Robert Sherwood Official Coach Thread
Here's your updated Season Plan, 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 my best outline of how to proceed with your races, but you can ask any / all questions you want. So post away, know that I reply here usually Monday & Friday 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
Great to have you on the Team! I'd really like to connect with you about modifying the Balanced Marathon plan to get you to the LA marathon in a safe and healthy way. Please text me with a time you are free this week so we can talk BEFORE your HALF MARATHON (or schedule below but it might be a while). I think that you can get there, and build to IMSR 70.3, but it will take some strategery! :)
Please set up a call with me for Jan so we can modify the OS!!! https://calendly.com/pmccrann/15min
Your Races
- LA Marathon (2019-03-24)
- Ironman 70.3 Santa Rosa (2019-07-14) #70.3SR_19
Season Update
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 Final Surge website. Learn more about each plan on the Training Plan Central Page.
- Last updated by Coach on 1/14/19
- On 1/14/2019 Load the Marathon [Balanced], 24 Weeks to end on 3/24/2019
- On 3/25/2019 Load the -- Post Marathon / Half Marathon Plan (2wks) to end on 4/7/2019
- On 4/8/2019 Load the EN*Half Bike Focused to end on 07/28/2019
- On 7/29/2019 Load the -- Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 8/11/2019
Your Notes
Completed LA Marathon March 2018 4:18. Santa Clarita Half Marathon 11/2018 1:51 Running Pasadena 1/2 Marathon Jan. 20. Scheduled to run LA Marathon March 2019. Did one triathalon Sprint triathalon November 2018. Struggled with swim in cold water didn't finish bike because of 2 flat tires. My goal is to run LA Marathon 3:55. Swim 4x week 1500 meters local pool
Run 2-3 x week 25 miles (would normally run more but minor hip injury
bike once per week 25-30 miles
Let's get to work!
~ 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!
Comments
Just FYI
I tried to schedule a call before 1/2 marathon Sunday but there were not times
available.
Bob
Sent from my iPhone
Sorry for that! I see my calendar is pretty backed up at this point. In the future, as a new member you are welcome to just shoot me a text and we can set up something quicker. I think I include my phone number in those email messages to you just so you have it as a point of reference. Looking forward to talking with you later today!
@Robert Sherwood - Great to talk last week... I had a few notes for you as we continue forward.
Recent 13.1 Race Experience aka ROOM TO GROW
Short Term
Tri Season
So...how is the hip feeling?
~ Coach P
Thanks for info. Hip is good. Takes a couple
minutes to warm then it’s fine. I’m having hard time figuring out zones. For example my plan said run 5k
race and record time/heart rate in “vdot”
calculator, but when I go to vdot calculator it sends me to zones
and I can’t figure out what I’m supposed to do.
Thanks
Bob
Sent from my iPhone
Good to hear that the hip is warming up, we still need to be patient with it. Let me know if the status changes at any time!
As for the zones I apologize, those training plans are a little old and still have old language in them. You just need to go and update your zones on FinalSurge, you do not need to worry about The vDOT.
for la marathon is 9:10 so pretty close I think. My concern is my heart rate zones most of the time was zone 4
and remainder zone 5. I’m not sure how accurate readings are
I’m using wrist monitor on Garmin 935. That seems high
I felt good at end no crash. My split for last mile was
9:10.
Thanks
Bob Sherwood
Sent from my iPhone
Bob - Nice job with the run, and I hope you were not in any discomfort either! With regards to the 935 and heart rate, I have had the same experience. I strongly recommend that you purchase a heart rate strap for that monitor as the readings will be significantly more accurate. The rest heart rate measurement is typically 20 bats higher for me than what I am actually experiencing.
the issue: https://forums.garmin.com/forum/into-sports/running/forerunner-935-aa/1348090-forerunner-935-heart-rate-problems
the strap: https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-HRM-Tri-Heart-Rate-Monitor/dp/B012H8IPQS
Bob
Sent from my iPhone
@Robert Sherwood Keep me posted...how are you feeling heading into the taper?
Everything is going great. I got Garmin hrm and have been
wearing it but my running hr is basically
same about 145 average. I finished 18 mile run at 9:15 pace
my goal is 9:10 for marathon so I’m pretty close. I felt good after
18.
Thanks
Bob
Sent from my iPhone
18 miles 9:41 (hard windy rain)
20 miles 9:19
18 miles 9:15
14 miles 8:57
I have 22 miles Saturday if I’m trying to break 4 hours 9:10 pace
what should me pace be? Any thoughts?
Sent from my iPhone
Your goal should be to negative split it. So 940 for 5 miles, 920 for 5 miles nine minutes for 8 miles, and sub nine to finish. That will get you close, and it will be a very challenging run!!
@Robert Sherwood
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!
Swim Fitness 1
Bike Fitness 1-2
Run Fitness 3
Weight 3 Body Comp 2
Ironically id say swim fitness improved most but I’d never swam before. My run fitness is good interval workout is helping a lot (that was new for me) usually I just try to run as fast as I can for whatever run distance is) Haven’t done much biking mostly because for la it’s been raining a lot. I’m not really sure where I need support you’ve been responsive to my questions which has been big help but because I’m relatively new to sport I don’t really know yet. I’m most apprehensive open water swim particularly in cold water also some help with nutrition would be good. Definitely recommend to someone interested in an effective training plan for triathalons. I haven’t figured out forums yet I’m not sure where there are or how to get started.
Thanks
Bob Sherwood
@Robert Sherwood
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:
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 **
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!
@Robert Sherwood The best way to get into the forums is to use the main page and SEARCH for what you want. Shoes? Gear? Races? Just type them in the search bar...lots of great info.
If you find a topic you like you can click the "star" icon and follow it...you'll get notifications on your phone and you can reply via email if you prefer.
Finally, the forums are SUPER mobile friendly, so follow the address over to you smartphone so you can browse and learn on the go!
~ Coach P
@Robert Sherwood Great to catch up!!
I have loaded the EN Half Bike Focused plan to start on 4/8 And prepare you for IMSR...you'll want to chill the first bit as you'll be on the road in Wales 🛄....so do some steady running over there.
When you get back we can adjust!
~ Coach P
Hi Patrick
Im back from Wales and started back training. I’m starting a Masters swim class as I feel i need some help with my swimming. I’ve done few runs and felt very good. Ran 7 miles Saturday 7:57 pace which is pr for me. I just want to make sure I have right plan loaded for 70.3 9/14 in Malibu. Also I was told I should be doing some strength training any plans you recommend for me on website?
Thanks
Bob
@Robert Sherwood - with 5 months to go you have options. You can do a Bike Focused Plan (6 weeks), than then load the EN Bike Focused Half to end on 9/14....that's what I would recommend.
You can add the functional strength plan _on top of" any existing Final Surge plan. They are under TrainIng Plans > My Plans.
They are in 4 week blocks so you can do as many consecutively as you like!
Please keep me posted!
~ Coach P
@Robert Sherwood How can I help you out? I don't see anything in your post?!
Finished Carlsbad Sprint Triathlon. (My 3rd) At this point I think I’ve made every rookie mistake you can make. I somehow got on wrong bike course and rode extra 5 miles which messed up my time. My swim was bad as usual but it was in ocean and water was rough and I’m still getting used to open water. I actually caught up to pack but didn’t know what to do once I got there. My bike was good until I went wrong way and even with extra 5 miles my run was 22:30 for 5k which was as good as anyone in my age group. Hope all is well.
@Robert Sherwood I’m sorry to hear that things went wrong, but I have to say your reports are very funny to read.
It may be worthwhile for you to take the time before your next race to review some of the first few miles of the bike in the run. Just so that you know where to go on your own and you’re not relying on guesswork in the moment at an intersection. Once the race is underway, you will soon find other people ahead will essentially be integrated with the official race.
That is a fantastic run time, and you should be proud of it especially considering the extra time on the bike.
When you do cash the group in the swim, which is common, you basically want to find someone you can draft off of. I recommend being just to the side of someone’s feet so you are in their “week” but some people like to be directly behind other swimmers. Either way, once you’ve made it into the group you officially are now faster without doing that much work.
What’s next on the race calendar?
August 10. Sprint
Sept 7 - 10k
Sept 14 - Sprint + (I was goin going to do 70.3 but I think I’ll pick race next year. I’m still not comfortable in open water. I did mile lake swim last week and I’m doing another lake swim this Saturday so getting better but not there yet.
I think I’ll switch to marathon training after that but still attend masters swim classes.
What do you think?
I think that’s the perfect plan. If you put a race on the schedule then you’ll have a lot of other training to do as well and that type of volume might eliminate times that you would otherwise spend an open water. That said, your strategy now is to maximize that open water swimming time for the duration of the summer.
There’s always an opportunity to “mimic“ open water swimming in the pool by siding and not hanging on the walls, but it’s a relatively weak substitute.
I would definitely encourage you to keep up the master swimming work even as you enter your typical marathon build up. We offer a “balanced“ plan for at least look into bike and run at least once a week in addition to their baseline marathon training. You can find them on Final Surge underneath the training plan section.
Power Tip:
I would lower the specific plan for the 10K, rather I would just do that as your key run work out for that week as you head into that final sprint race. 👍
Hi Patrick
I did another sprint tri this weekend and I’m still having bad time with swim. The tri was in same lake I’ve been practicing in. (I just swam 1.2 miles last week with no problem.). I did all warm stuff you recommended in your open water swim tips. When I looked at my splits I was swimming at 1:40 per 100 which is way too fast. (I’m at 2:15:2:20 pace.). My heart rate was 145-155 which is too high. I didn’t feel like I was swimming too fast but clearly I was. I couldnt get me heart rate down so then I started to panic and had to stop. I don’t have a feel for pace like i do with bike and run. I finished 5th for my age age group but on these short triathlons there’s no way to make up time from bad swim. Is pace for swim from feel and practice or is some other suggestions? I can’t really look at my watch when I’m swimming.
Thanks
Bob
I’m sorry to hear you’re still struggling, but I’m glad to see that you were still working on it. Well we can’t legitimately look at heart rate while you’re actually swimming We can use your typical breathing pattern to establish a sustainable rhythm.
For example, my relaxed swimming style is three or four count breathing. So if I’m in a race in doing to count breathing that I know I’m going too hard. We want to do our best to mimic your actual swim style when in an open water recirculation.
Another option is to establish a different type of Q that can help you out. For example holding your arm in the water out in front of you for a one account. My hand and use the water reaches out in front of me and I say to myself, one one-thousand, and then I pull through. That strategy will force you to glide in the water, extend your reach, and also slow things down. We don’t want your opposite hand to freeze in the air while you’re doing this, it would just have an a more natural and slower recovery.
Finally, it’s important to note that your breathing rate also has an effect on your heart rate. Even in a race situation you have to make sure that you were exhaling fully which means blowing a lot of bubbles into the water. Part of the stress your body and heart rate is feeling on the races that you are gasping for air as opposed to establishing a decent rhythm. This is something you can practice when running during repeats or doing hard bike intervals. You will naturally want to take short breath but forcing yourself to breathe more deeply and exhale fully will help you relax completely despite the intensity.
How do those ideas sound?
Hi Patrick
i switched over plan en. I’ll upgrade again next year. I’m still working on swim. I have two half marathons coming up in November and January. Hopefully I can complete 70.3 next year. I never felt comfortable enough with swim.
Bob
Bob -
Thanks for the heads up. Please continue to focus on execution in those half marathons. Even though they’re not a complete triathlon, you can do a better job of pacing yourself using our 373 strategy which works for both regular half marathons as well as Half Ironman.
If you haven’t thought of it already, I would suggest that you research the local Masters Swim group. More often than not being around other swimmers, in addition to swimming consistently, is a great way to build competency and strength in the water without the pressure of the typical volume that we have in season.
Is that something you might be interested in?
Hi Patrick
i’ve been swimming with local Masters swim group since April. (I have no swim background) Recently my swim times are really coming down. I’m in low 1:40’s for 100 and seeing some times below 2:00 per 100 yards for longer distances. I’m definitely feeling more confident in water. I’m not sure what to do going forward. I have half marathon in November and January. I’m shooting fpr 1:48 I ran 1:51 last year. Normally I would run la marathon in March but I have wedding to go to same day so that might be problem. I’ll check back in early next year. If my swim keeps improving there’s 70.3 in Santa Rosa in May that I might be able to do.