@Coach Patrick I've entered the new information into the calculators after my run test today. Little slower than I was hoping for but I was gassed at the end so I knew I worked hard.
My HRM freaked out part way through and then again at the end. Said my AVG was lower than what it was so I added a couple beats to it to make up for it. It dropped 20BPM for the last 3 minutes and I certainly know that's not right with how hard I was working.
You can see the pace stayed consistent throughout so I'm positive my HR didn't drop 20BPM at the end...lol
Kudos to you for getting the test done. That is no small feat during the week! The test looks fantastic to me except for that obviously bad data.
Don’t worry so much about the zones right now, this is an exercise more in the fine-tuning your effort so that every workout is in the right spot. Big picture wise, you are still making great improvements.
@Coach Patrick Not sure what type of ride you want me adding for the extra one during the week. But last week I did Holt Hill -2 and this morning I did Rendezvous -1.
I know it's a few weeks away but what's your grand master plan for when OS is over? During our phone calls you talked about training for a 1.5x IM. Wondering what that entails...more of a curiosity aspect.
I had MRI's done on both my feet and was diagnosed with PF (real shocker there....). I've noticed that if I stay on top of my stretching (2x a day) that it really keeps it at bay. I think my whole body is tight to be honest. If they hurt, I can sit down for 5 minutes to stretch and the pain usually goes away...very strange.
I was given two massages as xmas presents. Is there a time you think I'd benefit the most from these during the training?
@jeff cornick - I'll take ANY kind of ride...Zone 2 is sufficient but if you want to push it a bit more, that's totally bueno!!!
As for your year...I'm glad we waiting. I don't think you can really handle too much run volume, so I think that we'll need to be creative.
My thoughts are to leverage the bike while we keep the run low, nice and sustainably steady. Instead, we add more work to the bike, specifically in two steps.
Part One: Two Weeks "pop" of 200 miles each week (4/2 and 4/9).
Part Two: We adapt the regular build (outside of those weeks) we have you do double long ride weekends every other weekend. So Weekend "A" is Long Ride Sat, Long Run Sun....Weekend "B" would be extending your mid-week run a bit, but doing long rides on Sat/Sun.
Ideally we can sync this up with your kid weekend schedule? It that possible?
Let me know what you think and I can get more specific with the details...
@Coach Patrick Sounds good on the bike, I'll do at least zone 2-3 for an extra hour. I want to make sure I'm ready for Boulder. I don't want to leave my fitness in question come race day.
As for the run volume I could do another day I think, my miles have been good and my feet are 'at bay'. They aren't getting better and they aren't getting worse with my volume currently. I wouldn't be against adding another run to see how they respond.
Part one: Looking forward to that!
Part two: We can match that up to the boys schedule but I've also been talking to them more and more about the importance of my workouts on weekends I have them. That's just the nature of the beast for the next few months. My sons basketball winds down over the next 3 weeks and I won't be coaching after that so it will free up some more time. When I do have them on weekends they go to church for a few hours with the ex-wife on Sunday mornings. So even when I do have them there is still a few good hours on Sunday I can get a long workout in.
How do you feel about the workload at this point and where currently are? If you say I'm not doing enough and we need to step up the game then I'm fine with that. I'm ready.
Thanks for that input. I think that your current workload is pretty good, especially if you add in that extra hour on the bike. I would like to see you sustain this current level through mid March. At that point, we can talk about potentially adding a little more work.
For example, if you wanted to add a short run of 20 to 30 minutes off the bike right now, I am OK with that. In mid-March, we could extend that to be a little more substantial.
I think your plan for managing the weekends is good. If we do it right, you should be able to get everything in without too much of a compromise. Also important to note that you might want to take a random Sunday off every now and then just to recover!
To summarize, and one short right now and the extra hour on the bike and let’s sustain that through mid-March.
All of that sounds good. I would have to defer to you on the best way to work in the pulling/pushing option. In my mind, we need to get your baseline Fitness locked in and have you on a healthy track.
When we are ready, we start with the bike first for two weeks before we had an a run just to “phase in” the additional load.
@Coach Patrick I feel great. Maybe the beginning of April I'll start incorporating someone in the chair as it's just too cold to do it sooner. It's amazing how taxing it is on the body so I'll want to get in some back to back longish runs to help with that.
Is there room for moderation when you’re dealing with total insanity overall?
What do you mean? I'm not sure I follow
These short intervals are just KILLING me and I'm not hitting the goal numbers. I'm just a few watts short each time. I can't get a screenshot of todays because TrainerRoad is down but here is last weeks. I feel like I can hold the long intervals for the other rides without a problem but these short ones are shredding me. Last week I was close to popping my dinner back up from the night before. During the recoveries I'm not coming out of Z5 for HR.
Am I doing them wrong? In the JOS thread guys are putting up higher IF factors and don't seem to be too concerned! lol
I just meant that your life is pretty crazy regardless and so why not do multiple Iron Man races and push your dad and juggle everything else. In other words, you are a beast.
The point of those intervals is to be challenging so if you are pushing yourself and you’re just a little bit short, I will take it. Believe it or not, that is much better than exceeding the intervals early on and feeling later in the work out.
The quality of the last 25% of your intervals is what determines how much Fitness you actually game. They are the “final reps” of a critical lifting session, if you will.
@Coach Patrick Ah, well thank you for the compliment! I appreciate it...lots of hard work!
With 3 weeks left in the JOS I'm excited about the next stages and what suffering you have planned for me.
Wondering when we want to start working on nutrition. And do we want to start with a base of what worked for the IMLP 70.3? (Pic below). I know I'll need to up the salt already. I had tried a PowerBar as you suggested but it just sat like rocks in my gut.
@Coach Patrick FTP last night....went from 291 to 311 in 4 weeks. So I'd say the workouts are paying off!! Excited but also nervous about the new numbers lol
What's your thought on altitude training? It's crossed my mind to drive to Whiteface and sit at the top (4865') and spin or run. I know it's not Boulder (5430') but wasn't sure if it would help at all.
Congratulations! You have been working hard and by the looks of your test image you really trust yourself at the end! You deserve every single extra wife. :-)
Give yourself time on the new zones and may take a week or two to get used to them so feel free to split the difference between the old and the new number in the first week. I swear I’m not a fan of altitude training here on the East Coast as we just don’t have a lot of options. Sure, you should go to the top and white face but you freeze your ass off and probably get sick! You’re better off either getting there early as in 10 days out. Or getting there late as in three days to go.
I haven’t forgotten about your other question above, I need some time and I thought your year. I would like you to start fueling like you did last year as soon as possible, even indoors. There will be a bit of friction as you start up again and it’s best to get that out-of-the-way early if possible.
@Coach Patrick Run this this morning. Disappointment abound over here. Last test I ran a 21:13...this test was a 21:09. How is that possible with so much gained on the bike yet nothing on the run? My HR zones and pacing stay the exact same....a month and nothing gained?
My HR data was the same (minus the drop at the end due to tech issues) peak at 182. So I know I was working.
#frustrated.
A bunch of my nutrition came in the mail yesterday so I'll start fully fueling on my long stuff from now on. I had been doing some to get through the workouts but not to fullest extent. Should I pick a day to do a sweat test?
@jeff cornick" - don't get all bipolar on me now. Not everyone improves in both areas, simultaneously and at such speed. Think of your run as Kid #1 and bike as Kid #2. Your kids are totally different but same dad....how is that possible?!?!!!? Welcome to triathlon coaching!
I am not worried about it all and am frankly impressed you ran like that with your fatigue and that bike test in your system...onwards!
Here are some milestones for you now that you in the Ironman® phase of your training...12 weeks to go!!!
Week of 3/19 (IM Wk 09):
Yes to a sweat test this weekend...just work it into one of the trainer rides, full info online here.
Yes to starting the "normal" fueling protocol. Ideally that fuel plus a post ride protein shake or chocolate milk + some carbs will keep you on track and avoid binging later in the day.
Week of 4/2 (IM Wk 11):
Long ride has to be full duration on Saturday from now on...inside or out, we need that time on the bike. Stand up every 15' for a minute or so as needed to stay loose...and consider a "mid-ride 10' refill bottles / change kit pit stop" if you need a mental break.
Weeks of 4/9 and 4/22 (Wks 12 + 14):
We need to be long both days here on the bike. This means Friday and Monday are swim only or OFF.
Both days are 5 hours in the saddle, so plan accordingly. These peaks will really help you have the fitness over the final weeks.
IM Wk 13 is normal with the kids.
Week of 4/30 KIDS WEEK! (IM Wk 15):
I assume a shorter / lighter bike week here, no worries.
Great time to do a run focused week and push them in the chair a lot to build up strength if that's an option.
Week of 5/7 (Wk 16) and 5/21 (wk 18):
These are race rehearsal weekends.
You can swim long on Friday in your TT.
Saturday is long bike of 112, full race pace and fueling. First one might be indoors.
Run off the bike should be with Pops or similar weight. So do the math on meeting him, etc. It's only an hour but after the bike it will be legit.
Last Two Weeks:
This is when you can go swim crazy. Swim a ton here. Drag stuff or wear board shorts, etc...not a ton in any single session (outside of one endurance session)....so all other swims could be 30'.
Other:
Core strength will be key. I assume time for gym is limited, so here are a few things you can do at home as a circuit....2 to 3 times a week, 1 or two times through.
1 minute of pushups
1 minute of crunches
1 minute of extending leg / opposite arm for lower back (image below)
@Coach Patrick Wow, lots of info...have a few questions.
Not being bipolar...I promise. Just thought I would have seen some gains on the run in speed. I'll take the gains on endurance all day long for an IM though.
Weeks of 4/9 and 4/22 (Wks 12 + 14):
We need to be long both days here on the bike. This means Friday and Monday are swim only or OFF.
Both days are 5 hours in the saddle, so plan accordingly. These peaks will really help you have the fitness over the final weeks.
IM Wk 13 is normal with the kids.
Long on both days....you mean Saturday and Sunday? So 4/14-15 and 4/28-29 are back to back days with 5hr rides.
Week of 4/30 KIDS WEEK! (IM Wk 15):
I assume a shorter / lighter bike week here, no worries.
Great time to do a run focused week and push them in the chair a lot to build up strength if that's an option.
This got changed, the ex-wife is no longer going away. I just found out the other day just didn't get around to changing the google doc with the update.
What kind of zone effort are we looking at for race day for the bike and run? And for the bike are we basing off of HR zone or power?
Feels like this just got real.....
------------------------------------------------------- Edit: 3/26 - Realized that I screwed up...I had stayed on the JOS and not switched over to the IM plan that you listed on the Google Doc a couple weeks ago.
So this weekend I went from doing the normal 2.5hr ride and long run Sunday to 4hrs on Saturday and 3hrs on Sunday. I couldn't hold onto the power like you said. So Saturday at the 2hr mark I dropped it 10%. On Sunday I was fatigued big time...I only got in 2.5 of the 3 despite dropping 10% every 30 minutes starting at 1:30 mark. I got done and just laid on the floor. I'm not sure I remember ever being that tired after back to back days of training.
I'm hoping there were some serious gains going from 2.5 to 6.5 despite me failing on duration.
Am I still adding an extra run and bike during the week with the current workload? Wasn't sure if that was just an JOS addition or was going to continue.
Thanks coach...may the suffering continue and I look forward to many more gains.
@Coach Patrick Wow, lots of info...have a few questions.
Not being bipolar...I promise. Just thought I would have seen some gains on the run in speed. I'll take the gains on endurance all day long for an IM though.
Weeks of 4/9 and 4/22 (Wks 12 + 14):
We need to be long both days here on the bike. This means Friday and Monday are swim only or OFF.
Both days are 5 hours in the saddle, so plan accordingly. These peaks will really help you have the fitness over the final weeks.
IM Wk 13 is normal with the kids.
Long on both days....you mean Saturday and Sunday? So 4/14-15 and 4/28-29 are back to back days with 5hr rides.
** YES....both days on those weekends are long please!!
Week of 4/30 KIDS WEEK! (IM Wk 15):
I assume a shorter / lighter bike week here, no worries.
Great time to do a run focused week and push them in the chair a lot to build up strength if that's an option.
This got changed, the ex-wife is no longer going away. I just found out the other day just didn't get around to changing the google doc with the update.
** That's okay, I would still want you to go "lighter" here to account for the other work you did.
What kind of zone effort are we looking at for race day for the bike and run? And for the bike are we basing off of HR zone or power?
------------------------------------------------------- Edit: 3/26 - Realized that I screwed up...I had stayed on the JOS and not switched over to the IM plan that you listed on the Google Doc a couple weeks ago.
So this weekend I went from doing the normal 2.5hr ride and long run Sunday to 4hrs on Saturday and 3hrs on Sunday. I couldn't hold onto the power like you said. So Saturday at the 2hr mark I dropped it 10%. On Sunday I was fatigued big time...I only got in 2.5 of the 3 despite dropping 10% every 30 minutes starting at 1:30 mark. I got done and just laid on the floor. I'm not sure I remember ever being that tired after back to back days of training.
That's always a really hard transition. Sorry we had that miscommunication with your plan, but I am still ok with where you are at.
I'm hoping there were some serious gains going from 2.5 to 6.5 despite me failing on duration.
Am I still adding an extra run and bike during the week with the current workload? Wasn't sure if that was just an JOS addition or was going to continue.
You should follow the IM plan as written now...no need to add those extra items as the plan is pretty full!
Thanks coach...may the suffering continue and I look forward to many more gains.
@Coach Patrick Nothing really to report except this little piece of trivia.
Ironman Lake Placid training 11/1-7/22 I trained for a total of 175hrs averaging out to 5hrs a week.
As of this morning you getting me ready for Ironman Boulder: 11/1-3/30 I have trained for a total of 176hrs with 10 weeks to go and 6 weeks less training time than IMLP.
I thought that was a pretty interesting number.
Oh, I did miss the last two weeks of IMLP due to a torn Annular which is the casing around the discs in the spine. Ouch. Considering where I'm at now and what I accomplished last year on such little training and major injury it does lift my spirits a touch...not going to lie. It gave me a boost of confidence.
It should!!! I love metrics like that so people can get a sense of just how much work they’ve actually done. Even better that you have a comparison to prior years so you can appreciate just how far you’ve come. You are in a great place!
@Coach Patrick Ok boss...much better results this weekend with the longer rides. Still had to drop the power to survive but I got all 7hrs in unlike last week. Onward and upward.
I have a few questions... 1) This weekend I have Sunday off on the IM schedule, I'm guessing because of the FTP on Tuesday. Do I need to do the FTP since I just did it? And if not, should I do another longer ride this weekend? 2) 4/30 - camp week. I know you do an IMLP camp but what is done for Boulder? How does that work? I can't afford to get out there for a camp... I'm guessing it's just heavy week of training?
Getting through the whole seven hours is definitely progress, you should be pumped about that. And we should see corresponding increase is in your fitness once your body absorb the training load. Let’s keep it up.
You are right, we can have you ride again on Sunday simply because you’re not gonna do that test again. I would do something similar to what you did last week. We don’t want to increase over last weeks total volume, just match it. That will be sufficient to continue the process of adaptation.
We don’t have a camp at specific to Boulder, but over the weekend, yes we are looking to replicate the same set up: long ride on day one, long ride again on day two, long run on day three. That will be mapped out in your training plan accordingly so it’s more a function of taking a look at that week of your training plan and seeing how to make it worth giving your schedule.
I believe camp week typically falls in week 16 or 15 of your training plan so you might need to use the drop-down arrow to get it set up properly for viewing. Let me know what’s possible and we can go from there!
@Coach Patrick I almost texted you this weekend and showed you my displeasure for how I felt about you. The love/hate relationship was in full swing by the end of my 2nd long day.
Be warned: Lots of info coming...
Day 1:
Bike: I couldn't take the trainer anymore so I grabbed the tri bike and went outside. 1.5hr inside and 3.5hr outside. Covered 88.2 miles in that time.
Nutrition is below. Yes, the sodium is low...when I left my house I forgot my bag and didn't realize it until it was too late.
Run: I swapped my runs because I had an opportunity to run with Pops after this ride...so I pushed him for an hour. This went 'ok'. Was pretty tired at that point and stomach wasn't feeling well. Not sure from lack of sodium or all the fake crap I pumped into it...so nutrition planned changed for Day 2.
Day 2:
I only lasted an hour on the trainer before I wanted out. This weather is killing me. 1hr inside and 4hrs outside. Covered 75.01 miles. A big drop in mileage from the day before...some of that is wind induced, more climbing than the day before, and just flat out tired.
Despite being tired and ready to get off the bike I still had some energy left...albeit VERY little but I kept finding myself able to keep moving despite wanting to be done so badly. I was honestly surprised I did another 5hrs.
Yes, once again sodium is low. This time I dropped my bag and didn't realize it. Was so mad at myself for screwing up both long rides this weekend.
I swapped out some of the crap sugar nutrition for Uncrustables! I don't know if that's what was helping my energy levels but about 20-30 minutes after eating one I would start to feel pretty good. Not sure if it was a mental thing or actually physical.
In preparation for the different calorie/sodium/carbs levels from the Uncrustables I had dropped how much Tailwind I was going to use in half since they were much higher.
Run: Going into this I was beat...I really was. I maintained my TRP and was running 8:50's but the legs were really starting to fail me after mile 2. I ended up trying to walk a bit to see if I could just relax, get the HR down (despite still being in TRP). But as soon as I started up the legs just didn't want to go anymore. I ended up walking 3x total for a total of 1.5 minutes and realized they weren't coming back to life. My pace slowed as it was almost painful to run from the quad perspective. As for gut...my stomach felt fine I had no issues with it during the run. So in my eyes the Uncrustables were a win. Will be buying more in prep for this weekends long events.
------------------------------
You may commence with yelling at me.
I don't have the boys this coming weekend but earlier you stated I should stick to the original plan of 5/4. Is that still your thinking? Just want to make sure now that one long weekend is in the books.
@Coach Patrick I ended up having to switch sat/sun rides due to opening day of my oldest baseball season.
Pulled Pops for the last 2hrs of the 4hr ride.
On Sunday I pulled Kristin for 2.5 of the 5hr ride. Here is my nutrition for Sunday...let me know if you see anything concerning.
I still have to upload data to TP but it won't be complete...every form of technology died at some point during the day. Power pedals, HRM, and watch...lol Was kind of nice riding blind though...could just GO and not worry about data.
Having an issue with my right Achilles that showed up after my double run on Thursday. Very sore this weekend and today. Going to baby it a bit with lots of icing and see what happens.
@“jeff Cornick” - I am here, just been bouncing all over the globe. Your progress and has been good, and I can’t argue with your nutrition. I guess I need to take a lesson from you and that you’re not necessarily bracing the event. By pushing your father you’re almost in a place where good calories matter more than race specific calories. So if uncrustables work for you, then let’s do it.
My guess is that the addition of two additional weight on your run training and cycling training by actually moving people has created a situation that is placed additional stress on your Achilles.
Do not mistake pain in your Achilles is a lack of aerobic fitness; you have done a ton of good work. This is simply a peripheral issue that has arisen from an increased level of work on your behalf. Rest and recovery is tantamount, I’m hoping you can continue to cycle and aqua jog/swim as needed. Please confirm when you can.
Comments
I've entered the new information into the calculators after my run test today. Little slower than I was hoping for but I was gassed at the end so I knew I worked hard.
My HRM freaked out part way through and then again at the end. Said my AVG was lower than what it was so I added a couple beats to it to make up for it. It dropped 20BPM for the last 3 minutes and I certainly know that's not right with how hard I was working.
You can see the pace stayed consistent throughout so I'm positive my HR didn't drop 20BPM at the end...lol
Either way, here are my zones...
Don’t worry so much about the zones right now, this is an exercise more in the fine-tuning your effort so that every workout is in the right spot. Big picture wise, you are still making great improvements.
Not sure what type of ride you want me adding for the extra one during the week. But last week I did Holt Hill -2 and this morning I did Rendezvous -1.
I know it's a few weeks away but what's your grand master plan for when OS is over? During our phone calls you talked about training for a 1.5x IM. Wondering what that entails...more of a curiosity aspect.
I had MRI's done on both my feet and was diagnosed with PF (real shocker there....). I've noticed that if I stay on top of my stretching (2x a day) that it really keeps it at bay. I think my whole body is tight to be honest. If they hurt, I can sit down for 5 minutes to stretch and the pain usually goes away...very strange.
I was given two massages as xmas presents. Is there a time you think I'd benefit the most from these during the training?
Thanks for your assistance.
As for your year...I'm glad we waiting. I don't think you can really handle too much run volume, so I think that we'll need to be creative.
My thoughts are to leverage the bike while we keep the run low, nice and sustainably steady. Instead, we add more work to the bike, specifically in two steps.
Part One: Two Weeks "pop" of 200 miles each week (4/2 and 4/9).
Part Two: We adapt the regular build (outside of those weeks) we have you do double long ride weekends every other weekend. So Weekend "A" is Long Ride Sat, Long Run Sun....Weekend "B" would be extending your mid-week run a bit, but doing long rides on Sat/Sun.
Ideally we can sync this up with your kid weekend schedule? It that possible?
Let me know what you think and I can get more specific with the details...
~ Coach P
Sounds good on the bike, I'll do at least zone 2-3 for an extra hour. I want to make sure I'm ready for Boulder. I don't want to leave my fitness in question come race day.
As for the run volume I could do another day I think, my miles have been good and my feet are 'at bay'. They aren't getting better and they aren't getting worse with my volume currently. I wouldn't be against adding another run to see how they respond.
Part one: Looking forward to that!
Part two: We can match that up to the boys schedule but I've also been talking to them more and more about the importance of my workouts on weekends I have them. That's just the nature of the beast for the next few months. My sons basketball winds down over the next 3 weeks and I won't be coaching after that so it will free up some more time. When I do have them on weekends they go to church for a few hours with the ex-wife on Sunday mornings. So even when I do have them there is still a few good hours on Sunday I can get a long workout in.
How do you feel about the workload at this point and where currently are? If you say I'm not doing enough and we need to step up the game then I'm fine with that. I'm ready.
especially if you add in that extra hour on the bike. I would like to see
you sustain this current level through mid March. At that point, we can
talk about potentially adding a little more work.
For example, if you wanted to add a short run of 20 to 30 minutes off the
bike right now, I am OK with that. In mid-March, we could extend that to be
a little more substantial.
I think your plan for managing the weekends is good. If we do it right, you
should be able to get everything in without too much of a compromise. Also
important to note that you might want to take a random Sunday off every now
and then just to recover!
To summarize, and one short right now and the extra hour on the bike and
let’s sustain that through mid-March.
Done. I'll add an additional run.
I got in Carson (.81IF) this morning. That was a good one. Could feel the last few workouts culminate on that one a bit.
Mid-March sounds like a good plan for reassessing then with this load.
One thing we do need to consider is when I start to train pushing/pulling someone.
When we are ready, we start with the bike first for two weeks before we had an a run just to “phase in” the additional load.
I feel great. Maybe the beginning of April I'll start incorporating someone in the chair as it's just too cold to do it sooner. It's amazing how taxing it is on the body so I'll want to get in some back to back longish runs to help with that.
Just my two cents.
What do you mean? I'm not sure I follow
These short intervals are just KILLING me and I'm not hitting the goal numbers.
Am I doing them wrong? In the JOS thread guys are putting up higher IF factors and don't seem to be too concerned! lol
The quality of the last 25% of your intervals is what determines how much Fitness you actually game. They are the “final reps” of a critical lifting session, if you will.
Keep pushing...that Hr will eventually drop!
~ Coach P
Ah, well thank you for the compliment! I appreciate it...lots of hard work!
With 3 weeks left in the JOS I'm excited about the next stages and what suffering you have planned for me.
Wondering when we want to start working on nutrition. And do we want to start with a base of what worked for the IMLP 70.3? (Pic below). I know I'll need to up the salt already. I had tried a PowerBar as you suggested but it just sat like rocks in my gut.
Granted this was for a half and not a full.
FTP last night....went from 291 to 311 in 4 weeks. So I'd say the workouts are paying off!! Excited but also nervous about the new numbers lol
What's your thought on altitude training? It's crossed my mind to drive to Whiteface and sit at the top (4865') and spin or run. I know it's not Boulder (5430') but wasn't sure if it would help at all.
Run this this morning. Disappointment abound over here. Last test I ran a 21:13...this test was a 21:09. How is that possible with so much gained on the bike yet nothing on the run? My HR zones and pacing stay the exact same....a month and nothing gained?
My HR data was the same (minus the drop at the end due to tech issues) peak at 182. So I know I was working.
#frustrated.
A bunch of my nutrition came in the mail yesterday so I'll start fully fueling on my long stuff from now on. I had been doing some to get through the workouts but not to fullest extent. Should I pick a day to do a sweat test?
I am not worried about it all and am frankly impressed you ran like that with your fatigue and that bike test in your system...onwards!
Here are some milestones for you now that you in the Ironman® phase of your training...12 weeks to go!!!
Week of 3/19 (IM Wk 09):
- Yes to a sweat test this weekend...just work it into one of the trainer rides, full info online here.
- Yes to starting the "normal" fueling protocol. Ideally that fuel plus a post ride protein shake or chocolate milk + some carbs will keep you on track and avoid binging later in the day.
Week of 4/2 (IM Wk 11):- Long ride has to be full duration on Saturday from now on...inside or out, we need that time on the bike. Stand up every 15' for a minute or so as needed to stay loose...and consider a "mid-ride 10' refill bottles / change kit pit stop" if you need a mental break.
Weeks of 4/9 and 4/22 (Wks 12 + 14):- We need to be long both days here on the bike. This means Friday and Monday are swim only or OFF.
- Both days are 5 hours in the saddle, so plan accordingly. These peaks will really help you have the fitness over the final weeks.
- IM Wk 13 is normal with the kids.
Week of 4/30 KIDS WEEK! (IM Wk 15):- I assume a shorter / lighter bike week here, no worries.
- Great time to do a run focused week and push them in the chair a lot to build up strength if that's an option.
Week of 5/7 (Wk 16) and 5/21 (wk 18):- These are race rehearsal weekends.
- You can swim long on Friday in your TT.
- Saturday is long bike of 112, full race pace and fueling. First one might be indoors.
- Run off the bike should be with Pops or similar weight. So do the math on meeting him, etc. It's only an hour but after the bike it will be legit.
Last Two Weeks:- This is when you can go swim crazy. Swim a ton here. Drag stuff or wear board shorts, etc...not a ton in any single session (outside of one endurance session)....so all other swims could be 30'.
Other:Core strength will be key. I assume time for gym is limited, so here are a few things you can do at home as a circuit....2 to 3 times a week, 1 or two times through.
Wow, lots of info...have a few questions.
Not being bipolar...I promise. Just thought I would have seen some gains on the run in speed. I'll take the gains on endurance all day long for an IM though.
Long on both days....you mean Saturday and Sunday? So 4/14-15 and 4/28-29 are back to back days with 5hr rides.
This got changed, the ex-wife is no longer going away. I just found out the other day just didn't get around to changing the google doc with the update.
What kind of zone effort are we looking at for race day for the bike and run? And for the bike are we basing off of HR zone or power?
Feels like this just got real.....
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Edit: 3/26 - Realized that I screwed up...I had stayed on the JOS and not switched over to the IM plan that you listed on the Google Doc a couple weeks ago.
So this weekend I went from doing the normal 2.5hr ride and long run Sunday to 4hrs on Saturday and 3hrs on Sunday. I couldn't hold onto the power like you said. So Saturday at the 2hr mark I dropped it 10%. On Sunday I was fatigued big time...I only got in 2.5 of the 3 despite dropping 10% every 30 minutes starting at 1:30 mark. I got done and just laid on the floor. I'm not sure I remember ever being that tired after back to back days of training.
I'm hoping there were some serious gains going from 2.5 to 6.5 despite me failing on duration.
Am I still adding an extra run and bike during the week with the current workload? Wasn't sure if that was just an JOS addition or was going to continue.
Thanks coach...may the suffering continue and I look forward to many more gains.
Nothing really to report except this little piece of trivia.
Ironman Lake Placid training 11/1-7/22 I trained for a total of 175hrs averaging out to 5hrs a week.
As of this morning you getting me ready for Ironman Boulder: 11/1-3/30 I have trained for a total of 176hrs with 10 weeks to go and 6 weeks less training time than IMLP.
I thought that was a pretty interesting number.
Oh, I did miss the last two weeks of IMLP due to a torn Annular which is the casing around the discs in the spine. Ouch. Considering where I'm at now and what I accomplished last year on such little training and major injury it does lift my spirits a touch...not going to lie. It gave me a boost of confidence.
Ok boss...much better results this weekend with the longer rides. Still had to drop the power to survive but I got all 7hrs in unlike last week. Onward and upward.
I have a few questions...
1) This weekend I have Sunday off on the IM schedule, I'm guessing because of the FTP on Tuesday. Do I need to do the FTP since I just did it? And if not, should I do another longer ride this weekend?
2) 4/30 - camp week. I know you do an IMLP camp but what is done for Boulder? How does that work? I can't afford to get out there for a camp... I'm guessing it's just heavy week of training?
I believe camp week typically falls in week 16 or 15 of your training plan so you might need to use the drop-down arrow to get it set up properly for viewing. Let me know what’s possible and we can go from there!
I almost texted you this weekend and showed you my displeasure for how I felt about you. The love/hate relationship was in full swing by the end of my 2nd long day.
Be warned: Lots of info coming...
Day 1:
Bike:I couldn't take the trainer anymore so I grabbed the tri bike and went outside. 1.5hr inside and 3.5hr outside. Covered 88.2 miles in that time.
Nutrition is below. Yes, the sodium is low...when I left my house I forgot my bag and didn't realize it until it was too late.
Run:
I swapped my runs because I had an opportunity to run with Pops after this ride...so I pushed him for an hour. This went 'ok'. Was pretty tired at that point and stomach wasn't feeling well. Not sure from lack of sodium or all the fake crap I pumped into it...so nutrition planned changed for Day 2.
Day 2:
I only lasted an hour on the trainer before I wanted out. This weather is killing me. 1hr inside and 4hrs outside. Covered 75.01 miles. A big drop in mileage from the day before...some of that is wind induced, more climbing than the day before, and just flat out tired.Despite being tired and ready to get off the bike I still had some energy left...albeit VERY little but I kept finding myself able to keep moving despite wanting to be done so badly. I was honestly surprised I did another 5hrs.
Yes, once again sodium is low. This time I dropped my bag and didn't realize it. Was so mad at myself for screwing up both long rides this weekend.
I swapped out some of the crap sugar nutrition for Uncrustables! I don't know if that's what was helping my energy levels but about 20-30 minutes after eating one I would start to feel pretty good. Not sure if it was a mental thing or actually physical.
In preparation for the different calorie/sodium/carbs levels from the Uncrustables I had dropped how much Tailwind I was going to use in half since they were much higher.
Run:
Going into this I was beat...I really was. I maintained my TRP and was running 8:50's but the legs were really starting to fail me after mile 2. I ended up trying to walk a bit to see if I could just relax, get the HR down (despite still being in TRP). But as soon as I started up the legs just didn't want to go anymore. I ended up walking 3x total for a total of 1.5 minutes and realized they weren't coming back to life. My pace slowed as it was almost painful to run from the quad perspective. As for gut...my stomach felt fine I had no issues with it during the run. So in my eyes the Uncrustables were a win. Will be buying more in prep for this weekends long events.
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You may commence with yelling at me.
I don't have the boys this coming weekend but earlier you stated I should stick to the original plan of 5/4. Is that still your thinking? Just want to make sure now that one long weekend is in the books.
I ended up having to switch sat/sun rides due to opening day of my oldest baseball season.
Pulled Pops for the last 2hrs of the 4hr ride.
On Sunday I pulled Kristin for 2.5 of the 5hr ride. Here is my nutrition for Sunday...let me know if you see anything concerning.
I still have to upload data to TP but it won't be complete...every form of technology died at some point during the day. Power pedals, HRM, and watch...lol Was kind of nice riding blind though...could just GO and not worry about data.
Having an issue with my right Achilles that showed up after my double run on Thursday. Very sore this weekend and today. Going to baby it a bit with lots of icing and see what happens.
Trying to plan my and Pops' life a little bit as possible heading into the last 7 weeks of training.
5/4 - 6hr or 112 - Thinking of pulling Pops for 4+hrs which would mean I'm not going to get 112 in but rather the 6hr mark.
5/5 - 6hr or 112 - Thinking of NOT pulling him at all and going for the 112 in its entirety despite time.
5/12 - 112 miles - Thinking of pulling Pops at least 5hrs.
5/19 - 5hr/35m - Pull entire workout.
5/16 - 112/1hr - Pull/push entire workout.
Let me know your thoughts on this for training with him.
Hope you're still with me here...
Achilles has gotten worse and can barely run without being in extreme pain. Going to switch to aqua jogging.
I have an apt at the chiro for some ART and graston to see what's going with it.
My guess is that the addition of two additional weight on your run training and cycling training by actually moving people has created a situation that is placed additional stress on your Achilles.
Do not mistake pain in your Achilles is a lack of aerobic fitness; you have done a ton of good work. This is simply a peripheral issue that has arisen from an increased level of work on your behalf. Rest and recovery is tantamount, I’m hoping you can continue to cycle and aqua jog/swim as needed. Please confirm when you can.