A Conversation With My Coach
As a self-coached athlete, I sometimes have discussions with my coach (me) about macro and micro issues. Today, I consulted him about whether I should do the long run I had scheduled.
"Hey coach; wake up!" (apparently, despite my two hours more than my usual 7 hours of sleep last night, he was still dozing.)
"Mpmph"
"Look, I've filled all the water bottles, brought my salt pills, got some Gu and Shot Bloks, strapped on the HR monitor, primed the Garmin, slathered the sunscreen on, and driven down valley [2000' lower in elevation @ 6400'], and don't know if I can do this."
I was getting out of the car for a planned 2 hour long run. The EN plan said 2.5 hours, but since I was just three days into my 12 weeks at altitude, and I was planning on doing only one more run over 2 hours this IM cycle [week 7/12], I thought I'd switch weeks 7&8. Last week, I'd included a full race rehearsal on Wed, and then on Sat, a 2 hr 20 min run @ my quickest pace ever. On Monday, I did not have the energy to complete a 3 x 1 mile tun session, on Tuesday, I spent all day traveling to Colorado, and then on Wed and Thurs, I'd ridden up and down the valleys here for a total of 8 hours, with 1.5 hours of running as well. On one of those rides, I'd fallen off my bike (not a crash, but some skin abrasions on my R elbow, knee, and hip, as well as a little muscle soreness.) Yesterday from 3 thru 8 PM, I spent practically the entire time eating and drinking, and still my weight this morning was down 1 pound.
I checked my Performance Management Chart on WKO+, and found that while my Acute Training Load was not that "high", my Chronic Training Load was at the high point I had reached in my previous training cycle, for IM CDA, 3 weeks before the race, at the end of another Colorado training camp. And myTraining Stress Balance had plummeted from +6 to -26 in the past two days.
My arms were sore, my legs felt tired, my left quad felt a little tweaked. But, since I had to go down tot he grocery store to pick up some things for my sister, who would be arriving in the afternoon, I decided to at least try and run and see what happened.
What happened was, I got a mile up the path, saw my speed was slow, my HR was stable, but I did not feel like continuing. Since I was going uphill, I turned around to see what happened downhill. I didn't go much faster, but my HR was starting to shoot up, and I did NOT feel like running another step. So I walked the mile back to the car.
During that walk, I consulted my coach.
"You know, I don't like to take days off; it makes me feel guilty. Convince me I shouldn't continue this run."
"Can you please re-read what you just wrote above [what I'd been thinking while walking] - why are you even asking!?"
"What about those pros who can do 3, 4 5 or more IM's a year, what about them. I mean, I'm as successful as they are, aren't I? Shouldn't I be using them for my model?"
"Well, they're half your age and train 30+ hours a week!"
"Ok, what about those guys OLDER than me who do 3 or 4 IMs a year?"
"How fast are they going - 12-13 hours for an IM, right? You're training to race @ 10:50-11:30 times. Look, you've been going non-stop since that year you took it "easy" and only did one IM, after your foot surgery, 2007. Since then, it's been go, go, go, three big races a year, all at peak performance level. Don't you think you deserve to get tired now and then? And what's more important, the race result, or this run today?"
"But how do I know I'll be able to race well in October if I don't do this run?"
"You don't, but you'll have to trust me. I mean, we've gotten this far successfully, cut me a little slack. Go grocery shopping, go home, eat and drink some more, pick your friends up from the airport, and enjoy the concerts this weekend. Try an easy bike tomorrow morning, and then get ready for your big tri week starting Monday. Check that CTL - you've got a bit of reserve to play with, and can focus on quality, not quantity at this point."
He was right of course. Despite not running, I drank the entire 32 oz sport drink I'd brought with me, and still did not feel full. While driving home, I started to get fasiculations in my calf muscles, which usually only happens when I have pushed myself to the limit, like after an especially hard race. I'm clearly teetering over the abyss, and do not want to fall in. I may not be able to assuage the guilt, but at least I'll get rested today.
Comments
Thats a smart coach!
Hope you feel stronger in the morning!
interesting "less is more" story... I went to hear Dave Scott speak when he passed through town for last weekend's Chicago Triathlon and what I found most interesting was his comments on Craig Alexander, who he helps train, as a sidebar to some questions on his own legendary training load. After last year's Kona when Alexander ran down Chris Lieto at the very end and won the race I figured CA had had the perfect training and race and had saved enough on the bike and known his own pace well enough to execute the perfect race.
Instead Dave Scott said that in the minutes right after the finish Alexander told him he was dissatisfied with his race, even though he won, and had had no snap in his legs.
Several people in the audience immediately asked about "that" workout, a reference I did not get. Apparently CA did a 115 mile bike and 12 mile repeats at 6 min sendoff about 6 weeks out. Dave Scott acknowledged this and a few others dug Alexander a deeper hole than he wanted and even though he won the race he would not be digging quite so deep a hole this time. Dave Scott thinks Alexander can do a 2:35 ironman marathon if he puts it all together perfectly.
Interestingly, several of us also went to hear Alexander in July and in retrospect I recall him mentioning that big workout, but more in terms of building the strength required and not that it had had any lingering impact. Maybe he did not want to tip his competitors?
I have seen a couple comments in the IMWI threads about getting in "one more workout" and I can totally understand that urge and while it might make you feel you've done all you can do. And multiply by ten if it is Kona! But if the World Champion can dig a hole six weeks out that he can just barely overcome I think Al's coach is right/smart to urge that sometimes less may be more. Sometimes you have to step back to jump higher. At least that's what Dave Scott and Craig Alexander are thinking...
Good luck in Colorado and your big Tri week Al!! And thanks for all your amazing posts.
Excellent post!. Al you have one smart and wise coach you are working with!!
We certainly do an awful lot of work for the act of taking one day off.
I love reading your posts, Al. Always have.
When I was brand new to running (before tiathlon) and Carrie Chavez was helping me out, I called her one day during my training for my first marathon and told her I just don't feel like running that day. She told me to go out one mile and if I still don't fell like running then go back home. Good advice from an experienced athlete.
Patrick has a vid someplace titled something like, "One missed workout does not make for a bad race." Or something like that. He goes onto to say even a few extra days of rest is not a bad thing. A week or more, that is a different story. But rest can be better for you than simply pushing through it. But you know this already. :-)
You have a smart coach. Enjoy the day off.
John
GREAT post. I think the hardest thing a self-coached AG athlete has to deal with is understanding when to back off. We're all so Type A, and we are so emotionally attached to the end result, that we tend to think we need MORE work, not less. Your post really puts into perspective what we all need to be thinking about. Thanks!
P