Arielle Harvey Official Coach Thread [PlanEN]
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
Your Races
- 07/13/2019 Sprint Fort Desoto Triathlon Series
- 08/03/2019 Sprint Fort Desoto Triathlon Series
- 09/13/2019 Sprint Fort Desoto Triathlon Series
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.
- On 6/17/2019 Load the Short Course, 20wks to end on 8/14/2019
- On 8/15/2019 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 8/21/2019
- On 8/22/2019 Load the Short Course, 20wks to end on 9/15/2019
- On 9/16/2019 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 9/29/2019
- On 9/30/2019 Load the Run Durability for Triathletes 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 10/27/2019
- On 10/28/2019 Load the Run Durability for Triathletes 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 11/24/2019
- On 11/25/2019 Load the Run Durability for Runners 3 (7 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/22/2019
Training Plan Support in Your First Month
You can connect with @matt limbert as needed in your first month to get dialed in with your training plans and data. You can set up a call with him online here: https://calendly.com/new-member-phone-call/1 And he'll be on this thread shortly!
Your Notes
My ultimate goal is an IM Florida in November 2020. I have been doing Crossfit at a local Crossfit gym for the last 4 years. I have also been lifting regularly, 5x's per week. I began triathlon two months ago. I plan to complete a Sprint triathlon series. The dates are:
- Race #1 | July 13
- Race #2 | Aug 3
- Race #3 | Sep 14
Once those are complete, I would like to sign up for an olympic distance triathlon before completing the Half IM in April 2020. The registration has not opened for it, yet but it is approximately 44 weeks away.
Lifting: I currently do strength workouts 4x's per week. This includes back squat, front squat, back rows, bench press, and shoulder press. I also incorporate dumbbell work and cable work. I spend approximately 45 minutes in the weight room.
Core: I complete core workouts about 5x's per week because i have recently found that my core strength is weak.
Swim: I just started swimming. I have worked with a private coach 6 times and plan to join a masters swim team at the YMCA in order to make progress.
Running: I have never been a runner, but will do local 5k's, 10k's and 15k's here and there. My longest run was recently 2 hours at a 12 minute pace.
Cycling: I just purchased my first bike and have been riding twice a week for about 1.5 hours.
Your Homework
Tell Us Your Season Goals
- What will make you consider this season 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)
- 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
Arielle, Welcome to the EN community. I am looking forward to hearing more about your training, the Fort Desoto sprint triathlon series this year and the Half IM and IM Florida races next year. Once you look over your training plan in Final Surge, I'm here to answer any of your questions and help you get started. One of the things was can talk about is how to use your Final Surge account to help your balance and prioritize your cross-fit and triathlon training as you build towards your half-IM and IM races - as Coach P mentioned in your athlete video. Schedule a call here https://calendly.com/new-member-phone-call/1 or post your question here and we can get you started. Talk or chat with you soon. @arielle.harvey
Thanks, Matt. I will schedule a call! In the meantime, I received the email and went to load my plans before realizing that they were already loaded in! I am not sure if I've actually messed things up by loading the plans. On your end, would you mind letting me know what you are seeing because on my dashboard I see the plans in final surge but they do not show up on my laptop?
Arielle, What happens when you click on the calendar icon?
Arielle,
Your Final Surge calendar looks good. Here are screen captures for June and July.
But it looks like you are recording double workouts yesterday (June 16) & today (June 17). Yesterday's bike & today's bike and cross-fit workouts were recorded twice. You should only connect one data source to Final Surge. So disconnect one if you have them both connected. Choose either your Garmin OR your Strava to Final Surge. NOT both. If you connect both then you get the double workout thing. How does that sound?
Okay, I see! I Will connect my Strava account because it tends to be more accurate. I will disconnect my Garmin. One question I have is when I complete my swim, I have to upload it at "other" because my Forerunner 235 does not have a swim setting. How do you suggest I upload my swim with accurate information?
Most folks just add swims as manual activities because either their watch doesn't have a swim setting or is just not accurate enough.Note the pace and distance and time you swam etc. That will help us later when we are looking total duration and distance.
For strava:
When you complete your swim are can add "a manual activity" on Strava. You can select swim and it should match up in Final Surge.
This is the desktop version, but the same thing applies to the Strava app.
You can also add the activity manually using the Final Surge app. If you do that, the swim data will not be seen in Strava. The sync between Strava and Final Surge is only one way. Strava -> Final Surge.
Okay, thank you! It seems to fix the data when I change the activity type to "swim".
Coach P,
Thank you for the welcome video and being so flexible. I was concerned that the race dates are too close but my plan is to use them as Triathlon experience. My goals are just to complete them and use them as learning opportunities. Fort Desoto is a beautiful location, so I am going in with no specific finish time expectations. I thought it would be a perfect way to get my feet wet.
As for my Crossfit background, I am fully prepared to put somewhat of an end to my Crossfit training, but look forward to incorporating some of the movements and HIIT into future programming. I was initially concerned with losing the strength I have been able to build, but I realize that although I will be weaker in the area of heavy lifting, olympic lifting, etc. I will be stronger in other areas and I will be able to do things I never imagined possible. I have recognized that my plan to begin my journey in endurance sports is a complete shift from what I am used to and that is exactly what I have been longing for! When you get complacent in life, it is time to look inside yourself and find new opportunity for growth. I love learning new things, being outdoors, and crushing goals. I have loved the journey so far, and I am excited to see what I am capable of achieving!
@arielle.harvey Thank you for being so flexible as you start this triathlon journey with us. By no means do I think you need to completely stop doing CrossFit, but being flexible with the schedule and will really help. I know that CrossFit is predominately and “all or nothing” approach, so I’m not sure if you would be satisfied doing one or two days a week right now or if that’s financially worth it for you. That is something we can discuss on the phone.
For now let’s build that consistency and get you started on the right foot!
~ Coach P
Good morning, Coach.
I have completed my run test and I am rescheduling my onboarding call with Brenda because something came up this afternoon. In the meantime, I was looking over my program and I have a couple questions regarding the swim. I see that the program is designed for someone who is already proficient at swimming. I am still working on technique. I downloaded the Swim Camp PDF and I have viewed the drills you've posted on the Youtube Channel. How do you suggest I move forward with the swim program as I don't have the proper swim fitness to complete the scheduled swims as prescribed?
Also, the swim coach I was working with prior to endurance nation had me on a core strength program because she viewed it as a need for me. When getting my bike fitted, the tech mentioned my hip imbalance (one hip sits higher than the other) causing my knee to bow out while pedaling. I have been working on hip and core strength for a couple months. Typically, I will do single leg hip bridges, banded monster walks, russian twists, cable chops, etc. Do you suggest continuing or letting go of it? I trust your judgement and am open to your suggestions.
The Swim Clinic ebook is a great place to start! It has a good progression of drills to help you work on body position. (i.e. Look down, not forward. Looking forward will drop the hips.) You can add more of these drills as part of your warm-up and include them as part of your main set too. As you develop a better swimming technique you will be able to do more and more of the main set. Quality time is better than more time. We would rather have you swimming correctly or doing drills early on, then building into the main set.
I noticed you started using the comments section in Final Surge which is great - you can write about what drills you did, how they felt. You can also keep track of how much of the main set you were able to do and when your form started to compromise. Using a variety of those drills can help you stay focused on technique and track your progress. Going into each swim session with a deliberate intent of what you want to work on will help build better swimming habits.
Also, we have some gifted swimmers and lots of self-made swimmers on the team that can offer some specific advice on drills etc. The core work you mentioned sounds good, and using that core to maintained a streamlined position in the water is how it pays off. If you want, you can shoot a short video, they can make some helpful suggestions. I can help you post it when you want.
@arielle.harvey
Arielle, nice work on your first brick and getting run intervals done on such a hot day. I love your post workout comments! Those can be super helpful to you as you track your progress and get ready for Sprint race at Fort DeSoto.
Are you using the Final Surge App?
Thank you! I know I probably shouldn't be doing tough ones outside but sometimes it just feels so good. I will continue putting comments in! I officially have paid for all three races! This will be my first triathlon, ever! I still struggle with the swim but I have asked a friend to shoot some video. I will reach out to you in order to post it to the community forum.
I use the FS App and I love it so far. I have been using Training Peaks for a couple months, but making the switch was easy enough.
Congratulations on committing to all three races! You got this. When you shoot your swim video, it would be great to see you swim towards the camera and away from the camera. That way folks can check out your hand entry, upper body position and also your legs & lower body position. I have some folks in mind to tag for advice. Keep it up.
Hey Coach,
I went for a run Vo2 today and found that I wasn't able to maintain a run with my heart rate at 185bpm. I went off of perceived effort and really tried to get into that red zone for 3/4 of a mile but I kept looking down at my watch to find myself only at 170+. I have only been running for a couple months so I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to get up there during these vo2 runs.
Arielle, you did a great job on the VO2 max runs! You don't need any help working hard we just need to give you some advice on how you view your data.
First of all, you did a excellent job with your run test. You nailed the goal of the workout, which was to hold a pace you can sustain for the full duration of the test without blowing up and without having a lot left to kick at the end. Your pace stayed steady and your heart rate rose slowly throughout the test. This is a good sign that you were pushing yourself and have a good sense of perceived effort. You had a good cadence (Avg 167 - elite runners are around 180, but it also depends on height, flexibility and natural rhythm - 167 is definitely in the ballpark), max heart rate of 189 with an average heart rate of 177.
I noticed that you set your threshold heart and zones based on 182 which is a bit high based on your run test. Your threshold heart rate should be set based on the AVG heart rate for your run test. In your case that should be 177. If you use 177 as your threshold your Z4 efforts will be 164-176 and your Z5 will be 177-180. If we use those zones to evaluate your VO2max run today - I think you nailed it again!
Your 2nd and 3rd set of (1200 & 400) were all in the high Z4 or low Z5 based on the 177 threshold zones. Your cadence is in the 174-176 range (again approaching the 180 mark) and your pacing for all the efforts was solid - you maintained a strong pace for all the intervals.
My thoughts are: #1 adjust/update your heart rate zones for 177 - this will match up your perceived effort and the number in the zones. #2 trust your perceived effort - with your cross fit background you know what "hard" feels like.
Give a yourself couple more interval workouts, keep up the notes and we should talk again.
Nice work this week! You reset your run zone. Nailed your first open water swim. Negative split the run (2nd half faster than the first). Good work all around.
On your sinking and swimming during drills - if you can, try some fins for a few of the drills. The fins will give you a little extra propulsion so you can focus on the drill. Use them sometimes, try the drill with and without. It will help with "what right feels like," but we want to then transition back to no fins and simulate the same kind of feeling.
Your bike - you mentioned that your legs get tired before you can get your heart rate up. Try increasing your cadence. 60-70 is a bit low. Cadence is a very individual thing, but most folks migrate to 80-90. Experiment with increasing the cadence to get the same speed. You might find that the "effort" is switched from the strength/power in your legs to your aerobic system. Oh, and remember to look at that trainer that was wobbling.
Last - check out this video from Coach P for short course racing in the TeamEN section:
http://members.endurancenation.us/TrainingPlan/TrainingPlanCentralPage/ShortCoursePlanResources/PacingandNutrition.aspx
I watched the video, thank you. There is a lot of really useful information here in these videos. I have been spending a lot of my time watching and taking notes.
Arielle, I'm super excited for you. I'm happy to hear you have watched the videos. One of the best things about the team is the learning - and smarter is always faster! The fins are magic aren't they?! Sometimes it just takes a bit to feel "what right feels like" and then like you said you can figure it out and get it done without them. Did you say that you decreased or increased your cycling cadence?
BTW. Did you know you can get an email notification for updates in this thread? Click on the star and put a check in the box - just to the right of the thread title.
I know you have your first race coming up so I thought you might be interested in a few race prep links:
Bonus: Here is a link to a short course warm up recommendation in the forums. Al Truscott is one of our Wicked Smart Members with a lot of experience at all triathlon distances.
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/23549/short-course-warmup-routine
Double Bonus: Team members submit their race plans and get advice from others. It also helps you think through how you are going to prepare and approach each part of your race. This is a race plan for an IM, but some of the same ideas apply.
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/25733/kryvickys-imtx-race-plan#latest
You can read more race plans (what they intended to do) and race reports (what actually happened) here:
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/categories/race-execution-discussions
Arielle, What will make you consider this season a success? What's your biggest limiter right now?
Arielle, Good Luck this weekend at your race!
@arielle.harvey
Thank you so much!! My first Triathlon!!! I feel giddy like a little kid 👏🤣
Race results:
Finished 6/12 in my age group. 33/113 Female
THAT WAS AWESOME.
Arielle, BOOM! How awesome is that?
Congratulations. Good thing you signed up for all three!
You can fill out this quick race report form and capture your lessons learned and goals for next time.
https://endurancenation.wufoo.com/forms/endurance-nation-quick-race-report-form/
The water was crazy!! Took me 12 minutes!😭 I am so thankful for the coaching, support and tutorials. You guys have been amazing at EN. The negative split work helped me to push harder on that second half. I am having such a great time seeing how my body adapts and learning this sport! U can’t thabk you enough.
Glad we can help! Awesome pictures and run execution. That is a really good sign that you got your bike pacing right, when you run like that off the bike. Well done.
Thank you! One question, my final surge is programming me a week of recovery and this is the note for tomorrow:
Is this correct? Should I be resting for a week though I have another sprint coming in a few weeks? Is my program wrong?
Arielle, Coach Patrick did want you to rest this week. You have done a lot of good work and we want to make sure you are fully recovered from the training you did leading up to the race and the race itself. We can check in mid week Thursday or Friday and adjust next week if you feel good. Watch Coach Patrick's lesson this month on post race recovery here:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Learning/CoachLessons.aspx
He gives some good guidance on how to gauge when you are ready to resume your normal training load.
Okay, I understand. Thank you! I will take the time off and let you know how I'm feeling on Thursday!
Do you have any advice on adjusting my nutrition during this time off? How do athletes normally do this? I adjusted my caloric intake to meet the needs of my training load so I am just assuming I readjust them to meet a lower load?
Yes. Adjusting your nutrition to meet the lower training load is spot on. Dialing it back a bit will keep you on track for your body composition goal. Nutrition is so personal - If you know what works for you, that puts you way ahead - stick with that.
Hey Arielle, Congratulations on DeSoto! With your lower training load this past week, you have been getting after it with the cross-fit. I take that as a good sign that you are recovered and ready to get back to more triathlon specific work for the the next race at DeSoto. Any specific things you want to work on for the next one? I love to see that negative split again.
It has be a fast 30 days. We would like to hear about your experience. Brenda Ross will contact you soon or you can set up a call with her here: (set it up here)
She can talk you through all things PlanEN and TeamEN. What's the difference? TeamEN offers access to year one /race execution, including access to the extended library of Coach Patrick's video lessons, seminars and office hours, along with the all the best practices for training and racing, race reports and support from the entire EN team and community. As a PlanEN member you will get a .pdf of this Coach Thread and continue to use Final Surge. You will have access to all EN Plans via the Final Surge platform (more plans are added all the time) as well as our resources and other relevant items. There is just a ton more stuff to learn with and a whole community with TeamEN. Either way, our goal is to help you become the best Self Coached Athlete you can be.
You can still book a call with me here to talk all things training, technology and Endurance Nation (click here to schedule).
If you continue with TeamEN, Brenda will will move your Coach Thread into the the Coaching Forum. Good work jumping into the Group Me. Remember to join the EN Facebook Live site here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/500412110486878/
Coach Patrick just posted a video there about racing in the heat.
Let me know if you have an questions. Way to get after it! Talk with you soon.
@arielle.harvey