Tracy Waltmire Official Coach Thread [PlanEN]
Here's your personal Coach Thread, as promised. This is where you'll return to post all your "coach" questions as responses; I'll see them and reply. This first post is here to guide you through your first year on EN, so you can always come back here.
As you'll see in this forum, I handle all manner of edits and changes. So post away, know that I reply here usually M/W/F each week.
Power User Tip: Click the Star icon by the Title of this thread to subscribe, and you'll get email updates when I do reply.
Coach Notes
Your Races
- Cactus Man Olympic Triathlon (2020-05-03) #CactusManOli_20
- Ironman Arizona (2020-11-22) #IMAZ_20 [Main Race]
Your Notes
IM 70.3 Galveston 2019
IM 70.3 Santa Cruz 2018 6:04
IM Coerdalene 2018 6:21
IM 70.3 Oceanside 6:29
Current training: bike 2x, run 2x, strenght 2x
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 5, 2020
- On 3/2/2020 Load the Beginner Short Course, 20wks to end on 5/3/2020
- On 5/4/2020 Load the Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 5/17/2020
- On 5/11/2020 Load the Get Faster Training Plan, 10wks to end on 7/19/2020
- On 7/20/2020 Load the EN Full Prep Plan, 4wks to end on 8/16/2020
- On 8/17/2020 Load the EN Full Prep Plan, 4wks to end on 9/13/2020
- On 8/31/2020 Load the EN Full Bike Focused to end on 11/22/2020
- On 11/23/2020 Load the Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 12/20/2020
- On 12/21/2020 Load the Run Durability for Triathletes 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 1/17/2021
- On 1/18/2021 Load the Run Durability for Triathletes 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 2/14/2021
- On 2/15/2021 Load the Run Durability for Triathletes 3 (7 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 3/14/2021
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
@TRACY WALTMIRE
Hey Tracy, Welcome! Super cool have you with us. I'm here help you get setup in Final Surge and get organized. I can explain your workout structure, show you where to find our race execution guidance, and how to connect with the rest of the team. Just ask. I'm here to walk you through all of it.
Let me know what you are interested in, and I'll point you in the right direction. Our goal is to not only make you fitter, but smarter, and offer you the help and experience of our entire team to put together a race you race be proud of!
If any questions you have getting started - chat with me here in this forum or schedule a 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 Race 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.
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, and paces etc. 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, 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.
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
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.
Sync your Garmin or Strava account with Final Surge. All your workouts will upload automatically.
Connect only one! Chose either Strava OR Garmin. Strava works better if you ride on Zwift!
#3 Download the Final Surge App
Final Surge | Mobile Apps
https://www.finalsurge.com/apps
#4 Join our GroupMe chat
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. GroupMe is a running group chat that team members use to get a quick answer to a question, accountability, and celebrate a new PR!
GroupMe
· EN Live 24/7 [Join Here]
· Run Group [Join Here]
· Zwift Chat [Join Here]
· Events [Join Here]
· Race Groups [Join Here]
#5 Explore ways to get smarter. Train and race like a veteran! Learn more and dial in your own training and race execution. Get training tips and execution advice from other TeamEN veterans
All of the Training Plans are explained here. When you get a chance, your IM plan is about halfway down the page. 6' video and a few short paragraphs.
http://members.endurancenation.us/TrainingPlan/TrainingPlanCentralPage.aspx#half
Check out the Opportunities To Learn about race execution EN style:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/RacingMemberCentral/RaceExecutionDetails/MasterRaceExecutionPage(HalfFull).aspx
Use the Table of Contents links at the top of the page to jump to that parts that interest you.
The EN 4 keys to Race Execution Video is a good place to start. Patrick talks about
#1 Racing is Execution NOT fitness
#2 The Line - is where you start racing. For the IM, that is mile 18 of the marathon. All your decisions set up your ability to race when you get to that line. There is no such thing as a good bike split followed by a poor run. The bike sets up the run.
# 3 The Box - All day long you are going to race inside a box defined by what you can control. Ask yourself "What do I need to do right NOW to create the conditions for success at The Line?
# 4 One Thing - Before the race, you need to be able to answer the question: "Why am I doing this race?" During the course of your race day, expect your body to have a very convincing conversation with your mind: "This is really starting to get old and very painful. You need to give me a good reason to keep going forward. If you can't give me a good one, I'm gonna slow down."
While these may seem simple, the process of pacing, adapting to conditions, and managing fueling/hydration is more detailed in the text and in the video.
Detailed Race Preparation and Planning resources (Impact of Heat on Pace calculator, Pacing with Power on the Bike, etc.) http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Race+Execution
Check out Coach Patrick's videos under Learning -> Coach Lessons - "How to race in the heat," "Checklists and Race Logistics Matter"
Forums. If social media and chat groups are not your thing. Take a look at our forums. These are not your typical forums or chat rooms. These are where our smartest members hang out and answer questions or give advice. https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/categories
Think of this as your biggest group of endurance and athlete friends. These folks are super helpful. We have a set of Wicked Smart Members (WSM). These athletes are vetted by the rest of the team and Coach Patrick. They are recognized for their expertise and willingness to help.
As part of your TeamEN membership you now have complete access to the entire Learning section. Check out the Coach Lesson Videos, Race Execution Guidance there and look through the forums. There are tons of race reports to help you learn more about training and racing.
#6 Smart Trainer Integration
We have workouts already built for Zwift and Trainer Road for the OutSeason, HIM and IM plans. If you have a smart trainer and a Zwift or Trainer Road account, download the workouts for Zwift to your computer or login to Trainer Road library and get after it inside.
SignIn
http://members.endurancenation.us/TrainingPlan/TrainingPlanCentralPage.aspx#outseason
For Zwift: Unzip the workouts into Documents -> Zwift -> Workouts -> "rider number" folder on the device you use to stream Zwift. My "rider number" is 126713. It will be the only numbered folder under workouts.
For Trainer Road: Use this like to request access to the EN workout library. Request access by sending a message "Request Invite to Trainer Road" to ppisaj2s@inbound.intercom-mail.com
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
Thank you...so far so good
@TRACY WALTMIRE I love that your workouts are posting, you have subscribed here, we chatted in Final Surge. You are killing i!😎 Any interest in joining our GroupME EN 24/7 or Run Group Me. We would love to see you in there too.
Check out the video on this page to see what GroupMe all about.
I had a sprint on 0329 scheduled
I can defer to September 19
yes or no with 1122 IMAZ
Thank you
@TRACY WALTMIRE
So sorry to hear about your race. Sure. Defer to Sept - a Sprint is a great time to work on your transitions. We can certainly fit that in if you still want to do it. We will most likely train right through it. How does that sound?
@TRACY WALTMIRE How did it go last week?
Little bit of a stressful week.
Should be back on track this week
If my May 3 Olympic race is cancelled do we need to change my programs ?
@TRACY WALTMIRE It's crazy isn't it! 😲🤪 Short answer: Let's get back on track and keep the same training block for now.
Long answer: We'd like to get a couple of weeks like 9-15 March, that was awesome! There is a break scheduled after your May 3 race. We can skip that breack if you don't race and feel good after you finish the build in this training block and transition into other longer training. Maybe we can set some good intermediate goals between now and Arizona. How does that sound?
Sounds good Matt
thank you
Anytime.
May 3 Olympic is officially cancelled
I will proceed with scheduled training unless you make changes.
Thank you
Bummer. 😥 I'm sorry to hear that. Let's keep that date as a goal test day. If the pools open again we can time trial a swim, bike and run. It will give us something to test your fitness and focus on before we shift your training to longer events. We plan to keep your training the same, so keep knocking out those workouts. Any short term goals?
Hi Matt
Question about the brick runs. So today was 30 min at 9 min pace basically.
My options for that when running from home unless I take a long walk home/cool down are always going to have a hill.
I can hit that pace for the flats and just keep the hills in.
or I can keep gong on the flat but have a decent walk home for that distance.
thoughts?
You can look at todays and last Tuesdays for example if needed.
I put a new battery finally in my hr monitor. The numbers are way low. Any thoughts on how to fix that.
Take the battery out again ?
@TRACY WALTMIRE Keeping the hill in there is good, it will give you a chance to practice running at perceived effort. You know what your pace feels like while you are running a flatter route, so as you run the hill think about running at the same effort level. I know, I know. You are most likely thinking, that's easy for you so say! Yeah, it was! 😂 But really, it is additional skill to have. Your effort will increase a bit because of the hill, but keep it in moderation. Find an effort that feels just a tick above you flat run pace and use that as your goal for the hill. Your new "good hill" metric is how well you managed your effort vs. your good flat pace. You will have lots of bricks to practice. 😀 Sure your pace will slow. Everyone's does but you will get better a gauging your effort. Then during races you will have a better idea of pacing yourself with better execution when running on unfamiliar courses.
RE: heart rate monitor. Typically the battery swap would fix it. Did it get really wet? How long have you had it? You can drying it out really well. Take the battery cover off and battery out. Give it a good few minutes 10? with the hair dryer and let it air dry for several hours. Then replace the battery and cover and give it another shot. Other times, it could be a low reading because it was really cold or poor contact with the skin. Do any of those scenarios fit?
P.S. Did you get this note via email?
ok great it is a bit easier just to keep the hill
My hr has not been wet. Just needed a new battery.....hmmmm
Ill take it out tonight and try it again.
On Tuesday, March 31, 2020 10:23:59 AM MST, matt limbert wrote:
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matt limbert mentioned you in Tracy Waltmire Official Coach Thread [PlanEN]
@TRACY WALTMIRE Keeping the hill in there is good, it will give you a chance to practice running at perceived effort. You know what your pace feels like while you are running a flatter route, so as you run the hill think about running at the same effort level. I know, I know. You are most likely thinking, that's easy for you so say! Yeah, it was! 😂 But really, it is additional skill to have. Your effort will increase a bit because of the hill, but keep it in moderation. Find an effort that feels just a tick above you flat run pace and use that as your goal for the hill. Your new "good hill" metric is how well you managed your effort vs. your good flat pace. You will have lots of bricks to practice. 😀 Sure your pace will slow. Everyone's does but you will get better a gauging your effort. Then during races you will have a better idea of pacing yourself with better execution when running on unfamiliar courses.
RE: heart rate monitor. Typically the battery swap would fix it. Did it get really wet? How long have you had it? You can drying it out really well. Take the battery cover off and battery out. Give it a good few minutes 10? with the hair dryer and let it air dry for several hours. Then replace the battery and cover and give it another shot. Other times, it could be a low reading because it was really cold or poor contact with the skin. Do any of those scenarios fit?
P.S. Did you get this note via email?
👍
Let me know how the heart monitor goes. What kind is it? We can hit the
rest of the team up and get some more experience too.
On Tuesday, March 31, 2020 12:41:22 PM MST, matt limbert wrote:
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matt limbert commented on Tracy Waltmire Official Coach Thread [PlanEN]
Thanks for playing along with the email.😀 Respond wherever works for you.
👍
Let me know how the heart monitor goes. What kind is it? We can hit the
rest of the team up and get some more experience too.
took out the new battery and put back in
think we are back in business
Turn it off and on again. For the win!
@TRACY WALTMIRE
I saw your note from Final Surge. If you defer that will give you an Olympic distance race Sept 19 and another Olympic / Sprint race Oct 3 - with your priority race being IM Arizona right?
Yes, that will work. Once we get closer we will need to shift a few workouts around. There is a challenge ride scheduled for Sept 19. The challenge ride is key workout. We want you to do a really long and easy ride to build volume and make your 100 mile ride during the race seem easier. We can shift this ride to the following week with no problem. The October weekend does not have a special workout so we can easily shift those workouts around to fit that second Olympic / Sprint race in there too!
Let me us know what you decide.
I am thinking that I don't need two sprints so close together? The time would be better served doing the prescribed workout ? Maybe just one of them ?
@TRACY WALTMIRE The skipping the September one is easier to mange and the time would better used doing the challenge ride, plus it keeps that ride in place relative to the rest of the training. The training for the October race is easier to shift. But, either one is workable if you really want to do the September one.
@TRACY WALTMIRE Oh, more more thought. Are both bikes Di2?
sound like a plan with the two races
yes both have DI2
@TRACY WALTMIRE Great. Just wanted to check. I'm a huge fan of Di2. I thought it a nice to have until I tried it. Now, it's a must have. 😀
Tracy emailed in Final Surge:
Hi Matt
I think I need a quick coach call. I am looking forward into the training. I don't have a longer run until Oct 11 of 2 hrs which would be my long run for a 70.3. I am used to my long bike being 5 hrs for 70.3 as well. I'm a little nervous. I am sure there is a method to the madness. I also see a swim break in June. The swim is my super weak leg. I'm working with someone on this. Would I just add at my discretion ?
-----------------------REPLY BELOW---------------------------------
Tracy,
I'm happy to talk with you. We can schedule a time here:
https://calendly.com/new-member-phone-call/1
Here is a little more on the method to the madness! I'm happy to talk more too.
RE: Long runs. Running 2 hrs has a tremendous cost, both mentally and physically. Most athletes come back from the 2 hr run completely smoked and potentially sore. We try to avoid that cost because it limits the overall amount of work we can do and sometime limits when we can get you out again for your next run. It basically impacts our ability to do future workouts. The cost of continuous running after the 1:20 up to 2 hr mark is so much greater on your body, than say the cost of the first hour. We find that athletes are pretty tired and take several days to week to fully recover from a 2 hr run depending of the weather, sweat rate, fueling, and hydration.
We have had really good success with a split long run. Essentially, running long twice on the same day. For example 1:20 in the morning, followed by a another 30-40 minutes in the afternoon. We get the same training adaption without the cost and risk of injury. You start the split run protocol Sept 3, and actually will run MORE than 2 hours in a day. You will just do it across two runs. If 2 hour runs are your thing, we can work with you to fit them into the schedule. We would also like you to consider trying the split long run.
RE: Long rides. You have the opportunity to ride 6+ hours on 26 July and 16 August. We can program another for late June or early July if you want another opportunity.
RE: Swim break in June. I'm a confused here. June has 3x swims a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) It is great that you are working with someone on it too. Yes, you can fit those in at your discretion. We want you confident in the water and swimming at a pace that is the most efficient for you.
Let us know what you think. Talk to you soon.