Jeff Phillips 2019 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.
Coach Notes
I think with Wisconsin behind you, it's time to think about easing into the RDP program. Would be nice to get those baseline miles up a bit before we hit the OS (making it easier to sustain) so you can focus on the Bike. As you firm up your races for 2019 we can connect here to finalize this plan!
Your Races
- May 5, 2019 Minnetonka Half Marathon
- June and/or July 2019 Olympic Distance Triathlons
- August 25 2019 Superiorman 70.3
- Ironman Arizona (2018-11-17) #IMAZ_19
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 Final Surge by clicking on Training Plans / My Plans. Learn more about each plan on the Training Plan Central Page.
>> Last updated by Coach on September 20, 2018
- On 9/17/2018 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 10/14/2018
- On 10/15/2018 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 11/11/2018
- On 11/12/2018 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 3 (7 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/9/2018
- On 12/10/2018 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 3 (7 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 1/6/2019
- On 1/7/2019 Load the OutSeason (Run Focus) Plan, 14wks to end on 4/14/2019
- On 4/15/2019 Load the -- Swim Camp to end on 4/28/2019
- On 4/29/2019 Load the Intermediate Bike Focus Block, 6 Weeks to end on 6/9/2019
- On 6/10/2019 Load the EN*Half Bike Fccused to end on 8/25/201
- On 8/26/2019 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 9/8/2019
- >> Transition Early <<
- On 9/1/2019 Load the Intermediate EN*Full 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
- On 12/16/2019 Load the -- Run Durability 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 1/12/2020
- On 1/13/2020 Load the -- Run Durability 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 2/9/2020
Your Notes
2018 Races
- Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon: 1:44 total time
- Escape from Alcatraz: 2:53 total time
- Lifetime Minneapolis Olympic: 2:23 total time
- 2-mile Open Water Swim: 58:28 total time
- SuperiorMan 70.3: 5:01 total time, but should be 4:53 as the swim was measured 500m too long :)
2017 Races
- Ironman Wisconsin: 12:21 total time
My current fitness is good. I have ramped down structured training after my 70.3 race at the end of August for a physical and mental resetI have a good endurance base and some speed from this year as my focus was on Olympic distance and a 70.3 this year.
Typical weekly volume for me:
- Run: Three runs per week @ 20-22 total miles
- Biking: Three rides per week @ ~90-100 miles (typically two indoor rides where distance is TBD and one outside ride)
- Swim: Three swims per week @ ~6,000 total meters
I also have a weekly Pilates session and do core and glute activation work three times a week
Your 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 End of Year 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 will 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
This will be unlocked after your trial expires.
Looking forward to working with you this year,
~ Coach P
Comments
Hi Coach P,
Thanks for the order of plans. I believe I've read on the EN site that I should load my zones into Final Surge before loading plans -- is this correct? I was going to start by loading the zones I was using the last 4-6 weeks before my late August Half IM -- is that okay, or should I re-test swim, bike, run? I honestly do not think my fitness has dropped that significantly in the three weeks since my race.
Should we talk 2019 goals in this thread now, or during Outseason?
Thank you in advance for your answers and I'm excited to be a part of the team.
Jeff
Hi Coach P,
I figured I would go ahead and list my limiters and what I am thinking for 2019.
My biggest limiter, like most age groupers, is time. But not necessarily time for training, but time for recovery. 2019 will be my 4th year of long distance triathlons and I think I've got a good recovery system in place, but more time would be better. I would say I'm "average" in each sport, so I'll list what I believe I need to continue to work on:
Swim: I need to be able to better translate my pool pace into open water. I don't believe it is an endurance issue because my pace does not drop off throughout a race. I think it could be more of a strength issue. I feel my left shoulder fatigue a little quicker and that impacts my catch and pull.
Bike: I would like to be able to hold 200 watts on my tri bike for a half IM and full IM without a large physiological cost. I had a normalized power of 186 watts for my 70.3 race in August and would like to bump that up. My FTP on my road bike is 280 watts, but falls to 230 on my tri bike. I've got a good fit and can hold an aero position for hours, I just need to build tri bike strength.
Run: Like all, I would like my race pace to be faster. I can run a 1:45 13.1 in a 70.3 and would like to be able to be sub 4 hours for a full IM.
My likely goals for 2019:
"A" race: Late season Ironman. Likely Arizona, but also considering Cozumel. I know you've done Cozumel before and would be keen on learning more about it relative to Arizona.
"B" race: I'll do a 70.3 sometime next year. There is a great race end of August, but that falls within the 12 weeks of IM prep for a late season race. I'll want to work with you and the EN team to figure out the best timing for that race.
"C" races: I'll probably do a few Olympic tris, open water swims, and a late spring half marathon. But again, I'll want to work with the team to find out the best timing.
Thanks for reading this far and have a good weekend.
Jeff
@Jeff Phillips - Thanks for the quick reply...here are my thoughts for you...
We can continue the races as they firm up. Lots of good options!
~ Coach P
Hi,
Thanks for the response, my answers (and one question) below:
2) As I fatigue I feel more of the lack of strength on my left side during the catch and pull. When the fatigue occurs, I feel form slip. I experience this both in the pool and in open water, generally around 2,500-3,000m into a set. I've never specifically tested my swim cadence, but I am an average 1:35 per 100m swimmer. I'm not sure if anything can be inferred from that?
3) Cadence for both road and tri bike is 95-100 RPM. This spring I was exclusively on my road bike prepping for Escape from Alcatraz and drove my watts per kilo to 3.6. I didn't get on my tri bike until mid-June. I'll be happy to get on that more of the winter to drive bike-specific strength.
I've got a quick question for you. I loaded up the Run Durability plans into Final Surge and noticed the plans had biking, swimming, and strength training in them and not the running 5-7 days a week as I had thought. Is this typical?
Thanks again,
Jeff
Interesting that you feel that fatigue on one side, but it’s nice that you can be that specific. I wonder if there’s any discomfort that precedes that we can use? Let me know. In the meantime, that’s something that you can work on with the dryland exercises like a swim cord, resistance band, or even pulley system. Remember pulling yourself to the water isn’t exactly lifting a heavy load for. It’s more about having the strength to maintain your form. Have you considered dryland exercises before?
I think it’s important to have a variety of cycling experience. And I to find that the road bike is a great opportunity to build strength outside of a traditional Triathlon position. I think you’re early due to training maybe took away from some of that triathlon bike time, but we can ready to remedy that moving forward. I don’t want you to just get rid of the road bike time, however. Every once in a while a nice long week of road cycling is not only enjoyable but it can’t be affected as well especially if you’re trying to work your highest power with Watts under five minutes.
As for run durability, we have two types of plants. What is Triathlon specific where we filled the nonrunning days with the other disciplines. As the mileage goes up in months two and three they become more running focused. If you don’t want to swim or bike right now, you can delete that plant from your account and instead load the run durability plan for Runner’s which only has running it. At the very least you can go to the training plan page on FinalSurge and preview those plants. Either way is good with me!
Hi Coach,
Thanks for your reply.
Luckily, I do not experience shoulder discomfort or pain prior to fatigue. I have not performed dryland exercises with any regulatory and would be excited to learn what EN would recommend. I downloaded Mike Roberts' Swim Faster eBook and have started to read that, so if any exercises are listed, I have not come across yet.
As far as the bike, thank you for thoughts. Historically, I've worked on building overall bike power and strength by putting my road bike on the trainer from Nov to Feb. Once March hit, I switch to my TT bike to start to work on position-specific power and strength. I am open to whatever guidance you have during the out-season as to when to make that switch.
By the way, I was in Chattanooga this weekend and it was good to see the EN kit around the course at various points.
Thank you,
Jeff
Jeff -
thanks for the detailed reply, going to be fun to work with you.
The drylamd stuff is built into the OutSeason, but you could go to Resources > Wiki > Swim for some more details.
The indoor stuff Of your set up. As we discussed on the phone, I think going with the kicker and having your TT bike locked in there is just fine. I did that this year and just ended up doing a fair amount of my riding sitting upright, and it was fine.
Heads up I also put a link to the kicker deal on the dashboard yesterday after our call. Thanks for the reminder on that.
Hi Coach P,
Great race on Saturday in Kona! I tracked you throughout the day and was rooting for you.
I uploaded a new TSR and wanted to get run the specifics by you:
Thanks in advance and let me know of any suggestions and/ or edits.
Congratulations again on Kona,
Jeff
Jeff - thanks for the kind words, and your support. Racing is so much easier when you have the power of a team behind you! It’s like a permanent tailwind. 😂
Doing a half that “late” after the end of the whole season is fine. The end of the old season isn’t the issue, it’s usually people have another event close behind it that interferes with the later half.
In your case you’re rolling into a short course season with some Olympic races, perhaps doing to get past plan. No reason you can’t run the later half in an official way.
I would plan on doing a 5K at the end of the out season plan itself just so we capture something there and then you and I can work about what it means to keep the long run up towards your actual half date.
11 to 12 weeks out from Arizona is 100% fine. I think it’s awesome that you found someone to get motivated for the race. If there’s anything we can do to give some basic guidance or structure outside of the actual membership please let me know. Always happy to advise a friend of a friend.
@Jeff Phillips I updated your 2019 Roadmap in the post above; now it includes your races.
Notes:
Thanks @Coach Patrick . I'm looking forward to it!
@Jeff Phillips
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!):
** Subjective Information **
** 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:
** 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!
Hi,
Below are my answers. I'm sure you all keep the rankings relative to other times of the year given I've only been in the Run Durability program and not Out-Season or In-Season training?
** Rankings **
Please rate the following items on a Scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Great!):
** Subjective Information **
Yes, all the rankings are certainly subjective according to the time of year. It’s just hard for me to see if you are in fact, aligned with what my expectations for you are.
I am pleased to hear that you are making advances and run durability, but doing it at a measured pace. That is best.
I would love to hear what you feel like this have to be so successful with your body composition. It’s something that your teammates struggle with greatly in the fall/winter. Hoping maybe you have some good insights to share!
Thanks in advance.
I'm 6' tall and am able to maintain my weight consistently at 170 lbs throughout the year, with a race weight of 165 lbs -- I could go lower, but I start to get the "look" from my wife when I start to get too lean. That's a good weight to have durability and not lose any power or snap.
I'm lucky (or maybe cursed?) in that I can literally eat the same food day-in-day-out, with some changes on the weekends to accommodate the desires of my small kids and wife. I eat a lot of natural, whole foods, with very little processed carbs and sugar. I've found that just like working out, maintaining nutritional momentum is easier than starting and stopping. Plus I don't have much of a sweet tooth and as I've felt my metabolism slow over the years, this has helped me not develop the dreaded "dad body".
To help me adequately answer your other question, could you spell out what expectations for me should be at this time of year and where I'm at in the plans?
Thanks!
jp
Oh, you’re one of “those“ guys! 😂
Seriously though, you are fortunate too have the metabolism to stay steady all year. Gaining and losing weight is just a whole Nother set of things that need a ton of mental energy. If only all of that mental energy burned calories!
This time of year we are not looking to build any critical fitness over the short term. The focus of run durability is to Develop a consistent endurance foundation. When we enter the out season we then began to add cycling intensity on top of that foundation. The goal being to develop new levels of run in durance and bike strength without compromising either.
As the year progresses, we move two different areas of focus depending on the time of year and your goals for the next race. For right now, I would say that you are in a good place and have the “freedom” to focus on areas outside of what normal athletes deal with. Example, a good strength and or flexibility routine could be a beneficial addition to your schedule.
Hi Coach P,
I'm glad you brought up strength and flexibility routines. My past IM training identified glute issues and for the past year I've addressed with Pilates 1x and glute activation exercises a few times through the week.
Run Durability is a change for me this year as normally at this time of year I would be more focused on strength work (both functional and some "bro" lifts :_) ) and a much less on running and riding. I've found a few strength routines on the site and do a mix of those exercises on the days they fall in the plan, but this is much less than I historically have done.
I am excited to see how this change to more running will express itself next season.
I appreciate your history, and your willingness to adjust into the remainder of the season. There’s a great deal of work you can do that will still be beneficial without needing to do those massive lifts. It will be interesting to see what you sacrifice in terms of strength and gain in terms of durability.
@Jeff Phillips
Welcome to your THIRD MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
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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:
Taking Charge:
** 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:
** Additional Support **
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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!
Hi @Coach Patrick , given our call last night I figured I'd get on the ball and send over the 2018 season report I uploaded in the forum that Al started. I'll put into the template you shared last night when that is available. We have a call scheduled next week on Dec 20, so perhaps we could hit on some of the points below?
This is the first time I've put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to do a review of the previous 12 months, and I think it's a great idea.
Below are the facts as Garmin has collected from Jan to Dec 2018. I'm still learning Training Peaks (and wasn't on Strava until Oct... gasp! did any of my workouts actually happen?) so I don't have all the graphs you walked through last night on the call:
Swim: 165,819 m/ 3,189 avg per week
Bike: 1,922 miles/ 37.0 avg per week
Run: 746 miles/ 14.4 avg per week
Weights/ Core: Unknown total hours. But one, one-hour Pilates session per week starting this year along with core/ strength sessions 2-3x per week
X Country Ski: Unknown total miles and hours. Typically 2 hrs per week December - March.
Weight: 165-170 lbs
Height: 72 in
Weight/ Height Ratio: 2.29-2.36
Below is my 730 day performance management chart from TrainingPeaks for all activities, then broken out by swim, bike, run. The build up and peak in 2017 was for IMWI:
Races/ Events this year with results:
You'll see a slow build starting in January, with the bike pop in January/ February getting ready and doing the Tour of Sufferlandria. I feel I did a good job of building throughout the season. The recent increase in run CTL and form has been since starting RDP in late September. My biking and swimming is sporadic to non-existent right now as I focus on the running. This was the first year I did two weeks "on", with a one week "rest/ recover". I think this allowed me to accumulate a lot of TSS during the two weeks and then absorb that training in the rest week.
Modality
My 2018 takeaways:
Interesting how your CTL for August 70.3™ was similar to the load you had into 2017 #IMWI #IMWisconsin.
The consistent running has already jacked up the load To levels you normally see in MAY...so we don't need to do MORE there, just stay consistent.
I think biking fast and biking long aren't usually compatible. You can bike longer. And you can bike faster. I would look to get some early longer weeks in on the bike, and at least on epic ride, before you do a more traditional long build to an IM. Depending on how much work you do early in the season relative to the bike, you might not need to do too much volume in the Race Prep and can focus on getting faster.
Talk soon!!
~ Coach P
Hi Coach,
Quick question regarding the JoS and the upcoming Tour of Sufferlandria. The past few years I've done the ToS and have enjoyed the bike focus for the 9 days. How should I think about this given the JoS? (This is my first OS and I've been diligent about sticking to the plan).
Specifically, the long run on Sunday and the run test on Wed. I figured I could work the 30-35 min strides in pretty easily.
I'd appreciate your perspective when you get a quick min.
Also, on our last call you mentioned a protocol for an indoor treadmill run test -- increasing elevation every few minutes, I believe? Can you also let me know what the main test set would be? (I live in MN and I don't think I'll have safe enough surfaces outside to do a proper 5K test)
Have a great week,
Jeff
Thanks for checking in! I think you can go ahead with the tour of sufferlandria and simply Take this week off of your normal OS training. Since you’ll be doing so much work on the bike we don’t need to really make up very much stuff on the run so rather than worry about individual runs, I would challenge you to maintain a little bit of a run streak as in 1 to 2 miles per day. It can be done before you start the rides or after, whether that’s immediate or later in the day. We just want to keep the run legs going. 💪
That’s right, I forgot all about that treadmill ramp test. And this would be in place of your 5K test, but the goal would be the same: to determine your training zones that’s right, I forgot all about that treadmill ramp test. And this would be in place of your 5K test, but the goal would be the same: to determine your training zones. .
Warm Up: 10 to 15’ i’m steady running, treadmill incline set at 1%
Main Set:
Time grade speed
0:00 to 3:00. 2.0 Steady
3:00 to 5:00 3.5 Steady
3:00 to 5:00 3.5 Steady+ .5 mph
5:00 to 7:00 5.0 Steady+ .5 mph
7:00 to 9:00 5.0 Steady+ 1.5 mph
9:00 to 10:00 6.5 Steady+ 1.5 mph
10:00 to 12:00. 6.5. Steady+ 2.5 mph
12:00 to 14:00. 8.0. Steady+ 2.5 mph
that should do you!!
Make sure you have a heart rate monitor on and all dialed in so we can capture all the data!
Thank you for the protocol. Just a couple clarifying questions on pace:
Good question. I would warm up for 10 minutes before I started the test. Then I would start the test At zone one pace +1 minute, I didn’t want to slower than zone one pace.
I listened to the podcast on Vacation Planning today and it was a good reminder to get your perspective on my Spring Break plan in two weeks. We're headed to Costa Rica and warm weather and I will miss Week 11 of the OS. (The resort is very conducive to running and swimming and our days are such that I can do so with zero resistance from the boss lady)
My idea is to do the run workouts as prescribed that week as best I can (the terrain is very hilly) and on the days when bike workouts are prescribed to do those as shorter, more intense runs (i.e., hill repeats) I'd cap at 45-60 min. I'd like to keep the run consistency up, but was not thinking I would run for the length of the bike workouts.
As well, on the "bike" days, I planned on getting in the ocean to swim. I was thinking longer, steady state, 1000-1500 meters, which given that I haven't swam in months will feel like a lot.
I'm cognizant of enjoying the vacation, but like I said, I've got the time and space to get some work done and relax, nap, play in the pool with kids, etc.
Is there anything you would change for my planned workouts that week? Anything I've not considered?
Thanks in advance...
@Jeff Phillips Those edits are PERFECT. I think it's the best of both worlds. My only edit I would add is that you plan on biking a bit "more" before you go and when you come back. They can even be an easy session in place of a run, as you'll be running plenty when you are out there.
When you return the bike miles will help get you back while your run legs rest!!!!
I expect a picture to the GroupMe 24/7 Channel!!!!
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick , I had a good week in Costa Rica and was able to unwind and also get some work in. My goal wasn't necessarily to gain fitness, but rather try not to lose too much. I was able to get in six runs for ~30 miles (mix of 1-2 mile bricks, 80 min long run, multiple 60 min) over a mix of trails and dirt roads; two 75 min spinbike workouts using my wife's Peloton app with rides that somewhat mirrored the OS rides; three 1,000m ocean swims.
I wanted to reach out for some guidance as to what the upcoming training plans should be. As a reminder, my season plan is below:
I reviewed the plans on Final Surge and had the following thoughts:
Am I correct in that my focus for March/ April should be: 1) maintain run frequency for Apr Half Marathon, 2) get back into swimming, 3) continue bike? If so, for the run, would you recommend I re-do Run Durability Phase 3? For swim, start Swim Camp? For bike, I'm not sure? Will that combination of plans and workload be too much?
After the Half Marathon, I will be 15 weeks out from the August half ironman. Would you recommend I roll into the last 15 weeks of the Half IM plan? Or, jump into the Get Faster or Summer Speed plan until 12 weeks out from half ironman?
Thanks in advance
BUMP, per email.
@Jeff Phillips Thanks man...sometimes when I get a detailed question I have to put in in my queue for attention later...and then, well, sometimes I suck. 😢 So here we are!!
#1 - yes, short term focus is on Durability and Volume, I thought you would still be in the OutSeason Plan until 4/15...so if that's not the case And you have been "hacking" your plan, then I would load the Half Marathon Balanced plan to end on 5/15, then add the Swim Supplement over the top (layer it) of the weeks to the half. We can modify it once you have that in there.
#2 - post the half I would just stArt the half plan and do it for the duration. We can modify some of the workouts as you feel, but I think the window is too short to push another plan in there.
Please keep me posted!
~ Coach P