Dennis Cruff Official Coach Thread [TeamEN]
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
- 04/25/2020 (Triathlon) Rumpass in Bumpass Olympic
- 05/09/2020 (triathlon) kinetic Half
- Ironman World Championship (2020-10-10) #IMKona_20
Your Notes
ironman Maryland 09/2019 1st 60-64 . 10:57
Luray Int 8/17/2019, Sprint 8/18/2019 . 1st 60-64
various local races 2017
Ironman Coeur d Alene 6/2014 11:30
Ironman Louisville 8/2007 . ~12:10
Great Floridian 2003 ~11:15
Since Maryland:
- swimming 3x/wk 8000 yds
- running 3x/wk 20 miles
- Occasional 30 mile bike or hour on trainer: easy
‼️Was sick for a couple of weeks in December so lost some fittness
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 January 2, 2020
- ✅ On 1/6/2020 Load the OutSeason for Triathletes (Bike Focus) Plan, 14wks to end on 4/12/2020
- **Transition Early**
- 🔲 On 3/9/2020 Load the EN Half Bike Focused to end on 5/10/2020
- 🔲 On 5/11/2020 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 5/24/2020
- 🔲 On 5/25/2020 Load the Bike Focus Block, 2019 (6wks) to end on 7/5/2020
- 🔲 On 7/6/2020 Load the -- EN Full Bike Focused to end on 10/11/2020
- 🔲 On 10/12/2020 Load the -- Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 11/8/2020
- 🔲 On 11/9/2020 Load the -- Durability for Triathletes 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/6/2020
- 🔲 On 12/7/2020 Load the -- Durability for Triathletes 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 1/3/2021
- 🔲 On 1/4/2021 Load the -- Durability for Triathletes 3 (7 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 1/31/2021
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 General Discussion 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
@Dennis Cruff
Hey Dennis,
Welcome! Super cool have you with us. Congratulations on your Kona qualification and age group win at IM MD. I loaded the OutSeason Bike Focused plan into your Final Surge calendar. Coach Patrick will finish updating the HIM and IM plans soon (Jan 13 or so), you (or I) can load the rest of your season with the most current training plans.
The OutSeason is 14 weeks. 4+1 test week, 4+1 test week, 3+1 test week. The test weeks are when you will redo you FTP test and track your progression. It is a bike focused block, but you can still add your swimming and there is a baseline level of running for durability. The intensity is focused on the bike with a variety of shorter intervals early in the week, longer intervals mid week, followed by a ABP (Always Be Pushing) ride that is around 3.0-3.8 W/kg, or a CNC (Cruise and Crush) ride that is around 2.5 W/kg but has a few max efforts (45 sec, 4+ minutes, then a 30' sustained effort). A lot of the athletes on the Team ride on Zwift and coordinate ride times using the GroupMe chat (see below for the link).
Remember to give us an update on your homework,"What will make this season a success?" and "What is your current limiter?" I want to help you get the most out of your EN membership and training.
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
A few thoughts on getting setup and organized.
First off, think of this as an opportunity to get fitter, smarter, and share your experience with the rest of the team. Coach Patrick has designed a Season Roadmap for you. The progression of workouts will get you fitter and prepare you physically to race but, getting smarter about training and race execution is what sets Endurance Nation apart from other programs. Here you have access to Coach Patrick (11x Kona qualifier), a library of his Coach Lessons, and the experience of hundreds of other athletes across all age groups - willing to share their advice and what has worked (or not) for them. We would love to have your experience and voice in those forums too.
Want to know the best equipment to buy? Where to stay for your race? How to triage you week of training when you have to travel for work? How to ride hills efficiently? How manage your power and heart rate on a hot day? You name it the Team can help you and make you a smarter athlete. There is free speed out there just by being smarter at how you play the game. Check out the GroupMe, forums and the learning section from the main Endurance Nation page to get started (see below for links).
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.
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 takes your Final Surge account from just workout data to a full on training log - where you see your progression and become a smarter athlete.
To make comments, select the activity and 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.
Here are a few things to do:
#1 Subscribe to your Coach Thread.
Subscribe to your 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 questions, its always here for your reference.
Here is how:
#2 Get setup in Final Surge.
It looks like you already did this. I saw your run and ride post from Garmin connect which is great.
Keep in mind, if you plan to ride inside on Zwift, then link your Strava account with Final Surge. Once you connect to Strava, you will have to disconnect your Garmin. Otherwise, you will get double workouts uploaded.
#3 Down load the Final Surge App
Final Surge | Mobile Apps
https://www.finalsurge.com/apps
#4 Join our GroupMe chat and join the Team
Our forums and GroupME chat its a great place to learn, ask questions and connect for accountability with other Team members. Need to buy a new training gadget? What is the best xxxx? Want some advice about your race we? We have someone on the Team that as done it before and can help you race like a veteran. Ask in the group chat, start a forum post, or just search the library.
Your new Friends are waiting for you.
GroupMe 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 a running dialogue with the rest of the Team
GroupMe
· EN Live 24/7 [Join Here]
· Run Group [Join Here]
· Zwift Chat [Join Here]
· Events [Join Here]
· Race Groups [Join Here]
Forums
You have complete access to the entire Team, Coach Lesson Videos, Race Execution Guidance and tons of race reports to help you learn more about training and racing.
SignIn
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/categories
Learn More about your Outseason Plan
SignIn
http://members.endurancenation.us/TrainingPlan/TrainingPlanCentralPage.aspx#full
#5 Customize your workouts in Final Surge
You will eventually do run and bike tests. You don't have to do them right away. But, in the next few weeks we'll schedule one when you feel ready. Then we will use your average heart rate during the test to set you customized workout 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/
My goal is to make your first month of Endurance Nation as simple and as awesome as possible! I want to help you get the most out of your workouts, Final Surge, learn more about race execution and how the team can help you get to your race goals.
Talk with you soon,
Matt, Training Plan Coordinator
Matt,
Glad to have finally pulled the trigger and signed up for some coaching. Been training on my own and coaching myself for 15 years. I'm looking to take things to the next level whatever that may be. While I already qualified for Kona lots of things fell into place at Maryland and I'm not sure I can replicate the results. I'm technologically challenged. Up till now I've used a Garmin speed/Cadence on my bike and occasionally wear a watch running but that's about it. Never kept a training log except Garmin uploads to Map my ride. My wife got me an Apple watch for Christmas and I got myself some Garmin Vector 3 power meters which just arrived yesterday. I've spent the past week trying to learn the web sites and various apps and programs and I'm making some progress.
A successful season is finishing Kona. Pretty simple. I know 2 guys who got in on the lottery back in the day but never got there due to crashes in training. I do most of my biking outdoors and I never take for granted just staying healthy and getting to a big race. Lots of secondary goals but with smart training I have no doubt they will take care of themselves.
Limiting factor is knowing how to train. Not afraid of doing the work but need help knowing what work to do. Second limiting factor is ego. Need to try hard to listen and take advice.
I have many other hobbies and still work up to 60 hours a week so will need some flexibility in training schedule. Mondays and Thursdays are long/busy days at work so I can sometimes fit in a short swim or run but not much else. I take call every 4th day/weekend so can sometimes be up all night. I don't bounce back like I used to. I'm the old guy at work so I take Wednesday afternoons off and devote that time to training. I took Wednesday's completely off the three months prior to Maryland and did my long swim and bike that day. I plan on doing that again this summer for Kona. This way I have a weekend day to play with family and not be exhausted. I have several ski trips this winter and some sailing trips in the spring to work around but that shouldn't be a problem.
I'm a swimmer so I do plan to continue 3x/week if thats OK. Even a hard swim feels like recovery to me. I usually feel better when I'm done.
I put my run and swim test results in the FS program. Both went well and I think are accurate indicators of my current fitness. Can do the bike later this week once I dial in the power meters.
I have a call set up Wed 10:00 AM
Thanks again.
Dennis
@Dennis Cruff
Dennis! Great to hear from you. We're stoked to have you on the team. Thanks for choosing us to help you with your season and preparation for Kona. You have a ton of potential. Over the past 15 years you have developed a nice sense of pace and effort, which means you already have a good feeling for perceived effort. I'm like that you are willing to learn more about the data and using a training log. Together, the comments you keep and the data you capture tell the story of season. We want a balance of keeping the training fun and learning as we go. We can use your experience and capture how you are feeling so you CAN replicate a great race. You can learn what works for you and what doesn't.
Your Final Surge account looks good. Your Garmin data is already posting there automatically. I love that your are tracking your HRV and HR. That those metrics along with your mood and overall feeling will give some objective and subjective indicators you can use to manage your stress and rest balance. If you want to connect you Apple watch to Final Surge. You will need to link to a free Strava account first. So, your data will go from Apple Watch -> Strava -> Final Surge. Here are some instructions if you are interested:
We can help you make your season successful and develop your limiters. Coach Patrick has put together a structured plan with a progressively challenging workload and rest. And we take a lot of pride developing fitness, but also focus on making you a smarter athlete. So, you understand you as an athlete better and make good decisions about your own training and racing. We have a several lifelong 50-60+ athletes on the Team (several are multiple time Kona qualifiers - See Wicked Smart Members Al Truscott and Shelia Leard http://members.endurancenation.us/Community/WickedSmartMembers.aspx that are very generous and share their experience in training and racing.
Thanks for the run down on your schedule. I really like how you used the extra time on Wednesdays. We can work with you to find a pattern that fits your schedule and incorporates enough rest. I love that you have those ski and sailing trips too. They give us some intermediate goals to break up your training, while giving you a bit of break and fun time with your family.
Nice job with the run and swim tests. You can customize your run zones if you want to. You can do the first couple of weeks and see how it goes before customize. You have a good sense of perceived effort.
I don't see an appointment for Wed. What time do you want? Tell me here or, if you don't mind, try to re-book it. I look forward to talking with you on Wed.
Matt
First month in the books so checking in.
Got the Email about entering 2020 races from Coach P. but I thing I'm already in the database for my 3 races so far. Not sure how to check.
Been biking on Zwift and its going surprisingly well for someone who hated indoor training. Really enjoyed the group ride. My wife likes that I'm safe in the house.
The plan is more challenging then I expected for January but getting it done within my life restraints. No injuries and I like the knowledge that I only need to do whats written and I'll be fine come race season.
Hope to do the birthday challenge this weekend.
Let me know if I'm missing something
Dennis
@Dennis Cruff
Dennis, thanks for checking in! Great to hear from you. Awesome that you went skiing. Bummer you got sick. Overall we really like the consistency of your training. You are off to a good start, and I love your use of the perceived effort and how you felt . It shows great discipline and flexibility - you will be back to normal in no time. It's nice to scan the month and see that you generally are feeling good, even while so of the workouts were tough 😂.
Zwift can be a game changer. Between solo rides, workouts, races, group rides - you can typically find something that fits and its a lot of fun.
You aren't missing anything. It looks good from here. When you get a chance, check out Coach Patrick's latest Coach Lesson. It covers the new Full and Half Plans you will use later in the season:
@Dennis Cruff
https://endurancenation.wistia.com/medias/bl9laz9l18
Welcome to your SECOND MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
Our goal is to check in with you, determine the best way to help you continue your journey, and share your progress with the Team!
First off, watch Coach Patrick’s Month Two video.
Step One: Quick Update
Please use this form to update us on how things are going: https://forms.gle/k9p2o3ZYyhGo9U2N6 We will follow up with guidance and advice here in this thread.
Step Two: Book Your Coach Check In Call
As part of TeamEN, you and Coach Patrick will talk one-on-one roughly 4x per year. Let’s connect soon and keep you rolling. Book your check in call with Coach Patrick online here: https://calendly.com/pmccrann/15min
Step Three: Pick Your Learning Focus
We have several courses and resources for you based on your interest. You can browse the Courses here or review the Coach Lesson archive here.
Need help picking a focus area? Ask us right here in this forum thread (be sure to @CoachP!!), via the red chat icon on the Members Site or by going to Help / Email Support.
Step Four: Your Friends are Waiting
We have several GroupMe channels where we want to hear about your training or you can get a quick answer to your latest race or gear question. Get motivation and team awesomeness via EN Live on Facebook or if you’d rather chat, then find your home on the most relevant Team EN GroupMe chat channel.
Looking forward to your next step!
~ Brenda
@Brenda Ross , @matt limbert ,
Delayed response. Was on vacation and then work a bit crazy plus trying to cram in as much training in a week as possible before I'm off skiing later this week. I know tough life. All is well. Got careless with hydration while in the keys and payed the price with severe cramps half way into a long run. This is a recurring issue in the heat which will need some work come Kona Training. Made up for it with a great 10 miler today on tired legs after the cruise and crush this morning.
I filled out the quick update form.
No real questions for coach P. right now. Would like to save the calls for when I get closer to the half and then heading into Kona.
I'll look at the using data 101 course as this is all new to me. I've done a couple of outdoor rides with the power meter and I'm all over the place. I did get a Stryde and have gotten it calibrated so it's accurate on outdoor runs. No idea what to do with the data.
Still not a social media socialite but I'll work on it.
Will need the abbreviated half plan loaded next week. Kinetic half (my B race) May 9. I do have an olympic distance April 25 as well.
Thanks for everything.
Dennis
@Dennis Cruff
Great to hear from you. No better place to test that sweat rate than in the keys! Sorry to hear about those cramps - especially half-way in to a run. You will do a sweat test early in your training to set a baseline and then again when it gets hotter to simulate Kona conditions. We will use the baseline as our starting point and you can/will experiment with hydration and additional salts. With a few tests and trials you will get that dialed in. Thanks for the quick form update. We can talk bike and run power when you get back from skiing. We can recommend how to setup your bike computer to use power during the ride and what to look at after the ride. Enjoy the skiing and drop us a note when you get back and we'll tackle some of this stuff. Talk to you soon. Matt
@Dennis Cruff thanks so much for submitting your month to check in file. Excited to help you work on that.
Month Two Status Update from Dennis Cruff
Rate Your Fitnesss (Scale of 1 to 3):
Your Swim: 2
Your Bike: 2
Your Run: 2
Body Composition: 2
Additional Info:
Biggest Improvement So Far? Bike Strength
How Else Can We Help You? Riding based on power. All over the place when outside.
Would You Recommend Endurance Nation to a Friend? Yes
One of the areas that you mentioned having trouble with is the focusing of your power outside. Mona thinks that we suggest you do is adjust the data on your power meter to show you a rolling average instead of absolute power numbers. The rolling average effectively "Smooths" the power to a number that you can more effectively manage.
At the beginning you might have to do a five second average (or maybe 10!), but overtime you should be able to get two or three second average and be pretty consistent with your output. Here's a short discussion from le web that might help answer a few more question: https://forum.trainerroad.com/t/how-much-power-smoothing/12818
This process is effectively helping you calibrate your body, your muscles, to what you see on the screen. This isn't a problem you can't solve, it's just something you will get better at solving over time.
@Dennis Cruff
https://endurancenation.wistia.com/medias/nfahr9cl1b
Welcome to your THIRD MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
Our goal this month is to help you be race ready for your next big event and make sure your connected with your teammates!
First OFF, be sure to check out Coach Patrick’s video online here.
Step One: Quick Update Form
Please use this form to update us on how things are going: https://forms.gle/2BAufR2WyTUjkHvE7 We will follow up with guidance and advice via email so you can stay on track.
Step Two: Research Your Race
Leverage your teammates to make sure your race is the best it can be.
Step Three: Connect with Fellow Racers
** 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.
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 on 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!
~ Team EN
@Dennis Cruff Just checking in. How is it going? Nice FTP test last week BTW.
Man Plans...God Laughs
Like everyone else in a state of limbo. Early season races cancelled. New tentative plans are for REV3 half August 2 in Webster Mass. Hopefully Kona won't be affected. The Virginia championships (olympic distance) is in early June. If that goes I'll try to defend my title. Reluctant to commit more non refundable $$$ yet so just playing it by ear.
Is the August 2 timing for a half OK with my Kona training?
Training has been going good. Feeling strong on the bike and smooth on the run. No injuries. Having swim withdrawals but fortunately I live on the water and it will be warm enough to swim with wetsuit in a few weeks. Work is going to be the wild card in next few weeks. Might get ugly.
I started at week 4 of the half plan early March and have just kept going with that until had some clarity. What plan do you suggest for now?
Doing better riding with power. Did my homework. Making all reference to speed/distance disappear from the screen helped. Still high variability but getting reproducible interval power averages.
Stay safe out there.
Dennis
@Dennis Cruff Plans!? Eh?! What a great perspective and attitude! 😂 HIM August 3 is great. It is far enough out that it will not significantly impact the volume build for Kona. We will have to modify the training that week and maybe the next depending on how hard you go, heat, hydration, fueling, and recovery. That is all completely doable.
Glad to hear the training is going well. Your Final Surge looks good. Nice FTP test. Consistently running. Good bike duration. Quality long run. You are doing a nice job overall and really putting the foundation together.
If work gets ugly, chat with us here. Consistency is your friend. So, even a short workout is better than nothing. Coach Patrick is a huge believer in the 1 hour hard bike and 2-3 mile run. Those short runs - really help extend your run fitness through those challenging schedule days. You have a good handle on what fits your schedule, we are always happy to help.
Yeah, I hear you about the power variability. Part of this is improving your riding skills of shifting and pressure on the pedals and managing the terrain, the other part is understanding what is your own window of acceptable variability - as you get better at the first part (skills) you can dial down that rolling average from 30s, 15s, 10s, 5s, 3s. The lower you go in time average the more variability you will see. If you can hold steady at 3s you are getting really pro! 😀
Let me know what you think.
Dennis, Thanks for the update via Chat. Now that we know the Kinetic Half is canceled we can reshape the rest of your season. I summarized our Chat here.
Me: I have a few ideas that I want to run by Coach Patrick - mid-July will start your Kona build (give or take 12 weeks out). We want to to enter that block rested, but with enough fitness and volume that the jump to IM build will not be shock. So we have to be smart about April, May, June. It sound like you could use a rest or a bit of recovery. This build + work has most likely put some additional stress load on you? What would you think of a easier week this week to reset a bit absorb what you have done to get read for the half and then begin next week. I can move some of the taper week workouts into this week to finish it off.
You: Whatever you all think is best. I feel good and have extra time for now. Left to my own devices I would probably do too much. Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------
So, here is the plan from Coach Patrick.
Close out the OutSeason. Then we up that bike volume a bit with bike focus, then prep then IM. Sound good?
On 3/30/2020 Load the OutSeason for Triathletes (Bike Focus) Plan, 14wks to end on 5/10/2020 41 [ last 6 weeks]
On 5/11/2020 Load the Bike Focus Block, 2019 (6wks) to end on 6/21/2020 41 [ 6 weeks ]
On 6/22/2020 Load the EN Full Prep Plan, 4wks to end on 7/19/2020 27 [ 4 weeks ]
On 7/20/2020 Load the -- EN Full Bike Focused to end on 10/11/2020 83 [ 12weeks]
On 10/12/2020 Load the -- Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 11/8/2020 27 [ 4 weeks ]
@matt limbert
Managed to get into forums through back door on Safari. Had to use an old history link. Hope it will be reproducible. Thanks for loading everything up.
Dennis
Drop us an update any time!
Mat
On Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 2:41 PM Dennis Cruff <
teamenforums+d26349-s6029573@gmail.com> wrote:
> [image: Endurance Nation Community]
>
> ------------------------------
> Dennis Cruff mentioned you in Dennis Cruff Official Coach Thread [TeamEN]
>
> @matt limbert
>
> Managed to get into forums through back door on Safari. Had to use an old
> history link. Hope it will be reproducible. Thanks for loading everything
> up.
>
> Dennis
>
> --
> Reply to this email directly or follow the link below to check it out:
>
> https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/comment/284322#Comment_284322
> Check it out
>
>
Injury report
After VO2 bike on Sat went for short run and legs felt terrible in general. Good ride Sunday AM but cut short long run in afternoon with pain lower anterior left leg/ankle. Took 3 days off and leg felt fine at rest. Felt fine on Bike Thursday so did bike test (FTP 242😋). Easy run after and leg still sore so went real easy. Tried easy run today and still sore. Don't think it's the dreaded stress fracture. Pain is not on bone, no tenderness, no pain at rest and can jump up and down without pain. Definitely not compartment syndrome so think its just some anterior tibialis tendonitis. While the pain is only while running I wonder if the high intensity intervals and pulling up on the pedals more than usual is contributing. Figured I'll just do some easy rides this weekend and no running. See how it feels Monday. Any thoughts.
Dennis
@Dennis Cruff Thanks for letting us know. No pain on the bone and being able to jump up and down without pain are encouraging, but be would like to know more. Can you post picture and point to the area that hurts? Also, how old are your running shoes in terms of miles or time in use? Any idea?
In the short term for training this weekend: Skip the optional run on Sat and Long Run on Sunday. Use some walking for mobility. Also, reduce the intensity of the rides this weekend too. You have Cruise and Crush this weekend - so let's do more Cruise and no crush and Sunday just do the Bonus ride with no run.
Tried to post picture but iPhone pictures won't send. Once I figure out how to convert HEIC to JPEG I'll try again but that could take a while. Good question on the shoes. New a month ago so only 120 or so miles. Same family ASICs I've been wearing for 20 years but they clearly have changed. These do feel stiffer and I seem to be slapping the ground more. I don't buy into the change shoes every 3-400 miles. I usually go a year or until they start to fall apart. Might throw on my old shoes when I start back and see if it makes a difference. Bike today felt fine. No soreness at all today.
Thanks, Dennis
@Dennis Cruff I just realized that I read this but didn't reply. Sorry. I was happy to hear that you didn't have any soreness, which is encouraging. You think that after 20 years they would just leave the design alone. If the old ones feel better or at least different it would be worth contacting Asics customer service 1 (855) 233-3120, Roadrunner Sports 1 (800) 636-3560, or your local store and asking them for a recommended model that matches the last one that you liked.
@Dennis Cruff It looks like your running is coming back around. What's the full story? How are feeling?
@matt limbert @Coach Patrick
Making slow steady progress. After the first 2 weeks the pain/soreness settled into the front of the ankle. As long as I kept my stride very short I was OK. Only hurt if I tried to go faster then 9:00 miles at which time I had immediate pain which improved when I slowed back down. I just slowly built up distance to 6 miles at a time and 20/wk. This week I have been able to increase the pace some and have remained pain free. (Pain free being relative as something always hurts on a good day). Looking back I was running far faster on a regular basis than I have in 10 years. Based on training zones and how I felt on a daily basis it was fine but I just don't think my joints can handle that kind of stress. I'm not exactly built to be a runner. No ankle pain at all when biking. Just the good burning pain everywhere else.
As far as the big picture my boat and other interests compete with training for my free time. Without a big race on the schedule the other interests take a higher priority which is fine. I have been following the out season plan reasonably well minus the long runs. Hopefully will have some guidance on Hawaii before I need to ramp things up. In the meantime will move on to the bike focused block next week as planned. Will hopefully add some open water swimming as well.
@Dennis Cruff Good to hear from you again and happy to hear the foot/ankle is getting better. We'll keep the speed limitation in mind when you start the IM race specific block. The 20 miles/wk is perfect and exactly where you want to be right now. You will finish this OutSeason block and start a Bike Focused block. There are 2x BIG rides in there over the next few weeks. It would be great if you could fit those in. Scroll through it and check out the timing.The running during this block is largely durability. No need to push the speed. Consistency and frequency, a few strides - let's not go any faster than we need to right now. If you want to and can add swimming that is great and keep it fun. We like that you have some other interests, it keeps you balanced and mentally healthy. Like you said, there might be some guidance or insight before you need to ramp things up. Some media outlets are writing about the possibility of moving the race to February 2021. With 2021 having two races in the same year. One in February and then again in October 2021. Too soon to tell - I'll drop you a note if we get any super secret insight 😂. Enjoy the boat and keep knocking out the work. Let us know what you think.
I’m back, I hope. Been a rough couple of months at work and life in general. On feet all day and many nights and just physically and mentally exhausted and frequently sleep deprived. Throw in 2 months with heat indexes in the high 90’s to 110 and quality training was hard to come by. Even when I had some time to train I’ve been just to beat to do anything meaningful. This is not uncommon for me. In the 22 years I have been doing triathlons I start out most seasons planning to race but about half the seasons it never happens. Just can’t muster the motivation to overcome the obstacles.
I was hoping to do the virtual races in August and October but clearly not going to happen so time to adjust the plan.
Race plan from this year just got pushed back till next year so that means an Olympic in April, Half in May and Hawaii in October 2021 with some shorter races thrown in if time and fitness allows.
Here is where I’m at now:
Swimming is fine. 45 min 3-4 times a week. Sometimes the only thing keeping me sane. Very time efficient as pool is across street from work.
Biking has been a challenge. No time for anything longer than 2-3 hours. Haven’t been able to swing Wednesday’s off and with call weekends and family commitments I just can’t devote a whole weekend day to biking. Even if I start early if I go longer than that I’m toast the rest of the day. Should be down to 1/2 days on Wednesday’s again now so that will help. I’ve at least managed one good FTP workout each week but other than that been slow.
Running has been more problematic. 2 weeks ago couldn’t go 6 miles without walk breaks or sitting. Last week did shorter runs but 10-12 min miles. With cooler temps and some rest things are slowly improving. I think the run is most affected by long hours operating and the heat. On the plus side I should be fully healed from the injury in March. So I’m not hurt, just slow.
Thats where I’m at. Need a new plan and hopefully things will settle down and I’ll be able to follow it.
Dennis
@Coach Patrick , @matt limbert Forgot to tag you on above post .
Dennis
Hey Dennis,
Great to hear from you! It has been a rough couple of months for everybody. That work stress (emotional and physical) is sneaky, it builds up in the background a little bit a time. Then 3,4, or 6 weeks down the road you are like "I'm smoked. How did this happen?" Glad you checked in. Glad your injury is healed. Gald we are talking. We have plenty of time.
We can totally work with your schedule and time constraints. A lot of the training early in your build (like we are now) is around an hour. We'll work on the long stuff and find a time and place for that. Right now we want to find that consistency and fun in the workouts. We also need to target some intermediate goals. We need to break up the year. Maybe a key bike or run goal, maybe a race, maybe something that you could do as a DIY event, something that you/we can control. Lets shoot for something super short term like the next 4-6 weeks and then some thing before the holidays as a fitness check. Then something in the early Spring like March. That will keep us focused on the short term progression that sets up the fitness you need for a Kona build. We will take those events and develop some blocks of training around them with the goal progression of Kona. We just said Kona. (How cool is that?!) What do you think? What do you have in mind?
We can put something together in the next few days.
What do you think?
@Dennis Cruff Here's your updated TSR for what you just submitted...and you can work with @matt limbert to add some "spice" to the program. I have you starting with our durability program, which gives you lots of room to modify things. We will then progress to the outseason and then work our way through adding intensity and volume to the program towards the half. We will recover, go bike focused and then into the final full distance plan.
Our recommended build up for you is as follows:
Thank you @matt limbert and @Coach Patrick . It all sounds good. Perhaps a DIY Olympic Tri at the end of the second run durability block as an intermediate goal.
Dennis
@Dennis Cruff I got your Check-In update, and have pasted it below. This is part of our monthly process to stay connected, so thanks for filling it out!
Looks like you've been really crushing it on the bike and run... How is the WTRL racing affecting you? For some folks that proves to be super challenging and can hurt other workouts. Are you managing well?
Rankings are as follows:
- Swim Fitness vs Last Month: 1
- Bike Fitness vs Last Month: 3
- Run Fitness vs Last Month: 3
- Body Comp vs Last Month: 2
Next month's focus: outseason, continue zwift wtrl
@Coach Patrick , @matt limbert . WTRL has been great. I'm very goal driven and having a weekly race and trying to get better each week has benefited my fitness overall and more importantly my physche. Not only improved power numbers on the bike but with 2 months of run durability under my belt I've felt better running these past 2 weeks then I have since June. The cooler weather and less crazy at work has certainly helped. On to the Outseason.
Dennis