Susan Kelly Official Coach Thread
Here's your personal Coach Thread, as promised. This is where you'll return to post all your "coach" questions as responses; I'll see them and reply. This first post is here to guide you through your first year on EN, so you can always come back here.
As you'll see in this forum, I handle all manner of edits and changes. So post away, know that I reply here usually M/W/F each week.
Power User Tip: Click the Star icon by the Title of this thread to subscribe, and you'll get email updates when I do reply.
Your Notes
Pretty fit for a 66 year old female. On Training Peaks, I am 84% CTL with training stress above and rest and recovery line below. On paper, I look good. I have 3 IM DNF's, all on the run. I teach Masters swimming and I am a level II TRI coach. I've helped lots of athletes through IM. At IMFL this past Nov. 2018, at the half marathon mark, I started feeling dizzy and nauseous and was unable to consume any more hydration or calories. I called it a halt. This year, I signed up for TX because I knew I'd still be in shape. I am committing to mental toughness, strength training, and better nutrition planning- esp early on in the race.
Your Races
- - 03/11/18 La Olas International
- - 04/14/18 Fort DeSoto Sprint
- - 04/28/18 Ironman Texas
- - 05/20/18 70.3™ CHOO
- - 09/30/18 Ironman Chattanooga
- - 11/11/18 Miami Man 70.3™ Championships
Season Outline
These are your recommended training plans, including the date you should start each one (sometimes you won’t complete a full plan but transition to another one). You can change your plans on the Training Plan page by clicking the Move / Change button. Learn more about each plan on the Training Plan Central Page.
- Last updated by Coach on December 31, 2017
- Trial / Testing Workouts and your Current Plan
- On 1/8/2018 Load the OutSeason / Run Durability Plan (Level 2), 14wks to end on 4/15/2018
- >> Transition Early <<
- On 2/12/2018 Load the Beginner EN*Full, Minimalist, 12 Weeks to end on 4/29/2018
- On 4/30/2018 Load the -- Post Half Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 5/13/2018
- On 5/14/2018 Load the Intermediate EN*Half to end on 5/20/2017
- On 5/21/2018 Load the -- Post Half Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 6/3/2018
- 6/3/2018 Load the -- Bike Focus Block, 6 Weeks to end on 7/14/2018
- >> Transition Early <<
- On 7/15/2018 Load the Beginner EN*Full 12 Weeks to end on 9/30/2018
- 10/1/2018 Load the -- Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 10/28/2018
- TBD Load the Intermediate EN*Half to end on 11/11/2018
Coach Notes
Coach Homework
Tell Me Your Season Goals
- What will make you consider 2018 a success?
- What's your biggest limiter right now?
Contact Points
As part of your journey to becoming a Self Coached Triathlete inside TeamEN, we are prepared to give you excellent support for your first 90 days. Our goal is to transition you from live, in-person support to using our digital resources and the Team to help you continue your progress as you execute your Three Year Plan.
These are all the key points in your first year where we must talk. Please remember to include your phone number.
- Welcome Call in Week One (set it up here)
- Coach Call in Week Two to talk about your season (set it up here)
- End of Trial Call -- We review your experience & Unlock Year One / Race Execution for you (set it up here)
- End of Season Call -- We review your year & Strategize for your “gap” and Year Two (TBD in this Coach Thread)
Questions
• Coach Questions - Right here in this thread. Always reply to this same thread, it keeps a record for us as we evolve together!
• General Questions - Simple stuff can go to the Q & A Central Forum for the Team to answer. For example, Best Bike? How to improve run cadence? How to flip turn?
• Need Help? - Please check the EN Help Site first!
• Admin Questions - Billing or orders or whatnot? Use the red chat button at the bottom of the Members Site (not forums) or email us here.
• Specific Questions about a Race or Power, etc? - You can post those into the targeted forum for that topic. Power questions to the Power and Pace Forum. Race questions to your specific race forum, etc. Not sure where to post? Put it in the General Discussion forum and we’ll sort it out. Whatever you do, PLEASE ask your questions!!
For short or last minute questions, we recommend you use the Red Chat Icon on the main Members website.
We have also organized a complete chart of the best ways to contact us online here.
Your First Month on the Team
You have quite a few things to do when you start up. There are instructions on the top of the website, but you can review them under Resources / Trial Member Welcome.
Your First Year Inside Endurance Nation
We want to talk about RACE EXECUTION and how we can help you get faster by being smarter on race day. There are no medals for great swims or getting to the top of a hill first — on race day only your finish time counts. There are many ways of being faster, and here are some of the resources we have to help you out.
- The Four Keys of Race Execution Video: The Coaches walk you through the macro level elements of a successful race.
- Distance Specific Guidance: Learn the fundamentals of racing Short Course and Long Course events, from each discipline to pacing zones, etc.
- Race Specific Pages: We have aggregated information on specific races from the internet, race reports and even our own coaching resources. You can find your race Master Racing Page section.
- The Race Forums: You can search for race reports or connect with your teammates. There are sections for 70.3, 140.6, and Marathons.
Looking forward to working with you this year,
~ Coach P
Comments
So good to talk to you yesterday to learn more about your story...as well as where you've been and where you want to go! Really excited to help you tackle Texas.
Background
- IMTX xfer...to boulder broke toe before...finished swim and bike, not run.
- IMTX two...to cozumel had bronchitis...finished swim...terrible bike...the bike exp there did in the run.
- IMFL raced with the son...body felt okay, woozy...couldnt' swallow anything else. Done at mile 13.
Training Focus Points for You:#1 Bike Strength. The interval bike WKOs should be a top priority....but all bikes are important. Make sure these are all locked and loaded, and look to negative split those long rides. Focus is on always finishing strong.
#2 Workout Nutrition. Even for the short rides, you need to eat and drink so you get used to it. Let's start off with 1 bike bottle per hour of gatorade with 1 sleeve of clif bloks. So maybe 1 blok every 10 to 15 minutes?
Training and Equipment:
Swim is your strength, you don't need to do much here. I think that 2 swims / a week should be more than sufficient. Only change to that would be doing a 3-4 swims in your final taper two weeks.
The bike is a new TT bike....a 2015 TT bike like Rinny...no room for extra bottles. Very comfy in the aero position (great) but I'd still like to see pictures.
- Get a race picture from IMFL on the bike.
- Get a picture of your bike with all the cages on it / equipment so i can see (FL would be recent enough if you haven't made any changes to the set up).
Run is steady, but we need to get the nutrition dialed in!Race Information: Please check out our Ironman® Texas Race Page for most of our info on the event, including webinars, etc. Lots of good stuff here to learn from...especially the race reports (those link out to the forums). Strongly encourage you to do some digging here.
Finally, please pass along your info for TP.com...you can do that via email to me here. This way I can dive in and do some more homework, particularly with your past results!
~ Coach P
PS - Let's update your profile picture when you get the chance…it really helps the Team to "get to know you" a lot better.
You can do that by following this animated GIF (below)…good luck!
Thank you for the time and attention you have already given to my training. I enjoyed talking with you.
I did read your post-chat notes. Felt like the review and goals you expressed indicated a solid understanding of my past challenges and what challenges I'll need to address in the upcoming IM races I am facing 2018. I am averaging between 10-12 hours of training per week. I have been using Training Peaks software for years. I included a couple of PMC screen shots. FL IM 2017 was after Hurricane Irma. So I can see my recovery (TSB) was probably too much. I have included my log in info for TPeaks. Last week I had the flu so you'll notice workouts not done. Usually I am pretty good. I own the Wahoo Kickr- & love it. I subscribe to trainnerroad and bestbikesplit. I also posted a picture of me on the 2015 Rinny Felt bike. I call the bike "Gloria" or GLO. I am hopeful that securing for myself the knowledgable advice of another coach will pan out.
Thank you,
Susan
http://www.trainingpeaks.com
sportingsusan
augusta
This is great thanks...in no particular order for you...
1. Your powermeter at IMFL crapped out. Have you fixed that issue moving forward? What type of PM is it?
2. Your bike is awesome and the fit is great too. Two bottles on race day should be fine (using Gatorade) but in training you'll need more. I love these from Xlab: https://www.xlab-usa.com/mini-wing-system.html There's a little washer you don't want to lose when you remove them, etc, but this would get you 4 bottles (2 hours on the bike) in training. And you can carry flat supplies in a belt around your waist. Remember, we are going to really get you drinking on the bike! For race day, we'll need to figure out what to do. I'd be ok with your current set up if that works for you.
3. Here is a screencast for you on some key stuff ... It's quite long so I apologize, but I am trying to cram a lot in! https://goo.gl/9MKkcG
4. Planning for targets through IMTX. I want bike targets first, then run targets second (as you are able). The goal is to get you up to a 6 hour ride before IMTX...and with race day being 4/28, we need to think on it, and sooner rather than later. Remember, 2/12 is the week you load up and start the IM plan.
The plan will take care of most of this, but you can also look ahead each week and do the math...look at the runs you can do and say...will that get me to 26 miles per week? If not, let's work it in!
Thanks for the review and the plan which you detailed. It looks solid and a bit daunting. I understand it all. My impetus for my training (prior to EN) was more intensity and less volume. Especially for older endurance athletes, intensity trumps volume or so I thought. (Friel- Fit After 50). Research also shows that it's easier to train fast to go long, then long to go fast. Anyway, I just need to finish. At first, looking at your recommendations, I was freaked. I am on board now and trusting. The reason for my turning to EN was lack of success in finishing an IM. At 67 years of age, the window to achieve is narrowly open. Thus, I'm going for it and intend to follow EN guidance. Yesterday, I completed a 9 mile run. It was at 15 mins per mile- slow, but that could be 14 mins per mile easily. I was 14 mins per mile on the 8 miles I ran the week before. For the 9 miles, I drank two bottles of watered down Gatorade, had 2 gels, some Base salt licks, and 3-Quick Disks (Just Carbs) to suck on. No issues. I'll work up from here. I can do those longer bikes. Problem is, I just do not see negative splits. How do I go any slower, easier and make that cut off with some lead time to allow for "God only knows" on the run? With that doubt put out there, I will attempt to do just as prescribed. Bike in the 75-80+ watt, HR prob 118-130, speed 14.8-15.4mph range on first half of rides and bring it home 85+watts, HR 130+, speed 15.5+mph. I'll do my best to really focus on settling in and getting comfortable first half of the bike, HR steady and lower, lots of drink and regular calorie input, then aim for more effort on back half. Will there be enough? Best Bike prediction is about 7:30-7:40. Keep in mind, I am making a much greater effort to integrate more strength as part of my training. That's gotta help me with bike watts. I won & love the Wahoo Kickr- so I can get in some very high intensity-short interval rides. All of this is scary. but I have time for trial runs and plan B's. I'd go with the XLab set up you suggested. But I was recently gifted Profile Design- 2 cage set up. Yesterday, my husband installed it on my bike. I'll try it out today for the first time. New worry is that I'll fall off my bike attempting to retrieve a bottle. If worse comes to worse, I'm telling myself, I can put a foot down. And when in doubt, drop the bottle and keep upright. LOL
The power meter during IM FL- I had forgotten about that. I believe I had a new but maybe stale battery in the the SRAM Red 2014 power meter. Note to self- change battery before IM and be certain it has full juice. The bike electronic e-tapp shifting.
Surely with your recommended volumes for bikes and runs, I'll be = to or >750 TSS for the week.
Please, can you give me a recommendation, prob later on, but I want to know how to use my swim strength at IM TX. I am skittish around a lot of swimmers. I swim way more yards to avoid them. I won my AG at Cozumel and Augusta because those races have some swim current and only one loop. that gets me to open water faster. Then I build my speed slowly and steadily. Usually, I seed myself too far back and have to pass flotillas of manatees. IM FL was a terrible swim for me. I did seed at 1:20 because my son was with me. He can swim 2.4 under an hour. I swam about 150-200 extra yards getting around swimmers. Everywhere at FL- there were swimmers. Hated it. I am so glad TX is only one loop. But I know the course narrows in that final channel. I'm looking for less swimmers in my way.
FYI: I have been studying the course from the IM TX site, also the intervals as detailed for me on BestBikeSplit. But I will look to your threads at EN as well. FYI #2- I think Chattanooga is gonna be a great swim for me.
Thank you again. I agree with your "coach and hand-hold" early-on philosophy. Progress means the coach backs out and turns over more and more responsibility to the individual. This goes for all who teach. I read a great blog by a great coach, Chucky V (sp). The blog theme was all good coaches should endeavor to be coaching themselves out of a job. I thought it was brilliant.
With gratitude,
Susan
1) Long Rides
Thanks for the reply to me above...and I get where your head is at. I don't mean to intimidate you with the plan, more just an objective gut check. If there aren't any long rides, it's hard to be ready for a long ride.
We do believe in intensity, and if you weren't doing IMTX I'd have you in our OutSeason Plan with plenty of work to get stronger before going longer. But your season just doesn't fit that mold.
Not to say you need to go crazy -- a balance would be several tempo / challenging rides in the 3 - 3.5 hour range, and then a long ride on the 3rd or 4th weekend. When I look back at your year, few of those rides exist. IOW, I think you don't have a lot of comfort in a longer day (taking training experience to race day)...so hopefully you and I can find some kind of middle ground here with your plan.
2) Negative Splitting
I just mean easy at the start...for a short period of time. A compromise would be.... (1) Getting your "beginning bike HR" down to what you see on your typical long weekend ride; and (@) following BIKE HR at the start of the RUN. Anything to put you in more familiar territory and to set you up for a sustained day.
3) Profile Design 2 Bottle works for me...I think you'll be okay..start putting your bottles in that thing to get used to it now on the trainer!
4) Love my Kickr, it's a great tool! There are plenty of ways to make the endurance fun and time fly by if you are on Zwift. Have you tried to do that yet? There are hoops to jump through but my tiny brain has no problems pedaling away in there...just a thought. We have intervals during the week...so you can do those on the kickr for sure.
5) TX Swim is Tough...it's just not that big of a space, period. And it's a rolling start, so you self seed and walk right in...I would suggest you seed in the 1:10 zone and prepare to swim inside the buoy line (you can until the turn buoys) where hopefully it will be less crowded for you. The canal just is what it is. Even in a wetsuit it's just "bumpy"...I just count my strokes and dream of the bike!!!!
6) I love BestBikeSplit but honestly the course at IMTX isn't that complicated. I like BBS for a macro planning but unless you are in say CHOO or WISCO I don't think you need to be that granular with your pacing. The big thing out there is the headwind at the start of lap two...so being mentally ready to stay strong there until you can "enjoy" the tailwind back home!
We can talk more detail soon in our next call!!
~ Coach P
Welcome to your SECOND MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
To help you continue your progress, we have a few short questions for you. You can copy the questions and put your answers in your reply to this thread (no need to copy the questions, just keep the numbers the same!).
** Rankings **
Please rate the following items on a Scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Great!):
Swim Fitness:
Bike Fitness:
Run Fitness:
Weight / Body Composition:
** Subjective Information **
What is Your Biggest Improvement So Far?
In What Area Do You Need Additional Support?
Would You Recommend Endurance Nation to a Friend?
** Additional Learning **
Now that we are beyond the initial learning curve of Endurance Nation, it's time to give deeper into some additional resources that can really help you out.
You have several options:
Learn Big in our Video Course Section, where Coach Patrick is building our new library of EN Video Lessons to make sure you are 100% up to speed on our most critical topics.
Learn Quick in the Question and Answer Central, where your fellow teammates work together to give you the best possible answer to your questions (one at a time please)!
Learn Deep by Exploring the EN Wiki, the repository of all things taught and learned by EN. There is more info in there than you could read in a year, so pace yourself! Worst case scenario, go to the All Pages section and use "Control +F" on your keyboard to search for the most relevant article.
** Need Coach Input? **
Don’t forget you can schedule a check in call with Coach Patrick online here: https://calendly.com/pmccrann/15min
We are looking forward to your answers!
Please rate the following items on a Scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Great!):
Swim Fitness: 2
Bike Fitness: 2
Run Fitness: 3- slower, but adding volume without walk breaks or pain
Weight / Body Composition: 2
** Subjective Information **
What is Your Biggest Improvement So Far? Negative splitting bike and runs. also eating and drinking more on bike and run training
In What Area Do You Need Additional Support? nutrition
Would You Recommend Endurance Nation to a Friend? yes, already have
Welcome to your THIRD MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
This month we focus on helping you become more independent as part of your growth as a Self-Coached Athlete. Whether you are planning your season, preparing to race or transitioning to a new endurance challenge...Team Endurance Nation is ready to help!
If you haven’t done so already, please set up your Month Three Coach Call here.
** Training Focus **
We consider anytime in your season when you are more than 12 weeks away from your event to be a training focus. There are different phases of training (OutSeason®, General Prep, Sport Specific), but they are fall under the same umbrella.
Now that you are through your first two months of Endurance Nation, You have learned a few key “rules” of how we play the game, and you are ready to take charge of your experience.
Training Lesson Recap:
No single workout is more important than your health, or your season goal.
Prioritize your “key” workouts each week, then fill the rest of your space.
We can always fix over rested. We can’t fix broken, exhausted or sick.
Have a specific goal for each training block - what is the desired end state?
Taking Charge:
You should be comfortable moving your own workouts around at this point.
You can change plan ability levels as needed to keep yourself on track.
You can use the Test Week at any time to confirm a fitness change.
If you want to take a different path that we suggest...do it and keep us posted!
** Racing Focus **
Once you are within the final 12 week window to your event, it’s time to really focus. From key workouts to nutrition to logistics, there’s a great deal to cover. There’s a fine line between a great day and a day where you want a total do-over.
Key components of your final push should include:
Simulation Workouts to replicate the mental, physical and nutritional scenario you expect on race day.
A tried and true nutrition plan for your event; this is your last chance to lock it in!
Draft and review of a Race Plan to make sure you are 100% ready to take this on.
Optional rest as needed, and a defined taper in the last two to three weeks as necessary.
13 Weeks out from your race you should be getting a race preparation email and an invitation to GroupMe - if you haven’t gotten that yet - let us know!
** Additional Support **
In addition to The Forums and other Team-related support, you still have the chance to connect with Coach Patrick across your first year. Right now it’s time for your three month call with Coach Patrick; and you can book it here.
Tip: Find all your other call windows across your first year, please visit the EN Staff page.
Be sure to check out our Three Year Plan in Resources / Wiki so you can see how we recommend improving from season to season.
Coach Phone Consults
If you are looking for support above and beyond the traditional Endurance Nation experience, you can book a consult with Coach Patrick. These are billed at $100/hour and Can be on almost any training or racing topic. Please click here to learn more / get started.
Congratulations for moving forward with you training as you build to your race goals. We can’t wait to see what you are capable of this season!
@Susan Kelly - Great to talk with you last week...and I hope you had a great weekend!
I wanted to follow up on our call so you are locked in as we head towards Texas!!!
Onwards!!!
~ Coach P
And although you are moving outside of your comfort zone with the early race and your whole travel plan, I know you are just going to gain so much from the experience but it’s gonna make a huge difference.
Just an aside, my race number is 202- I feel like a pro!
All the best, Susan
https://www.endurancenation.us/landing/the-four-keys-of-triathlon-race-execution/
Look forward to tracking you this weekend!