Kevin Flaherty 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
- Brooklyn 1/2 marathon in may
- Ironman 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge (2020-06-07) #70.3VirginiaBR_20
- Ironman 70.3 Atlantic City (2020-09-13) #70.3atlanticcity_20
Your Notes
Minimal races (1/2 marathons and a few 50 mile bike races) over the past 2 years.
2016 IMLP finisher
4 70.3
swiminmg 1500-2000 yards 2x a week
3 runs a week 4-7 miles
2 1 hour trainer road workouts a week
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 5, 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 EN Half Run Focused to end on 6/7/2020
- On 6/8/2020 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 06/21/2020
- On 6/22/2020 Load the EN Half Bike Focused to end on 09/13/2020
- On 9/14/2020 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 09/27/2020
- On 9/28/2020 Load the Durability for Triathletes 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 10/25/2020
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
@Kevin Flaherty
Hey Kevin,
Welcome! Super cool have you with us. I look forward to talking with you next Tues.
Glad to hear you are ready to get back to your fitness and race goals. Thanks for choosing us to help you re-return to triathlon. Let me explain a bit more about your first training block.
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).
Running. You will see a description for TRP (Total Run Pace) this is a pace that is between Z1 and Z2. It should be easy and you should be able to carry on a conversation. That is the pace you will do a bulk of your work in this OutSeason phase. Here is it all about frequency and consistency. Early on, say the first 5 week block, focus on getting the duration in. If you feel good and want to mix up the pace based on the workout - go for it - but as you are transitioning back to structured training we want to play the long game. Consistency and frequency. As you get more consecutive weeks, you can earn the right to mix up the paces. But, early on consistency, frequency, and be conservative on the pacing.
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 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 limbert
What will make this season a success?" and "What is your current limiter?
Success is to PR both races
VA 70.3 break 7 hours
AC &0.3 break 6.5 hours
Limiters-the travel I do for work and arranging/getting in my training
@Kevin Flaherty
Kevin, we can help you reach those PRs. We will help find some additional fitness and can work with you on race day execution to bring out your best run. There is a lot of free time out there - just from dialing in your fueling and hydration (knowing your sweat rate, calorie fueling needs), while pacing on the bike to setup a good run. We will start with building the fitness with the OutSeason, then as you get closer to the race you can start to shift your focus to how to best execute your own race. There are several race rehearsals built into your HIM specificity phase. That is a great time to dial up the focus on learning how to execution with fitness that you have built.
Travel is always tough with the flights, cars and new locations. We will work with you and give you some tips and guidance on what to prioritize and what to let go. With a little forethought, we can really minimize a lot of the impact and get you back to your routine.
I look forward to talking more.
Matt
@Kevin Flaherty
Good to talk with you today. Its great to see you are all sync'd up in Final Surge and are making comments on your workouts. That is really key to managing your training and being objective about the warning signs - like you mentioned about run intensity. You can always write about what went right and wrong or goals for next time. Many of the workouts are progressive, so a quick comment about how you felt at the end of the workout can help you set an achievable goal for the next week when you do the next progression. I'm glad to hear you are comfortable moving workouts around to fit your travel schedule, that is exactly the kind thing we want to see our athletes do and take an active role in planning and adjusting your training to maximize your schedule.
Here is our guidance and reminders for triage and managing workout intensity by priority:
#1. Cut the Interval Length but Keep the Intensity. IOW if 2 x 15' on the bike isn't working for you, can you do 3x10 with more rest or 4x7.5, etc.
#2. Do the Time but Drop the Intensity. If #1 doesn't work, then get in your 2x15' at .9 or .85 instead.
#3. Do the Time Only. If #2 doesn't work, then just get your 45-60 minutes done.
#4. If You have Zero Motivation and #3 is Wicked Unappealing, Do Nothing. Stretch, core, etc is okay but take the day. Better to save now than pay later.
Here is a good place to get started for getting smarter on your own race execution:
Countdown to Race Day:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/MasterRacingPages/MasterENHalfPage.aspx
Race Execution:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/RacingMemberCentral/RaceExecutionDetails/MasterRaceExecutionPage(HalfFull).aspx
-Note. Important Attention Span Safety Tip: The 4 keys video is long - but really good insight on the fundamentals of racing. The written notes has more detail. It can be be a bit overwhelming, so best to start with the video and take the notes a segment at a time.
Coach Lessons: (racing in the heat, peaking, tapering, fueling, setting appropriate race goals....)
http://members.endurancenation.us/Learning/CoachLessons.aspx
I look forward to hearing more about your training.
@Kevin Flaherty
Kevin, I saw your post and updated your Season Roadmap and Final Surge with the 2020 plans. You are all set!
@matt limbert thank you!
@Kevin Flaherty I saw your comments about your run test today. Bummer. On the upside you will get another shot at it in a few weeks. We schedule a test every 5 weeks so - 11 March. That gives you a few workouts to dial in the run pacing. I really like your consistency and your pacing on the bike is getting better and better. How do you think it is it going?
@matt limbert overall very happy with how things are going. Need to remember I am not running a 24.5 minute 5k and reset my expectations and run paces. I also need to really dial in my nutrition and drop 10-15 lbs and then I will see the run pace pick up.
Will look forward to the 11th!
Thanks!
@Kevin Flaherty
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
@Kevin Flaherty Thanks for posting your feedback to us!!!
Rate Your Fitness (Scale of 1 to 3):
Your Swim: 2
Your Bike: 2
Your Run: 1
Body Composition: 1
Additional Info:
Biggest Improvement So Far? my volume has increased from what i had been doing nicely
How Else Can We Help You? nothing at this time
Would You Recommend Endurance Nation to a Friend? Yes
Thanks so much for sending in your feedback. I'm pleased to see where you're going, but I do appreciate that you had a tough run test. Don't get down about it, you're doing the right work. I modified your OutSeason® training program a little bit to give you room to add an additional running on Saturday before or after the break. My hope here is that we can get your run volume closer to 20 miles per week (increasing gradually over the next 2 to 3 weeks) and keep it there for the remainder of your time in the OutSeason® and I think this frequency change and slight additional volume should make a solid change for you!
@Coach Patrick Thank you. Looking forward to adding the volume.
@Kevin Flaherty Good to chat today, thanks for the time. Always good to be able to put a voice to what I read you inside the forms. As I mentioned on the call, let's plan on reconnecting after your break to see how you have handled the uptick in running during that vacation week. I want to make sure you stay on track with your big picture goals even as we navigate this early part of the season. 👍
@matt limbert run question. When doing my long runs and trying to keep it in TRP the later miles my heart rate is creeping higher. My TRP is 127-137 and I seem to be running 13 minute miles. When I creep up (138-142 BPM) I have tried to slow down and control my breathing and when it creeps over 143 I walk till I get in the low 120's. My question is, is this ok or once I am out of zone is it better to walk and bring it down immediately? Just a little frustrating running so slow and still not being able to keep HR down.
Thanks
@Kevin Flaherty Coach P here...I hear you on the drifting HR, it's a function of pacing, fitness, nutrition and conditions.
Pacing...you are steady, so that's good...
Fitness...building, so this will get better over time...
Nutrition...dehydration can hurt you over time with a higher HR; good time to check in and make sure your fueling plan is on point.
Conditions...sometimes wind, temperature, terrain can all play a role; if you've solved for the other three issues and this is the only remaining one, I would be a litttle more relaxed with your guidance (After all, you are working harder!).
~ Coach P
@Kevin Flaherty
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
@Kevin Flaherty Thanks for knocking out that survey. I saw your comments about run working more on run fitness and body composition. What else can you tell us there? Is there more to the story?
@matt limbert Body comp I have 20lbs I need to lose and have been struggling with this. If and when I lose the weight it will also help the run fitness. As for run fitness I am fine with running an hour or more its just keeping my hr in check and at this low hr my pace is so slow. I know this will come with additional time and when the weight comes off.
Just a little frustrated now as I have been sick since Saturday. Nothing crazy but i've been very tired, scratchy throat and a cough so working out has been put on hold. Hopefully I get something in today as I am feeling slightly better
Thanks
@Kevin Flaherty - kind of low level cold can really be annoying. Definitely worthwhile taking back the intensity just to give your body room to get back to normal. Make sure you're staying hydrated and that you're getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night as that will also help. If you have a little bit of extra time, could you tell us quickly what you've been doing to tackle the body composition stuff? Maybe we can build out a plan together!
Month Three Status Update from Kevin Flaherty
Rate Your Fitnesss (Scale of 1 to 3):
Additional Info:
@Kevin Flaherty Looks like you got over the cold. How did last week go? Did I see a surf in there?! That has got to be the best cross training - you get all the benefits of swimming, plus you get stoked!
@matt limbert feeling better but still not 100%. heart rate is still high even on easy stuff and still have a cough but felt good to get back on the bike and start running again.
Pretty sure that Ironman 70.3 Virginia will be canceled or postponed. Would I be better going back into out season or stay in 1/2 irnonman prep without the swim?
Thanks
@Kevin Flaherty Things are so unpredictable 🤪 so let's get back to normal workouts after being sick and focus on nailing a couple weeks in a row. Doing a short ride 30' easy aerobic work (not running!) - then doing some core work will make big difference when we can finally get back into the pools. Here are some ideas for core work - plank, side plank, plank opposite arm and leg balance: http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=OutSeason+Core+and+Swim+Preparation+Routine
We could switch to a OutSeason - bike centric focus, but it might be too early. If you substitute the just that bit of aerobic work + core you will hedge your bet for Virginia, have a great core, and set yourself up for the second half of the season. How does that sound?
@matt limbert @Coach Patrick with Virginia canceled and most likely the Brooklyn half marathon is there an easy way to cancel the current 1/2 ironman training and replace it with an OS plan? Not sure if you can delete a current plan all at once or if I need to delete the workouts 1 by 1. Finding motivation tuff at this time and was hoping that the OS plan would give me a little more motivation.
Thanks
@Kevin Flaherty Done! 💥 Your new OutSeason is loaded into Final Surge. I shuffled modified the workouts for this weekend. You can always get a surf in if that is still an option. 🏄️
Looking at your workout history. You had some really good consistency with this plan early on. The workout pattern seems to agree with you. It has the run on Sunday and enough hard bike (but shorter) bike work during the week to keep your bike fitness and reduce the load bearing stress of running, but still building fitness. Fitness geek speak for biking will build your fitness and save some pounding on your legs. 😂
This is good plan to use during this unpredictable time. You can still build some balanced fitness and easily transition from this plan to either a run, bike, or triathlon - depending on when things open up again.
Give us a 😀 or 👍️ or GTG or another witty answer to let us know what you think!
@matt limbert Thanks, think at this time this plan suites me better. I seem to be good at 400-500 TSS and if I can keep this up for awhile I believe it will help me when I can get a race back on the calendar.
Hoping for a little surf to clear the mind. As soon as this is all over cant wait to get on a plane to my place in puerto rico and escape this all and surf for a week.
Thank you again and stay safe!😀
😀 Thanks for the reply. Talk to you soon.
@Kevin Flaherty - hey man, thanks so much for filling out our check in form. We use this every month just to make sure that we're touching base with our athletes. It's super helpful to be able to get a regular update just so we can keep track of your overall progress.
Here's what you shared:
As a reminder, Kevin Flaherty Is on the TeamEN (Coaching + Community Level) and is following the OutSeason for Triathletes (Bike Focus) Plan, 14wks.
His Rankings are as follows:
Next month's focus: Get more consistent with my run
Oh, to follow up on the run thing. I can see that you're doing on average about three runs a week. You've had a couple good weeks with four or five runs but those tend to be earlier in April. When increasing the run is a priority, we are changing two things: habits and fitness load.
Habits - you need to find a way to make the run happen from a logistical standpoint. So for example, if you're already riding on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then we just cut that workout 15 minute short and have your sneakers right next to the bike so you can go run out and back. Five minutes out five minutes back done. That way you've done a bike workout, and you did the run. It doesn't have to be a long run to start, we're just building the habit that you run off the bike.
Once you get successful at building a habit, we can talk about changing the Fitness load. If people just focus on total run volume when they make this change, typically the Fitness load gets too high and there's fatigue or some feeling of overload. By working in shorter freaking runs, even a short is just 1 mile, you are doing this in an incremental way that makes sense to your body.
And as short as a mail may seem, it definitely has an impact on your overall running and fitness to add extra days of runs. Don't think of it as a distance of a single run, think of it as total number of days run.
Can we do this?
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick Just wanted to say thank you for the Foam Roller. Just got home and the package was at home. I will put it to good use!
@Kevin Flaherty Awesome. That thing was amaze. The only advice I would give you is to make sure that you do it on a carpet or a yoga mat. Wasn't so user-friendly on my hardwood floor. I would get off of the roller and it would bounce away from me! I saw your checking notes and I'm excited to hear about the new job and appreciate the hard work you're putting in right now. I think you're in the best possible place given the situation.
With Races being up in the air we are using events like @Al Truscott 's DIY Tri in August as a target so we can train and still get the same type of build, peak and recovery that we would get in a normal year. This way we aren't sitting around waiting for someone else to figure things out with a random municipality. If that something that interest you, we can redirect you towards that Olympic/have fire and distance event. You would be doing it alongside your teammates here but virtually and in your neck of the woods.
Prefer, I saw your note about downgrading to plan a.m. Totally fine, hundred percent up to you. Doing that turns off this forum thread for you and I Interact. That said, we are accessible once a week through the final surge in box or you can message us there. You lose access to our monthly chats and videos but otherwise you should be pretty good. If that something you're interested in, just head over to the members website And use the red chat button at the bottom of any page to request help from Brenda!
Have a great one!
~ Coach P
@Brenda Ross with everything going on between the Covid, work and some family things I need to see about suspending my membership. Hopefully if I can register for Placid 2021 I will be back Nov 1 if not most likely 1/1/21. Please let me know what is needed.
Thank you
@Kevin Flaherty I am sending you an email.