Robin Rodriguez 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 [Click to Watch the Video]
Your Races
- 05/04/2020 Indianapolis Mini Marathon (Half Marathon)
- 07/26/2020 Ironman 70.3 Ohio (TBD) #70.3Ohio_20
Your Notes
Glad to be back with EN, took almost 2 years off. We moved overseas for my work and decided to put endurance events in the backseat. Ran plenty but biked only a bit. We moved back in Oct so getting settled and into new routines
Current fitness is alright, ran a 3:26 Chicago Marathon last week, off non specific training (PR is 3:06), need to rebuild bike fitness
Previously 5:09 HIM, 3:06 M, and 1:24 HM PRs Running regularly, 5x or so per week with an honest > 30mpw average.
Biking has been sporadic, need get back on a structured plan.
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 October 16, 2019
- ✅ On 10/15/2019 Load the -- Post Marathon / Half Marathon Plan (2wks) to end on 10/28/2019
- ✅ On 10/29/2019 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 11/25/2019
- ✅ On 11/26/2019 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 1 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/23/2019
- ✅ On 12/24/2019 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 1 (7 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 01/20/2020
- 🔲 On 1/6/2020 Load the OutSeason for Triathletes (Bike Focus) Plan, 14wks to end on 04/12/2020
- 🔲 🚨On 4/13/2020 Load the MTB Plan, Ultra Distance (12 Weeks) to end on 5/30/2020🚨
- 🔲 🚨On 5/31/2020 Load the EN Half Run Focused to end on 07/26/2020🚨
- 🔲 On 7/27/2020 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 8/9/2020</p>
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 Homework
Tell Me Your Season Goals
- What will make you consider this season a success?
- What's your biggest limiter right now?
Start Learning
Every month we hold live events as part of our commitment to make you just as smart as you are fit. Feel free to visit our Coach Lesson page and our Office Hours page to find the next opportunity to connect with Coach Patrick and your Teammates.
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)
- Training Plan 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 General Discussion Forum and set the title or tags for that topic. Race questions to the Racing 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
Robin, hey welcome back and congratulations on Chicago. That is some really good fitness to start with. We need get you back on the bike a bit. That will start in earnest at the beginning of the year. Until then there are some of the structured workouts you are looking for in the Run Durability Plan as we extend your current marathon fitness while working in those bike workouts.
Like Patrick said, I'm here to help make your first 30 days as awesome as possible. I want to show you how to get the most out of your workouts, Final Surge, and learn more about how the team can help you get to your race goals. Chat with me here in this forum or schedule another call with me here: https://calendly.com/new-member-phone-call/1
First thing! Subscribe to this Coach Thread and get an email when we respond. Your Coach Thread is the best way to get a hold of us, it documents all of your training and it helps to keep the communication moving. Click on the red star and check box just to the right of your thread title. This way you will get an email when we respond in your Coach thread. See 8 sec video here to set it up:
Get more out of Final Surge! I see you are already sync'd up in Final Surge. Your workouts are posting. Nice work! To get the most out your training - you need that workout data (DONE!) and the story behind the workout. Together, they give you (and us) the complete picture of your training. We definitely want to see those hours, miles, and heart beats - but we also want to know how you felt, mood, how mentally easy or hard the workout was, what you ate and drank on those long rides (helps dial in your fueling and hydration for long races), what went good (as a reminder) and what you want to work on next time. This helps quantify your progression and takes your Final Surge account from just workout data to a full on training log - where you become a faster athlete because you are smarter on how you respond to training You understand you better. It's like you 2.0.
Consider downloading the Final Surge App. This makes it way easier to add comments about how you felt, ate, weather etc (for the bike) and sets, paces etc (for the swim). Those are all super helpful to you as you track your progress, prepare and plan your for your race.
It's super easy to make comments about your workout. Click on the "pencil" icon to tap "how I felt" or "perceived effort." You can add a few notes about what you ate/drank (helps to figure out what works best for you on the bike), how you felt mentally, the weather or any aches etc. Those comments are really handy when you are comparing workouts, tailoring your own training, evaluating progress and planning for your ride. It also makes it easy to look at and plan for your upcoming workouts. Just a quick not goes a long way.
Final Surge | Mobile Apps
https://www.finalsurge.com/apps
Customize your workouts Final Surge
You can/will do some bike and run tests in the next few weeks. You can use your average heart rate (or power) during the test to set you customized workout zones.
You can use that test data to customize your workouts to your individual zones. Once you customize them, the workouts will say 20' @ (135-145 heart rate) vs. 20' @ Zone 2.
Here is how you update your training plan with integrated and customized zones (there is a video here too):
https://www.endurancenation.us/help/final-surge-how-to-update-your-integrated-training-zones/
Your new Friends are waiting for you.
GroupMe is the live version of all things Endurance Nation. This is an app you can download to your smartphone. Visit on the web and even search if you want. The forums are our long-term memory, these chats are Team right here, right now. What to talk new bike? Power meter? Where is the best place to stay at Lake Placid etc?
Racing Smarter is Always Faster.
I did a quick search of our forums and a few Team folks have done Maine 70.3 They wrote up their experience here. You can also contact them by starting a new post and tagging them using the "@" like: @matt limbert.
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/search?Search=ohio+70.3
Jason Fudala, Scott Liston, Jeff Horn, Jason Veith
You can ask them anything. Where to stay? What the swim/bike/run courses are like? What to do with the kids? I can start the post if you want and make the introduction - Just let me know what you are interested in.
My goal is to make your first month of Endurance Nation as simple and as awesome as possible! For any questions you have getting started - chat with me here in this forum or schedule another call with me here: https://calendly.com/new-member-phone-call/1
Welcome.
Talk to you soon.
@Robin Rodriguez You really got after it on Friday! Was that your 3 mile run test? How did it go?
If so you can use your average heart rate (166) to update your next training plan. That way, the workout descriptions during the next training block will change to the numbers that correspond to your zones (ie. it will change from zone 1 to HR (120-135) or something like that.) If you get a change this week, give it shot and customize your plan with your integrated zones. See the video link above.
Matt and Patrick, thank you for the detail! Been a busy couple weeks for me but I am plugged back in and ready to roll!
So my season really looks like Indy Mini 5/2, DK 5/30, and Ohio 70.3 7/26. Not sure how that happened, I am 100% positive it included. I saw your note about not resubmitting a season plan so I am updating here!
I am going to subscribe to the thread so I am plugged in to updates and I am loading up the OS plan in final surge.
Thanks for all the help!
@Robin Rodriguez Good to hear you are getting plugged in and ready to get started. Subscribing to the thread is a great first step. I talked with Coach Patrick and I expect he will get back to you about the best way to incorporate DK into you Season Plan. That race is a monster. Super cool.
@Robin Rodriguez First, you gotta up date that photo yo. Info here, asit really helps the Team to "get to know you" a lot better.
You can do that by following this animated GIF (below)…
Second you and your twin @BRIAN LEHNEN Are looking to give me heartburn...got it! 🤣 I have added 6 weeks of our Ultra MTB plan into your midseason before leaving your 8sh weeks to your 70.3. This is no small task my friend; it could be an epic year without great race performances; you can always adjust as you roll on with me here, but I want to be clear. That first week back from DK will be slow...it hurts like a really hard 70.3. If you are down with that, we are good...but let me know!
Third, you should join the GroupMe Gravel Channel to stay in touch: Gravel Chat
@Robin Rodriguez Nice work getting started this week.