Thom Reid Official Coach Thread [TeamEN, Returning]
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.
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Coach Notes
So you have two options really. The first option is the one you chosen, which is to use our prep plan and repeated as part of your build into Connecticut and eventually challenge Roth. The other option would be to start, on March 8, training for the race in Connecticut. And then, four weeks later on April 13, change over To the Full Plan.
The second option would be more race specific, and will start the process of getting ready for a true swim bike run build up for the early-season a half Iron Man. Given how challenging Connecticut can be, I think this may be the more prudent approach for you. I typically use the prep plan for people who are coming off of a slower season built. But you have already completed the old season and are coming off of a solid 2019 campaign. So I would recommend the second option.
Let me know what you're thinking by replying to this thread and we can start working from there!
Your Races
- Ironman 70.3 Connecticut (2020-05-31) #70.3Connecticut_20
- Challenge Roth (2020-07-05) #Challenge_Roth_20 [Main Race]
Your Notes
- Completed Ironman Louisville in 2015
- Ended up in the med tent after 130 miles for Ironman Maryland in 2019 due to dehydration. Yes, I need to spend more time focusing on my race nutrition :-(
- Completed Ironman 70.3 Timberman (2015), Ironman 70.3 Lake Placid (2017) and Rev3 Quassy (2018)
- Podium'd in three sprint/olympic distance races in 2019
I have rheumatoid arthritis, which is pretty well controlled, but I do have flare ups from time to time, during which I try to scale back my training.
Current Trainingpeaks numbers as of 02/26/2020:
- Fitness: 59
- Fatigue: 67
- Form: -8
Completed an outseason program and rolled into the beginning of a 20 week Ironman planned based on my old, 2017 Endurance Nation planned. Just queued up a 4 week "2020 Full Prep Plan (All Levels)" EN plan in Final Surge, starting in week two, based on timing of "A" race, which is Challenge Roth on 7/5/2020. Would definitely like to know how to work in my A race camp week and Ironman 70.3 Connecticut, since they fall on the same 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 March 1, 2020
- On 2/17/2020 Load the -- EN Full Prep Plan, 4wks to end on 3/15/2020
- On 3/16/2020 Load the EN Full Prep Plan, 4wks to end on 4/12/2020
- On 4/13/2020 Load the EN Full Bike Focused, 12wks to end on 7/5/2020
- On 7/6/2020 Load the Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 8/2/2020<
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!
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- 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
Good morning, Coach Patrick. You noted I have two options:
If I do the second option, which I'm fine with, I'm confused as to which plan to load up this coming week (starting 03/02/2020) an the plan to load up on 03/09/2020 (I'm assuming you meant 03/09 since it's a Monday).
Also, regardless of what option I go with, IM 70.3 CT will land at the end of Camp Week. How should I handle that week? I was planning on doing the Friday training, doing something light on Saturday to keep the legs moving, then doing the race on Sunday. The race is a B or C race in my eyes, so I'm not overly concerned about the results.
Thank you in advance for getting back to me on those two items.
Thom
@Thom Reid
Hey Thom, I talked with Coach Patrick about about of your questions.
For the second option Season Roadmap. Load the "[Specificity] Bike Focused Plan, All abilities, 6 weeks" to end on 12 April. Then load the 2020 Full Bike Focused Plan to start on 13 April. That will get you the extra bike volume you need before you start the Full Plan in the next few weeks. This block still has plenty of running in it but it has more bike volume and specificity, similar to the OutSeason.
Camp Week. Camp Week ends with a race rehearsal. We still want you do that. So we will move that race rehearsal to the following week. Do you what you propose for the lead up into the Connecticut 70.3 with standard Friday training day, the light day on Saturday, and race on Sunday. You will move the race rehearsal workouts and long run of camp to the next week and do those the following week instead of the programmed workouts. Execute May 29-June1 a week later. This race rehearsal is key to dialing in your pacing, fueling, and hydration and apply the lessons you learned from IM MD. Treat the Connecticut 70.3 as a swim bike run workout during that Camp Week. As you know, the paces and duration of the 70.3 are so different from the full IM distance and we would like you get the experience of IM distance race rehearsal to practice. Then you can put those lessons learned to practice with your final race rehearsal the week of June 20.
What do you think?
Matt
EN Training Plan Coordinator
Matt:
Going with this option, my only question is related to the swim. That would mean I don't pick up swimming again until April 13. That seems like a lot of swim volume to jump into at that point. Reading the description of the "[Specificity] Bike Focused Plan, All abilities, 6 weeks", it says that I could add the Swim Supplement, if need be. I'm assuming that plan should be added as well.
Thom, Use the swim supplement as a guide to add a swim once or twice a week early, progressing to more swimming over the six week period. Gradually increase your swim time over the this 6 week block. Just enough so that you feel confident transitioning to the swim training in the Full plan. You have 12 weeks of swimming to dial it in. How does that sound?
@Thom Reid
Thanks, Matt. I queued that supplemental swim plan up last night and it looks fine. I've also moved the race rehearsal weekend to a week later. I'll check back in as time progresses, or if I feel I need any tweaks to the plan.
When you get a chance, I would like thoughts on what to do after Challenge Roth. I'm done with the full distance races after this one. Too much time suck! I'll be focusing on shorter races (halves, Olympics and sprints). I've done well at the Olympic and sprint distance and will focus my energies on those, with the occasional 70.3 for a challenge from year to year. After Roth I plan to do a few shorter races through September, and I'm not sure if the 4 week IM transition plan is good for that, or not. If so, great! If not, I'd like to tweak my post Roth plan.
Thom
@Thom Reid Nice work loading up those plans and making the race rehearsal adjustments. Always glad to get an update. There is an epic long day 22 March, and sweat test 18 April. Would love to hear how those go!
The Post-Ironman transistion plan will get you back to normal training after the IM. We can modify it based on how you feel and use one of short course plans to ramp up the intensity and speed, but only if you feel recovered from Roth. We can audible that addition based on how you feel after Roth and what races you are interested in. What do you think?
OK to the post Roth modifications, Matt.
I'll admit, my jaw dropped when I saw the epic day a few weeks out. HOLY CRAP! The plan says 120-150 miles, but the duration is listed at 8mins. I'm assuming that should be 8 hours, correct?
So what is the goal... the distance or the time? I'll be doing this on Zwift, as I'd freeze in the first hour here in New England in Mid/Late March. So, for example, if I pick a flatter Zwift course and avg about 17mph, I'll hit 120 miles in about 7 hours. My guess is, that puts me in at an NP that will fall in the Z1-Z2 category. Probably a little less than what I'd be targeting for an IM pace and likely an IP of about .65. Is that what we're looking for? And, yeah... this would definitely be an epic challenge, as the longest ride this season has only been about 3 hours. That ride had an NP in Z3, so it's like apples to oranges compared to this ride, but even at a much lower NP, I'll be pretty cooked at the end of the epic day.
Am I on the right track in my thinking?
Thom
Matt:
I just watched the video Coach Patrick did on the challenge ride. It was pretty much what I was thinking. No need to answer back on my questions above. That said, someone should check the Final Surge plan and verify the duration. I'm thinking 8 mins is incorrect :-)
@Thom Reid Glad the video worked for you!😀 A couple of options for the trainer: Join some back to back to back races or group rides at low category level and just ride and set a new boundary for a long day on the trainer 3.5-4 hours. Another way is to split the long ride on the trainer into 2x 2.5-3 hour rides (morning + afternoon). Just ride twice in the same day. Doing the 120 miles or 4+ on trainer is not recommended, some folks do it anyway just because. As you know, 4 hours on the trainer is legit work, with no lights, stop signs, or coasting or mental break. We are not trying to punish you. Just reset the boundary of what is long in context of your current training with an eye on your future race distance. Thanks for the correction on the time. We will add some zeros to that ride in the training plan! 😂
No worries, Matt. I've already put in a couple of 100 milers in on Zwift, as well as several 75-80 mile rides. I'll just watch several movies. I'll think about splitting it. Depends on how I feel.
Thanks for getting back to me.
Thom
Anytime. 100 miles. Wooah...😳
Matt/Coach Patrick:
Tomorrow's plan (Bike VO2 Long 1) calls for "MS: 3 x 5' with 5' of recovery in Zone 1 (0 - 139 watts)". The main set is missing the target zone. What am I doing the 3 x 5' at... Z3? Z4?
Thanks,
Thom
Oh, another question. Yesterday's planned workout (Bike VO2 Short 1) had a main set of "8 x 30"" with 7' of recovery in Zone 1 (0 - 139 watts)." The rest period between the 30 second intervals was not listed, so I rested for 2 minutes between each. Was that correct?
In the several years I've used Endurance Nation I've run across missing information like this in the online workout plans. Someone should do a thorough review of them to make sure they're typed out accurately.
Thom
@Thom Reid
Hey Thom, Great to hear from you.
- VO2 short rides at 150% of FTP or higher;
- VO2 long rides at 120% of FTP.
So, the longer rides are at a bit lower intensity. Thanks for catching that, we'll get them back in there.
For the VO2 short. The rest interval is 7' between efforts. Yes, that is a lot of rest. The goal is to go really hard and totally recover between efforts.
@Thom Reid I would ask how its going. But, then I saw you CRUSHED an epic long day - on the trainer?!!😂🚴👊💪 I'm going to run out of emojis. How did it go?!
@Thom Reid
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
Hola! Sooooo, my "A" race is canceled for July (Challenge Roth) and my B/C race (IMCT 70.3) was also canceled. Like most, I don't have a focus race to train for.
The good thing is, I don't mind training, so I just need a good maintenance program to get on. I'm currently on week 6 of the Bike Focus Plan and this weekend I'll do my 2nd Epic ride. After that it doesn't seem to make sense to stay on the EN Full Bike Focused planned.
I'm looking for something that will allow me ramp up quickly, if need be. I'm thinking potentially IM's Mt. Tremblant, Maryland or Florida. Or, I may just focus on shorter, local races and scrapping an IM this year.
Thoughts?
the while thing👊. Let me look a bit more closely at your Final Surge and
training so far.I'll have a few ideas for you tomorrow!
Matt
@Thom Reid Thanks for the note. You have done a great job on the Bike Specificity. Knocking out the challenge ride indoors! Rockstar! 😎
Our recommendation is for out is a our 14 week OutSeason Plan. You can easily transition from this plan to our HIM or IM plans [12 weeks]. The workouts are bike focused with Run Durability, which enables you continue to build fitness on the bike and maintain your running. The Outseason is build on 3 micro blocks 4 weeks of work + 1 test week, 4 weeks of work + 1 test week, finally 3 weeks of work + 1 test week. The 14 week training block would end on 19 July, but we would transition you out early when you have a better idea of your next race. You can add the functional strength supplement for core and upper body strength. Watch Coach Patrick's video and read more about the OutSeason here (about half way down the page).
I loaded it into Final Surge for you already. So, give us a 😀, 👊, 👍️, or 🤔 and let us know what you think.
Thanks, Matt. I assumed falling back to the out-season plan was the likely path. I've been through several of them over the years. Thanks for loading it up for me.
Only one real question. Looks like you only put in one week with the core workouts. Can you just confirm that I can mix those in for all the subsequent weeks.
Thanks!
Thom
@Thom Reid Yes. You can mix those in subsequent weeks. No problem. Wherever fits your schedule. If you want some other swim supplement ideas. Here is are some more ideas from us:
@Thom Reid
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 -- check the Athlete Roadmap. 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
Coach P/Matt:
With signs that things are starting to get back to somewhat normal, I've signed up for the Patriot 70.3 in MA (09/05/2020) and Lake Placid 70.3 in NY (09/13/2020). They are about a week apart. Patriot is flat and I'd like to see what kind of time I can post on a flat course. Lake Placid I'm doing because it's beautiful up there and my girlfriend loves that area. Plus, I had a crappy race for the inaugural event a few years back and it's always nice to go back to a venue and learn from your mistakes!
Anyway, what plans do I need to load up to get me to that point? I would consider Patriot to be an "A" race and Placid to be a "B" race.
Thom
@Thom Reid Great to hear from you. The back to back half will be epic! 😎What a cool combination of races. The flatter Patriot with the hilly scenic Lake Placid. You can use the the Half Bike Focused plan and load it to end for your first race 09/05. The interesting part will be the recovery between the back to back races. Getting just enough activity to get the bloody flowing, while not contributing to any more fatigue. Its totally doable.
Finish out the current OutSeason block but delete the last 2 weeks (weeks 13 and 14). Load the Half Bike Focused plan to end on 09/05. This will give you 1 unstructured week (previously week 13) to fully recover a bit and absorb the OutSeason work before you transition to this next block.
Then load the Post-HIM block - its a 2 week plan, but you will only use the first week as a guide for activity between races.
Let me know what you think. If you need help loading those plans let me know too.
Matt:
Either I did something wrong queuing up my last workout plan for the current 14 week outseason, or I'm misunderstanding your ask. I've deleted the last two weeks of my current plan (weeks 13 and 14), which leaves my first open week starting on July 6. From the start of that week, Patriot will be at the end of the 9th week and Placid would be at the end of the 10th week. If I queue up the 12 week Half plan to end on 9/6 (I'm assuming you meant 9/6 instead of 9/5 since the 6th is a Sunday), then I'm going to be starting in the 4th week of the 12 week Half plan. The 4th week is a test week. Was that the intention and was that what you meant by unstructured?
@Thom Reid That is totally my fault. I messed up the weeks. I loaded the new plans for you. We want you to get a full 12 weeks of the race specificity block - bike focused. We also want to transition you from the OutSeason to that new block. So there is a 2 week HIM Prep block starting next week, then the race specific HIM bike focused block of 12 weeks ending on 9/6. The HIM prep block has a bit more volume, so lower intensity and that will be the best solution to transition from the the OutSeason intensity to race specific block 2 weeks later.
Take a look and let me know what you think.
Thanks, Matt. Looks good to me. Time to start swimming in place our pool! Not long enough to do laps in, but hopefully my FastLane will be installed soon. Until then, a tether will have to do!
@Thom Reid Fastlane! So cool! 😎
Both my races in September have been officially cancelled, so I was going
to go in and change my training program to an outseason, maintenance plan
in Final Surge. Before doing that in Final Surge, I figured I'd read
through some of the forum to find out what other team members were doing.
That's when I ran into a problem. Whenever I try to get into the forum, I
get The following error:
An error has occurred, please try again.
This is happening on the link:
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/sso?Target=/Categories/micro-thread-forum
My guess is, it's a single sign-on issue with the forum, as I'm not having
a problem logging into the https://members.endurancenation.us/
Brenda, can you look into that for me.
Matt, what are your thoughts on going back into an outseason. There is
really nothing out there to train for except some virtual races, which I
can take or leave.
By the way, the Fast Lane finally got put in a couple of weeks ago. Loving
it!
Thom
@Thom Reid Congratulations on the FastLane🏊️. That's super cool. I'm glad you are enjoying it.
RE: Forum access. Some of the browsers have updated some of their security measures and that has impacted our SSO. We are working to keep up with the changes. In the meantime, you can try:
- a different browser change from Chrome to Edge or Safari.
-can also try this link which doesn't use SSO.
-or just click on the word "Forums" from the dashboard.
RE: OutSeason - it might be a bit soon to shift to the OutSeason. We have several other options that you might be interested in. We have a bike specificity plan that focus more on bike volume, a 5min FTP hack that uses shorter intervals to get a quick boost to your FTP, we also have some Run Durability plans that give you some variety in running (not too much intensity - just consistency) while still doing 3-4 bike workouts and some swimming (gotta get your Fast Lane time in 👊) -
Let us know what you want to work on and we'll set up a plan.