Allison Lee 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
- 08/08/2020 (Triathlon) USAT Age Group National Championships - Sprint and Oly
- Ironman Maryland (2020-09-19) #IMMD_20
- 11/15/2020 MiamiMan (Half)
Your Notes
I am in year 3 of my triathlon / marathon journeys. I have participated in local (DMV area) sprint and oly triathlons, and completed my first half IM at Atlantic City in Sept 2019 (5:45). I also ran a Boston-qualifying time at the Chicago marathon in Oct 2019 (3:25). I qualified for USAT 2020 Age-Group Nationals in Sept 2019. I spent the winter training for The Speed Project ultra-relay running race, which unfortunately was postponed from its intended date in March 2020. I train about 6 days a week at the moment. Running about 3 or 4x a week (25-30 miles), cycling 3-4x a week (60 - 90 miles), and some strength training / yoga / stretch cord training about 3x 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 April 13, 2020
- On 4/13/2020 Load the Bike Focus Block, 2019 (6wks) to end on 5/24/2020 42 [ 6 weeks ]
- On 5/25/2020 Load the Get Faster Training Plan, 10wks to end on 8/2/2020 34 [ 5 weeks ]
- **Transition Early**
- On 6/28/2020 Load the -- EN Full Bike Focused, 12wks to end on 9/20/2020 85 [ 12 weeks ]
- On 9/21/2020 Load the -- Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 10/4/2020 14 [ 2 weeks ]
- On 10/5/2020 Load the -- EN Half Run Focused, 12wks to end on 11/15/2020 42 [ 6 weeks ]
- On 11/16/2020 Load the -- Post Half Iron Transition Plan, All Levels (2wks) to end on 11/29/2020 14 [ 2 weeks ]
- On 11/30/2020 Load the -- Durability for Triathletes 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/27/2020 28 [ 4 weeks ]
- On 12/28/2020 Load the -- Durability for Triathletes 3 (7 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 1/24/2021 28 [ 4 weeks ]
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?
** The Athlete Roadmap Videos & Start Learning **
Join Coach Patrick for a walkthrough of the Endurance Nation Athlete experience to learn more about how our system works to help you achieve your personal best. You'll want to watch the Phase One Structure videos -- there are four -- to get completely up to speed!
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
Allison, Welcome! Super cool have you with us. I'm here help you get setup and 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. 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 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, multiple time Boston 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.
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 the "How to Video":
Once we know you are all set here. We can start to talk about the rest of your training!
I'll post a series of notes here to help you get started. You can also tell me what you are immediately interested in and I will point you in the right direction.
Let's get after it! 👊
Talk you you soon,
Matt
Post a comment below or give me a GTG!, 😀,👍️ or 😳 and I will respond via email.
Hi Coach P -
Great to meet you too! Thanks for the training plan – looks great to me. I agree with you re: Covid-19 that USAT Nationals likely will not happen, so those races are lowest priority for me right now. Even if they do happen, I’m more interested in getting more comfortable at half and full distance this season. At the moment, I’d like to follow your suggestion of transitioning to volume work for the full after USAT.
My Season Goals:
· What will make you consider this season a success?
I would love to complete (and learn from) my first full IM this year, and be competitive in the Half-IM (MiamiMan). Specifically, I’d like to:
- get stronger on the bike: I am planning to invest in a tri bike in the next 2-3 months.
- improve my nutrition and race strategy over longer distances: I bonked pretty hard on the run portion of my first half-IM last year.
As a side note, I am intrigued by the team ultra in Georgia in December, so I may throw that in as a “new adventure / just for fun” activity at the end of the season. I have done a little bit of trail running in the past, but nothing longer than a half marathon. This race would be my first ultra.
· What's your biggest limiter right now?
I think my biggest limiter at the moment is nutrition. I’ve struggled with low iron levels in the past (borderline anemia) which affects my energy levels and ability to train at intensity. I’m working on supplementing and improving my diet. I also haven’t quite figured out a race-day nutrition strategy that works for me for longer efforts (half IM +).
I felt pretty deflated given the event cancellations and delays this year, so focusing on long-term goals and staying connected with the team will be key for me this season.
Hi Matt - Thanks for the information and resources! Look forward to speaking with you next week!
Thank you for all the information. As we dive into your account, and
prepare you for this season and beyond, have a love to learn more about the
nutrition side of the equation. Specifically I'd like to know:
#1 - How are you addressing iron deficiency on a daily basis right now? Are
you supplementing at all? Is that something you're doing on your own or
recommended by your doctor? Or are you simply changing your food intake?
#2 - I have a Nutrition) protocol that we will share with you eventually.
Before we dive into it, I'd like to know what you have tried in the past
for Nutrition). Could you take a few seconds and just outline or identify
the products you used in the past? It's good for us to know what you like
to use and then also what you did that didn't work.
~ Coach P
@Allison Lee Thanks for the homework. 😁 Now, Coach Patrick has given you more homework! 😂 We can talk more next week. In the meantime, it looks like you are riding on Zwift, done the power test, and making comments on your workouts - which is awesome. Here is some additional info to consider:
#1 Downloading the Final Surge app
Final Surge | Mobile Apps
https://www.finalsurge.com/apps
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 runs (helps dial in your fueling and hydration), 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.
# 2 Customize your training
I saw you rode on Zwift and did the bike test this week. You can use that test data to customize your workouts to your individual zones. Once you customize them, the workouts will say 20' @ (135-145 heart rate) vs. 20' @ Zone 2.
Here is the video how you update your training plan with integrated and customized zones.
# 3 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.
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.
Nice work getting started. Thanks again for the homework. I look forward to talking with you next week. We can chat here anytime too!
Matt
Hi @Coach Patrick ,
#1 ) I'm taking a daily iron supplement as recommended by my doctor. Also trying to eat more leafy greens, etc. (trying lol).
#2) For marathons, I take Gatorade chews or Clif Bloks every couple of miles. For my half-IM, I tried to eat a clif bar after the swim (was too excited to finish it all). I used Infinit (about 2 bottles) for my bike, and 1 Maurten gel + gatorade chews for my run.
I used Infinit for my longer training bike rides leading up to AC, and it seemed to work pretty well for me. For shorter rides, I've been using Nuun or Gatorade powder.
I tried a SiS gel once on a long run and did not enjoy it, so I've stayed away from gels for the most part. Gatorade power didn't work well for me on longer bike rides -- too sugary.
@Allison Lee
Thanks for the update on the iron supplement and fueling for the marathon and triathlon. We might want to look a few more calories on the bike. Since the Gatorade chews and Clif Blocks have worked for you during the marathon, how would you feel about adding them to the bike? I'm glad to hear you have experimented with a few different drinks and found one that works for you during the long rides.When we start your Full training block in June, there are several chances to practice your race nutrition. We start that training block with a sweat test, where you will weigh yourself before and after the ride and keep track of how much you drink during the ride. That will help use compute your base sweat rate and give you an idea of how much you should be drinking in those conditions. Some races will be hotter or cooler and you can adjust your baseline from there.
Brenda said you know Carl Alleyne and Maurice Matthews? They are both super fun. I see their names in GroupMe all the time and I just talked with Carl about his power data the other day. Wow can he sprint! If you are interested in joining, here is the link to our GroupMe chat. It is usually pretty busy, so I joined the group but muted the channel so I don't get a thousand alerts. 😂 Its kinda fun to scroll through and see what folks are up to and post every once in a while. Here our our channels:
GroupMe is the live version of all things Endurance Nation. This is an app you can download to your smartphone and join in the Team chat - races, training, questions, accountability. You name it.
Matt
Awesome, thanks @matt limbert ! I will def give the clif blocks a try on the bike.
Yeah, Carl is one of my best buddies! He is a very talented and hard-working athlete, and just an all-around fantastic person. I knew Maurice back when he lived in D.C. and I first started getting into triathlon. I'm excited to be on a team with the both of them again!
Thanks for the groupme links!
@Allison Lee Anytime!😃 I The 24/7 channel is fun for the banter and Coach Patrick is in there a lot. Maurice and Carl ride a lot of Zwift they hang out in the Zwift channel, the run channel is good for accountability. They have a number thing miles run today / miles for the week / miles for the year. So a 5 mile run in 20 mile week for 100 for the year is 5/20/100. See you there!
@Allison Lee You are on track. I love your discipline and your post workout comments in Final Surge. 👊You have customized your zones too. You are killing it. As you continue to checking out the site, take a look a our race execution guidance here.
You can post an update here maybe once a week. Some athletes pick Sat or Sun and write a little summary of how the week went. It works well for them to summarize the past week and think through the training for the upcoming week and it gives us a chance to offer some feedback. Some folks just knock out the training and give us an update when they need to make a big change or run into a problem. I made you a "workout" for Sunday that is a reminder to write a update. You could try it for a week or two, see if it fits your schedule. You can use it, move it to another day, or delete it. Whatever works for you. 😎
Good luck with your Data Science work! It sounds super cool. Thanks for the call!
Hey @matt limbert !
It was great to speak with you last week. Thanks for the tips and the resources! I found the race execution information very useful, and the guidance on how to ride hills proved helpful for my Saturday ride.
I'm a day late with my summary, but here we go!
The long bike VO2 workouts are the most challenging for me, but I think the one last week went pretty well. I gave myself some extra rest in between the intervals and worked hard to stay mentally present during the intervals, so I'm happy that I'm getting closer to my power targets.
Throughout the week I did feel a bit sore and fatigued, but felt good on Saturday's long ride adventure. I pushed Sunday's workouts to Monday to give myself a rest day Sunday.
For this week, I'm hoping to try the VO2 workouts unmodified, and get excited for Sunday's epic long ride. I'm going to focus on getting my sleep schedule in a better place, and try moving some workouts to the morning.
That's all for now. Thanks a lot and have a great week!!
Hey @Allison Lee
It was great to talk with you last week too. Thanks for the summary. What an epic ride! DC to Baltimore and back! Wow. Nice job. Fueled by tacos! That was awesome!
I really love your thoughts and comments across the board. You are spot on with your approach to the long VO2 intervals. That workout has the "bonus" benefit of working your mental game. You didn't hit your power target but you were really consistent - it was 13+ minutes in Z5 which is the intent of the workout. When we see declining power or a big power drop off - that is really the sign of a troubled workout. You did great job! 👊 Your execution and comments are exactly what we are looking for. I would love to see this performance or better this week! And I love the week goal of doing the workouts unmodified.
Seriously, though. I'm glad you felt good. Consider experimenting with more calories (either fluid or solid like shot blocks) on your long rides.
Let's check in next week on your progress on getting your sleep schedule in a better place and moving to morning workouts. Remember to refuel too. Some protein and quality carbohydrate post workout this week - you know there is always room for more TACOs.
Hey Matt! Hope you are doing great.
Sending a quick update on the last two training weeks. Still having a hard time with the long VO2 bikes - skipped last week's completely (next time, I will at least attempt it). The epic long ride went well - it was a tougher route than I had expected, and I don't think I took in enough calories, but otherwise it was enjoyable. Last week, I wasn't feeling that sore, but very, very fatigued. Slept way too much lol.
This week, I'm aiming to complete all the workouts and perhaps try a race or two on Zwift. Thanks!
@Allison Lee Always good to hear from you. Nice work with your epic long ride. We lived in DC for a couple of years. #muchrespect knocking out that big ride like that. Way to go figuring out how to get out of the city and back in. 👊 Nice job getting lots of sleep. That is you getting stronger.
I looked at your last long VO2 workouts and I think we need to modify the week and the execution of the workout.
Try these changes.
Modify the week. This week I removed the tempo day in between the short VO2 and long VO2 day. I replaced the tempo run with an easier aerobic run. The should help you feel a bit stronger going into the 2nd bike workout. We still get the advantage of run frequency and durability without the additional cost of faster tempo running.
Modify your workout execution. Shoot for the entire duration. Try to target low zone 5. These longer VO2 max are about improving your sustained power. We are looking to progressively increase the time at VO2 max. I moved the long VO2 max 4 workout from last week to this week. Then shifted the Long VO2 max 5 workout to next week. You can decide next week if you want to test or continue the progression of time at long VO2 max vs. re-rest your power.
Give those a shot and let us know what you think.
@Allison Lee
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. Don’t forget to check in on the Official EN Athlete Roadmap to see how you are progressing.
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
Hi @matt limbert ! Hope you had a great weekend! Checking in with an update.
@Allison Lee Great update.
Low zone 5 for the win! Consistently doing those, maintaining the effort over the full duration is the best way to see improvement.
Carl is super fun. I always enjoy riding with him too. RE: Bonking. Yes, eating and drinking at regular intervals is so key! Starting early in the the ride makes a huge difference. I use a 12 minute timer, it goes off and I drink or eat. 12' into the start of a ride I always feel so silly eating or drinking. I just got started! 😂 I always have to remind myself that I'm eating and drinking for now is the investment for future me at the 1-1.5 hour mark. Also, look at at all your carb sources (eating and drinking) - the ideal is 1-1.2 grams of carbs/ kg of body mass. I know, I know. Metric system kills me too. But, it really is the most accurate sustainable fueling estimate. It is great to experiment with the right combination of drinks, chews, gels and blocks now. You can really dial in how my grams of carbs, sources (drinks, chews, gels, blocks), and taste works for you.
I like the Get Faster plan leading into the the IM race prep plan. It adds a bit more running intensity, which will prepare you for AG nationals and then we transition that "fast" work to more volume during the IM race specificity block and extend your "far" work ability.
Nice job.
@Allison Lee - so great to talk with you today. Thank you very much for your time. I made the changes to your training plan that we discussed. This includes adding room for some core strength twice a week as well as giving you a warm-up spin session on the bike before the Tuesday run.
I feel like your mid week sessions may be a little "light" that you are used to. So I'm putting this extra bike in there just to kind of keep the training load a little higher during this time. I'll be curious to know how you feel after the first full week.
See you in UltraMay!
~ Coach P
@Allison Lee
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
Hi @matt limbert ,
Hope all is going well!
I was wondering if you have any suggestions on plans I should incorporate to improve my VO2 max on the bike. I feel pretty confident as I'm ending this IM training plan with my improved endurance on the bike - I've found that I can complete long rides much more easily and recover pretty well. Throughout the full plan, I was pretty good about completing long rides - slacked a bit on the running part, and I was not as consistent with my workouts over the last month, mainly due to fatigue / low energy levels.
Going forward, I would love to work more on improving my speed on the bike (ideally for the run as well).
In terms of races - MiamiMan half (Nov 14/15) still hasn't been cancelled yet...I'm not expecting it to happen but it would be nice to maintain half-distance shape juuuuust in case.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks!
@Allison Lee
Short answer: We do have some plans that can work on that VO2max! The trick for you is when we should tackle that. I recommend you fully recover from this IM build, get your run back with shorter more frequent runs, while doing 1x interval, 1-2x weekend bike rides - to bridge your fitness to potential Miami Man. THEN, get after it with VO2 work during our OutSeason.
Long Answer:
You have done a really good job getting those big bike rides in and some of the interval workouts. Its all about timing.
The slacking/fatigue/low energy levels in the last month is to be expected with the final build of the IM plan and we need to account for that. Like we talked before, in a "normal" season the race taper, race, and recovery give a natural ebb and flow to the season. I feel like we need to follow that as best we can and not overdo it, stacking more training stress in too close to the IM build without taking a full recovery.
The OutSeason 14 week block is our gold standard for Vo2max work. Its a lot of work fand we want to transition that work into race prep or race specific block. We typically start that OutSeason block in Nov or Dec depending on when you want to target your first race. I would definitely see you do that after your Miami Man - starting in Dec.
I would love to see you do 2-3 weeks of active recovery and get fully recovery from the IM build. That was a ton of work. Get your body and head chomping at the bit to do more work. I feel like you are almost there right now because you are looking for a Vo2 training plan, but not quite yet because you might still be carrying that late season IM fatigue. I would give it 1-2 more weeks. By then we will be closer to Miami Man for a sense of what will happen there.
We have you moving our Durability for Triathletes plan which will work well for getting some more balance back into your schedule with run frequency. Shorter runs more often. (And it is so cool to run in DC in the fall 😎) There are still several bike interval and longer rides in there too.
You could totally use that Run Durability plan to bring your run back around in a safe way, maintain your bike fitness. See what happens with Maimi Man, then get after it with our OutSeason and that VO2 work.
What do you think of that?
Hi @matt limbert ,
Thanks so much! Sounds great to me. I'll continue focusing on recovery this week.
Best,
Allison