Jennifer Mason Year One Micro Thread
Here's your personal Coach Thread, 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 here to guide you through your first year on EN, so you can always come back here.
As you'll see in this forum, I handle all manner of edits and changes. 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 WHY and Goals
Coming soon...see homework below!
Your Season Outline
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 06/14/2017
- Complete the Trial Testing Week, save your Bike and Run Zones to the My Zones Page.
- On 6/19/2017 Load the Beginner EN*Half Plan to end on 9/10/2017
I think you have a good baseline for Placid 70.3®, and your camp up there should have been a real eye-opener as to the terrain and eventual demands on your body. I hope it was also fun as Placid is AWESOME.
I agree 100% that you should go back to Placid vs NYC olympic; experience on the course is critical for you, and the chance to do a full loop will be invaluable.
When we talk we can discuss your calf; right now I'd like to get you doing some good work on the bike. It's a safe place to build your fitness and it transfers well to your run on race day.
I look forward to connecting with you!
Coach Contact Points
These are all the key points in your first year where we must talk. You can schedule all calls with me for these times online here. Please remember to include your phone number.
- Welcome Call in Week One (set it up here)
- Coach Call in Week Two to talk about your season (set it up here)
- End of Trial Call -- We review your experience & Unlock Year One / Race Execution for you (set it up here)
- End of Season Call -- We review your year & Strategize for your “gap” and Year Two (to be announced)
For short or last minute questions, we recommend you use the Red Chat Icon on the main Members website.
We have also organized a complete chart of the best ways to contact us online here.
Your First Month on the Team
You have quite a few things to do when you start up. There are instructions on the top of the website, but you can review them under Resources / 0-- First 30 Days on EN. If you have any trouble, don’t hesitate to reach out via the chat icon on the main Members website here.
Your First Year Inside Endurance Nation
The focus of this week is RACE EXECUTION and how we can help you get faster by being smarter on race day. There are no medals for great swims or getting to the top of a hill first — on race day only your finish time counts. There are many ways of being faster, and here are some of the resources we have to help you out.
- The Four Keys of Race Execution Video: The Coaches walk you through the macro level elements of a successful race.
- Distance Specific Guidance: Learn the fundamentals of racing Short Course and Long Course events, from each discipline to pacing zones, etc.
- Race Specific Pages: We have aggregated information on specific races from the internet, race reports and even our own coaching resources. You can find your race Master Racing Page section.
- The Race Forums: You can search for race reports or connect with your teammates. There are sections for 70.3, 140.6, and Marathons.
Your Homework
Tell Us Why You Choose EN & Your Season Goals
- Please reply below with WHY you chose Endurance Nation and WHY you train/compete.
- Whenever possible, please identify your goals -- time, body composition, completion...the sooner you put them down the sooner we can get towards achieving them.
Looking forward to working with you this year,
~ Coach P
Comments
Step One: we need to get you back running, but we have to do it gradually. We have a great program that charts out a Return to Running -- you can view it here. I would like you to start in week one as soon as you feel comfortable, and to check back in with me will be hit week four. My goal is that we will have you back to a good level of running by the time we had August 1st.
Step Two: before you head out to run, however, I want to make sure that you're getting in a decent warm-up. This one is called seven way hips, it is super easy to do. After you watch the video a few times you will be great at it.
Step Three: I know you are worried about completing the bike, but I think you will be okay if you pasted properly. When you go out for your final trip before the race, definitely have one day where you do the full loop. It's worthwhile seeing how each section feels when you get there, with fatigue in your legs. Remember my guidance for spending up the hills but shifting to keep the pressure on the down hills. Every downhill is an opportunity for you to get your speed to a place where needs to be. You will have the energy on those down hills if you pace the uphills correctly!
Of course this is something you can practice all the time even at home.
Step Four: Bike HR for those longer rides. Your test had a peak of 160, which puts your zones like this:
The long 56 miler you did was about 132, which is mid-point Zone 2...perfect!
Other Stuff
I know you had a question about run pacing, here's how to get average pace for the run: The Art of Pacing with a Garmin
Also you wanted a link to the race for him, it seems we didn't have own created as this is a new race. I have put up a temporary post and Brenda our race director fulfill it in shortly. Here is the link.
Let's get to work!
~ Coach P
>I'm back to running per the schedule. The calf thing fixed itself after a little rest.
>The Garmin pacing link so helpful.. still trying to find the best and already improved consistency with lap function.
QUESTION: This Sunday I'm riding outside at Harriman State Park. Should I do the Saturday long ride on Sunday instead? (flip Sat & Sun?)
QUESTION: 7/9 there's an LP computrainer course recon ride. 2 hours. Your thoughts on working that into training schedule?
Of course, if you tell me that you're doing it on your own regardless, then I will help you adjust the schedule. Let me know!
Hi, hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend! I noticed a little right knee discomfort (top of the knee cap) after last week's 56 mile ride and didn't really think much about it b/c it went away. After yesterday's 2 hr ride knee pain is worse. Didn't feel it that much during the ride mostly after and I can feel it a little when I walk but not always (1/2 on scale of 1-10). Calling my bike guy this morning to get in to check out the fit. Anything else I should be doing? Or may be doing wrong, other than the fit, to cause it?
let me me know what you find out!!
~ Coach P
I went to the bike shop and my seat was tilted forward a bit causing me to scootch forward when pedaling. Then I'd push back. Then slide forward. Repeat x 1000. So he leveled out the seat and hopefully that'll fix it.
>>! I will be in Lake Placid next weekend. Arriving Friday (sometime) not sure if will be in daylight to get in any training. Saturday will be a full day there and would like to ride the whole course. Sun will be half day... can probably do a swim and/or run and/or short bike. Would you let me know how best to adjust the plan.
>>! Where can I find target HR zones for runs? The zones listed on my Plan page are pace. I have a hard time keeping the pace when there are any hills (and there usually are some hills). Go up hill, get behind the pace and then race to catch it up .. and then slow down when get back to pace. REPEAT. Is that what's intended? Maybe by HR I can be more consistent (and I saw your vid about heat and using HR).
Your goal here will be to start smart to the top of the descent, practice the dissent, then dial in your time trial effort from Keena out to Ausable Forks and back. Climb smart over until Wilmington and then ride your best back into town, going easy on the hills but keeping the pressure on every time the road goes downhill it into a flat section.
Sunday morning I say you swim one lap, then bike out of town on the run course, follow that road all the way to the end. If you take a left at the end, you're back on the bike course and can ride into town. This will be a 12 to 15 mile loop. Going to get off the bike and ideally you run out of town the same direction to the bottom of the ski jump hill and then back up again into town. Let me know what the distance is on that!
Since I have access to your Strava account, you don't need to provide me any information. I can see your workouts. Good targets for you will be to average between 20 and 24 miles a week on the run. For the bike, I would like to see you around 80 to 100 miles a week. I am assuming that you get in a long ride on the weekends of about four hours which is close to 60 miles. This means you only have one or two other bike workouts. Can you make this happen?