Julie Pfeifle's 2019 EN Elite Coach
Age Group, Height and Weight. 60-64 WOO HOO!!! 5'6" 135 :(
140.6 Best/Time in Last Five Years 12:56:20/Cozumel 2015 (can we please go to 2012?? :)
70.3 Best/Time in Last Five Years 5:59:46/MiamiMan 2016
Oly Best/Time in Last Five Years 3:02:26/Tri-for-Real #1 Sacramento 2017
26.2 Best/Time in Last Five Years 3:48:49/Surf City - Huntington Beach 2014
13.1 Best/Time in Last Five Years 1:54:25/Livermore, CA 2015
Your Strongest Discipline * Run
Your Weakest Discipline * Swim
Your Weakest Discipline: Tell Us More... *
Adult onset swimmer, and simply just don't do it enough, tho when I do go to masters, I actually enjoy it. Last year, about 2 months prior to MiamiMan when I finally jumped into the pool, my shoulder actually started hurting literally about 25 yards in. Felt better as I continued to swim, but hurt afterwards. This repeated almost every swim, so I ... didn't swim much!
Another weakness across bike & run is strength against gravity; I'm continually passed uphill, but on the flats esp on the bike, I can get into a good rhythm.
Your Injury
/ Difficulty History * Herniated disc from Dec 2017 severely impacted me last year and destroyed my mojo (plus other life trials). No problems at all currently, and at first sign of lower back discomfort, I know what to do -upward dog!
See above
about shoulder from earlier this year... no current issues at all, but I know I need to be super careful when I get back in the pool. I am currently feeling a little runner's knee, so watching that carefully.
Top Three Lessons Learned in your triathlon career. * I really need to look at my training in 2012... that was a great year performance-wise! I know I used to race a lot (including 2012), but don't have the desire to do that anymore. Want to pick a few select races and just train for those.
This is probably not a good lesson for me to keep leaning on, but... I've learned thatmy years of doing this (30ish) counts for a lot and can get me through sub-par training.
Power meters make a HUGE difference... ya know, I think that's what changed in 2012, oh... and joining EN!
Your Top
Three Races / Events this Season (with dates):
ITU Worlds Long Course - Pontevedra - 5/4
IM Maryland (I think) - 9/28 happy to sprinkle in runs wherever appropriate Would it be crazy to consider IM
Argentina or Coz depending on how Maryland goes (and how I'm feeling)?
Comments
Hola CoachP... I know we're chatting Tues am, but I took a look at my last note from you re: this year's training, and per that, I'm to load up JanOS starting tomorrow. I'm going to assume that will stay the same so have loaded it and ... started to get excited from seeing who else is doing it from the forums. Of course, we can adjust based on our Tues chat. See ya then!
another qq... some good IM MD signup bennies end today - 3 part payment plan & free deferral to 2020. Just wanted your confirmation that it's a solid choice for me this year, knowing what you do. If I don't hear from you, I'll likely go ahead and register anyhow. We'll talk about this more Tues, but I'm kinda thinking that depending on how IM MD goes (9/28), I could possibly throw in another IM - Coz or Argentina, so... 2 KQ runs if needed this year. Thx!!
My first HW assignment - Pontevedra course - https://pontevedra2019.org/itu/en/events/long-distance/
Julie!
I added a Weekly TSS form to the Training Peaks Dashboard so we can see how that goes. As you can tell from the last year, you've had some pretty low consistency. That's what we need to re-energize you! A good target is 250 to 300 TSS per week right now.
We will continue with the plan (see the new functional stuff in there)...And here are the notes / homework pieces to solve...
Racing
ITU is Pontevedra and is super hilly
how hilly it is determines the bike set up
Training
How to test for the Vdot and FTP?
Long Term Training Notes
Hola CoachP! Happy Monday!! I've had my best (tho not perfect) week in a loooong time! Nailed the OS bike workouts, thanks to Zwift! Bit of a fail on the runs (got 2 in, and will get that Sunday long run in today), but... I did get all my team's performance reviews done, plus another work project this weekend! Do I get some TSS points for that?? 364 TSS, so beat your goal for me... with missing a run!
Re: Zwift, tho I've been on it for a while, I've only used it with workouts or just a solo ride. I would love to try out some organized group rides, but am kinda nervous about that. Can you direct me to what would be the best ride for me to start with, guidance for how to do it, and which workouts I would swap that for?
What are your thoughts for swimming for me? I don't see it in my plan, and maybe I should just focus on getting consistent with run/bike for a few weeks first? Only issue is I have found (and experienced last year with that steep ramp for MiamiMan) is that if I jump into the pool without doing anything for months, I'm very prone to injury. I literally felt a twinge in the first 50 yards of that first swim that really nagged me in the weeks leading to MiamiMan. So... I'm thinking I should minimally do something to work those swim muscles... thoughts?
Love the simple hip exercise link you sent me; will be resuming the core / functional strength this week... thank you!
and homework:
Pontevedra - here's another good link to the course / elevation - https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2350146535 - 1 lap = 2264 ft / 23.9 mi x 3 for a total of 6792 ft over 71.7 mi. I should be scared, right?
Bike gearing - confirmed that my tri bike has 11/28 & 50/34. I know folks are talking about tri vs road bike. Somehow, it feels very wrong to me to ride a road bike at a tri, but do you think I should consider this? I'm super comfy on my tri bike, even climbing.
fyi... I'm headed out of town this weekend - to AZ 1/18 - 1/22 (visit family and house-hunt; we may be moving... yeah, there is that possible upcoming stressor, so I want to get into a solid training groove before that heats up), then Portland 1/22 - 1/28 (to care for aging dad while his wife, not my mom, gets a well deserved break). So... good week to get my run on... and lose a little bike fitness. Any updates to the plan for that time?
thanks much CoachP!!!
@Coach Patrick , pinging you to see if you saw my above post from 1/14...
It is on my list for today, sorry for the delay in getting back to you!
Ok, just sitting down to wrap my head around this. As a heads up, there really are no individual modifications for short-term travel situations like what you did this weekend. I just want you getting your cardiovascular dose for the day, so if you don't have access to a bike then you can just get in the short run and we'll call it solid. 👍
Looking forward to the course, there are 4.5 miles of climbing per lap, so three laps is 13.5 miles...so plenty of time when you are going flat or downhill. At the end of the day we just want you to be comfortable with what you're doing. If you are concerned at all about how handling the bike in those conditions then perhaps a road bike is best with some short parts. Otherwise I would just consider using your tri-bike with the gearing you have. We will just need to plan ahead to find some areas when you can train that are similar in terms of terrain like this course.
The best bet to reengage your swim muscles is to do some basic band exercises first. You can do this to her three times a week for just five minutes. All we're trying to achieve here is to reactivate the right muscles firing in the right order. When you jump in the water and start moving your not only activating his muscles, you're operating them under load in the water which is a lot to think about. Using cords allows us to separate out the motion of something from actual swimming. This PDF has some great baseline movements you can follow https://www.triathlete.com/2018/02/training/stretch-cord-exercises-swim-strength_129863
Keep that TSS rolling in!!!
~ Coach P
Just set up a checkin for 2/12. Had another set of life stuff get in the way of training - out of town travel, deciding we need to move FAST (to Arizona), and getting house ready to sell. I'm always inclined to apologize and feel really guilty about not executing, but that alone wastes mental energy... so... I'm just picking up where I am and moving forward. Every day is a new day and a fresh start!
I'm not stupid, tho, so am adjusting my goals/expectations for Pontevedra. With only 12 weeks, I want to get there injury-free and stronger than I am today, with the goal of enjoying the experience (well all except maybe climbing that 6500' on the bike :) )
So that's where I am! Look forward to chatting in a few days... and have a few runs / rides under my belt over the next couple days!
@Julie Pfeifle - you gotta do what you gotta do. I think that we can still have you climbing well by race day, assuming no "moving day" mishaps. When we talk, be ready to tell me all about the transition and what training options you have available in your new abode!
@Julie Pfeifle - Happy chatting...and happier futures as well. Will be good to see you in GroupMe chatting away!
Macro Stuff
Details
For the bike, we have four rides a week on the schedule.
For the run....Frequency is key right now. Our immediate goal is to build up to 24 miles per week...then we can get to work. I have added a few more stride sessions to your week (MONDAYS OFF) just so you have the carrot out there.
For the swim...You shouldn't start swimming until early/mid March...but right now I want you to do some strength...when to start swimming...how to pre-hab the shoulder. Some band work, etc, to activate the rotor cuff would be good. Let me know if you need guidance there!
~ Coach P
Hi @Coach Patrick , long time no chat or train (for me). I know I sound like a broken record, but it is what it is. As you might have guessed (or not, since I've been radio silent), I'm not going to Spain, but rather moving the same exact weekend as the race, which means... last couple months have been all about selling the house (which took way longer than we hoped.)
So... we close on our AZ house on 5/6, and then begins the integration into the Scottsdale tri community (actually already started by getting newsletters from Tri-Scottsdale, seeing where they ride - right by our new house!!, and learning about all their group workouts.) I'm pretty sure AZ triathletes would say no way train for a Sept IM, so I will defer IM MD once again. But... really hoping to get my shit together for late Nov - either IM Coz or IM Argentina. Are you game to once again try and help me? I would totally understand if you said uh... no thanks coz I've been quite a training flake in the last 1.5 years!
@Julie Pfeifle If it’s not one thing, it’s another! Don’t worry about it, life is what it is. I would love to help you on this next phase of your journey. I think the next best step is to make sure that you are actually settled before we get too crazy with the plans. I propose that we don’t connect until after you close on the house and we have a firm timeline for the move.
Once we know what that is, we can decide how we want to train you through the transition just to keep a baseline level of fitness with that in mind, we can then map out what it looks like to stay fit through the summer in Arizona. I’ll give you a link to a call below, please schedule a call for me in mid May and we will start this rolling. Please make sure all of your data is up-to-date in Training Peaks.
Peachy @Coach Patrick ! We will be in AZ by the weekend, closing on the house 5/6, then moving in the week of 5/6. I'm planning on getting some shorter run consistency over the next couple weeks and will schedule some time with you mid-later May. So, where again would you recommend I post a question about treadmills and also EN AZ folks and recommended masters programs, LBS, ... ? Not yet understanding best use of GroupMe vs EN Dash vs forums. Chat soon!
@Julie Pfeifle OMG how is the moving in?!?!?! I think unpacking has a great deal of TSS associated with it...but you tell me. 🤣
Treadmills should be posted to the GroupMe (after you search the forums)...
AZ I would post the the Community Forum so folks can chime in. Just make the title really clear...
Can't wait to catch up!
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick , finally... somewhat settled in AZ... you were so right - unpacking, getting new plumbing & a/c throughout, setting up house, ... does take a lot of TSS! I am getting a few runs in, all fairly slow due to me being out of shape and... stopping to take pics coz it's so dang pretty out here! Have settled on a master's program (but no, have not actually gotten in the pool yet 😉 ), found a great (really strong) women's riding group, and joined Tri-Scottsdale. So... it's time to get a little structure and accountability! From above message, seems like Training Peaks is preferred for viewing workouts vs Final Surge? I'll make sure "all" (there's not much yet 😀 ) are loaded into both before our Tues call. Look forward to chatting; it has been a long time!!
Can’t wait. You are right, I prescribe workouts and final surgery but I do read your data through TrainingPeaks. Chat soon.
@Julie Pfeifle - Great to catch up with you. So excited to kick things off the RIGHT way this time. Here's what have for you:
Bigger Events
You Season Progression
You have about 8 weeks to "get back" into shape and then we start training for the Half On July 29th. That will last about 6 weeks before we pivot form the Half plan to the Full plan.
Rather than have you do a full plan build out, I am keeping things simple. You are in the Run Durability Program, modified a bit so we can get some basics worked out — consistency. 3 runs, 2 rides, 1 swim per week with some core strength. It might not seem like much, but we can build quickly off of this. Let me know what you think!
Note, I have you doing some harder intervals on the bike on Wednesdays…this can be on the trainer or outside; trainer might be safer, but you tell me.
For your Knee:
Here's a good video. Point of Note, I like to start the tape with my leg flat out in front of me, then pull tape taut + bend knee + anchor a bit more tape, then put the last bits down with no tension.
Keep me posted here!
~ Coach P
ps next call is in two weeks... 6/18: https://calendly.com/pmccrann/30min
hey @Coach Patrick , really excited about this! I truly feel like it's all just gonna work out this time! 1 roadblock I ran into literally the evening we chatted - IM AZ 70.3 sold out! I'm so bummed, as I just got an email several days before saying x slots left, but I guess folks quickly grabbed the x! I even wrote an email begging, but... it didn't work. Was worth a try. So... I'd kinda like to find another 1/2 around that time; will look for something local; they did say IM Waco 70.3 is still open a week later (4 weeks pre-IM Coz), and my daughter lives in Dallas. I did also just find a few local options - local (flagstaff) Oly in mid-July and a 1/2 IM in mid-Aug. meanwhile... I train!
No worries! Where there is a will, there is a way! Keep me posted on the event in the day that you choose. And let’s keep up that momentum!
Hola CoachP, looking forward to chatting shortly! Here's a list of tentative races / events that I'd like your input on wrt ideal racing schedule:
8/18 - Mtn Man Oly/half
9/15 - Lifetime Tri Tempe
10/13 - Tour de Scottsdale (70 mi supported ride) - IN!!
10/19 - AZ Bicycle Classic (78 mi) - Payson
10/27 - Waco 70.3??
11/24 - IM Coz
@Julie Pfeifle - Great to talk today, thanks for the time. Here’s where we stand — a continued build up to get you read for the "real" training into COZ. Real COZ work starts on 9/1 (12 weeks) so we don’t have to start to get serious until mid August.
It’s all been uploaded to for you in Final Surge so you can check it out; please let me know what you think!
Your Plans
Your Races
9/15 - Lifetime Tri Tempe
10/13 - Tour de Scottsdale (70 mi supported ride) - IN!!
10/19 - AZ Bicycle Classic (78 mi) - Payson
10/27 - Waco 70.3
11/24 - IM Coz
@Coach Patrick , oops... what does it mean to see "This discussion has been closed." in the above thread? Have you finally given up on me?? :) . Yes, I am the queen of stop/start training for the last 2 years. Doesn't make me happy but that's what life has thrown me. So... my mom's health took another bad turn about a month ago, and she passed away 2 weeks ago. It was an intense (and somewhat beautiful) time. Without a doubt, I know that she's in a better place, and while I miss her, I do feel like a major life project has come to an end, freeing up some time and mental energy for me.
I didn't want to reach out til I put together a few (and I mean few) workouts. I have, and it feels good (I even swam y'day!!) So... there are 15 weeks to Coz; I can easily run an hour, swim 30', and bike 2.5 hours at this point. My goals would be to get back in shape and execute a smart IM in a beautiful location that makes me feel good (and where I've raced before.) Does this feel possible? Re: above schedule, all is the same but no 1/2 IM (it sold out too.)
Oh no!!! SO SORRY to hear of your loss... 😢 We can talk more on the phone when we connect. No this must have been and administrative error, I will unlock it.
Yes, your work is possible to COZ, but you have to start soon, even if it's just short stuff to get the aerobic engine firing again.
Priorities:
Want to talk last week of August wen you have some WKOs rolling?
~ Coach P
It's scheduled... I've started :) Thank you for once again working with me!!
😎
8/26 Week Update:
Got ahead of a major work project... by end of week, so beg of week not so good :( .
Good couple of bikes in - 2 Zwifts (although noticed just this week that that 2nd one of week is supposed to be at 120% of FTP, not 100%)... oops (for last coupla weeks). Looking forward to getting an accurate FTP from Lifetime Tri Race 9/15 coz... my estimate seems off as that 120% for 8 minutes was hard! Did get a 50+ miler in over weekend on my tri bike (1st time outside on TT this year - LOVED IT!!)
1 short swim in (felt great!) and the 100s were a little better than a week ago, so happy with that! Can only go up!
Not enough runs in... dang it; planned on T-run after 50 miler y'day, but heat wiped me out, and just didn't have it in me; about to make up for it now (Labor Day)... as you say, nothing sexy, just some time on t-mill.
Also got a new Garmin 945 :) sooo happy with it, but getting used to it. Definite upgrade from finicky last one. I think the speed translation on t-mill is better. All for now!!
Thanks for the update and YAY for the TT bike...time to start sharing time with it!
Yes to the run frequency...if post run is no bueno you can go later in the day too. I often will do a "pre dinner" run of 2 miles to get the metabolism going pre meal -- bonus that I feel much better physically!
onwards!
~ Coach P
9/2 Week Update:
What went well:
What could've gone better:
All in all, a TON better than a few months ago!!