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Al Truscott Official Coach Thread
No questions, just wanted to point you to this thread I started in the Old Folks' Forum, about how I'm modifying the OS, out of respect to my dwindling recovery capacity:
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/24109/modifying-the-os-for-ofs#latest
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/24109/modifying-the-os-for-ofs#latest
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https://www.endurancenation.us/help/outseason-modifications-for-old-folks/
- Five weeks OS, ski two weeks (continue running 2-3 miles daily)
- Four weeks OS, ski two weeks (no running)
- Four weeks OS, Ski 2-3 weeks, (no running)
Then I have four weeks before Mallorca camp. Not sure what specific tri training I'll do during that time.2. VO2 & FTP blocks. Good idea...I will shoot for 6 FTP sessions between Dec 17-Jan 17, and maybe 1-2 VO2 if it looks like I can handle them, along with Sat EN Zwifting. Past 4-5 weeks, I've done twice as much VO2 as FTP, and it shows in how "easy" that VO2 feels now.
2A. For running, I had a good Turkey Trot, nice and hard/fast, with no repercussions, and I will be completing 100 runs in 100 Days about Dec 10. So I will swing into following the OS running plan level 3 the next 4.5 week block surrounding the holidays with a solid VDOT. Which, BTW, had fallen as the research predicts over the past 10 years. Same course, 2007, I went 20:23; this year, 22:03. Next 5K is New Year's day, when I went 20:08 1/1/08. Goal 1/1/2018: 21:50, 45 VDOT, To go with the 3.67 w/kg I'm aiming for (3.45 now). I think that ought to be pretty competitive for 69 y/o, if I can train and race to those levels over 5-12 hours.
3. Last year, my cycling schedule Mar-Sept resulted in FTP increase and improved ability to go long as well as fast (40-120 km bike legs), so I feel comfortable that emphasizing 2-4 hour hard steady rides will produce the race results I'm looking for. Inserting KOM type sprints into group rides will probably be all the HIIT I'll need or want.
@Al Truscott -
Your Notes
End of Nov 2017:• Minimal swimming, trying to allow left shoulder rotator cuff to feel better - it's been sore for the past 9 months
• Biking - Zwifting through the OS, on a reduced frequency schedule, 10 day cycle instead of one week
• Running daily, 4 miles/day with one day up to 8 miles
• Weights MWF, with sauna
Your Races
• 07/29/2018 (70.3) Canada/Whistler
• 08/11/2018 (Olympic) USAT National Championship Cleveland
• 11/11/2018 (70.3) MiamiMan USAT LC Qualifier
• 11/18/2018 Ironman Arizona
Coach Notes for Now
I like your run frequency in the OS, and I really encourage you to continue digging deep in Zwift. The longer 2-2.5 hour rides with ABP work in them are "just hard enough" to add value, and with Zwift don't carry the same mental cost for me. I could see you alternating weeks where you did 1 weekend Ride, then 2 weekend rides, then 1, etc. But we can discuss.
Coach Notes for Later
So..a 70.3 the week before an Ironman?! I checked the dates, you'll need to fill me in on that.
I know you are on the OutSeason Plan right now, but then you have a Spring of epic cycling. For me, I don' think you need to get "tri specific" until early June...so we need to sort out between now and then.
I see you going:
• Half plan to Whistler
• Last two weeks of Short Course into USAT Nats to sharpen / taper
• Recover 2 weeks
• Return to a modified Full plan for Miami Man and just carry that into AZ.
Looking forward to your reply!
~ Coach P
Season Plan...the way I stretch out the OS with interspersed ski weeks, I'll end the OS last week of March. I plan a bike focus the next two weeks to Mallorca, then it will be 14 weeks to Whistler. After that, two weeks to SC nat'ls, the 14 weeks to IM AZ, works just fine. Except for the Stopid Cronk Trick Tim insisted I do with him Sept 10...the SOS, 30 mile bike followed by Swim-Run x 3 or something like that.
i probably wont feel the need to check back until Spring...
I don’t think you need to check in, but you know I’ll be here. Looking forward to following you and learning from you again this season.
"I entered run Purgatory Jan 9, when I woke up with a swollen right knee. 3 days earlier, I had run a fast 5k race, then two days after that, increased my weights on the squat machine by 90#. I was able to keep zwifting, but running was painful, so I shut down until after a 2 week ski trip to CO. On return, re-commenced running, feeling OK, but left again for skiing mid-Feb. On Mar 5, overdid things by 50% on the best snow day of the year. Returned home Mar 12, began Zwifting, and tried running again. First day OK, but second day, bad pain on the outside during the first 0.4 mi, quite and walked back. Saw Sports MD 3-14, had MRI on 3-27. MRI showed a chunk gone from my patellar cartilege, and also edema in the femur from cartilege damage there, with a lot of swelling.
Zwifting did not hurt, actually made things feel better, so I kept at it. Over the weekend, things began to improve and I started running again on Sat. I saw an Ortho MD today, and reviewed the MRI with her (also had done this with Sports MD 3-29). Both MDs, who are athletes themselves (Ortho a swimmer/cyclist, Sports MD works the Med Tent @ Kona) and understood my drive and need, basically told me it was OK to run and (as someone once said) "Let your knee be your Coach."
If anyone wants deep detail, I can comment on symptoms and detailed MRI findings. But the jist of it is I have a combo of wear and tear chondromalacia/osteoarthritis in the lateral compartment of my right knee joint, and worse in my Patellar compartment. Meniscii look pretty good (fraying in one spot, but basically intact).
I have been liberally icing my knee and wearing a neoprene brace periodically. The great news is in the last 36 hours, things are feeling much better. I have run three days now, 48 hours apart each time, today up to 3' brisk walk warm-up, 5' run/1'walk x 3, for 1.6 miles @ 10'mi (usual pace 8:50/mi).
I am feeling very confident that this will continue to improve as the swelling recedes and the bony edema resolves. The cartilege, of course, will not ever fully heal. I am going to have to become a fanatic about the frequency, intensity, and volume of my running, I feel, for the rest of my life. But my target is to find, as Coach P puts it, the Minimum Effective Dose of running required to compete respectably as a triathlete at the national and international level. Not ready to quit yet. Keep doin' it till I can't."
Once again, stepping into the unknown, trying to blaze a path. The hardest part of my journey will be keeping my ambition and eagerness to run far, fast and often in check. Your comments about MED will always be uppermost in my mind, as will the MRI scans of the big chunk I've worn out, or knocked out of my patellar cartilege. I promise I will not run if it hurts. But I think I still have a few more races in me, and I want to find out how I can do in them.
Luckily, I'm getting great satisfaction out of racing in Zwift, and know that in a week, I'll start getting a similar jolt cycling with the team on Mallorca, and again in June in CO. AND, all summer with my weekly Mtn Goat rides. I'm feeling very positive about the next three months; if things stay that way, I can return to tackling my season goals.
I agree that cycling is your friend in this endeavor. Marvin the night is the weight bearing part of the run that gets you. I don’t know if you have access in your area to an alter G treadmill, but that could also be part of your return to running routine. Essentially the machine reduces your body weight by lifting you off the treadmill so that you can run at 80% of your bodyweight (or less as needed) to get into the running motion without that impact stress on your knee.
Honestly I would probably save that for when you “need to run“ before raise. For now staying active and run walking as you are able will certainly be sufficient. I am not sure what a stronger out on the bike would look like, but I know that your age group is already terrified about it.
Honestly, I wouldn't be running if my knee hurt - either while running, or before or after. There are elliptical machines right in front of me while I'm on the treadmill, and if this had gone on longer, or the running was hurting, that's what I'd be trying. No alter-G near me, and water running seems good just for post surgery rehab.
My hardest task will be to maintain the humility, patience, and discipline to follow the slow road back. This is the third time this has happened in the past three years: before Kona in 2015, I gave myself Right High Hamstring/Hip issues from going too hard too soon after Lake Placid; in 2016 end of year, I developed Left Piriformis Sciatica, which had finally gone away by the end of 2017, when I proceeded to dramatize my Right knee. Before that I was routinely running 1000-1100 miles a year since 1999. Each problem was caused by eagerness to do more once I felt fully "recovered".
But I think I've finally learned I am not unbreakable, and need to let go of a few things when it comes to running, like obsessions with speed, frequency, and volume, and just get myself able to perform on race day. My problem - eroding cartilege under my knee cap, down to the bone in places according to the Ortho doc yesterday - is not going to get better. My task is to figure out if I can, and then how to continue to compete with that change in my capacity. I succeeded once before, when I lost some neuro-muscular connections due to the spinal cord injury I had in the bike accident in 2010, which altered my swimming, so I think I can find a way through this.
Im in Barcelona now. Weather supposed to be good Sun PM onwards. FYI, big rain projected for Mallorca Sat night/ Sun morning. Clearing during day. Might want to keep an eye n that, as far as start time on Sunday. Still days away, so could change.
Ok, nice to know there’s a last resort type thing for you...regardless, I
like your long-term wholistic approach. See you soon!
I've been re-hab'ing my run now for a month since leaving Mallorca. I'm really giving this a full-court press. In addition to the two MDs I saw, and the MRI, I went to a PT last week, and re-structured my morning stretching/body weight work, up to 35 minutes about 5 days a week. I'm icing the knee once or twice a day, to control swelling. And I'm wearing one of those straps just below the patella when I Zwift, run or lift weights. The trend line for pain, stiffness, range of motion, distance, frequency, and pace is all going in the right direction. The last four week's run data:
Week Time Distance Avg Pace All-Sport TSS
4-16 0.4 hrs 2 miles 10:52 865 (Mallorca)
4-23 1.5 9.1 10:05 391 (Post camp visit to friends in Spain)
4-30 2.5 15.1 9:45 748
5-6 3.1 20 9:11 819
5-14 2.3 15.2 8:56 844 (Consolidate the gains!)
My plan for this week is to start the progression again, aiming for 22-24 miles. Pace will probably slow, as I'll be in Colorado at altitude and on trails. Going up and down hills has become non-painful just in the last week, so I am now off of the track and back on the roads. I am amazed at how my knee is holding up, considering what the MRI says (basically, minimal to no cartilage between the knee cap and femur.)
My long term goal is to be able to run the full marathon at Arizona in November. It's still easy to avoid going fast, or long, but at some point, the desire to do one or both will appear, I'm sure. Running faster than a stand-alone marathon pace is probably a bad idea for the foreseeable future, and I'm not sure about running more than 13 miles in training will be a good idea.
Racing? I have not signed up for anything serious before Labor Day. I suspect I will do several sprints and Olys locally July/August. When I return from CO, if I am progressing at that point as well as I am now, I will consider the USAT Nationals in Cleveland in August, and an HIM end of July (Santa Rosa or Calgary). But my number one goal is to remain healthy through the end of next year, and I think that means damping my ambitions in running and racing during this summer.
Thank you for the update. I am very pleased to see that progression. I
understand how difficult it is to be patient and do the right work, but
clearly you were made for this sport (Mentally and physically).
I like the idea of the “full-court press” on the knee. And I agree with
setting some basic parameters around distance and speed. I know that those
urges will come up, but I think if we have some pre-defined boundaries
which you have already said you won’t exceed that could help temper
expectations and minimize future damage.
Given your experience in the sport and your overall fitness history, I
would not be too worried if you showed up to an Iron Man with a long run of
just 13 miles. You are building in some good frequency and consistency now,
and it’s a long way to go until November.
How do you plan on continuing to divide your training load to allow for
progression of the knee? Specifically swim versus bike versus run? How do
you plan on continuing to divide your training load to allow for
progression of the knee? Specifically swim versus bike versus run?
Patrick
Swimming...being a life long swimmer, on teams from 11-21, I don't see any value in adding time or workload there. I plan on following the plan, no more, no less.
Biking...Over the past year, I've seen actual improvement from the long rides I've been doing @ 0.8-85, in the mountains, plus using Zwift for FTP/VO2 work. So I see myself continuing to hit the roads in Watopia and London once or twice a week for races and/or workouts. Then, at least once a week a 4 hour+ ride in the mountains, and another 2-3 hour ride around the hills where I live. I think I've got 1-2 years more using this model for bike training before it gets stale. If I can just hold my FTP where it is another 18 months, I'll consider it a victory. But who knows? Maybe another winter of Zwift can provide one more boost...
For now, until mid-August when I will start the final twelve weeks of IM plan, my TSS goal, all three sports, is 120-130 per day, or 840-910/week. (My ATL is currently swimming between 112-128, so I'm hitting my marks.) Then, during IM build, I should be able to progress to 140/day, 1000/week.
Your plan looks great. I like the "macro" view on the TSS/day; that allows you to earn that as you see fit across all three sports (or whatever else you come up with).
Next time we talk is in person!
Fitness: I got my CTL up to 120 by the end of Bad Ass Camp with what might be all time lows/highs for TSB (-72) and Ramp (+16). While recuperating and trying to regain some weight/water, the CTL drifted back down to 108, now back to 110, with the TSB heading back towards negative. By Sunday, after a 5.5 hour ride in the mountains, running every day, swimming x 3, I ought to be moving in the right direction, at the right pace, on my PMC.
Training: I had three weeks to fill before starting the 20-week IM plan for Arizona in Nov. So I looked around and landed on weeks 7/8/9 of the Get Faster plan as fitting my needs best. Swimming as per plan. Running more frequently with less distance/day, and no Z4/5 days. Biking, I'm doing one day Zwifting on an hour hilly race (e.g., today went 50' @ 0.985), one day with a 2 hour ABP (per plan), and instead of a second day of FTP/VO2 work @ 2:30, a longer ride in the mountains, trying to get 4+ hours, with at least 2-2.5 hours of steady 0.82/3 work.
Season Plan: I've pretty much decided not to travel (out of state) to any races until September, just do local sprints and Olys. I did my first one Sunday. I started out in triathlon 20 years ago being a swimmer first, then biker, with no run experience. That evolved into run being my super power. After my bike crash in 2010, I lost my swimming edge, and now over the past 4 years with repeated injuries and the wear-and-tear in my right knee, I've lost the running edge. Thank goodness I bought a road bike a few years back, and started re-building my cycling strength. I probably biked faster on Sunday (22.2 mph/12 miles; 0.985 IF) than I did when I started out in 1999. Part of it is the new bike I bought last year, but part of it is the multiple 4-week Zwift-fests I did this winter, and the incessant bike camps/tours and mountain rides I've been doing the past two years. While I did hang on in the run, finishing strong and passing folks, I did so at a snail's pace - 8 min miles for 5K. It felt faster, and maybe it will get faster, but for now, I'm glad I've got the bike strength and speed.
Injury Report: I'm pain-free between and during workouts for one of the rare times in my life. "It's always something." is my normal mode. But I've gotten rid of the shoulder tweak which I carried for over a year; the left and right hamstring and hip issues which have been around since the summer of 2014; and the right knee agony which I self-inflicted in Jan and March of this year. This is, of course, a bad sign, as always in the past when I felt good, I took that as a sign to up the training, either volume, frequency, or intensity. I think I can handle a bit over plan with cycling, but not swimming, and certainly not running. My knee is still swollen and stiff, to remind me daily to continue taking baby steps. So here's hoping when I check in next month, I can report steady progress, and being pain/injury free.
Race Report: It felt sooooo good to race. I was the oldest by 5 years; both of the young women next to me on the bike rack were first-timers. It was that kind of race, so I finished 36/175 OA, 1/4 in the AG. No one passed me on the bike, I was reeling people in right up to the end. Then on the run, two guys passed me out of transition, including a 60 y/o. He couldn't run very well uphill, and apparently I could, so I nailed him after about a km or so. My first mile was 8:30, the last two were 7:5X. Quite depressing from a time prespective, but since I'd only run about 25 miles in the previous 3 weeks, I was OK with that. The main thing: I was able to motor up and down hills with good effort and NO PAIN. Bottom line, I'm feeling more and more positive about being able to handle an Ironman by November, as long as I don't do anything stupid.
I agree on your prognosis about the progression to Iron Man. Staying overall conservative while building your fitness will be key to strike the balance between fitness in preparation. At the end of the day, keeping you healthy is a top priority. Your speed on race day will be a direct will be directly correlated to how long you can stay healthy and training, and how healthy you are on race day. As long as we keep that in mind, you can’t go wrong. Do you foresee any changes in the basic plan that we sketched out?
Remember our lessons learned from @Robert Sabo ‘s season where he had an on interrupted very long term build. Our body does need a little bit of variety so don’t be afraid to swap out a bike for a week with a bit more swimming for example, or dialing the run down.
I think having short sprint/Oly tris every few weeks will also help break up the pattern of work: compacting a week's harder workouts all into one day, and forcing a day or two of rest before/after.
Here's what my PMC looks like since Labor day (two weeks after my A race last fall):
The most recent spike was in CO. The two before that in April were training for Mallorca, then Mallorca itself, which was surrounded by five days before and after of sightseeing. I'll probably have something similar going on in Sept and Oct with traveling back East to do a quirky Tri with Tim, and then return to CO with traveling before and after.
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If things are ok to train now, then I vote YES to the Wed Zwift race and the long ride...will be nice to have those in your back pocket as you head into mandated recovery. Depending on the actual schedule, you could just do weights on Friday and hit another "tougher" day on Saturday. 100% your call!!!
~ Coach P
So back to work. My vision is racing 5 more short course tris, and a 40K TT, in the next 5 weekends; add 10 minutes a week to my long runs; continue weekly 4-5 hour mountain rides and 2-2.5' ABP ride (one each), OWS 3x/week, and running 30 minutes +/- on days I don't race or run long, with 2 days including 8-12 strides.That'll get me back to Colorado on Sept 14, for three weeks of steady IM build. That's as far out as I see now; I should end my stay there with a race rehearsal, which will tell me where I'm at re: IM AZ for Nov 18.
Given the stop/start nature of my year, with big holes punched into my run and swim training, I'm approaching my end of year races and October/November with a totally open mind...eager to find out what I can build to, and committed to keeping my knee able to run an IM marathon, without messing it up in the process.
The Sprint tri this past weekend was eye-opening, in two respects. First, I race 3.5' slower than I normally would, but I was holding myself in check with an HR I;d normally see in an IM marathon, and a pace to match (9:5X/mile!). Second, while I was 28/117 OA, my bike split was 5th fastest, and I was only going @ 0.92/39', compared to 0.98/26' in the TT the next day.
So I feel super-confident in my biking, which has never been affected either by my knee damage, nor by my recent bladder stone. Meaning, I can just hold serve with that, and worry only about the run (I never worry about my swim, all I need is time in the water to do my thing on race day.)
Until we check in again, just keep that run the frequency going, that is your secret weapon.