no worries. Can you take a few seconds or just update me on the status of your hip? I see you interacting online, just want to make sure that your body is similarly “engaged.“ 👍
Thank you for checking up on me. So I think I either strained or tored my right hip flexor in July when I did the Mammoth camp with the High School kids. Yes. That was a stupid move😭 I also have r ankle and r piriformis issues. I think it all started w a weak r gluteus. I rested from running for 4 weeks from August to September. When I resumed in September, I noted significant weakness and pain of the right hip, so I kept the runs at 2-4 miles per session and ran at crazy slow 9-10 min pace. Managed to improve w less pain and gotten stronger since September. However every time I tried to increase my pace to the 8 min mile pace or distance of 10 miles or higher, I would feel pain in the right hip and ankle and would not recover for 2 days. During this time, I managed to have a steady run durability streak for about 100 days but my miles per week has decreased from 50/wk to about 25/wk from Sept to January. Since I seem to stay the same as far as speed, I have started to see one of my Family Medicine colleague who started me on physical therapy. I have gotten stronger over the past 6 weeks. However, I am still worried that if I push (faster than 8 min pace, more than 6 miles per run, or more than 30 miles per week), I would sabotage this slow recovery.
With continued PT, I know that I could run Boston at 9 min pace or slower and not damage anything. That’s about 8 weeks from now. Probably will be slightly slower for IMSR. Both Boston and IMSR are B races for me. Just wanted to be really conservative while continuing with PT so that I could have a decent race at IMAZ.
I have not seen Orthopedics yet because I really don’t want to find out that I may have torn more than just my r hip flexor (like a labral tear) and for sure I don’t want to have a hip surgery if I can run at 9 min pace.
On a positive note, I have started to push more on Zwift and have my 20 min power at 3.7 watts/kg consistently. I think by continuing to ride more consistently, I should be able to achieve the 4 Watts/kg before IMAZ.
Pls let me know if keeping at 30 miles or less per week of running is a good plan. Should I continue to run and keep these supper easy as I recover? For sure running at 9 min pace is easier after a ride because my hip is already loose. I have hacked all the speed work or stride runs and just keeping it real ez. Is that okay?
Thank you for the full update. Yes, that's any can't was a stupid idea. Let's not do that again
I recommend you go see orthopedic regardless. Better To know what's going on and Make a plan.
I assumE you like to ask a few questions before you perform surgery? LOL.
I think your overall approach for training is good, I am just worried there is a bigger issue That could cause other significant problems if it remains undiagnosed.
Has clarification, 99.9% of the population has "weak" glutes. This is important to address, But not likEly to solve your issue. Cycling will be great nonweightbearing companion you're training for this season.. However you will not reach your full potentia for Line. The run. For Right now, you can continue to run at low mileage and intensity. But in the long run I am not convinced that will do you any favors in terms of returning to full strength.
1- I got my picture loaded:. So pimped! (uh.. I meant pumped 😀)
2- Not sure if I loaded the right plan. I could not find "EN Full Run Focused" plan to end 5/12/2019, so I loaded the "2019 EN Full Bike Focused Plan". Is this correct?
3- Unfortunately, Boston Marathon is around week 15 of the Full Plan. How do I hack this? Should I do the volume bike pop on week 14, the week before the marathon instead? It looks like I will be loosing one long bike weekend?
Thanks,
Nam
Below was your recommendation on 1/16/19:
Last updated by Coach on 1/16/19
On 2/18/2019 Load the -- EN Full Run Focused to end on 5/12/2019
On 5/13/2019 Load the Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 6/9/2019
On 6/10/2019 Load the -- Get Faster Training Plan, 10wks to end on 8/18/2019
On 8/19/2019 Load the -- EN Full Bike Focused to end on 11/17/2019
On 11/18/2019 Load the Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 12/15/2019
@Nam Lam that is the strangest thing about those plans. I have a ticket in with FinalSurge to help make the plan available and it should be there later today.
Once you know the plan we can have a more detailed conversation. In my mind, we will essentially be pushing some of the bike workout forwarding to your taper, but also using some of the bikes afterwards to facilitate recovery. To put it another way, the first 14 weeks of the plan, from now until that point in time, is about developing and sustaining a good one base which will carry you not only through Boston but through Santa Rosa as well. With the marathon so close to the Iron Man, that will effectively be your long run for training.
Here's your updated Season Plan, 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 my best outline of how to proceed with your races, but you can ask any / all questions you want. So post away, know that I reply here usually Monday & Friday 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.
Coach Notes
Ok, locked and loaded for you! I think you're going to follow the same basic outline as your teammates. The differences how we modified to accommodate your situation. I'm pleased to hear how pain-free you are, but agree that there will still be a decent road back for you.
Right now staying active as you are able and completing all of your physical therapy like a professional athlete is mandatory. There's so much good work that you need to do, and it takes time to get competent at it. By applying your energy to that you will definitely exceed the timeline expectations of a therapist.
When it comes time for the out season, I recommend that you load our new out season for cyclist program that we take the run off the table. This will allow you to follow the level I or most basic workouts as you get back into the groove. Considering your ability to swim or probably have you in the pool a bit more as well if you aren't simply Aqua running.
As you progress through the program we may make edits but basically I plan on layering and not run come January very diligently. Ideally after a short break to consolidate your fitness when the OS is finished we will quickly transition into the full plan and start getting you ready for St. George.
There's a lot of open ended items here right now, but this is the general structure you should be rolling with. If you have questions about how to structure your basic week while you're in therapy, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm here.
ps, on hacking the run WKO; it's pretty straightforward. Full hack is ride for entire run WKO time at target run Heart Rate. You can dial it in from there (75% ride time then run the last 25%, etc). Most of these run WKOs should be for TIME not distance, so this should work!
Your Races
Ironman St. George - North American Championships (2020-05-02) #IMSG_20
Season Update
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 09/16/2019
On 9/16/2019 Load the -- to end on 10/27/2019
On 10/28/2019 Load the -- OutSeason for Cyclists Plan, 14wks to end on 2/2/2020
On 2/3/2020 Load the -- Swim Camp to end on 2/16/2020
On 2/10/2020 Load the -- EN Full Bike Focused to end on 5/3/2020
On 5/4/2020 Load the -- Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 5/31/2020
Your Notes
9/2019- had right hip surgery. Ok to swim and bike by Nov 2019, and run by 1/2020.
Plan for 2020:
Stay injury free and regain fitness.
IMSG 5/2020
IMSR 7/20209/9/2019
Hi Patrick. Thank you for taking the time to do this for me. I’m in no rush to do anything until 11/2019. Just wanted to scribble these thoughts here before we get too busy. I will not able to swim for 2 months, so not til 11/2019. As for biking, I’m just spinning and doing physical therapy currently. I’m not anticipating any significant bike riding or Zwifting until 11/2019 as well.
As for running, it could be as early as 1/2020 or as late as 3/2020, or 8 weeks before IMSG.
So my training window is 11/2019-5/2020.
A- Should I start OS in November?
B- When do I change over to another plan?
C- If I need to hack my run wko, what is the typical bike time I have to do to make up for the missed run volume. For example, if the run wko calls for a 90 min run and I want to limit my run to 40 min max, how long should I ride before I run?
Thanks @Coach Patrick. I am about to finish week 4 of NOS. It's moving smoothly, but will see how things will turn out after I start running. Good luck this weekend at IMAZ. Will be there to cheer!
Nam, looking forward to seeing you there. My cell is (617) 513-3830 so you can add me on "Find My" and share your location. We gotta have an IPA and break le internet.
I just want to make sure your return to running is GRADUAL enough that you will succeed long term.
Given it took so long for you to DO something about it, I am concerned you might not be the best self-reporter here.
Now that IMSG is deferred til September, I am not sure what I should be doing. Could you guide me if I should back off with my race prep?
From the fitness standpoint, I have a few weeks of back to back 4 plus hours ride on the trainer. FTP is 214 where my best was 226. My run is better with less pain up to 8 miles, but I still need to do the physical therapies at home at least 2x per week. I am scared to do the speed work. Tried the 3x1K speed work for 2 weeks and was able to hold 6:30 pace for those but I’m trashed for 2 days after and the hip would start to hurt. So I’m restricted to short OTB runs or max of 8 miles at z2 for power. My run is getting better slowly and I’m happy because I’m healthy and the hip is holding. As for my swim, I went through the swim camp x 2 weeks, I stopped since the quarantine, but I could Vasa now (don’t really want to though😂)
My race schedule for the rest of the year are:
IMSR 7/2010
IMSG 9/2020
IMAZ 11/2020
Should I go back to OS bike prep and drop in the full IM plan bike focused 8 weeks out from IMSR?
If I Vasa until the pool opens, what should that look like?
@Nam Lam - hey bro beans, great to hear from you! I hope you're doing well right now during all this madness. You are like many other people who are kind of lost with this shifting race scenario. Your season had some basic definition in it until things got a little crazy. Right now looking at an Iron Man every two months is a pretty unique scenario.
5/4 is actively your 12 week start date to get ready for Santa Rosa. So you have approximately a month worth of time right now before we need to start thinking about respect. Given how much work you have done indoors already, I think the best strategy for us right now is to change up your training a little bit to allow for some adaptation before we get back to a volume focus. This should hopefully give your brain some room to also recover.
Here is what I am thinking:
4/6 to 5/3 = OS Weeks 6 to 9
5/4 to IMSR = Bike Focus 12 week plan.
We recover and regroup.
I have gone ahead and loaded this into your program in final service so you can see the workouts. I think the overall progression will work nicely for you and will give you some opportunity to recover. There's only one "fast" run during the week which is on Wednesdays. You can either do it in zone three at a temple peace, or you can continue doing it as durability work.
Either way, we know you have the capacity to go faster it's just that the infrastructure can't keep up. There's no point in stressing it regularly in training when you can just pull it out of your back pocket on race day if you have to.
I went ahead and put in some vasa workouts for Fridays. If we can do those four sessions, that should have you prepped for the work required during the 12 week build. I guess if you had extra time or crappy weather and wanted to spend another 20 minutes on the machine during the week we could make it work. But for right now this is a good start. Let me know what you think!
I am just checking in. Since IMSR was cancelled, I have backed off on my training where I continued the run and bike volume. I swam for a month in May but stopped in the past 2 weeks.
IMSG, if it still happens, will be 14 weeks out on 9/19. It looks like I still have 2 more weeks. Should I continue to train with my regular schedule? I think I am used to this pattern: Monday = off, Tuesday = Zwift Race, Wednesday ez am 1 Hr Ride, Thursday = Zwift race, Friday = FFT x 1 hr, Sat 2-3 hours ride, Sunday 2-3 hours ride. For the run, I am running around 20 miles per week. Mostly brick runs with one long run per week. I still continue w the core exercises and see some benefit w my running. I am still at least 1 min per mile slower compared to pre hip surgery/injury. My longest run was the 50 K FT run in May. I know that structurally, I start to feel the pain at mile 14, but could still complete the 50 K. I am getting better where the hip and ankle pain come much later in the long run. Probably because of healing and partly because of the core and hip exercises?
So my question, with the 2 weeks extra, what should I be doing? Some Off Season Stuff? Should I load a 12 weeks bike focus plan to end on 9/19. This would mean I start race prep in 2 weeks? I feel that I still need more bike, maybe longer ones? Just did a 4 hours ride outside where I could hold only 150 watts average (IF = 0.69), which is not any better than where I was 1 year ago. You are right about structurally I need to get stronger w my hips and core before I push my run.
@Nam Lam - good to hear from you. While you have had some changes in your run ability, I don't think you've lost any fitness there. It's more about your infrastructure not being able to handle the training. I believe you have found the sweet spot where you can get enough running in to be fit for the run and also not do damage. That's always fun to be faster, but you can make that call on race day in the second lot. Remember, fast as often just not slowing down!
As for the bike, don't get yourself down. This is a common scenario that I see with athletes at the start of every season. It's easy to feel as though the games you have built in doors are not translating outside. But it typically takes two or three longer rides outside before you are adapted to the place where you can push for the duration. This isn't just a fitness issue, it is mental, execution, and Nutrition.
Very few athletes have the nutritional discipline early in the season to support the work required to be successful on a 4+ hour ride. Take a good hard look at what you eat and drink and that ride and consider doubling it as a starting point. My first long ride of the year I only drank two bottles and nearly died. My second ride I was doing a bottle and a half an hour & it made a world of difference.
Since you have some flexibility in your schedule, I would totally go after the bike. I don't know what your schedule looks like for the next two weeks, but it would be great if you were able to get outside for too long or individual sessions. In other words, keep your basic week and then choose one day -- Friday Saturday or Sunday -- where are you go out and put in a big ride. Map a new route and spend 6+ hours outside. Take the next day off or do an easy run.
Will give you something different to focus on, and create a great opportunity for larger development of fitness. It will also create some mental room for returning to the race prep program with 12 weeks to go. Let me know what you think. If you have specific dates in mind feel free to shoot them over and I can give you some advice!
~ Coach P
One last thing, the first epic ride of the year should be a pretty easy course. Keep the elevation low and simple. Once you've conquered that challenge you can get a little crazier with mountains and such.
Thanks for your advice. I’m now pumped. Will try out your recommendation. You were right about my recent 4 hours ride where I was under with regards to hydration and nutrition.
@Nam Lam - I got your Check-In update, and have pasted it below. This is part of our monthly process to stay connected, so thanks for filling it out!
OK, IMSG Hack time!!!
Swim - 2x per week is good...work to go extra 500 per week...so 2 x 1500 This week...2 x 2000 next, etc. Up to 2 x 4000....that gives you 4 weeks to race...and then you can go 3 swims as 3000, 3000, 4000.
Bike - Improving the average watts is more about distributing them properly. If you wanna ride 160, then make sure your first hour is at 1:60. Beyond that you can ride more normally. This will reduce the period of time at the end of your ride where the whites typically drop. It's good practice for what race piercing will look like as well. Bonus ride it will be great to have you go outside and do a long session. Something epic, 8 to 10 hours in the saddle. You need some kind of aerobic jolt there to kick start the riding.
Run - I have the split runs on the schedule, and those are money. If you can't hit them, and it has looked like you've had a bit of a struggle, then just get the run frequency in. A successful run at Saint George will be not slowing down, and you are very good at that. If you can't get the training in right now, in a single day, then let's make sure you're getting about 30 miles a week across-the-board.
Happy to talk when IMSG strategy time arrives!!! 👍
~ Coach P
As a reminder, Nam Ky Lam Is on the TeamEN (Coaching + Community Level) and is following the EN Full Bike Focused, 12wks.
His Rankings are as follows:
- Swim Fitness vs Last Month: 1
- Bike Fitness vs Last Month: 2
- Run Fitness vs Last Month: 2
- Body Comp vs Last Month: 2
Next month's focus: Improve my swim for IMSG is n 9 weeks. Maintain bike. Work my way up to a long run ( more than 90 min) at zone 2. Current long bike is at Ave 150 watts. Would like to see if I could get closer to 160.
Extra help request: If IMSG is a go, then would need coaching input at 5 weeks out and last minute race strategy with regard to heat and elevation. I’m working on running around the 1pm-3 pm to match the heat and run time at IMSG. All self supported nutrition and hydration to see I could hydrate adequately.
Thanks for your feedback. I think I’m making some progress. There are a lot of “OMG’s” at the beginning of the work out, but I usually make the work out at the end.... just barely😂 That gives me hope
As the volume goes up and work demands more, I would need to shuffle workouts to make it. Will try my best to plug along. Just glad that my past injuries (hip and ankle) are slowly going away as I push a bit harder.
@Nam Lam - I was just looking at your Strava the other day, and it's great to see the workouts rolling in. Those run paces are right on point. Remember just to give yourself a little bit of time at the beginning of those sessions for your body to warm up. If possible, even spending 10 or 15 minutes on the bike before you head out for the run can help.
This isn't so much managing discomfort as it is retraining your body to adapt to your "normal" work load. The key is finding out what unlocks that for you.
Is it a warm up?
Is it a stretch or strengthening component?
Do you need a rest day in there somehow?
The more aware you can be as to what does / doesn't work, the faster we can iterate!
Comments
LIAR!!!!! 🤥
no worries. Can you take a few seconds or just update me on the status of your hip? I see you interacting online, just want to make sure that your body is similarly “engaged.“ 👍
Hi @Coach Patrick ,
Sorry for the long message.
Thank you for checking up on me. So I think I either strained or tored my right hip flexor in July when I did the Mammoth camp with the High School kids. Yes. That was a stupid move😭 I also have r ankle and r piriformis issues. I think it all started w a weak r gluteus. I rested from running for 4 weeks from August to September. When I resumed in September, I noted significant weakness and pain of the right hip, so I kept the runs at 2-4 miles per session and ran at crazy slow 9-10 min pace. Managed to improve w less pain and gotten stronger since September. However every time I tried to increase my pace to the 8 min mile pace or distance of 10 miles or higher, I would feel pain in the right hip and ankle and would not recover for 2 days. During this time, I managed to have a steady run durability streak for about 100 days but my miles per week has decreased from 50/wk to about 25/wk from Sept to January. Since I seem to stay the same as far as speed, I have started to see one of my Family Medicine colleague who started me on physical therapy. I have gotten stronger over the past 6 weeks. However, I am still worried that if I push (faster than 8 min pace, more than 6 miles per run, or more than 30 miles per week), I would sabotage this slow recovery.
With continued PT, I know that I could run Boston at 9 min pace or slower and not damage anything. That’s about 8 weeks from now. Probably will be slightly slower for IMSR. Both Boston and IMSR are B races for me. Just wanted to be really conservative while continuing with PT so that I could have a decent race at IMAZ.
I have not seen Orthopedics yet because I really don’t want to find out that I may have torn more than just my r hip flexor (like a labral tear) and for sure I don’t want to have a hip surgery if I can run at 9 min pace.
On a positive note, I have started to push more on Zwift and have my 20 min power at 3.7 watts/kg consistently. I think by continuing to ride more consistently, I should be able to achieve the 4 Watts/kg before IMAZ.
Pls let me know if keeping at 30 miles or less per week of running is a good plan. Should I continue to run and keep these supper easy as I recover? For sure running at 9 min pace is easier after a ride because my hip is already loose. I have hacked all the speed work or stride runs and just keeping it real ez. Is that okay?
Thanks for reading and for your advice.
Nam
Thank you for the full update. Yes, that's any can't was a stupid idea. Let's not do that again
I recommend you go see orthopedic regardless. Better To know what's going on and Make a plan.
I assumE you like to ask a few questions before you perform surgery? LOL.
I think your overall approach for training is good, I am just worried there is a bigger issue That could cause other significant problems if it remains undiagnosed.
Has clarification, 99.9% of the population has "weak" glutes. This is important to address, But not likEly to solve your issue. Cycling will be great nonweightbearing companion you're training for this season.. However you will not reach your full potentia for Line. The run. For Right now, you can continue to run at low mileage and intensity. But in the long run I am not convinced that will do you any favors in terms of returning to full strength.
Let me know what you think!
~ Patrick
Hi @Coach Patrick ,
Thank you for your advice. Been thinking about it in the past 2 days. You are right. I’ll update you once the evaluation by Ortho is complete.
Nam
Let’s do it. #themoreyouknow
Hi @Coach Patrick,
1- I got my picture loaded:. So pimped! (uh.. I meant pumped 😀)
2- Not sure if I loaded the right plan. I could not find "EN Full Run Focused" plan to end 5/12/2019, so I loaded the "2019 EN Full Bike Focused Plan". Is this correct?
3- Unfortunately, Boston Marathon is around week 15 of the Full Plan. How do I hack this? Should I do the volume bike pop on week 14, the week before the marathon instead? It looks like I will be loosing one long bike weekend?
Thanks,
Nam
Below was your recommendation on 1/16/19:
Last updated by Coach on 1/16/19
On 2/18/2019 Load the -- EN Full Run Focused to end on 5/12/2019
On 5/13/2019 Load the Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 6/9/2019
On 6/10/2019 Load the -- Get Faster Training Plan, 10wks to end on 8/18/2019
On 8/19/2019 Load the -- EN Full Bike Focused to end on 11/17/2019
On 11/18/2019 Load the Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 12/15/2019
@Coach Patrick , I found the Full Run Focused plan in the Forum, but it's not available in FinalSurge.
@Nam Lam that is the strangest thing about those plans. I have a ticket in with FinalSurge to help make the plan available and it should be there later today.
Once you know the plan we can have a more detailed conversation. In my mind, we will essentially be pushing some of the bike workout forwarding to your taper, but also using some of the bikes afterwards to facilitate recovery. To put it another way, the first 14 weeks of the plan, from now until that point in time, is about developing and sustaining a good one base which will carry you not only through Boston but through Santa Rosa as well. With the marathon so close to the Iron Man, that will effectively be your long run for training.
@Nam Lam
Here's your updated Season Plan, 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 my best outline of how to proceed with your races, but you can ask any / all questions you want. So post away, know that I reply here usually Monday & Friday 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.
Coach Notes
Ok, locked and loaded for you! I think you're going to follow the same basic outline as your teammates. The differences how we modified to accommodate your situation. I'm pleased to hear how pain-free you are, but agree that there will still be a decent road back for you.
Right now staying active as you are able and completing all of your physical therapy like a professional athlete is mandatory. There's so much good work that you need to do, and it takes time to get competent at it. By applying your energy to that you will definitely exceed the timeline expectations of a therapist.
When it comes time for the out season, I recommend that you load our new out season for cyclist program that we take the run off the table. This will allow you to follow the level I or most basic workouts as you get back into the groove. Considering your ability to swim or probably have you in the pool a bit more as well if you aren't simply Aqua running.
As you progress through the program we may make edits but basically I plan on layering and not run come January very diligently. Ideally after a short break to consolidate your fitness when the OS is finished we will quickly transition into the full plan and start getting you ready for St. George.
There's a lot of open ended items here right now, but this is the general structure you should be rolling with. If you have questions about how to structure your basic week while you're in therapy, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm here.
ps, on hacking the run WKO; it's pretty straightforward. Full hack is ride for entire run WKO time at target run Heart Rate. You can dial it in from there (75% ride time then run the last 25%, etc). Most of these run WKOs should be for TIME not distance, so this should work!
Your Races
Season Update
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.
Your Notes
9/2019- had right hip surgery. Ok to swim and bike by Nov 2019, and run by 1/2020.
Plan for 2020:
Hi Patrick. Thank you for taking the time to do this for me. I’m in no rush to do anything until 11/2019. Just wanted to scribble these thoughts here before we get too busy. I will not able to swim for 2 months, so not til 11/2019. As for biking, I’m just spinning and doing physical therapy currently. I’m not anticipating any significant bike riding or Zwifting until 11/2019 as well.
As for running, it could be as early as 1/2020 or as late as 3/2020, or 8 weeks before IMSG.
So my training window is 11/2019-5/2020.
A- Should I start OS in November?
B- When do I change over to another plan?
C- If I need to hack my run wko, what is the typical bike time I have to do to make up for the missed run volume. For example, if the run wko calls for a 90 min run and I want to limit my run to 40 min max, how long should I ride before I run?
Let's get to work!
~ Coach P
Thanks @Coach Patrick. I am about to finish week 4 of NOS. It's moving smoothly, but will see how things will turn out after I start running. Good luck this weekend at IMAZ. Will be there to cheer!
Nam
can add me on "Find My" and share your location. We gotta have an IPA and
break le internet.
I just want to make sure your return to running is GRADUAL enough that you
will succeed long term.
Given it took so long for you to DO something about it, I am concerned you
might not be the best self-reporter here.
So be New Nam not Old Nam! 👍
Hi @Coach Patrick ,
Now that IMSG is deferred til September, I am not sure what I should be doing. Could you guide me if I should back off with my race prep?
From the fitness standpoint, I have a few weeks of back to back 4 plus hours ride on the trainer. FTP is 214 where my best was 226. My run is better with less pain up to 8 miles, but I still need to do the physical therapies at home at least 2x per week. I am scared to do the speed work. Tried the 3x1K speed work for 2 weeks and was able to hold 6:30 pace for those but I’m trashed for 2 days after and the hip would start to hurt. So I’m restricted to short OTB runs or max of 8 miles at z2 for power. My run is getting better slowly and I’m happy because I’m healthy and the hip is holding. As for my swim, I went through the swim camp x 2 weeks, I stopped since the quarantine, but I could Vasa now (don’t really want to though😂)
My race schedule for the rest of the year are:
IMSR 7/2010
IMSG 9/2020
IMAZ 11/2020
Should I go back to OS bike prep and drop in the full IM plan bike focused 8 weeks out from IMSR?
If I Vasa until the pool opens, what should that look like?
Thanks for your guidance,
Nam
@Nam Lam - hey bro beans, great to hear from you! I hope you're doing well right now during all this madness. You are like many other people who are kind of lost with this shifting race scenario. Your season had some basic definition in it until things got a little crazy. Right now looking at an Iron Man every two months is a pretty unique scenario.
5/4 is actively your 12 week start date to get ready for Santa Rosa. So you have approximately a month worth of time right now before we need to start thinking about respect. Given how much work you have done indoors already, I think the best strategy for us right now is to change up your training a little bit to allow for some adaptation before we get back to a volume focus. This should hopefully give your brain some room to also recover.
Here is what I am thinking:
I have gone ahead and loaded this into your program in final service so you can see the workouts. I think the overall progression will work nicely for you and will give you some opportunity to recover. There's only one "fast" run during the week which is on Wednesdays. You can either do it in zone three at a temple peace, or you can continue doing it as durability work.
Either way, we know you have the capacity to go faster it's just that the infrastructure can't keep up. There's no point in stressing it regularly in training when you can just pull it out of your back pocket on race day if you have to.
I went ahead and put in some vasa workouts for Fridays. If we can do those four sessions, that should have you prepped for the work required during the 12 week build. I guess if you had extra time or crappy weather and wanted to spend another 20 minutes on the machine during the week we could make it work. But for right now this is a good start. Let me know what you think!
Thanks so much for your prompt response @Coach Patrick . The brief change of gear is just what I was looking for. So glad I reached out to you.
Cheers,
Nam
No worries. Thanks for not looking down on me in the Happy Hour any more! 🤣
Hi @Coach Patrick ,
I am just checking in. Since IMSR was cancelled, I have backed off on my training where I continued the run and bike volume. I swam for a month in May but stopped in the past 2 weeks.
IMSG, if it still happens, will be 14 weeks out on 9/19. It looks like I still have 2 more weeks. Should I continue to train with my regular schedule? I think I am used to this pattern: Monday = off, Tuesday = Zwift Race, Wednesday ez am 1 Hr Ride, Thursday = Zwift race, Friday = FFT x 1 hr, Sat 2-3 hours ride, Sunday 2-3 hours ride. For the run, I am running around 20 miles per week. Mostly brick runs with one long run per week. I still continue w the core exercises and see some benefit w my running. I am still at least 1 min per mile slower compared to pre hip surgery/injury. My longest run was the 50 K FT run in May. I know that structurally, I start to feel the pain at mile 14, but could still complete the 50 K. I am getting better where the hip and ankle pain come much later in the long run. Probably because of healing and partly because of the core and hip exercises?
So my question, with the 2 weeks extra, what should I be doing? Some Off Season Stuff? Should I load a 12 weeks bike focus plan to end on 9/19. This would mean I start race prep in 2 weeks? I feel that I still need more bike, maybe longer ones? Just did a 4 hours ride outside where I could hold only 150 watts average (IF = 0.69), which is not any better than where I was 1 year ago. You are right about structurally I need to get stronger w my hips and core before I push my run.
Thanks for your input.
Nam
@Nam Lam - good to hear from you. While you have had some changes in your run ability, I don't think you've lost any fitness there. It's more about your infrastructure not being able to handle the training. I believe you have found the sweet spot where you can get enough running in to be fit for the run and also not do damage. That's always fun to be faster, but you can make that call on race day in the second lot. Remember, fast as often just not slowing down!
As for the bike, don't get yourself down. This is a common scenario that I see with athletes at the start of every season. It's easy to feel as though the games you have built in doors are not translating outside. But it typically takes two or three longer rides outside before you are adapted to the place where you can push for the duration. This isn't just a fitness issue, it is mental, execution, and Nutrition.
Very few athletes have the nutritional discipline early in the season to support the work required to be successful on a 4+ hour ride. Take a good hard look at what you eat and drink and that ride and consider doubling it as a starting point. My first long ride of the year I only drank two bottles and nearly died. My second ride I was doing a bottle and a half an hour & it made a world of difference.
Since you have some flexibility in your schedule, I would totally go after the bike. I don't know what your schedule looks like for the next two weeks, but it would be great if you were able to get outside for too long or individual sessions. In other words, keep your basic week and then choose one day -- Friday Saturday or Sunday -- where are you go out and put in a big ride. Map a new route and spend 6+ hours outside. Take the next day off or do an easy run.
Will give you something different to focus on, and create a great opportunity for larger development of fitness. It will also create some mental room for returning to the race prep program with 12 weeks to go. Let me know what you think. If you have specific dates in mind feel free to shoot them over and I can give you some advice!
~ Coach P
One last thing, the first epic ride of the year should be a pretty easy course. Keep the elevation low and simple. Once you've conquered that challenge you can get a little crazier with mountains and such.
Hi @Coach Patrick ,
Thanks for your advice. I’m now pumped. Will try out your recommendation. You were right about my recent 4 hours ride where I was under with regards to hydration and nutrition.
Thanks,
nam
@Nam Lam - I got your Check-In update, and have pasted it below. This is part of our monthly process to stay connected, so thanks for filling it out!
OK, IMSG Hack time!!!
Swim - 2x per week is good...work to go extra 500 per week...so 2 x 1500 This week...2 x 2000 next, etc. Up to 2 x 4000....that gives you 4 weeks to race...and then you can go 3 swims as 3000, 3000, 4000.
Bike - Improving the average watts is more about distributing them properly. If you wanna ride 160, then make sure your first hour is at 1:60. Beyond that you can ride more normally. This will reduce the period of time at the end of your ride where the whites typically drop. It's good practice for what race piercing will look like as well. Bonus ride it will be great to have you go outside and do a long session. Something epic, 8 to 10 hours in the saddle. You need some kind of aerobic jolt there to kick start the riding.
Run - I have the split runs on the schedule, and those are money. If you can't hit them, and it has looked like you've had a bit of a struggle, then just get the run frequency in. A successful run at Saint George will be not slowing down, and you are very good at that. If you can't get the training in right now, in a single day, then let's make sure you're getting about 30 miles a week across-the-board.
Happy to talk when IMSG strategy time arrives!!! 👍
~ Coach P
As a reminder, Nam Ky Lam Is on the TeamEN (Coaching + Community Level) and is following the EN Full Bike Focused, 12wks.
His Rankings are as follows:
- Swim Fitness vs Last Month: 1
- Bike Fitness vs Last Month: 2
- Run Fitness vs Last Month: 2
- Body Comp vs Last Month: 2
Next month's focus: Improve my swim for IMSG is n 9 weeks. Maintain bike. Work my way up to a long run ( more than 90 min) at zone 2. Current long bike is at Ave 150 watts. Would like to see if I could get closer to 160.
Extra help request: If IMSG is a go, then would need coaching input at 5 weeks out and last minute race strategy with regard to heat and elevation. I’m working on running around the 1pm-3 pm to match the heat and run time at IMSG. All self supported nutrition and hydration to see I could hydrate adequately.
Hi @Coach Patrick ,
Thanks for your feedback. I think I’m making some progress. There are a lot of “OMG’s” at the beginning of the work out, but I usually make the work out at the end.... just barely😂 That gives me hope
As the volume goes up and work demands more, I would need to shuffle workouts to make it. Will try my best to plug along. Just glad that my past injuries (hip and ankle) are slowly going away as I push a bit harder.
Thanks for your guidance.
Nam
@Nam Lam - I was just looking at your Strava the other day, and it's great to see the workouts rolling in. Those run paces are right on point. Remember just to give yourself a little bit of time at the beginning of those sessions for your body to warm up. If possible, even spending 10 or 15 minutes on the bike before you head out for the run can help.
This isn't so much managing discomfort as it is retraining your body to adapt to your "normal" work load. The key is finding out what unlocks that for you.
The more aware you can be as to what does / doesn't work, the faster we can iterate!
Please keep me posted!
~ Coach P