of my AG in both the bike and run in each of them. I felt very good about the effort level on each of those bikes, and I was able to pull off a competitive run after each. So I thought I'd see if I could triangulate a power target based on them.
IM Maryland: 100 miles in 5:07 (=5:45 for 112), AP/NP => 132/136 IF = 0.64
HIM Miami: 54.5 miles in 2:37 (=2:42 for 56), AP/NP => 147/152 IF = 0.72
Oly: 22.5 mi in 1:06 NP => 190 IF = 0.9
I may be a *little* bit stronger on the bike than last fall. Training peaks says my "mFTP" is 232 (3.54 w/kg), I am using 216 (3.3 w/kg) as my FTP. compared to 213 last fall.
Add to the mix, I've been able the past 2-3 weeks to go 2.5-3 hours non-stop @ e.g., AP/NP 172/176, IF 0.82 when climbing up mountains. I don't run after those efforts.
Based on this, I believe my power target should be: AP/NP 145/150 for a 75 mile bike which I expect will take me 3:45. I feel I can hold 0.7 IF/151 watts. The profile of the race has the first 15-20 miles pretty darn flat, with 4 moderate climbs in the last 50 miles. So going easier in the first 30-45 minutes does not make sense to me, as I am best when I am roaring down the flats - I've got great aero position, and seem to sustain momentum very well.
sorry for the missed connections. We left for vacation yesterday and drove 7 hours in terrible downpours....super stressful.
I will I'll try to find some time (definitely on Sunday on the way back (2-9) would work, let me know. ...but in the meantime, love where the training is at. You looked fit in Placid and those OLy numbers are legit. You can't fake that funk. It's also nice to see your fitness evolving as it is in the MTN rides. Your plan, it seems, is coming together.
Swim? Check
Bike? I agree with .7 as the baseline with .75 cap on the hills (what's the Hr cap?) and DNE (do not exceed) .8 -- I vote we are strict on those #s so you can really run it out. Sitting up an spinning up those hills will be key, esp if you are hitting it pretty hard out of transition.
Run? I think you'll still need to be conservative here, esp early given your bike effort. If you can be smart those first 3 to 5 miles to regain composure, no one can close like you do.
Thoughts?
I feel very comfortable with using 150/151 W as my power target for the 75 mile bike leg. My current 3 hour power as of three days ago is 153. Two days later, I ran a half marathon and was able to get under 8 min miles (which is low Z3) for the final 15-20 minutes on a warm sunny day (race was from 9-11 AM). And I continue to get do a weekly OWS of 3,000 m in one hour. So I like where my training has me; the trick now is to keep the fitness while developing a little form. I am at peak fatigue - not a super low TSB, but just that deep sense of tiredness that I get with about three weeks to go before an IM.
You noted I need some HR numbers for the bike leg. That's a bit harder to assess until I do an OWS followed by a race pace bike - that'll probably come 10 days out from the race. But I'm betting that 115-8 will be my race pace HR, with 123 being the upper limits, that same number being the miles 4-14 run HR. In the ride last Thursday when I got that three hour power #, my HR was 110-112, with 115 coming when I pushed a little, and 121 appearing when I tried popping up a hill 3 hours and 30 minutes into the ride. And when I did an Oly @ 0.9 IF 3 weeks ago, by avg HR was 124 for the bike leg. These #'s may seem low, but my max HR is probably 160 now, and last week's FTP intervals on the trainer had me at IF 1.043/HR 127 for the final 15' interval.
I really don't have a clue about taper. The race is on a Sunday. I will drive 6 hours on Wed. Tuesday I will be able to swim, OWS or pool. Sunday and Monday I will be driving to and from Oregon to watch the eclipse, and could run, but not swim or bike. Two weeks before, on next Saturday, I'm doing another Oly tri, to test my new bike once again in race conditions (first time with behind the seat bottle cage, race tires/latex tubes, etc.) and run @ expected race day pace - a lazy man's race rehearsal.
The watts sound good and I hear you on the Fatigue vs Form issue. A strategic day off can't hurt, but we can discuss how you like to sharpen on the call. The OLY you mention is a great step in the right direction; the volume itself is done, so it's equal parts don't get sick/injured and equal parts get a bit sharper.
While you don't _HAVE TO_ have a hard HR number now, I need you to have it so you can "adjust" your power goals on the fly. For example, if you expect to see 110 to 112 on the bike, then we know what you "should" get your HR down to at the start of the bike...and you also know if you see 140 while climbing on a hot day that you are in a terrible place.
You'll want the same "ballpark" HR number for the run...
Tentative Taper Thoughts to Discuss:
My only thought is that you might hit a spot on the bike where you're comfortable working a bit more on the hills because of what you've been doing the last few weeks… So don't fight it if that's the case.
I agree with your focus on the run, it will be interesting to hear afterwards how the race actually played out. For right now you're talking a very patient and smart game. :-)
I look for to catching up with you after the race to hear how it all went and to talk about the future with your aging up as well as whatever this RAAM business is about.
I reviewed the elevation map for the course, and plugged it into best bike split for a little more triangulation.
Sum of all this is I am finally willing to accept that I can go harder on the bike than I was able to last year in a half and full IM. I have to say that I race PRIMARILY by RPE, on all three legs. As you know, after a couple of decades in this sport, and spending a lot of my mental energy when training on observing the relationship between HR, power, pace, and HR, I think I've got a really good internal sense of just what I am capable of within a race, at any given moment along the course, basically, asking myself continuously "Can I hold this effort level until the end?".
So for me, talking about HR, watts, and pace feels a little too rigid, but I think I need a whip, rather than a rein, so here are some numbers to use as a double check to make sure I am testing myself enough on race day:
- Bike: HR of 112/3 through the first loop (mile 40/74) if I'm feeling capable at that point, let that go up to 115 through the two climbs on the second loop (mi 63), and then work as I can over the net downhill the rest of the way, maybe getting to 118. I anticipate this will give me an NP/AP of 169/161, IF 0.78, and a time of 3:36-40
- There are four climbs (2 each done twice) on this course, and I think I can let myself push a *little* bit on each of them, getting up to 200 watts (FTP of 216) on them. But, really, I lose more time relative to the field on downhills, and that's not something that's amenable to improved fitness or pushing the envelope. It is what it is, partly my size, and partly my caution. Here's a link to the course map with elevation if you're curious: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/21309191
- Run: Start off with my usual conservative first mile, then ease into a non-audible breathing pattern for the first 10K loop, with an HR range of 118-121; 2nd loop, start to ratchet things up, starting on an HR of 123, building to 127/30 at the end; 3rd loop, start to race, and see what I've got, building the whole way to whatever I'm capable of. If the temps are less than 75F, I should be able to avg 8:40-50; if it's warmer, that will be slower.
One of my key mantras while on course will be "trust (have confidence in, remember what you accomplished during your) training". My version of "honor your training self."https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/23668/ats-itu-lc-wc-2017-penticton-race-plan-background#latest
Race Planning
2018 Race Planning
2019 Race Planning
- TX
- HAWAII
- AZ
- ITU
- Short Course?
2020 Race PlanningShort Term Training Thoughts
Goal: Wants to be able to push the end of the bike.
Modified OS Thoughts (Saving for Later)
Just a quick follow up on the two sprints I did "just for fun". The fellow who beat me by :03 (he was 38 sec faster in the transitions) in the first race didn't stand a chance of course in the second. I got out of the water (800 meters) 10 seconds ahead of him, saw him run by me in transition (he had no wet suit on, so he either took it off all the way while running up the hill or didn't wear one), and gain a 2-300 meter lead in the first few minutes of the bike while I did my usual fumble with my shoes and clipping in. I was having none of that this time, so I spent the first five minutes @ 1.025 IF, and stood up a few small rises. Hitting some flats, I just locked into an FTP interval mode, and by the turn around, had a minute on him. He was about 10 sec faster again in T2, and :02 faster on the short 2.8 mile run, but it was not enough; I had him by over a minute, which is a long time in a 1 hour 20 minute race. Afterwards, we spent a fair amount of time getting to know each other, never talking about the races, but about things like Cuba (his wife is from there, he's gone several times, and raced the triathlon in Havana this year), and the history of Ironman Canada (he did the first one). That was a great way to end the year, in a couple of small, well-run venues out in the farmlands, meeting some new folks. And, by the way, it felt SO GOOD to just clean out the pipes on that bike - most enjoyable ride I had all year, 'cause it was less than 40 minutes (14 miles) long!
As I said, I'm ending my training and racing year now, so will be ending the Elite EN program. But I think it was valuable to me, to keep me focused on the essentials and maybe become willing to inject a bit more of a racer mentality back into my world. Next step, next year, is to take that same attitude into the run, now that I seem to have put the recurrent hamstring/piriformis/sciatica merry-go-round behind me.