Nikki Pembrook 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.
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Coach Notes
Great to have you checking out the team, especially since you're coming off of your injury right now. I want to be mindful of your overall season goal while at the same time keeping into perspective the fact that you are returning to running.
Undoubtedly you know little bit about how we operate but to put in a larger perspective, we like to focus all of your training around your end of season goal. In your case this is your first half iron, super exciting!
As such, we will be prioritizing a season-long run build to prepare you not only for your half marathon but ultimately for the half Ironman. The starts now even though you're just out of the boot and only recently started running again, with our Run Durability Program.
You will see the training plans listed below, and I will do my best to load the first one into final search for you in advance. I don't want you to go to nuts with the running, so you may want to supplement with a bit more cycling first. Our goal is to essentially develop that daily workout dose which will, over time, build you to a place where your fitness will be significantly greater than it is now but at minimal overall cost.
In order to get you ready for the half we have our training plan set out for you. A large part of success on the day itself is predicated upon race execution, but more on that as we get closer to the race. For now we want to make sure that you're going to be able to do quality high intensity training in the out season which starts in January. If you aren't already, you should consider's Zwift. We have found this to be a great community and training tool. You can learn more about the OutSeason® training plan online here: OutSeason Plan.
Swimming is not a priority right now, so unless you have it baked into your schedule I recommend the focus is set on some functional strength training to continue the good work you've done during your rehab into next year. On the way, you can complete the events that you've listed as well as feel free to add in any century rides or other similar epic cycling adventures. Extra biking will definitely help you go the extra distance on race day exhibition point we can talk more when we get on the phone for now, enjoy your weekend and I look forward to following your workouts in Final Surge soon. Remember to set your Strava / Garmin account to auto upload your stuff here: https://www.finalsurge.com/GarminConnectSync
Your Races
- 4/7/19 Running Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon -or- 5/18/19 Running Quincy Bridge the Gap to Health
- 6/19/19 Triathlon Railsplitter Olympic Distance Tri
- Ironman 70.3 Muncie (2019-07-14) #70.3Muncie_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 November 23, 2018
- On 11/26/2018 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/23/2018
- On 12/24/2018 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 01/20/2019
- On 1/7/2019 Load the OutSeason (Bike Focus) Plan, 14wks to end on 04/14/2019
- On 4/15/2019 Load the Swim Camp to end on 4/28/2019
- On 4/29/2019 Load the EN*Half Bike Focused to end on 07/14/2019
- On 7/15/2019 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 07/28/2019
Your Notes
Hi! No Ironman or Half Ironman distances yet, that is this year's goal. Have completed several sprint distance triathlons, several half marathons (2:03) and 1 marathon (4:30- things went badly around mile 20). I haven't done a triathlon in a few years but am very ready to get back to the scene. I typically finished in top 10% of my age group with the bike being my strongest discipline. I survive the swim, kill it on the bike and then try not to blow it on the run. Lol. I would also really like to run a sub 2:00 half marathon but always seem to fall just short. I think the upcoming season might be a big question mark depending on how I respond to a recent injury that I will explain below. I was thinking Muncie 70.3 or Ohio 70.3 mostly because it being later in the season and because of travel logistics as I am in central Illinois, but have not registered yet. I am returning from an ankle injury sustained while trail running. Spent 6 weeks in a high knee boot and just got out of it 1 week ago. Have been doing physical therapy to rehab since mid October. Orthopedic doc put no restrictions on my activity except staying off trails until Spring. Otherwise, he said it was fine to ease back into running at whatever level I was comfortable with. I have spent the last week on the treadmill doing a couple miles of walk/jogging daily. I think I can tolerate much more but have been proceeding with caution. I have been riding an indoor trainer as part of physical therapy and feel great on bike. Before this happened, I was running 25+ road miles per week, doing some trail running and cycling, and overall in as good of shape as I have been in years. The "additional races" I indicated below are a half marathon in either April or May with a sub 2hour time goal. And a sprint and Olympic triathlon to simply assess fitness and get back into the tri groove. And yes, I realize I am submitting this the day before Thanksgiving. Please don't think I am 'that person'. Lol. I just had some time today and thought I would get it done. Enjoy the holiday and I'm looking forward to your input on some season planning. Thank you!
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! Enjoyed your comments and looking forward to your guidance. Just to follow up with some of your comments and questions:
Yes, coming out of the boot and the recent running injury will be an interesting variable in the training equation. I am anxious to put some miles in but want to be mindful and not set myself up for further injury or setback. I anticipate my running workouts to be either cut short or at a reduced intensity at least for awhile. I don't really have any lingering pain, (maybe just tenderness and obvious weakness) but it does simply feel weird to bear full weight and try to resume normal activity after being restricted for so long. But I do feel good on the bike so was glad to see you suggest supplementing with cycling workouts instead. I do have Zwift and enjoy it but am still learning. I have found in the past when I try to do the structured workouts, it is wanting me to hit watts that seem really high or that my trainer (cyclops magnus) seizes up to the point where I almost can't continue. Not sure if my FTP or some other setting needs adjusted in Zwift? I have done a few group rides and races but mostly I just ride at random, trying to keep my heart rate in a certain zone or simply have time in the saddle.
In the past, cycling has been my strongest of the 3 disciplines, although I am certainly not in great riding shape at the moment. I am looking forward to more structured workouts to improve. My greatest limiter is probably the swim in general. I live in rural American and assess to the pool is difficult to come by. There is a YMCA and a fitness center but both are a 35 minute drive from my house with limited hours when they are open for lap swimming. When I was in my best tri shape, I was swimming 2 times per week, maybe 3, but without much guidance. The tri community is not really 'alive' here, so there are no masters swim classes or others to seek guidance from. So the swim was always a matter of just surviving to then jump on the bike. Lol. I would say my other limiter is endurance on the run. I have yet to decide if it is a mental or physical limitation but it seems as though I don't 'think' I can hold a fast pace for extended miles.
Of course 'fast' means different things to different people. As far as what I would consider to be a successful season: I would be thrilled with a sub 25:00 5K and a sub 2hr half marathon this year, while that would be considered snail slow to others. Lol. I would also like to improve my body composition, as I think it would be reasonable to get my race weight down to 130-135#. I am currently hovering around 148 but that has been with minimal attention to nutrition and minimal exercise for the last 7-8 weeks. Since this year will be my first 70.3, I hesitate to put a time goal on that. In some ways, finishing would be enough. But then again, I do think under 7 hours should be reasonable and i want a goal to help keep me more focused and accountable. But that is a total estimated guess based on what I 'think' I should be able to do. Lol.
That should give you enough to think about for now... Thanks again!
Nikki
This is great stuff! Thanks so much for details.
To be clear, I think you will be successful if we can stay consistent. That doesn’t have to be straight up running per se, it could be time doing other modalities. Normally I would suggest the elliptical machine, but it sounds like that YMCA is 30 minutes away which becomes her prohibitive factor. I would take run walk right now with increased time on the bike.
Don’t worry so much about spending too much on the bike. Right now a great deal of the work we’re doing between this point in time in the new year is just reactivating your aerobic system in developing some confidence and your structural integrity. Which is why I mention the run walk approach.
Over time but we have found that the work out modality in swift is still lacking. The workaround has been athletes doing the workouts on Trainer Road and having Trainer Road control your trainer while you ride in Zwift — assuming that you have a smart trainer. There is information in the help site here: www.endurancenation.us/help
Otherwise we are 100% with you find just writing freestyle in Zwift. You can do an event or just do an interval on the road itself. I have found that for FTP intervals taking a course with a climb is most helpful for the resistance it gives your bike.
I wouldn’t worry so much about the swim workouts right now as I would about the course strength. There’s a great deal of functional competency that comes from having the resilience of coarse strength. That is the result of quality work we can do in the winter that would translate to the pool later. You can establish this with some circuit/bed and training at home if need be. Looking forward to our call!
Thanks Patrick-
I managed to do some genuine running miles on the treadmill today. I wouldn't exactly call it a 5k Test but I felt like I should try to adjust my training zones after 2 months off. I did the standard 15 minute warmup and then set the treadmill at 2% incline and a pace that I thought I should reasonably be able to do for the duration. I was a little optimistic and had to back off at a couple points, but my ankle felt good with no pain or instability. It wasn't the pace I had hoped for but I have reminded myself that running a total of 4.5 miles after literally doing nothing for 8 weeks might be an accomplishment all by itself. My calves have felt a little tight later into the evening, but the workout gave me the assurance that I can probably be doing legit running without having to throw too much walking into the mix.
Happy to hear that the Zwift workout mode is a bit lacking. I thought it was just one more bit of techno gadgetry that I didn't fully understand how to use properly. Lol. I like using the free ride feature and then following structured workouts simply with shiftwork while appreciating the scenery of Zwift, or like you said, finding a route with some climbing.
I uploaded the land based swimming workouts and plan on doing those along with some other strength training associated with the run durability program.
It may be a little late to ask this since you have already done some season planning around Muncie 70.3 but do you think that would be a good choice for me as my first one? I was honestly very intrigued by the thought of Augusta later in the season for the down river swim and what sounded like a rolling bike course. I tend to do a bit better when there is a bit of climbing vs. pounding out the flat miles. Plus July in the Midwest tends to be a raging inferno. But travel time and geography was a factor. 5 hours to Muncie vs. 11 hours to Augusta. Steelhead was an option too but swimming in Lake Michigan and having to prepare for the possibility of rough water seemed like a questionable choice for my first 70.3. And Wisconsin just seemed to early in the season with the unknown of how my ankle was going to respond. I guess i'm just looking to you to confirm my choice with Muncie or to point out other options I haven't considered. I should probably commit and register soon as the Tier pricing just keeps increasing. Lol.
Oh and I figured out how to access GroupMe so I am no longer the gal that ditched the group after 1 hour. :-)
@Coach Patrick Hi! I had my welcome call with Brenda yesterday and she was very helpful with all the various ways to navigate around the EN website. She told me about the trick to put @ in my messages to you, which I did not know about. Lol. So see my message above if you happened to miss it. I'm still learning!
It has felt good to get back into activity even if it has felt slow. I am using heart rate as a guide more than ever before and trying to decide if what I see is 'normal'. I typically only wear my HRM on longer cycling rides, mostly because the strap is a pain and i haven't invested in a new model with it on the wrist. In the past, I relied on RPE and pace for running workouts. My running heart rate zones have always been much higher than my cycling zones so that doesn't really concern me. However, during a run of 10:00/mile the other day, my heart rate was up to 185. I don't have enough baseline data to know if that is normal or not, but it seemed high when there was no speed work involved. Do you have any immediate thoughts on this or is it something I should just watch to get a sense of what is 'normal' for me and if things change as my fitness improves? Thanks!
@Nikki Pembrook - I’m so glad that you found the call with Brenda to be helpful. She’s a rockstar! I honestly believe that in Muncie is the best call for you. Augusta is wicked hot and the bike course is actually pretty challenging. Wisconsin is early. Lake Michigan can get bad for sure. I think Muncie is the best. And if we aluminate the consideration of hills, we will likely get a better sense of your baseline half iron performance, against which we can train to future races.
Heart rate is one of those funny things. It changes not only when you return from time off, but also across the course of the season based on temperature, your personal health, and the type of work you are doing.
In this case, I’m not sure why you had such a high number but let’s continue to monitor it. Ideally you can link your heart right number to either a pace, or liking that, some level of perceived effort.
So if the heart rate goes crazy, you can maintain that study effort that you’re supposed to be doing on the right or the bike and we will see if the heart rate stabilizes.
Really excited to have you plugged in and rocking and rolling.
@Coach Patrick Hi- Hope you had a Merry Christmas the end of 2018 is going well for you. I had my LAST physical therapy appointment yesterday and the doc was pleased with progress so I have been officially released, with some guidance to stay off gnarly trails and other obnoxious terrain until later in the spring. Most of my runs have been on the treadmill, as it is dark when I leave for work at 620am and it is dark when I get home but I have been getting in a decent amount of miles. Still slow, but enjoying the frequency and getting back in the swing of things.
I have a question about the concept of the 'streak' in Run Durability. Should I simply be running 5-6 days per week, or should I be trying to work on a consecutive day streak of running, even if some of the days are very short mileage? Right now, I am on a 6 day streak, which is unheard of for me. I have been conditioned my entire running life to think that there should have been at least 1 rest day in there somewhere. Lol. But i'm feeling good for now. Could you just clarify the intent of run durability for me? I have been looking through the resources but just want some confirmation that i'm doing what you are advising. Also, I'm hoping to test again soon to see how my run paces align with my heart rate. If you remember from a previous post, my HR was really high for the pace I was running and i'd like to see if that has normalized a bit.
Congratulations on earning your diploma from physical therapy! That is no small feat… Pun intended.
Run durability is a fantastic tour. We don’t recommend you build to a streak until at least four weeks, after the first block of run durability, so that you are ready.
When you are on a streak, yes even a 1 mile at 15 minutes per mile pace, counts. I think one of the most powerful parts of the street if you see people that they have more than one speed. Secondary lesson learned is that running at all speeds is beneficial, not just the fast ones.
I think the hardest part of the street for most people is just going easy.
Let me know what your plan is!
@Nikki Pembrook
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!).
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** Subjective Information **
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@Coach Patrick Please rate the following items on a Scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Great!)
** Subjective Information **
Thank you so much for checking in. I am happy to see that you have found the power of run durability and that it has become a positive force for you. That will continue to pay dividends over the course of the entire year, I promise! Once we get it going, that fun fitness is like a big snowball rolling downhill. Soon you will be able to add the bike to it and really create something powerful. I know you can’t think of anything now, but if you find you are wanting for more information on a particular area, Just let me know.
@Coach Patrick Hi Coach Patrick- I just said that I didn't really have specific questions but now i do. Lol. I was looking back through our original season planning email and was supposed to load Outseason Bike focus on 1/7/19 to end on 4/14/19. But you also had my Run Durability Plan set to END on 1/20/19. So it looks like there is an overlap, but I'm assuming you want me to start the outseason bike focus with the rest of the Jan members and phase out the Run Durability plan? Also, I'm seeing that the Outseason has limited work to be done on Fridays (strength training and an optional run workout). My job has me either off work on Fridays, or reduced hours, so in the past, it has been a great day for me to get a quality workout in. Could you offer some insight on what might be done to rearrange those workouts? If this were simply adjusting a couple days due to circumstance, I wouldn't bug you with it. I guess my question is: what would be your thoughts on moving one of the higher priority workouts to a Friday before the long bike workout on Saturday? Is there a way to accommodate this without compromising and altering the plan as a whole? And would I be doing a disservice to myself if I weren't staying consistent with doing the same workouts on the same days as the other JOS members? Does this rearranging cause problems with my training that I am not even smart enough to realize? lol. Perhaps I could try to implement it as planned for a couple weeks and see how it goes? It would just be a big adjustment to my routine for Friday's to be 'easy' days, but if I wanted to keep doing things the way I have always done them, I wouldn't have joined EN. Lol! Also, I was thinking in the Wiki, it talks about there being 2 rest days in the Outseason but I am only seeing 1. Does the 'optional' run on the schedule count as a rest day? Let me know what you are thinking. Thank you!
@Nikki Pembrook So good to talk yesterday! Thank you so much for reading a great conversation. I’m excited for what you’ve done and run durability and I think the half marathon combo will be a good test to see where your fitness is that. Not that you are racing them, but just how you handle them. Have a great weekend!
@Nikki Pembrook
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 **
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Training Lesson Recap:
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** 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 ! I just wanted to touch base and let you know that I have added some additional events to my schedule and wondered if that changed anything going forward. In addition, I have decided that my A Race will not be Muncie 70.3, but I will be sticking closer to home with the Route 66 70.3 held in Springfield IL on July 27. The travel logistics, and the expense were both factors in the decision. But so was the option to be able to swim, ride, and run the course on a regular basis in advance if I wanted to. Plus hopefully running into some familiar faces that I haven't saw on the racing scene in awhile. Some ladies have reached out to include me in some open water swim sessions and some bike rides and they all highly recommend this race, even having several Ironman events under their belts. So, my A race will be 2 weeks later than originally planned. Guessing some minor tweaking in Final Surge to accommodate the change? I am still doing a spring 13.1 on April 6, but I have added one on March 9 also. I expect to really just cover the miles on the one in March with hopes to be faster in April, although I think the April course is a little less forgiving and friendly. Lol. I am also planning to do a late season Olympic on Sept 7 which wasn't in the original plan as well as some duathlons, 5k/10Ks, maybe some fun century rides depending on how they fit in with training. Also, I have a sprint tri on May 4 just to dust off the cobwebs, with an indoor pool swim. I have not been swimming at all and was curious when I should start? Spent some time this weekend with the nutrition calculator and seeing if what I typically do is adequate. Looks like I will be low in sodium on the run. Have some time to dial that in or decide if it is a concern. Really enjoying my time with EN so far!
@Nikki Pembrook - Hey!! Looking forward to talking This Friday...so...
3. We don't usually add ALL the events as some of them are just training replacements. You can add them in Final Surge but we don't need to build / taper for them.
IF you confirm I have those races right ^above^ I'll make those edits!
~ Coach P
Hi Coach P! My event schedule is:
It makes no difference to me if you add all the events to my season plan. I was mostly just wanted you to have an awareness of the changes and was curious as to when I should start making more of an effort to add some swimming with the early season sprint. Since the swim is so short, it shouldn't be an issue, but I have not been in the pool in a VERY long time. Lol. And I was wondering about how to structure the time between the 70.3 and the late season Olympic. Thank you!
@Nikki Pembrook Great to talk with you today! Now you have your weekly volume target and the window to start swimming. Onward!
@Coach Patrick Hi- so I have been super sick. Like some kind of terrible plague that knocked me on my rear. I was feeling great about the Outseason and consistently hitting my workouts and feeling decent in recovery. But then the wheels fell off. I will spare you all the details but I did finally go to the Dr. after 11 days of feeling fairly awful. I didn't go sooner because I thought it was just the typical bug that was making its way through my small community and I had finally fallen victim in spite of my constant handwashing and general avoidance of germy people. Lol. Anyway, I was put on an antibiotic for a bacterial infection (gross)on March 7 that I will take for 10 days. I'm feeling somewhat human again. But Feb 22 was my last genuine workout. I ran 10 miles and felt pretty good. Since then, I have done 2 bike workouts when I thought my sickness was turning the corner, only to realize that the bug was still very much hanging on. I have read some on how to modify training for sickness but since SUCH a big chunk of time has been missed, I wanted your thoughts going forward. Should I just pick up the scheduled workouts as I feel able to, perhaps dialing back the intensity if needed? Or would you suggest trying to extend my outseason by a couple weeks by starting back up with the workouts I missed? If I had only missed a few days, I would just forge on as I was capable, but this big chunk of missed time has me in a funk. I was supposed to have a 13.1 today (which I wasn't actually racing, more like just logging the miles at a fun event) but obviously that is not happening. Appreciate any guidance you have going forward. I think the antibiotic has me in a place where cycling shouldn't be a problem (dialed back) but the run is more questionable?
@Nikki Pembrook - SAY IT AINT SO!!!! 😢 That's the worst. I think your best bet is to proceed as follows:
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick Hey! So last time I checked in, I pretty much had the plague. Lol. I pushed back the OS as instructed and am finishing that up tomorrow. I thought my instructions were to load the Half Iron Bike Focused next, set to end on my race day of 7/27/2019. So when I do that, obviously, it starts out with week 8 of the plan. Just making sure that is what you had in mind? Also, I noticed that in final surge, on some of the Saturday run workouts, it will label it as a brick when there has been no ride scheduled for that day. So just making sure I'm not missing something and there isn't a glitch in how the plan is loading? Is that just a minor error in how the workout is labeled? Thanks-
Nikki
So good to hear that you have gotten better, and completed the L season! Super impressive. Yes, you should be starting with the gate which means a little bit of a transition so let me know if you need help with that. Please make sure you were loading the 2019 plan, those should be complete I haven’t heard about any missing work out yet but there’s always a chance. If you confirm it’s the right plan I will then go take a look at it. Thanks for the heads up!
@Coach Patrick I think my final surge was just taking a bit to properly update. When I look now, it seems like all the runs labeled as bricks have an associated bike ride the same day. Whatever was happening before was weird. So I’m 13 weeks out from my 70.3. I thought my instructions were to push back the outseason by 2 weeks and then load the Half Iron bike focus plan to end on my race day of July 27. I did that, but if I need to be doing something different, please let me know. Please don’t tell me I should have dropped the OS and started the half plan 8 weeks ago. Lol. Thanks-
@Nikki Pembrook you are all set and on plan! How do you think the transition from the OS to Half has gone?
Hi @Coach Patrick - Things seem to be going pretty good! I had a sprint tri on Saturday, so my weekend workouts were a little different than planned. I swam (pool) faster than I anticipated, toughed out a stiff headwind on the bike, and (right or wrong) managed to run a hill that many were walking. I came away with a 2nd AG place despite what appears to be serious fiddling around in transition. I have no idea what in the world i'm wasting so much time on in there. Did I brush my hair? Check my Facebook? Chit chat with random strangers? LOL. Who knows, but there is definite room for improvement there.
I'm enjoying the different workouts of the Half plan. I'm gaining more confidence with the longer swim workouts and like the change of pace for the run workouts. The warmer temps and more opportunities to be outside help a lot too!
I have an Olympic on June 15 but it has a 1500 swim, which is a little different. I'm thinking about jumping into another Sprint on June 1, simply because it has an open water swim of 600m to serve as somewhat of a bridge between the two events. But I don't want that to compromise that weekend of big planned workouts. What are your thoughts on this? Normally, I would not do 2 tris within 2 weeks of each other. The only reason I am considering it is the opportunity to get in an OWS... Please advise!
I love your progress and your sense of humor! Transitions are easy to fix once you start eliminating steps. Keeping your sunglasses on your bike for example, or not wearing socks on the bike, things like that. I bet the team would love to help you solve that - just put a post on the forums.
I am all about racing comfort in open water experience. You can always do one of the long rides on the day that you’re not racing, and if your schedule allows perhaps a long ride either home from that sprint race or later that day. Please don’t have to be hard rides, 80% of the benefit is just to you on the bike for time.
Let me know what your options are
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick Hi! I haven't checked in for awhile and lots has happened. My A Race 70.3 was this past Saturday so I thought i would provide a report.
Pre-Race: I arrived early with plenty of time to pick up my packet on race morning as it was located just an hour from my home. Found a decent spot in transition, got set up, and didn't linger to hear everyone either banter about how nervous they were or how they were gonna crush it. Lol. I like people just fine but tend to be a lone wolf at times. I did find some local people that i regularly see at races, so mingled with them a bit before the pre race meeting. I got in the water about 10 minutes before my wave to acclimate. Didn't wear a wetsuit as water temps were 83 degrees and I had completed my last few weeks of OWS workouts without one.
Swim- I was pretty nervous, mostly about being the last freaking person out of the water. Lol. That might be an exaggeration but for some reason, that concept did bug me. Swimming is my biggest limiter and i figured i would stroll along at about a 2:00/100 pace, just focusing on completing the distance without freaking out. The swim is a loop and once we were out of the little cove area at the start, it became evident that conditions were going to be crappy. Like white cap waves that were dislodging people's goggles at certain points. Not joking. I did the breast stroke a few different times just to help with sighting and to just recover from the nonsense that was happening. Lol. I was 5 minutes off my goal of coming out of the water in 45 minutes, but i was ok with that. I felt immediately at ease once my feet hit land and i jogged to transition.
Bike- The course was revised this year, supposedly because of complaints about rough road surface in the past. If this was an improvement, I would have hated to have raced the previous course. Lol. Miles 5-10 were a crummy surface, rough, potholes, etc. I saw 2 guys changing flats in that stretch alone. I obviously hoped that would not be me as having to replace a tube would take me no less than 20 minutes because I simply have not mastered that skill. I rode along at goal watts and felt good although i could tell there was a headwind that was going to prove to be annoying. It was. I thought i would easily average 17mph on this course. I did not. Lol. But i tried to ignore my average speed and just focus on my watts and getting my nutrition in as scheduled. I was drinking Gatorade Endurance and eating a combination of Clif Blocks, Honey Stinger chews, and Honey Stinger Waffles. At mile 45, i was really sick of the GE and i REALLY wanted water even though i know that is bad. I took probably 2 oz of H20 at an aid station simply to try to get the sweet taste out of my mouth. I rolled into T2 behind my goal time, but with the wind and some unexpected hills, I was at peace with it. In all honesty, my first goal was just to finish the distance, so i was trying not to get too focused on the time, given that the conditions of the day had proved to be less than ideal.
Run- So here is where the crap hit the fan. I felt amazingly good as i took off running. I was so happy to get off the bike and give my rear end a rest and move my legs in a different manner. As you warned, I was going way too fast, with a giant disconnect between speed and RPE. So i slowed way down and tried to be mindful of that for the first 3 miles. Somewhere around mile 4 i started to feel that weird tummy sensation that i have heard about but never experienced while training. It was like my legs, lungs, heart were doing just fine but my stomach was revolting against me. Did i mention it was also 90 degrees? Because it was. Anyway, I wasn't planning on taking any coke until at least mile 8 but i thought it might settle whatever stomach weirdness was going on. It really didn't. From that point on, as much as it pains me to say this, I pretty much walked all the steep inclines on the course. I figured it wasn't worth the trade off to get my heart rate through the roof when i was feeling so 'off'. It was a good strategy in terms of how i 'felt' but it was obviously a very terrible strategy in terms of trying to hit my run time goal. I thought i could reasonably do the run in 2:18, maybe 2:30 if things went poorly. I wasn't really prepared for it to be 2:44, but i also wasn't prepared to feel so awful either. I made a friend at mile 9 and we finished the race together. She said the F word a lot and was totally hating life (and her husband who bailed out on the event) but her banter made the miles pass more quickly. Lol.
I finished almost an hour later than i had planned, (7:22) which in some ways is VERY disappointing. But i learned a lot about racing, survived a really tough swim, met some new people, and already have a decent idea of how things went wrong and am how to improve on my next one. I also understand what you and many others on the Team meant when they said that a local race is sometimes sketchy with aid stations and support in general. True story. Also, it was a small venue, around 400 participants and there is a Sprint and Oly going on simultaneously. There are VERY few 70.3 athletes here and I think that will definitely be a factor in me not doing this race in the future. It was easy to feel like you were out there on your own island at times, especially when you weren't a front of the pack racer. On the bright side, my husband came. For 9 months, he has seemed indifferent about all things triathlon, and i do think he at least has a higher regard for the sport and the hours i spent training for the day.
Next up, a local Oly in Sept and a 13.1 in October. I think i would really like to focus on my run going forward.
@Nikki Pembrook thank you for sharing the race report. I’m sorry to hear was such a challenging day but congratulations to you and getting it done. Large part about racing is just doing what you can with what you’ve got, and you were able to do that for sure. It may be helpful for you to write out specifically what you ate and drank and when per hour on the bike as that can give us some insight as to what potentially set off your stomach.
Another alternate solution when you get that sloshing feeling is having some external salt pills you can take to help get the fluid out of your stomach basically what’s happening is that your body has too much calorie specific items in there and not enough fluid - Think of it as a traffic jam in your gut. Salt helps solve that.
Racing in that kind of heat also requires great discipline around staying soaking wet and pacing with your heart rate. Essentially it makes the race that much harder and typically only the most experienced traffic to do well in those conditions because they’ve been in them before. You’ve learned some good lessons about pacing here, the importance of staying wet, and hopefully we can solve the Nutrition stuff.
For now, I would load up a balanced half marathon plan to end on your 13.1 which would allow you to do the Olympic distance along the way. If you want more specific tri workouts in that timeframe, let me know I’m happy to help.