@Coach Patrick - based on the travel arrangements, looks like 7/9 and 10 will just be a travel days. So:
7/11 - get bike, assemble, register, and get "plugged in" might be all I get to do. The times are such that I will most likely miss the Team USA group ride. I will at least spin in the parking lot to make sure I have no mechanical issues. 7/12 - spot on 7/13 - agree. Swim venue might be worth checking out in wet suit.
Given that I will have biked Monday and will get to at least spin in the parking lot to make sure all is well before bike turn-in, I will certainly be well rested. First overseas race - lots to learn!
Robin got extremely ill last weekend and I cancelled her trip, then mine after I took her to the Emergency Room. She got home Tuesday and is doing well now.
So, now that things are under control, I am going to do a short Aqua-bike sprint on 28 July just because. Then, I go on a business trip from 29 July to 3 August. When I come back, I would like to start on an Aqua-bike training plan with this schedule:
A-Race: 11 Nov - Miami-Man HIM Aqua-bike (S-1.2mi, B-56mi) B-Race: 8 Sep - White Lake HIM Aqua-bike (S-1.2mi, B-56mi) C-Race: 29 Sep - maybe sprint triathlon or an aqua-bike. If 8 September doesn't go well, there is another Aqua-bike HIM I can enter instead.
I’m sorry to hear about your trip, but I’m glad Robin is doing well. It would’ve been awful to be a broad and have an issue like that, so glad you were able to deal with that at home. I will take a look at your modified season and advise you from there.
So, now that things are under control, I am going to do a short Aqua-bike sprint on 28 July just because. Then, I go on a business trip from 29 July to 3 August. When I come back, I would like to start on an Aqua-bike training plan with this schedule.
Your Races
A-Race: 11 Nov - Miami-Man HIM Aqua-bike (S-1.2mi, B-56mi)
B-Race: 8 Sep - White Lake HIM Aqua-bike (S-1.2mi, B-56mi)
C-Race: 29 Sep - maybe sprint triathlon or an aqua-bike. If 8 September doesn't go well, there is another Aqua-bike HIM I can enter instead.
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). Learn more about each plan on the Training Plan Central Page.
Last updated by Coach on 07/17/2018
On 7/30/2018 load the INT Aquabike Plan to end on 9/9/2018
On 9/10 load the Post Half Iron plan to end on 9/23/2018.
>> Transition Early <<
On 9/17/2018 load the ADV Aquabike plan to end on 11/11/2018
On 11/12/2018 load the Post Half Iron plan to end on 11/18/2018
Connect with Coach P to discuss Winter Planning.
Coach Notes
I see you doing your thing, Relaxed Style, through this shorter race. Just have fun with the training; you need a bit of a break. Then when you are back from work we close with the last four weeks of the INT plan into White Lake, recover, and ADV plan into Miami Man.
My guess is that we'll do some modifications to the actual plan as written so that you are getting enough of a training stimulus. I have loaded the plans as listed above (with a 7/30 start date) and we can from there there.
The sprint aqua-bike went well, my swim-bike split put me about 10th overall in a field of 172 and I won the aqua-bike.
Need some guidance on a few "tweaks" in my train-up from 9/17 to Miami-man on 11/11. Specifically,
1. 29 Sept - I entered a triathlon that is a 1350 S/11.5mi bike/5K run. It is on Wrightsville Beach, NC and I entered it because my wife wants some beach time and the triathlon is at the hotel. I suspect that I will do the training plan and then do a short taper Wed-Fri that week. Also, I am "sneaking in" runs. I ran 12 miles this week on my business trip in 3 X 4mi on the treadmill. I would like to throw in some basic running so the 5k won't be an over-reach with the 8 weeks of running before the triathlon. I am thinking maybe a mile after every indoor bike, Friday short 3mi, and then a Sunday 4mi and I can easily get in at least 9 and then build a mile per week to get to 15mi the week before (23 Sept).
2. 30 Sep - 6 Oct - we are going to Maine to see our daughter and the Maine foliage (and Steve West! ). I will be able to run and do swim stretch cordz (I bought the real ones after BRP).
@Joe Hallatschek - doooooode, that some FAST WORK my friend. I hope you are pumped by that outcome!
As for your training edits I went to Final Surge and added some brick runs pre-sprint (cool!) but I don't agree that you need to get up to 15 miles per week for a 5k race. That's too much IMHO and will take away your rest / swim only day on Friday which I think is pretty important.
Also took into account the rest break in maine...looks good!
@Coach Patrick - although the Aquabike HIM results are not officially in, I got my splits.
Swim - 37:30: on track. I had a speedsuit and the water was 90 degrees, so I took it easy and actually hit my expected time😎
T1 - perfect😀
Bike: I averaged 22.9mph. I was on-track with my Np goal of 238-245 till about mile 45 and I started to cramp and had to back off. Although I was disappointed with the Np of 228, I put in my fastest bike split in the three times I have done this course🤩
Overall: I won at 3:05:51 and bettered my time from last year by 2:30 and set a new PR.😎
Next: I reviewed my plan and am on-board this week with the rest and recover and it works well since I have a meeting at Fort Belvoir, VA. and am a race offical 15 September at the Outer-Banks Triathlon here in North Carolina. The following week doesn't show any running and my next race is a triathlon on 29 September. So:
Question: what running should I put into my plan to be ready for the Sprint triathlon on 29 September (run = 5k)?
congratulations to you! Those are phenomenal results. Sometimes, the white girls don’t matter as much is the outcome. Keep this up and the other locals are really going to start to not like you!
I think your best bet is to just follow the last few weeks of the short course plan into the sprint. The trick is that loading the plan it’s a final surge will put the whole thing in. So you need to load the plan starting next Monday but then deleting the first 17 weeks of that plan and moving weeks 18, 19 and 20 back to start this week.
again, the key is to load the plan starting on September 17 so it doesn’t interfere with your past training sessions which we don’t want to delete.
that said, I don’t want you to do any speed running. You can break off of every bike and then do one standalone run over 45 miles but keep it very easy. The bricks can be a little spicier because you’re warmed up, but the standalone run should be done easy.
@Coach Patrick - so, I loaded the Short Course Plan (advanced) ending on 29 September and see weeks 18-20. I understand the run guidance. I got really confused with all the workouts on my calendar. So, I went in and removed the Aquabike plan that was "doubling" my workouts.😐️
So, I'm good with what I have now in the plan and what you loaded separately till 7 October. 😎
Question: so to avoid making my calendar crazy again, on 7 October I should load the Aquabike to end on 11 Nov, right?
yes, that’s correct. There’s a trick to it in FinalSurge by loading the plan into future dates and then moving back to the actual dates only the weeks that you want, then deleting those other random future date workouts. There are instructions on the Help website here if you search for FinalSurge: www.endurancenation.us/help
ps - Really glad you didn’t do all of those extra workouts! 😂
@Coach Patrick - so, my Triathlon this weekend in Wilmington is now a 5k. Although I had hoped to Qualify for the AG Olympic Nationals for '19, I'll have to postpone that till next year.😐️
I just loaded the 20 Week Aqua-bike plan to end on 11 November. Since I am starting mid-week I can still get in the workouts Wed-Sunday and especially the two long bike workouts this weekend before I go to Maine 1-6 October. When in Maine, I am just on the run/stretch cord workout program you already put in my plan.
Question: On 20-21 October I am going to New York for an event. I have a long bike workout on both Saturday and Sunday. I am taking the 19th off and am leaving mid-morning on the 20th. So, should I do a long bike on the 19th? Or swim like it is listed on 19 Oct and just do a trainer workout the 20th?
if you see any other tweaks that need to be made, by all means make the changes and I'll review ASAP.😎
Bummer about your race! I agree that you should get that long ride in before you go and then just keep things active while you are in New York for the short run or swim if you are that lucky.
Even though this weekend is “only“ or five today, I still recommend a day or two off just to help your body recycle and reboot towards 1111.
1.2mi Swim - 37:30 - about 1 min slower than my target time. Placed 56/219 male😐️
Transition: about a min slower than usual because of some silly mistakes. Garmin wouldn't calibrate, rain, and just out of normal set-up routine😣
56 mi bike: 2:22:58 at 23.5mph. Rocked it about 5min faster than I planned! placed 17/219 male.😀
Overall - 3:02:58. I placed 22/219 male and 3/41 in my age group. So, I qualified for the ITU World Aquabike World Championship in Ponteverde, Spain on 4 May. I'll be staying in Mallorca an additional week after our bike camp.😎
My biking was especially strong. I'll have to really analyze why I did so well!😃
Congratulations! That is fantastic. I personally activate and pair my Garman before the swim and leave it on. I have to disable the sleeping mode but that way when I get to my bike it’s just ready to go and I don’t need to do anything else. Just a thought.
I hope you consider that a great end to your season. Let’s take a few weeks of light work can rest here so we can recharge before we start pushing again OK?
Garmin - would not calibrate before swim and kept on saying "multiple sensors found" when I had just replaced the powertap batteries about two weeks before and the Edge was at 100%. Since I was hard-headed, I tried way too many times and burned up time to do other stuff.
Then it started to pour and I still had to do a warm-up. Worked through that and left to swim start and forgot to unwrap the powerbars on the bike.
T1 - remembered the powerbars after lap 1 on the swim. So, after lap 2 I made it to T1 and immediately unwrapped them. On way out, I had to stop and return to my spot to finish taking off the speedsuit.
Figured it cost me at least a minute. So - execution cost me one place in the AG standing. I'll take it as a lesson in knowing when to move on when technology fails.
Right now, the ITU World's for the Aquabike is scheduled for 4 May. I will be at our Bike Camp in Mallorca, 13-19 April. Based on that, if I start on 30 December, I can get in 14 weeks of training before I depart for Bike Camp. Till then, I plan to do strength training and basic cardio maintenance.
there always multiple sensors found in transition because you were surrounded by hundreds of bikes with sensors. If you get that message in transition, then you simply have to resolve to leave your computer on but I understand that it will not find your center until you were out on the open road. In Hawaii it took me 20 minutes to find my sensor while pedaling. Too many bad swimmers like me! 😂
Sounds like he could’ve use the checklist there to get through all those little pieces. Not to take away anything that you did, just saying checking things off the list make sure that doesn’t happen again. That’s a simple fix with big dividends.
Just a basic maintenance right now through December 30. As I mentioned earlier, here body Simply needs to recover from all of that work.
I like the idea of you coming back with The outseason training program for at least 10 of those at 14 weeks. The bike and viable help, I think we should plan on calling an audible in early March to see if there’s any changes we want to make given that world is so early. Cool?
@Coach Patrick - cool. What did you mean by: "The bike and viable help, " ?
I am doing the Run Durability Plan #1, which is doing really well. I am also doing some strength workouts to build the core. So, I'm set for the next several weeks and can catch up on stuff!
BTW - impressive results at Cozumel. I'll spend some time reviewing the podcasts!
Just to run through ability now, and I meant to say that the bike focused plan and run durability will help set the stage. My apologies for being so confusing! Hope you had a great holiday week!
@Coach Patrick – need a “way ahead” strategy and training plan update for the ITU Aqua bike World’s on 4 May. Specifically: I finished Jan OS Week #2 (14 Jan) and then in week #3, had an outpatient surgery on 15 Jan (hydrocele removal). I nailed 4 weeks of run durability training before the JOS, started the JOS 1 week early and was hitting all my target zones before I went down. As a result of the surgery:
1. Week #1 – bedrest and walking only
2. Week #2 (this past week) – walking and swim cord/dryland swim light workouts
4. Week #4 - resume light training on 8 Feb and see Urologist on 12 Feb for an “all clear”.
I lost almost 4 weeks on my initial plan to do 10 weeks of OS. That puts me 3 weeks behind and am now coming off 4 week lay-off. So, real training begins again on 11 Feb. That leaves me 12 weeks;
1. I have nine weeks before Mallorca – what should I do between now and then?
2. Mallorca – I am there for two weeks. What should my two weeks be?
3. Pontevedra – pretty much just taper the last week. We can discuss during bike camp
Question: what plan should I load up? In addition, what “tweaks” should I put in?
Real life sucks sometimes! No worries though, my guess is you were the fittest person you have seen for this survey in DECADES!!! The most important thing we can do is my guess is that you can be in the pool anytime soon, so a great deal of the swimming will have to be pushed back. It's also unclear to me how long it will be until you can get back on the bike and do work.
Hopefully you are doing ALL the things for the incision to heal and quickly. That the top priority.
For those 12 weeks (9 to Mallorca), I see them breaking down as:
1 1/28/19 Recover
2 2/4/19 Recover
3 2/11/19 Phase 1
4 2/18/19 Phase 1
5 2/25/19 Phase 1
6 3/4/19 Phase 1
7 3/11/19 Phase 2
8 3/18/19 Phase 2
9 3/25/19 Phase 2
10 4/1/19 Phase 2
11 4/8/19 Mallorca
12 4/15/19 Peak Bike
13 4/22/19 Swim
14 4/29/19 Taper
Phase 1 is re entry time. This is easy cycling on the bike, building from 3 short sessions in week one to a full week of cycling time, with some moderate intensity in the fourth week (early march). Lots of dryland strength.
Phase 2 is preparing for Mallorca...I can't recall if you are early + camp or camp + later, but either way we can expect that time to be some epic riding. You'll be INSANELY bike fit as a result of that period, so we'll want to be ready to handle that load. So this will be more frequent riding (harder sessions on odd days, easy days on recovery spins with swim time.
Mallorca is bike time. Nuff said.
Recovery from there is sharpening on TT bike and loading up on the swim!
All of this is up in the air based on your recovery. Really care for the incision. Do ALL THE THINGS so you can return 100%. Maybe invest in some nice new bike shorts as a treat to yourself?
Swim - cleared for swimming on 11 Feb. Doing insane amount of swim cord/dry land training now. Like about 30'/day or more straight every day.
Bike - cleared for 11 Feb, with Dr. visit on 12 Feb already on the books. if I am not ready, then I get to re-engage with Dr
Question: for phase 1 and 2, what plan should I load up to use as a "go-by"? OS bike focused for maybe first four weeks in phase 1? Then, the ITU Longcourse AquaBike for weeks 8-12 for phase 2?
I agree, the first four weeks of the bike focused out season plan, transitioning into the aqua bike plan for the remainder is the best way to go. We will just have to keep your numbers artificially low for those first couple rides.
If anything, I would like the first two or three rides to just be easy spins so your body gets used to it again if it’s possible. This could be done in a compressed timeline if that helps.
This way if anything doesn’t feel right, we know it’s just from being on the bike, and not from being on the bike at intensity.
@Coach Patrick although I am going to see you later this week, I thought I’d give a quick update. In-lieu of the ITU Worlds, I did a local HIM Aqua-bike yesterday. Since this is my fourth time on this course (2 X in Spring, 2Xs in Fall), I have a good database to do some analysis.
Swim – 37:01. Slower by 70’ from last year. Placed 20/155. I’ll take it
T1 – faster than last year, 13/155. Ankle strap came off with wetsuit, but easy fix. Slick
Bike – Np was 250W, AVP was 245W, VI was 1.02, which is perfect for the flat course. AVSP – 23.0, which is a PR on this course. Placed 4 out of 155. I think my intensity on the bike was closer to .90 since I knew I didn't have to run. That would back me into a FTP of 278 vs the 273 I have been using.😎
Overall – 3:05:33, which is a PR on this course and 3 min faster than a year ago (22.4 vs. 23.0 mph)
I saw the picture of the metal online! That is fantastic work. Considering how bumpy your early season has been, I have no problem with that type of swim. I am particularly pleased with the bike. That bodes really well for your future, don’t you think? See you in a few days with your rain jacket.
@Coach Patrick – quick update on my A Race last weekend and then a request for guidance on the rest of my season.
1. “A Race Update” – Half-Ironman Aquabike at Lake Logan, North Carolina on 3 Aug.
a. Swim – 33:56 with full wetsuit at 68 degrees. Placed 26/128 and was very pleased.
b. T1 – smoked it and was 9/128. Rehearsals pay off.
c. Bike – not so good. Elevation was 4514’ and my TSS was 234. I just can’t race downhills on the switchbacks and even with a recon, still couldn’t let it fly. It was like the Blue Ridge Parkway routes. So, I worked well on the uphills just to watch everyone fly by like @Dave Campbell on the downhills. Placed 54/128.
d. Overall assessment – picked a bad race to showcase my strengths.😡
2. “C Race Surprise” – so, since I had the Lake Logan cabin for two days, I signed up for the 4 Aug next day’s sprint aquabike just because.
a. Swim (500m) – placed 7/141. Swam with an attitude and it showed
b. Bike (13mi) – with only about 1000’ and no mountains, I smoked it and placed 5/141. My Np for 36’ was 285, which is over my FTP of 273.
c. Overall assessment – I’m really good at sprints and really bad on mountain downhills.😀
3. Rest of season – 13 training weeks till next “A Race”, Miami-Man Aquabike Nationals
a. Weeks 1-2 (Aug 5 – 16): on a business trip and plan to do the run durability weeks #1 and 2
b. Weeks 3-6 (Aug 17- Sep 5): work Aquabike weeks #11-13. We go to Ireland for a tour 6-16 September and I will plan to run and swim as time permits.
c. Weeks 7-9 (Sep 16-Oct 6): work Aquabike weeks #14-16.
d. Possible Triathlon – Oct 12: if my running is ok, I’d like to do a 1000m Swim, 21 Mile bike, and 6 K run. If injured or training is such that I need this week for Aquabike focus, I’ll throw this one out.😑
e. Weeks 10-13 (Oct 14 – Nov 10): work Aquabike weeks #17-20
@Joe Hallatschek - Just because you didn’t crush it doesn’t make the race good. I know you know that but just saying, getting out of our comfort zone can be really helpful. We look at our performance differently, and often modify (in a better way) how we perform in our typical venues. So, I’m all in with that hilly race. You’ll be back!!!
I think the start to your training is ok. I would advise you to use 8/17 to 9/5 a little differently; in fact I would make the mostly bike focused. As in low volume, RDP style running is ok, as is one or two swims. But it should be Tu/Th zwift race bikes; Sat long and easy EASY for 3-4 hours, Sun is a 2-hour ride with 90 minutes of ABP riding.
You can run it out in IRL, then get back into a normal program via the AB plan.
@Coach Patrick - not doing zwift yet. So, I'll do the AB plan and when I can fit it in, I will ride with a group from work that likes to hammer on Tuesday/Thursday.
What do you suggest for Wednesdays? Since Monday and Friday will be swim days, this could be my swim make-up day or maybe a bike?
Aqua-Bike Week #13 - I have an opportunity to do a sponsored 50 or 100 mile bike ride with full sag support on 2 September, which is a Monday. On 6-16 September I'm in Ireland, with no biking and I'm trying to get some mileage before I depart. So, here are my options:
No Bike Ride: just do Week 12 and 13 as planned, which is the planned Sat-3.5hrs ride and Sun 2hrs and then the Tuesday/Thursday
Bike Ride: do the week 12 planned Sat 3.5hrs ride, take Sunday off (or swim if possible) and then do the: 50 mile? or 100 mile? I would use my road bike.
That ride sounds fantastic! You should do it and yes to the extra biking. I don’t believe the time in Ireland will really set you back physically, but it will make you feel a little bit off your game mentally. Realistically you’ve had a long season so I think a little bit of rest is OK. Just remember we don’t want to get sick on the plane so take care of yourself there. At this stage of the game as the weather turns I will take all of the quality outdoor cycling you can get. 👍
Comments
7/11 - get bike, assemble, register, and get "plugged in" might be all I get to do. The times are such that I will most likely miss the Team USA group ride. I will at least spin in the parking lot to make sure I have no mechanical issues.
7/12 - spot on
7/13 - agree. Swim venue might be worth checking out in wet suit.
Given that I will have biked Monday and will get to at least spin in the parking lot to make sure all is well before bike turn-in, I will certainly be well rested. First overseas race - lots to learn!
Thanks for the support!
Joe
Robin got extremely ill last weekend and I cancelled her trip, then mine after I took her to the Emergency Room. She got home Tuesday and is doing well now.
So, now that things are under control, I am going to do a short Aqua-bike sprint on 28 July just because. Then, I go on a business trip from 29 July to 3 August. When I come back, I would like to start on an Aqua-bike training plan with this schedule:
A-Race: 11 Nov - Miami-Man HIM Aqua-bike (S-1.2mi, B-56mi)
B-Race: 8 Sep - White Lake HIM Aqua-bike (S-1.2mi, B-56mi)
C-Race: 29 Sep - maybe sprint triathlon or an aqua-bike. If 8 September doesn't go well, there is another Aqua-bike HIM I can enter instead.
Joe
@Joe Hallatschek -
Your Notes
So, now that things are under control, I am going to do a short Aqua-bike sprint on 28 July just because. Then, I go on a business trip from 29 July to 3 August. When I come back, I would like to start on an Aqua-bike training plan with this schedule.
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). Learn more about each plan on the Training Plan Central Page.
Coach Notes
I see you doing your thing, Relaxed Style, through this shorter race. Just have fun with the training; you need a bit of a break. Then when you are back from work we close with the last four weeks of the INT plan into White Lake, recover, and ADV plan into Miami Man.
My guess is that we'll do some modifications to the actual plan as written so that you are getting enough of a training stimulus. I have loaded the plans as listed above (with a 7/30 start date) and we can from there there.
Let's get to work!
~ Coach P
The sprint aqua-bike went well, my swim-bike split put me about 10th overall in a field of 172 and I won the aqua-bike.
Need some guidance on a few "tweaks" in my train-up from 9/17 to Miami-man on 11/11. Specifically,
1. 29 Sept - I entered a triathlon that is a 1350 S/11.5mi bike/5K run. It is on Wrightsville Beach, NC and I entered it because my wife wants some beach time and the triathlon is at the hotel.
2. 30 Sep - 6 Oct - we are going to Maine to see our daughter and the Maine foliage (and Steve West!
Joe
As for your training edits I went to Final Surge and added some brick runs pre-sprint (cool!) but I don't agree that you need to get up to 15 miles per week for a 5k race. That's too much IMHO and will take away your rest / swim only day on Friday which I think is pretty important.
Also took into account the rest break in maine...looks good!
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick - although the Aquabike HIM results are not officially in, I got my splits.
Swim - 37:30: on track. I had a speedsuit and the water was 90 degrees, so I took it easy and actually hit my expected time😎
T1 - perfect😀
Bike: I averaged 22.9mph. I was on-track with my Np goal of 238-245 till about mile 45 and I started to cramp and had to back off. Although I was disappointed with the Np of 228, I put in my fastest bike split in the three times I have done this course🤩
Overall: I won at 3:05:51 and bettered my time from last year by 2:30 and set a new PR.😎
Next: I reviewed my plan and am on-board this week with the rest and recover and it works well since I have a meeting at Fort Belvoir, VA. and am a race offical 15 September at the Outer-Banks Triathlon here in North Carolina. The following week doesn't show any running and my next race is a triathlon on 29 September. So:
Question: what running should I put into my plan to be ready for the Sprint triathlon on 29 September (run = 5k)?
congratulations to you! Those are phenomenal results. Sometimes, the white girls don’t matter as much is the outcome. Keep this up and the other locals are really going to start to not like you!
I think your best bet is to just follow the last few weeks of the short course plan into the sprint. The trick is that loading the plan it’s a final surge will put the whole thing in. So you need to load the plan starting next Monday but then deleting the first 17 weeks of that plan and moving weeks 18, 19 and 20 back to start this week.
again, the key is to load the plan starting on September 17 so it doesn’t interfere with your past training sessions which we don’t want to delete.
that said, I don’t want you to do any speed running. You can break off of every bike and then do one standalone run over 45 miles but keep it very easy. The bricks can be a little spicier because you’re warmed up, but the standalone run should be done easy.
@Coach Patrick - so, I loaded the Short Course Plan (advanced) ending on 29 September and see weeks 18-20. I understand the run guidance. I got really confused with all the workouts on my calendar. So, I went in and removed the Aquabike plan that was "doubling" my workouts.😐️
So, I'm good with what I have now in the plan and what you loaded separately till 7 October. 😎
Question: so to avoid making my calendar crazy again, on 7 October I should load the Aquabike to end on 11 Nov, right?
yes, that’s correct. There’s a trick to it in FinalSurge by loading the plan into future dates and then moving back to the actual dates only the weeks that you want, then deleting those other random future date workouts. There are instructions on the Help website here if you search for FinalSurge: www.endurancenation.us/help
ps - Really glad you didn’t do all of those extra workouts! 😂
@Coach Patrick - so, my Triathlon this weekend in Wilmington is now a 5k. Although I had hoped to Qualify for the AG Olympic Nationals for '19, I'll have to postpone that till next year.😐️
I just loaded the 20 Week Aqua-bike plan to end on 11 November. Since I am starting mid-week I can still get in the workouts Wed-Sunday and especially the two long bike workouts this weekend before I go to Maine 1-6 October. When in Maine, I am just on the run/stretch cord workout program you already put in my plan.
Question: On 20-21 October I am going to New York for an event. I have a long bike workout on both Saturday and Sunday. I am taking the 19th off and am leaving mid-morning on the 20th. So, should I do a long bike on the 19th? Or swim like it is listed on 19 Oct and just do a trainer workout the 20th?
if you see any other tweaks that need to be made, by all means make the changes and I'll review ASAP.😎
Bummer about your race! I agree that you should get that long ride in before you go and then just keep things active while you are in New York for the short run or swim if you are that lucky.
Even though this weekend is “only“ or five today, I still recommend a day or two off just to help your body recycle and reboot towards 1111.
@Coach Patrick - Aquabike Nationals were today.
1.2mi Swim - 37:30 - about 1 min slower than my target time. Placed 56/219 male😐️
Transition: about a min slower than usual because of some silly mistakes. Garmin wouldn't calibrate, rain, and just out of normal set-up routine😣
56 mi bike: 2:22:58 at 23.5mph. Rocked it about 5min faster than I planned! placed 17/219 male.😀
Overall - 3:02:58. I placed 22/219 male and 3/41 in my age group. So, I qualified for the ITU World Aquabike World Championship in Ponteverde, Spain on 4 May. I'll be staying in Mallorca an additional week after our bike camp.😎
My biking was especially strong. I'll have to really analyze why I did so well!😃
Thanks, Joe
Congratulations! That is fantastic. I personally activate and pair my Garman before the swim and leave it on. I have to disable the sleeping mode but that way when I get to my bike it’s just ready to go and I don’t need to do anything else. Just a thought.
I hope you consider that a great end to your season. Let’s take a few weeks of light work can rest here so we can recharge before we start pushing again OK?
@Coach Patrick - roger all.
Longer story about transition is:
Figured it cost me at least a minute. So - execution cost me one place in the AG standing. I'll take it as a lesson in knowing when to move on when technology fails.
Right now, the ITU World's for the Aquabike is scheduled for 4 May. I will be at our Bike Camp in Mallorca, 13-19 April. Based on that, if I start on 30 December, I can get in 14 weeks of training before I depart for Bike Camp. Till then, I plan to do strength training and basic cardio maintenance.
Thoughts?
there always multiple sensors found in transition because you were surrounded by hundreds of bikes with sensors. If you get that message in transition, then you simply have to resolve to leave your computer on but I understand that it will not find your center until you were out on the open road. In Hawaii it took me 20 minutes to find my sensor while pedaling. Too many bad swimmers like me! 😂
Sounds like he could’ve use the checklist there to get through all those little pieces. Not to take away anything that you did, just saying checking things off the list make sure that doesn’t happen again. That’s a simple fix with big dividends.
Just a basic maintenance right now through December 30. As I mentioned earlier, here body Simply needs to recover from all of that work.
I like the idea of you coming back with The outseason training program for at least 10 of those at 14 weeks. The bike and viable help, I think we should plan on calling an audible in early March to see if there’s any changes we want to make given that world is so early. Cool?
@Coach Patrick - cool. What did you mean by: "The bike and viable help, " ?
I am doing the Run Durability Plan #1, which is doing really well. I am also doing some strength workouts to build the core. So, I'm set for the next several weeks and can catch up on stuff!
BTW - impressive results at Cozumel. I'll spend some time reviewing the podcasts!
Just to run through ability now, and I meant to say that the bike focused plan and run durability will help set the stage. My apologies for being so confusing! Hope you had a great holiday week!
@Coach Patrick – need a “way ahead” strategy and training plan update for the ITU Aqua bike World’s on 4 May. Specifically: I finished Jan OS Week #2 (14 Jan) and then in week #3, had an outpatient surgery on 15 Jan (hydrocele removal). I nailed 4 weeks of run durability training before the JOS, started the JOS 1 week early and was hitting all my target zones before I went down. As a result of the surgery:
1. Week #1 – bedrest and walking only
2. Week #2 (this past week) – walking and swim cord/dryland swim light workouts
3. Week #3 (next week) – walking, swim cord, strength/core exercises
4. Week #4 - resume light training on 8 Feb and see Urologist on 12 Feb for an “all clear”.
I lost almost 4 weeks on my initial plan to do 10 weeks of OS. That puts me 3 weeks behind and am now coming off 4 week lay-off. So, real training begins again on 11 Feb. That leaves me 12 weeks;
1. I have nine weeks before Mallorca – what should I do between now and then?
2. Mallorca – I am there for two weeks. What should my two weeks be?
3. Pontevedra – pretty much just taper the last week. We can discuss during bike camp
Question: what plan should I load up? In addition, what “tweaks” should I put in?
Thanks for your patience,
Joe
@Joe Hallatschek
Real life sucks sometimes! No worries though, my guess is you were the fittest person you have seen for this survey in DECADES!!! The most important thing we can do is my guess is that you can be in the pool anytime soon, so a great deal of the swimming will have to be pushed back. It's also unclear to me how long it will be until you can get back on the bike and do work.
Hopefully you are doing ALL the things for the incision to heal and quickly. That the top priority.
For those 12 weeks (9 to Mallorca), I see them breaking down as:
1 1/28/19 Recover
2 2/4/19 Recover
3 2/11/19 Phase 1
4 2/18/19 Phase 1
5 2/25/19 Phase 1
6 3/4/19 Phase 1
7 3/11/19 Phase 2
8 3/18/19 Phase 2
9 3/25/19 Phase 2
10 4/1/19 Phase 2
11 4/8/19 Mallorca
12 4/15/19 Peak Bike
13 4/22/19 Swim
14 4/29/19 Taper
Phase 1 is re entry time. This is easy cycling on the bike, building from 3 short sessions in week one to a full week of cycling time, with some moderate intensity in the fourth week (early march). Lots of dryland strength.
Phase 2 is preparing for Mallorca...I can't recall if you are early + camp or camp + later, but either way we can expect that time to be some epic riding. You'll be INSANELY bike fit as a result of that period, so we'll want to be ready to handle that load. So this will be more frequent riding (harder sessions on odd days, easy days on recovery spins with swim time.
Mallorca is bike time. Nuff said.
Recovery from there is sharpening on TT bike and loading up on the swim!
All of this is up in the air based on your recovery. Really care for the incision. Do ALL THE THINGS so you can return 100%. Maybe invest in some nice new bike shorts as a treat to yourself?
Please keep me posted on the recovery process.
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick - tracking all.
Question: for phase 1 and 2, what plan should I load up to use as a "go-by"? OS bike focused for maybe first four weeks in phase 1? Then, the ITU Longcourse AquaBike for weeks 8-12 for phase 2?
Joe
Yes, sounds good. I await the news as well.
I agree, the first four weeks of the bike focused out season plan, transitioning into the aqua bike plan for the remainder is the best way to go. We will just have to keep your numbers artificially low for those first couple rides.
If anything, I would like the first two or three rides to just be easy spins so your body gets used to it again if it’s possible. This could be done in a compressed timeline if that helps.
This way if anything doesn’t feel right, we know it’s just from being on the bike, and not from being on the bike at intensity.
@Coach Patrick although I am going to see you later this week, I thought I’d give a quick update. In-lieu of the ITU Worlds, I did a local HIM Aqua-bike yesterday. Since this is my fourth time on this course (2 X in Spring, 2Xs in Fall), I have a good database to do some analysis.
Swim – 37:01. Slower by 70’ from last year. Placed 20/155. I’ll take it
T1 – faster than last year, 13/155. Ankle strap came off with wetsuit, but easy fix. Slick
Bike – Np was 250W, AVP was 245W, VI was 1.02, which is perfect for the flat course. AVSP – 23.0, which is a PR on this course. Placed 4 out of 155. I think my intensity on the bike was closer to .90 since I knew I didn't have to run. That would back me into a FTP of 278 vs the 273 I have been using.😎
Overall – 3:05:33, which is a PR on this course and 3 min faster than a year ago (22.4 vs. 23.0 mph)
Joe
I saw the picture of the metal online! That is fantastic work. Considering how bumpy your early season has been, I have no problem with that type of swim. I am particularly pleased with the bike. That bodes really well for your future, don’t you think? See you in a few days with your rain jacket.
@Coach Patrick – quick update on my A Race last weekend and then a request for guidance on the rest of my season.
1. “A Race Update” – Half-Ironman Aquabike at Lake Logan, North Carolina on 3 Aug.
a. Swim – 33:56 with full wetsuit at 68 degrees. Placed 26/128 and was very pleased.
b. T1 – smoked it and was 9/128. Rehearsals pay off.
c. Bike – not so good. Elevation was 4514’ and my TSS was 234. I just can’t race downhills on the switchbacks and even with a recon, still couldn’t let it fly. It was like the Blue Ridge Parkway routes. So, I worked well on the uphills just to watch everyone fly by like @Dave Campbell on the downhills. Placed 54/128.
d. Overall assessment – picked a bad race to showcase my strengths.😡
2. “C Race Surprise” – so, since I had the Lake Logan cabin for two days, I signed up for the 4 Aug next day’s sprint aquabike just because.
a. Swim (500m) – placed 7/141. Swam with an attitude and it showed
b. Bike (13mi) – with only about 1000’ and no mountains, I smoked it and placed 5/141. My Np for 36’ was 285, which is over my FTP of 273.
c. Overall assessment – I’m really good at sprints and really bad on mountain downhills.😀
3. Rest of season – 13 training weeks till next “A Race”, Miami-Man Aquabike Nationals
a. Weeks 1-2 (Aug 5 – 16): on a business trip and plan to do the run durability weeks #1 and 2
b. Weeks 3-6 (Aug 17- Sep 5): work Aquabike weeks #11-13. We go to Ireland for a tour 6-16 September and I will plan to run and swim as time permits.
c. Weeks 7-9 (Sep 16-Oct 6): work Aquabike weeks #14-16.
d. Possible Triathlon – Oct 12: if my running is ok, I’d like to do a 1000m Swim, 21 Mile bike, and 6 K run. If injured or training is such that I need this week for Aquabike focus, I’ll throw this one out.😑
e. Weeks 10-13 (Oct 14 – Nov 10): work Aquabike weeks #17-20
@Joe Hallatschek - Just because you didn’t crush it doesn’t make the race good. I know you know that but just saying, getting out of our comfort zone can be really helpful. We look at our performance differently, and often modify (in a better way) how we perform in our typical venues. So, I’m all in with that hilly race. You’ll be back!!!
I think the start to your training is ok. I would advise you to use 8/17 to 9/5 a little differently; in fact I would make the mostly bike focused. As in low volume, RDP style running is ok, as is one or two swims. But it should be Tu/Th zwift race bikes; Sat long and easy EASY for 3-4 hours, Sun is a 2-hour ride with 90 minutes of ABP riding.
You can run it out in IRL, then get back into a normal program via the AB plan.
How does that sound?
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick - not doing zwift yet. So, I'll do the AB plan and when I can fit it in, I will ride with a group from work that likes to hammer on Tuesday/Thursday.
What do you suggest for Wednesdays? Since Monday and Friday will be swim days, this could be my swim make-up day or maybe a bike?
@Coach Patrick - question.
Aqua-Bike Week #13 - I have an opportunity to do a sponsored 50 or 100 mile bike ride with full sag support on 2 September, which is a Monday. On 6-16 September I'm in Ireland, with no biking and I'm trying to get some mileage before I depart. So, here are my options:
Joe
That ride sounds fantastic! You should do it and yes to the extra biking. I don’t believe the time in Ireland will really set you back physically, but it will make you feel a little bit off your game mentally. Realistically you’ve had a long season so I think a little bit of rest is OK. Just remember we don’t want to get sick on the plane so take care of yourself there. At this stage of the game as the weather turns I will take all of the quality outdoor cycling you can get. 👍