Ashley Plowman 2017 Official Coach 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 Races
- AZ 70.3® on 10/15/2017
- Buckeye Marathon on 12/9/2017
- Ironman Texas 4/21/2018
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 07/01/2017
- Complete the Trial Testing Week, save your Bike and Run Zones to the My Zones Page.
- On 7/3/2017 Load the Intermediate Bike Focus Block, 6 Weeks to end on 8/13/2017
- On 8/14 Load the Intermediate 2017 EN*Half to end on 10/15/2017
- On 10/16 Load the Intermediate Marathon [Balanced], 24 Weeks to end on 12/9/2017
- On 12/10 Load the -- Post HalfIron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 1/7/2018
- On 1/8 Load the Intermediate 2017 EN*Full to end on 4/21/2018
Coach Notes
Lots going on here, but not as bad as it looks. When we talk, we can discuss your recent 70.3® as well as talk about your fitness, in the meantime since you have fitness (and have been training for a while already this year) I want to change things up a bit. Instead of more 70.3® work, I'd like to put you into our Bike Focus program as a mid-season change. Then we'll go back to traditional 70.3® training into AZ.
You'll have two months to get the run miles up, depending on our conversation, we can decide if earlier mileage for the run is important enough to bump into the AZ 70.3® preparation. Then we head over to some transition time to recover just before a proper build into TX.
Step one...enter those tests OR enter you most recent relevant sessions that will fulfill the data requirements.
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
Really excited to get things moving. I chose EN because I have used another training plan/team and didn't see the results I wanted. I love the fact that EN let's you use power and power zones in workouts. It is foolproof and keeps me in line. I respond well to structured workouts, which I had with the other plan, but it was very complicated and left a lot to the athlete to decide... in any case, I'm looking forward to getting started.
Goals for 2017-18... I'm midway through my season of course. I have had 2 races that didn't go as well as I'd planned. My original goal was to qualify for 70.3 worlds, but after 2 races and some conditions out of my control, it hasn't happened. New goal is to race my PR (under 5:35) at IMAZ 70.3 and my PR (under 13:00) at IMTX 140.6. My run has suffered since 2015 after I took some time off training, so I need to find that speed I used to have again.
One question...
I work 16 hour days 3 days/week (Saturday, Sunday, Monday). I can't do long workouts these days. Would you suggest moving the long critical workouts to a specific day during the week? Generally I am unable to workout Sunday and Monday. If that is not acceptable, I can sometimes get in a pre-work 30 min max workout on Sunday morning. Let me know if 2 off days is too much every week... I do have the availability to do strength/TRX on these days I can't ride/run/swim.
Thanks so much!! Looking forward to hearing from you.
Ashley
Mon - OFF
Tue - Interval Ride / Brick Run. Optional PM swim?
Wed - long run
Thu - Long Swim
Fri -Long Ride + Run
Sat - swim option??
Sun - OFF
Thanks for the reply. The revised schedule looks good except for the swim- on Saturday I don't have access to a pool so I'll have to stick to a run or bike for less than an hour. Is there another day you'd have me get in a swim? I can be at the pool Tue-Fri as needed. Is it okay to have one "swim only" day (in this case, Thursday)? I have been used to doing several workouts in one dayto squeeze them in when I have time.
As far as the year, I'll try to be brief. In 2015 I had my best season yet and my PR races. My dad passed away in Jan 2016, so I took several months off and when I came back to training, I had lost a lot of speed. Since then, I've gained back the bike/swim speed I hadn't but have still suffered on the run by about a minute per mile. I did IMAZ 140.6 in November 2016 and didn't use a training plan, so I just kind of slugged through my z1/z2 workouts and didn't really focus on speed...
In 2017, I was determined to be faster. Tried out another training plan and it didn't map out my zones quite right (only used heart rate, which drove me crazy) so I never paid attention to them and continued to train at what I "thought" was the right zone. I work best knowing what power/time to bike/run at, so EN should be a good fit... can't really say there is one reason for my subpar performances this year, but it's been disappointing. I had 2 races this year (Ironman Texas 70.3 and Ironman Buffalo Springs 70.3). At IMTX I had back spasms on the bike and couldn't push over 110 watts (zone 1) and at IMBSL I had mechanical issues on the bike, dropped chain 3x and stuck in the big ring, so I pushed 144 watts (zone 4) for the ride- no legs left for the run. I've worked out the mechanical issues now. The back spasms were caused (I think) by some stress before the race that carried over onto race day.
The good news is I have my nutrition figured out and have done lots of research into Endurance Nation's race plan- biking the right power and running the first 3-6 miles slower than your pace- so I feel good trying and using this moving forward. I am looking forward to my next races (AZ 70.3 in October and TX 140.6 in April) using the plan!!
Let me know what you think and if you have any advice! Would love your thoughts!!
ashiey
We covered a few topics and I wanted to close the loop on what I remember...if you have more questions, please let me know!
Weight and W/KG - There's a lot to be gained by being lean by race day. Not all year, but by race day is pretty nice. A pound is worth 2 seconds per mile in an IM run, whereas on the bike the LBS matter more when elevation is to play. In your case, not as much of an issue with your race selection. You basic bike goal this OutSeason® will be to improve your FTP!
Indoor CT Riding vs Outside - I love the indoors and I approve of the work there. Remember my note on Zwift (search the bike wiki for more) and really focus on the indoor hydration. The closer your race, the more getting outside takes priority so you get better at pacing yourself on the hills and with the different conditions (safely of course).
Good nutrition - critical for race success. Please see our Sweat Test guidance. It takes some tweaking, so always good to get a head start on it!
Chat soon,
~ Coach P
Thanks again for the chat & info! Definitely helpful as I think toward the future!
Wanted to get with you as I have a business trip and vacation that I'll be taking Aug 22-Sept 2. I'll have access to run/bike at a hotel from 8/22-8/25, but the rest of the trip I'll be hiking in Yellowstone. I've asked if I'll be able to run or swim and our guide said I can possibly trail run (with bear spray, yikes...) but there's no swimming. Any ideas on what to do during this time? It's relatively close to my next race (IMAZ 70.3 in late October) and a couple weeks into my HIM training plan.
Looking flrward to hearing from you! Hope you are well.
Ashley
by the time you're back you'll have more than six weeks to go, which is plenty of time to get your triathlon skills back into full effect.
If you're concerned about anything, maybe the week before you go we emphasize to longer bikes on that weekend so there's less of a dip in your bike mileage. Otherwise hiking all day is great durability work and can certainly help.
My 2017 triathlon season has now come to a close... which brings me to my question for you - I planned to complete a full marathon 12/9, but instead will be looking to do the half marathon instead on 12/9. Should I load a run durability plan or a half training plan? This is just a 'for fun' race... would you even suggest it at this point? I would be okay with skipping it to really focus on 2018 if you think this would be best. In 2017, I had the most trouble with the run, if you remember my speed has been an issue since my PR in 2015. At IMAZ 70.3 I planned to average 9:30-10:00/miles and instead averaged 10:30/miles. This, of course, is likely connected to the lack of training the past couple months with all the traveling. In 2015 I averaged 8:30s in my halfs, so it is pretty frustrating to see these numbers over the past year... Looking for your thoughts and advice! I'll load up which ever training plan you recommend next.I would like to really focus on getting this back to run a solid race next year. My only planned race for 2018 is IMTX in April, but I'm sure I will add in a couple halfs sometime later in the year.
Thanks, Coach!
Ashley
While the work you did this time might not of made you faster in the short term, it’s a great investment in your future. Step number one after your race is to recover. There is a post half Iron Man recovery plan that you can load up and follow. Set it to end exactly 2 weeks after your race.
Theoretically with Iron Man Texas on the horizon you should be starting the outseason right away, but I don’t think that’s a good decision. Instead, I would like you to load up the run durability plan and plan on using that through November.
Let’s check in on your progress mid-November to see what the next step should be with regards to a December or January Outseason start.
As to which plan to choose, I am torn. I love the elk season, but you have such limited time in between January and race day in April. I honestly think we are better off having you do the intermediate FULL PLAN starting January 8.
Once you have a covered we can use the get Fest plan to hopefully tap into some of the speed that you didn’t use in the early part of the year.
Question for you - I have loaded in the Intermediate Full Plan and am well into the training workload. Next week, I am traveling to Iowa Tuesday-Friday for work, so I will be missing all the swims and bike workouts. I checked around the area and there are no pools open in January in Iowa (what the heck!) that I can use. I haven't been in the pool in 2018 yet and I am feeling VERY behind there because it is my weakest sport as well. Would you recommend any adjustments while I am out for the week? I planned to pack in bike miles now and when I get back home.
We are also traveling to Mexico 2/6-2/11 (Tue-Sun) for a wedding. Seems there should be lots of opportunity to run and swim, but unless there is a bike in the gym I won't be on it for another week. Any amendments I should make this week?
In lieu of swimming over the next couple weeks, I have been inserting some TRX and general strength training. I also have some swim bands that I can use on a door frame to try and work on building some muscle there...
thanks so much for your help and support!! I am super excited for this year and am going to DOMINATE Ironman Texas
Now for your travel stuff...I say that you do the following. Bonus if you can get a short swim in on Mon or one of the Weekend days (30 mins would suffice):
Now as for the next trip, you are kind of losing a week. So I would recommend you extend the bikes on the Sat / Sun of the weekend before you go (2/3 and 2/4) so we keep that rolling. While in MX we want you to be safe, so a daily 45' run would be great (if you go long or AM / PM 45's on one day, next day is off) with a bonus if you can swim.
Rather than focus on training a TON, just be smart about your food intake and have one "bad" meal a day.
I recommend you bring the swim bands on the road in both cases...can't hurt to just keep your mojo going!
~ Coach P
Well, Ironman Texas is officially over... I came in about 1:15 short of my goal time, not due to lack of fitness, but race day execution. In short, the swim was exactly what I'd planned (1:37) bike a little shy of goal (5:44) and run turned into a mess (5:14) for a finish time of 12:51. The good news is this is over a 30 minute PR for me, but I am still really disappointed in my race. I was definitely aiming to race smart, but when the run started I wasn't able to eat anything (really horrible tooth sensitivity, which I have NEVER experienced before), lost a contact (never happened before...), and fell, then started to get sick from Red Bull (I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to drink that)... it was QUITE the day. The race started to go a little downhill on the bike when I wasn't able to hold my target power around mile 70 and had to hold back over 5-10 watts the remainder of the race and my HR was about 5 BPM lower than planned. I can't attribute this to nutrition (1-2 bottle/hr plus gel every 45 was perfect) or lack of training, as I had many solid training rides on Zwift, so I'm not quite sure where the disconnect was on the bike overall. Maybe next time I need to be outside more and off the trainer for long rides? It was a little warmer than expected, and I did use a bit more energy than you'd have liked passing people (I know, I know, bad...) so maybe that was part of it. Could have also been fatigue from the swim.
I will say I had a LOT of fun at this race - I didn't stop smiling the whole day! I am already looking to get back on the horse and try to get my goal again. With all that being said, it is time to plan the rest of the 2018 season and think about 2019!
I am considering Ironman Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 on 6/24/18 and 70.3 in Oklahoma City (Redman) 9/22/18 and then thinking of Ironman Texas 140.6 or Ironman Wisconsin 140.6 next year. Does this seem reasonable? Would you suggest another full in 2018 for any particular reason, or does it look okay to push the next full to 2019?
Could you help me decide which plan to load up next?
I am also starting training with a local kettlebell gym at the end of May (when my knee heals up from the fall I took at the race). I would like to get into the gym 2x a week in the mornings and think it is doable to fit this into the training schedule. I am aiming to gain strength, hopefully help out the swim a bit, and lose about 5 lbs before the next race. Not sure why, but IMTX was the heaviest I have been for race day since 2014 by over 7 lbs, so I am committed to working that off with the help of some strength exercises.
Link to race day bike -
https://www.strava.com/activities/1537878054/
Link to RR bike - (run after bike, so this RR was starting the bike from 0)
https://www.strava.com/activities/1469678464/
https://www.strava.com/activities/1506616860
Link to race day run -
https://www.strava.com/activities/1537877959
Could have been tension, I suppose... truthfully the drafting/pace lines were no impact to me. I am a slow swimmer, so by the time I got to the Hardy, those groups were formed and waaaay ahead of me, so I didn't have to deal with them passing at all. I am always having to 'catch up' on the bike and end up passing more people for the entire race because I am a remarkably slower swimmer than most triathletes, so this is where I might have used more energy than I should have.
Planned Race Day nutrition - (also attached. See "Gear" sheet in column J/K for my race nutrition plan.)
Actual Race Day nutrition
Pre-Swim: 1 gel, 1 sport bottle
Bike: (I was on the bike ~20 min longer than planned, so I drank more than planned)
Hour 1: 2 bottles (maybe this is where it went wrong? I usually only drink 1 bottle/hr but felt very thirsty)
Hour 2: 1.5 bottle (Still felt very thirsty in hour 2)
Hour 3: 1 bottle (ran out of sports drink here and had nothing for ~25 min before Special Needs)
Hour 4: 1 bottle
Hour 5: .5 bottle
Plus 1 Gel every 45 min (Gu/PowerBar)
Ate 3/4 Clif bar in hour 3-4. Did not eat gel in this hour (subbed gel with bar)
Run
Sipped Sword sports drink & ate 1 Clif blok every other mile until mile 5 when I couldn't eat any longer. Switched to water & base salt only until mile 12 when I started taking in oranges at every aid station each mile. Tried to switch to swallowing Clif bloks because I couldn't chew them, but this was a really bad idea... haha.
Thanks for taking a look at everything for me! I am anxious to hear what you think about the HR/nutrition.
Should I load up the post-Ironman, Outseason or HIM Training Plan? I've decided that Ironman Buffalo Springs Lake won't be doable this year due to scheduling conflicts, so there is nothing officially on the calendar as of yet. Thinking of the 70.3 in September as of now, but might pick another Ironman brand race to keep the All World Athlete title for 2019.
Thanks so much, Coach P!!
Ashley
First thing is Nutrition
I realized is I have no idea what Sword Nutrition is. Seems like a clear proxy for GE, 20oz of Sword is close to GE, just about 50% less sugar. So not sure how the full carb thing works out (20oz of GE is 40g carbs, 20oz of SWORD is 37g) but it seems ok.
That said 6 bottles (120oz of fluid) seems pretty low to me...about a bottle per hour. Is that what your sweat test gave you...just one bottle per hour? Let me know. Also, how many times did you pee on the bike?
Second thing is Pacing
Your HR in training rides avg'd like low 130s...but on race day, you avg 140 for the first two hours. So way over. Higher HR makes it harder to absorb fluids and calories.
That and you faded all day on the HR, which really makes it hard to "reverse" when you get to the run. If we flipped this in reverse, it would be a good bike (building up).
Running Was Also Suspect
Your longer runs started in the low 130s and usually built. On race day, your HR skyrocketed to the 140s multiple times in the first 10 miles...super costly! This is likely due to bad nutrition and I suspect dehydration as well.
Ideally you lock in that BIKE HR and do not exceed it...the one that you know and love...aka 133. Then you run that same HR for the first six miles...you weren't able to do either on race day, and honestly that's likely the tale of the tape.
As for plans now I like the post race plan. Let's do a proper recovery and we can get you back on track!!!
Let me know when you are ready to get back to work!
~ Coach P
I don’t know why but riding in the 140s didn’t feel bad at all on race day, and I didn’t think it would be a problem if I backed off. I will pace myself better on the next race. I’m frustrated with myself because I was pushing the power I’ve been training at all year but the HR was so much higher than it ‘should’ have been for that power- so I kept fighting to keep the power up but sacrificed the HR.
It definitely got hot on the bike but I couldn’t stomach anymore. I peed 3x on the bike. I might switch up the nutrition for the next race- I’ve used GE in the past and didn’t love it but I’m sure there’s a better substitute.
I will be in touch soon!
I honestly feel like your intensity was the issue with your nutrition. A lower heart rate means you can consume and absorb more so I don’t think the Gatorade is necessarily the problem. I think you just were taking in enough of it when you could have on the bike and instead try to make up for the run where that is simply not a possibility.
For now, recover and get back to pushing those high power numbers. Just don’t forget to pay attention to the heart rate on the longer rides and be sure to reach out to me for the next race plan!