What is the difference between the training objectives of the OutSeason plan and the Get Faster plans?
I saw both plans mentioned in the season plan screencast you created for me. The season plan looks great by the way, thank you for putting it together. I'm looking forward to putting it into action.
I often found myself need a "gap solution" / training plan -- a plan that someone would do during a long gap between races. For example, a May half Ironman and a September Ironman --> their HIM fitness would put them well beyond the first 8wks of the 20wk IM plan and beyond the OS plan. So I would have them do certainly weeks of the Short Course plan, but give them guidance to increase the volume of the long bikes and long runs to better match their post HIM fitness.
So this past spring ('12) Patrick and I took the Short Course plans, changed this, that, and the other thing to make these 8wk GF plans. These are now our go-to solutions when you're not in the OS, or in a Focused Plan (coming soon) or are not yet within the last 8-12wks of your HIM training or last 12wks of your IM training, or are between races.
The short answer is the GF is the best "fit" for the fitness of the post OS EN athlete and is our go-to solution when you're not yet training "for" something but have completed 14wks of OS training and maybe the 6wk focused plans.
Sometimes I just can't get to a pool or to the beach. Is there a run or weight training workout you can recommend that I can on occassion sub in? I don't want to miss the training day, but I alos don't want to over work my legs and ruin my other tarining days. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
I got your email recommending to load bike focus plan. I just joined as trial member recommended by a friend three days ago but actually already signed up for full access My question is , can you take another look and see if maybe I can start with the OS November plan even when is am 10 days or so late? That way I can be on the same schedule as my friend (we have similar race schedule)
Rich, I got the plan. I didn't pay enough attention in the survey - I should have included 2 important notes that will affect my training calendar.
First, I will be out of the country 12/18-12/29 with basically no opportunity to run or bike. At best, plyometrics. Very unlikely to even have access to a gym. What to do vis-a-vis the training calendar?
Second, I will be in country, but vacationing in Hawaii (I know, tough, right?) 3/9-3/23. I'll have time to run, and may have access to a stationary bike, but obviously don't want to have training interfere with family vacation time. Those are costly SAUs! Again, what to do regarding the schedule?
Thank you for the plan Rich! I have a questions about which plan I should be following while on my trial membership. On the left it says "my plan" and on the other part of the page it says your workout for the day. The plan that says my plan doesn't look like much of a workout. Some things I need to consider. I have 30 lbs to lose to get back to my peak fitness. If I don't get at least 8 hrs of exercise a week I will gain instead of lose. Second thing is my swimming is not very good. I only learned 2 years ago to do my first tri. I do masters 3 days a week and that really seems to be helping me with form. Are swims included? Lastly, my whole purpose is to complete an ironman Lake PLacid in 2014. But it is all depending on my ability to swim the Olympic distance. Should I really focus on the swimming now? My form is really improving but I am slower than a turtle(on land) My best 50 is 57 seconds!
Got the plan and am getting excited seeing everyhting layed out going into Louisville. After my first pass I do have a few questions around the plan:
I bought the OS plan and started as the Fast Track opened up. I'm in week 2 as of now. In the Roadmap it has me in the PreSeason. I know my trial has the PreSeason loaded - just confirming I should stop the OS and switch over to the PS plan instead.
For the Run/Bike focus plans - are these 100% or more 85/15 on the title skill? I definitly need to develop more power on the bike (my FTP is 198), but the run needs some serious work as well (vdot 38.8). From an ROI of 112 vs 26 miles I'm thinking bike, but would like some guidance.
From 4/15 to 6/3 the roadmap is open. I know I put in possibly considering a HIM. Louisville will be my 1st IM (half or Full) and I have no idea if that would be beneficial or not...I'm not set on doing it one way or the other (and can use the $$ elsewhere). Would doing another Focus plan - whatever is "weaker" after the OS fit here? Swim? If not what should I be following for that time period?
When do I get back into the pool? At the kickoff of the 20wk IM I'll have 12wks left - and have to build volume in all 3 disciplines from Olympic to Full IM. I can see getting Run/Bike up. With the PS, Focus and OS not having any swimming - it seems like I'm out of the pool for almost 5 months from today. How can I best interleave this into the season?
I'm ready to have faith and execute whichever way you guys point me.
Thanks for the plan Coach Rich. I really like the way it is laid out. In April I was thinking of loading up the Bike Focus plan. That Mad Beach Sprint will more than likely fall on May 19th or 26th. Would that be all right or should I consider something else?
@Gonzalo -- Yes, that sounds good. You can make that change yourself by loading up the OS plan and setting to end on Feb 3rd, I think. That should sync you up with your friend.
@Andrew -- 1. Let's sort it out when you get back. In my experience (>13+ XMas seasons as a triathlon coach) that time if year is just crazy messy of everyone and it doesn't make much sense to worry about / plan for / around it now. Just do the best you can with whatever you can and we'll circle back in the new year. 2. Our general rule is to turn vacations like that into running camps: maybe load up the Run Focus training plan in those weeks and use that as a guide but, again, this is a long way off and nothing to worry about now.
@Joanne -- The stuff in the top left of your training plan page is our standard warmup, to be used across all of your workouts. We park it there to save space in your actual plan / workout which is in the main section of the page. I STRONGLY advise you to just do the workouts as written. Our style of working is very likely not your style, ie, your 8hrs is not our 8hrs. Just do everything as written for about 4-5wks and then reassess. Yes, fine to continue swimming masters but not at the expense of your bike and run workouts.
@Craig -- 1. Yes, fine to do the OS plan instead. Sorry, I have nothing back here that identifies anyone as a plan customer so I work with what I see in the survey :-) 2. The plans focus on the title sport and put the other in maintenance mode. The BF plan has 3 runs per week. I have you (and many others) in the Focus plans though the end of the December because I want you guys to start the OS on Jan 7th with the rest of the team vs starting it now in the holiday season = just not a good idea as we've seen across many seasons. 3. Let's handle that when we get there. Not something we need to concerned with right now. 4. In the OS you'll find guidance to download a .pdf I created with 20wks of swim workouts. You could use that as a guide to pick up the swimming, say, 16wks out from your race.
I'm trying to load up the bike focused plan to end on 12/31 as per my season plan but I'm not finding the "move/change your plan" link on my dashboard.
That feature probably isn't live yet because I think you're still in your trial? If you'd like to end that and join now, see the My Account button in the navigation bar above. Once you do that, please give it some time for the permissions on the site to roll over, etc. You may need to log out / back in also.
Hi coaches, the instructions this morning were to upload the bike focused plan. I received the email that my EN subscription has been processed, do I need to do something that takes me out of trial member mode so I have the ability to upload the plan? Thank you, Cathleen White
Thank you for sending over the road map. I have two questions for you .....1. I tried to load up a training plan and just to see what the training looked like especially going to my half marathons and Half Ironmans. When I went to load a plan I do not have a link called "move / change my plan" link. Should I have access to this or because I am a trial member I don't have access to see this? My next question is... I agree when you say that I should not run a marathon before my Patriot Half Ironman. I do want to try and qualify for Boston next year so since my last race in on August 19th...Do you see a problem with me running a marathon in the fall then?
Just a couple questions before I pull the trigger, 1st is any other media player i can use to see your comments to my road map. I cannot download the version you sent it in. I travel quite regularly during the week, so I assume tweeks can be made? I have 1 other challenge that i would love some suggestions/help on, and that is nutrition for the big races. Add to that I am a type 1 diabetic with an omnipod pump. Cool thing about the pump is it is water proof and I can wear it the entire race. In fact I am 5 for 5 in IM so far...
Honestly everything you guys talked about on the webinar last night made total sense, and I am definitely interested. Guess we can discuss goals later but 'just finishing' an IM is not the goal anymore. Thanks and I will dig deep into the site, this weekend as i try to rid myself of this damn chest cold going around!
On the webinar yesterday I asked about writing my own marathon hack(April marathon during outseason plan) and you mentioned it would be okaybut to run it by you. Do you need to see the entire season's plan or more on a week by week basis? I can do it either way.
Do you expect to see higher intensity in the runs? I have run 11 marathons and learnt I don't handle intensity well and this despite the fact that I can never run as fast in training as I do when I race. My current thinking is to use a variation of the Daniel's A plan, using his two key workouts and then adding two easy runs to supplement those It is tough plan but a level of intensity I have been able to handle in the past. I don't run high mileage, mostly peaking at 45 or so on 4 day of running, which I realize is a lot but that is what has worked best for me. I am not fast, PR of 3:44 (4 years ago, more recent time 3:47)
Oops. I posted this in the regular thread and was suggested to post here. still learning to get around My trial membership is expiring but I feel I need more time to make sure this works for me. I will take advantage of the money back guarantee ...
Time to be honest .... Here it is:
I have not started your workouts yet. I was going to on the 7th but nervous about switching over.
I have had a group/team coach for the past two seasons. I love having people to train with which keeps me motivated, but I sometimes question the training volume (HIGH) and the Coach's attitude towards long distance racing is somewhat negative - "you will suffer doing an IM". I look forward to switching coaches but nervous that I wont keep up my motivation training by myself and not sure an online peer group will get me through it. Those are my fears and here are a couple of questions:
1. Part of why I do triathlons is to continue to lose weight and become fitter the volume in training is much lower than what I am currently doing and am concerned that I will gain weight. With my current volume, I feel I can eat healthy but good amounts!
2. I do bootcamp sessions which I love and it has helped me become stronger and work on my core. There is no way I do these on my own. Also, I am a swimmer, I love swimming, and live on the ocean so many times I just go out for a long swim. Is it ok to continue to do stuff in addition to the plan or does it defeat the purpose?
3. Is there a place to keep track of our workouts, speeds, etc? Not an analytics geek but trying to get better at measuring my progress...
@Rich -- ? Yes, that's a members-only feature. You'll need to either join or wait for your trial membership to expire before that feature will work. ? Not a "big" problem. We get that our athletes want to do other stuff. Problems happen with "I'm going to train for an HIM in August, then do a fall marathon and qualify for Boston to race it in '14. Then I want to take that Boston fitness and crush my PR at CDA or IMLP, for example." This team has a very, very, very long list of people who've tried that and wondered why they are burnt out in Feb '14 and possibly slow on the bike and run in May '14. It's all good, I'm just helping you see the bigger picture of what a fall marathon means for whatever downstream, '14 goals you might have.
@Scott -- Hopefully you've sorted out the screencast issues. Re schedule tweaks: yes, you just ask for Patrick's feedback in the Micro Thread, he gives it to you and you implement it with your sharpened #2 pixel, ie, you don't pay us $$$ to move your Tues run to Thursday. We tell you to do it, you do it, done.
@Anu -- Recommend you post your proposal as a post in the Marathon Forum, where Patrick can check it out. You guys can then have a conversation in there about all of the other stuff above and you'll get feedback from the team as well.
@Cristina -- • You're still welcome to train with other people, I do it all of the time :-) My solution is to tell people what I'm doing and invite them to join me. That said, you'll likely encounter some friction from your peers about what we have you doing, and when, vs how they think it should be done. Not to sound like too much of a Dick but…ask your friends and the local coach what their data set of HIM and IM athletes is? Ours is 25+yrs of combined long course specific coaching, nearly 30 IM finishes between us, and thousands of coached athletes. If stuff in the plans seems whack, it's because we did it the way everyone else does it about 8-9yrs ago and have learned what we think is a better way since then. • My guidance is "do what you want to do…until it begins to affect your ability to successfully accomplish your bike and run workouts." At that time you'll likely be forced to make a choice. I personally don't do any extra curricular stuff with my legs but everything is fair game…until it starts to affect my SBR workouts. Then I remind myself what my goals are make adjustments. • Body comp: many of us use online tools such as LoseIt! and others to track calories in as food vs out as exercise. I recommend you try that. I know you'll learn a TON. • No, we do not have a training log on the site. We are coaches, not programmers, and have built this site to help is coach you. That means training plans and the coach-ey coach-ey stuff to support those plans. We let other people have the training log game -- TrainingPeaks, etc.
I've taken the plunge & upgraded to a full membership of Team EN. I am excited to get started but still have some concerns, particularly regarding fitting this into my regular schedule. I work full time & have an 18 month old & my hubby is often away with work, so external support is very limited. I loved the SAU's that you mention in the quick start guide.
One thing I am struggling with (after a 2 week break from daily training) is getting my mojo back to training every afternoon. I generally can't do anything until the toddler goes to bed, which means I'm starting my workout at 7.30pm ish. I have a little home "Suffer Chamber" set up which helps, but sometimes I just need a spoon full of cement to keep me going. I want to know if there are many Aussies on here - someone who can kick my butt from time to time?
Sorry for the rant, I guess I feel that by venting it hopefully my concerns will leave my body too!
I am up in Arrowhead today and tomorrow. It is snowing so I can not ride (didnt bring a trainer) to do my TT test. Can I swap my 5k TT for tomorrow and do my ride on Thurs? Only issue I see, is it will be hilly and at altitude. thanks, Leah
Leah, You should do all of your testing, bike and run, in the venue in which you'll be doing your training. In this case, wait until you get back home and do your tests there, where you'll be doing the majority of your training.
You had questions for me on my fitness level. I sent a post (don't see it now) so I am not sure if you received it.
At the end of the day, my main goal is KONA (we can all dream) or minimum podium at IM LP.
I have a fairly aggressive race schedule since I want to improve my "focus for race day" I am willing to take your advise on how to handle these races - a,b,c - based on the focus towards the IM LP goal. I did rule out St. Croix and now considering Fl 70.3 for a vegas slot.
You had questions on my current fitness level. Basically for the last 4 months my typical week:
Bike - 100-120 miles - 2 x per week intervals, LSD around 60-70 miles
Run - 20-25 miles - 1 speed workout, 1 long easy 10 miles, 1 pace
Swim - 4000-5000 m per week. 2 x per week.
Let me know your thoughts. I am very open to any recommendations and changes to achieve the IM LP goal.
thanks! i did find your response. I am still getting accustomed to the system! I am thinking about your advise.
I highlighted two options below. I am trying to balance the races already paid and your advise. I know that I have the base, so I get the need to focus on speed. Having said that, I am anxious to get some racing under my belts given all the base I have been doing for the last 6 months and I do have a bit of race anxiety in the swim and need to be primed for IM LP. I also have done very well at Nautica, Clermont and Florida, so I am partial to keeping them on the docket.
I think I could do the Olympic Nautica with the Get Faster plan (probably not the OS plan). I placed 2nd and lost it in the transition - couldn't find my bike and had to rerack in T2.
In any event, I am thinking about the EN IM LP traiing camp, as well.
Your thoughts ---
Now - 3/24 HITS 1/2
3/24 - 5/6 - Get Faster with Nautica Olympic race (I placed 2nd in AG last year and lost based on bad transitions! I think I could race it well under your "get faster" plan, but not the OS plan.)
5/6 - Kicks off IM LP
or
Now - 3/17 - Get Faster Plan or OS
HITS- look to downgrade to Olympic as training race
Nautica - Keep as A race
3/17 - 5/6 - HIM - St. Croix Race or 5/19 Florida
Is FL to late? I have done well in this race 4th in my "old" (younger) age group.
5/6 or 5/19 - Kicks of IM LP
Which option would get me in better shape for IM LP?
@Anna -- Yes, I think it takes a bit for it to show up…or something. You may get more help by posting this in the Power Forum where more people will see it.
@Lori -- Plan B with StX vs IMFL. StX means you can get the HIM done and move on with IM training FL means you'll have about a 10 day "accommodation hole" punched into your IM training schedule as you rest a bit for and recover after the race.
I've been given the EN "Getting Started" plan. It's been uploaded and shows that this is my plan in training=> my training plan.
However, when I go to Training => my training plan it shows that this is my plan but there are 1. ZERO workouts showing (none, ziltch, null set, all I have is the warm ups) and 2. ZERO videos/info etc.
I have viewed this in 3 different browsers and it's all the same. No workouts scheduled, no info, but it says the plan is loaded. I've tried relaoding it and still the same in all 3 browsers.
On the Dashboard the message is "OOps" and goes on about there being no workouts and gives two reasons why - niether of which apply because a plan is loaded.
I have asked about this several times over the last 24 hours and sent SEVERAL messages and have not received an answer as to why this is happening. I'll give it til tomorrow.
Andi, I just tried to load up the same plan and it appears that there is nothing loaded against it. Like I said earlier, I would start with the "Get Faster - Beginner" plan and set it to end anytime from this Sunday till 7 weeks from this sunday. Please try that and see if your Dashboard, as well as Training Plan, pages show anything. Joe
Comments
Hi Rich,
What is the difference between the training objectives of the OutSeason plan and the Get Faster plans?
I saw both plans mentioned in the season plan screencast you created for me. The season plan looks great by the way, thank you for putting it together. I'm looking forward to putting it into action.
Brent, good question.
I often found myself need a "gap solution" / training plan -- a plan that someone would do during a long gap between races. For example, a May half Ironman and a September Ironman --> their HIM fitness would put them well beyond the first 8wks of the 20wk IM plan and beyond the OS plan. So I would have them do certainly weeks of the Short Course plan, but give them guidance to increase the volume of the long bikes and long runs to better match their post HIM fitness.
So this past spring ('12) Patrick and I took the Short Course plans, changed this, that, and the other thing to make these 8wk GF plans. These are now our go-to solutions when you're not in the OS, or in a Focused Plan (coming soon) or are not yet within the last 8-12wks of your HIM training or last 12wks of your IM training, or are between races.
The short answer is the GF is the best "fit" for the fitness of the post OS EN athlete and is our go-to solution when you're not yet training "for" something but have completed 14wks of OS training and maybe the 6wk focused plans.
Sometimes I just can't get to a pool or to the beach. Is there a run or weight training workout you can recommend that I can on occassion sub in? I don't want to miss the training day, but I alos don't want to over work my legs and ruin my other tarining days. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
I am hoping this goes to Patrick
Rich told me that you, Patrick would be able to give me taper plan for my HM which is Nov 25th. 
thanks,
sheri
My question is , can you take another look and see if maybe I can start with the OS November plan even when is am 10 days or so late? That way I can be on the same schedule as my friend (we have similar race schedule)
Thanks
Gonzalo
First, I will be out of the country 12/18-12/29 with basically no opportunity to run or bike. At best, plyometrics. Very unlikely to even have access to a gym. What to do vis-a-vis the training calendar?
Second, I will be in country, but vacationing in Hawaii (I know, tough, right?) 3/9-3/23. I'll have time to run, and may have access to a stationary bike, but obviously don't want to have training interfere with family vacation time. Those are costly SAUs! Again, what to do regarding the schedule?
Hi Coaches!
Is there any chance you could send me the link, for me to calculate my VDOT score, please?
Many thanks,
Neil
Rich,
Got the plan and am getting excited seeing everyhting layed out going into Louisville. After my first pass I do have a few questions around the plan:
I'm ready to have faith and execute whichever way you guys point me.
Thanks for the plan Coach Rich. I really like the way it is laid out. In April I was thinking of loading up the Bike Focus plan. That Mad Beach Sprint will more than likely fall on May 19th or 26th. Would that be all right or should I consider something else?
Thanks again!
Mark
Yes, that sounds good. You can make that change yourself by loading up the OS plan and setting to end on Feb 3rd, I think. That should sync you up with your friend.
@Andrew --
1. Let's sort it out when you get back. In my experience (>13+ XMas seasons as a triathlon coach) that time if year is just crazy messy of everyone and it doesn't make much sense to worry about / plan for / around it now. Just do the best you can with whatever you can and we'll circle back in the new year.
2. Our general rule is to turn vacations like that into running camps: maybe load up the Run Focus training plan in those weeks and use that as a guide but, again, this is a long way off and nothing to worry about now.
@Niel --
Hover your mouse over Resources above.
@Joanne --
The stuff in the top left of your training plan page is our standard warmup, to be used across all of your workouts. We park it there to save space in your actual plan / workout which is in the main section of the page. I STRONGLY advise you to just do the workouts as written. Our style of working is very likely not your style, ie, your 8hrs is not our 8hrs. Just do everything as written for about 4-5wks and then reassess. Yes, fine to continue swimming masters but not at the expense of your bike and run workouts.
@Craig --
1. Yes, fine to do the OS plan instead. Sorry, I have nothing back here that identifies anyone as a plan customer so I work with what I see in the survey :-)
2. The plans focus on the title sport and put the other in maintenance mode. The BF plan has 3 runs per week. I have you (and many others) in the Focus plans though the end of the December because I want you guys to start the OS on Jan 7th with the rest of the team vs starting it now in the holiday season = just not a good idea as we've seen across many seasons.
3. Let's handle that when we get there. Not something we need to concerned with right now.
4. In the OS you'll find guidance to download a .pdf I created with 20wks of swim workouts. You could use that as a guide to pick up the swimming, say, 16wks out from your race.
@Mark --
Yes, that sounds fine
I'm trying to load up the bike focused plan to end on 12/31 as per my season plan but I'm not finding the "move/change your plan" link on my dashboard.
Thanks
Turby
That feature probably isn't live yet because I think you're still in your trial? If you'd like to end that and join now, see the My Account button in the navigation bar above. Once you do that, please give it some time for the permissions on the site to roll over, etc. You may need to log out / back in also.
Hi coaches, the instructions this morning were to upload the bike focused plan. I received the email that my EN subscription has been processed, do I need to do something that takes me out of trial member mode so I have the ability to upload the plan? Thank you, Cathleen White
Sometimes it takes a bit for the permissions to update. You may also need to log out and back in.
Hi Rich,
Thank you for sending over the road map. I have two questions for you .....1. I tried to load up a training plan and just to see what the training looked like especially going to my half marathons and Half Ironmans. When I went to load a plan I do not have a link called "move / change my plan" link. Should I have access to this or because I am a trial member I don't have access to see this? My next question is... I agree when you say that I should not run a marathon before my Patriot Half Ironman. I do want to try and qualify for Boston next year so since my last race in on August 19th...Do you see a problem with me running a marathon in the fall then?
Thanks,
Rich
Just a couple questions before I pull the trigger, 1st is any other media player i can use to see your comments to my road map. I cannot download the version you sent it in. I travel quite regularly during the week, so I assume tweeks can be made? I have 1 other challenge that i would love some suggestions/help on, and that is nutrition for the big races. Add to that I am a type 1 diabetic with an omnipod pump. Cool thing about the pump is it is water proof and I can wear it the entire race. In fact I am 5 for 5 in IM so far...
Honestly everything you guys talked about on the webinar last night made total sense, and I am definitely interested. Guess we can discuss goals later but 'just finishing' an IM is not the goal anymore. Thanks and I will dig deep into the site, this weekend as i try to rid myself of this damn chest cold going around!
On the webinar yesterday I asked about writing my own marathon hack(April marathon during outseason plan) and you mentioned it would be okaybut to run it by you. Do you need to see the entire season's plan or more on a week by week basis? I can do it either way.
Do you expect to see higher intensity in the runs? I have run 11 marathons and learnt I don't handle intensity well and this despite the fact that I can never run as fast in training as I do when I race. My current thinking is to use a variation of the Daniel's A plan, using his two key workouts and then adding two easy runs to supplement those It is tough plan but a level of intensity I have been able to handle in the past. I don't run high mileage, mostly peaking at 45 or so on 4 day of running, which I realize is a lot but that is what has worked best for me. I am not fast, PR of 3:44 (4 years ago, more recent time 3:47)
Coaches:
Oops. I posted this in the regular thread and was suggested to post here. still learning to get around
My trial membership is expiring but I feel I need more time to make sure this works for me. I will take advantage of the money back guarantee ...
Time to be honest .... Here it is:
I have not started your workouts yet. I was going to on the 7th but nervous about switching over.
I have had a group/team coach for the past two seasons. I love having people to train with which keeps me motivated, but I sometimes question the training volume (HIGH) and the Coach's attitude towards long distance racing is somewhat negative - "you will suffer doing an IM". I look forward to switching coaches but nervous that I wont keep up my motivation training by myself and not sure an online peer group will get me through it. Those are my fears and here are a couple of questions:
1. Part of why I do triathlons is to continue to lose weight and become fitter the volume in training is much lower than what I am currently doing and am concerned that I will gain weight. With my current volume, I feel I can eat healthy but good amounts!
2. I do bootcamp sessions which I love and it has helped me become stronger and work on my core. There is no way I do these on my own. Also, I am a swimmer, I love swimming, and live on the ocean so many times I just go out for a long swim. Is it ok to continue to do stuff in addition to the plan or does it defeat the purpose?
3. Is there a place to keep track of our workouts, speeds, etc? Not an analytics geek but trying to get better at measuring my progress...
I look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks,
Cristina
? Yes, that's a members-only feature. You'll need to either join or wait for your trial membership to expire before that feature will work.
? Not a "big" problem. We get that our athletes want to do other stuff. Problems happen with "I'm going to train for an HIM in August, then do a fall marathon and qualify for Boston to race it in '14. Then I want to take that Boston fitness and crush my PR at CDA or IMLP, for example." This team has a very, very, very long list of people who've tried that and wondered why they are burnt out in Feb '14 and possibly slow on the bike and run in May '14. It's all good, I'm just helping you see the bigger picture of what a fall marathon means for whatever downstream, '14 goals you might have.
@Scott --
Hopefully you've sorted out the screencast issues. Re schedule tweaks: yes, you just ask for Patrick's feedback in the Micro Thread, he gives it to you and you implement it with your sharpened #2 pixel, ie, you don't pay us $$$ to move your Tues run to Thursday. We tell you to do it, you do it, done.
@Anu --
Recommend you post your proposal as a post in the Marathon Forum, where Patrick can check it out. You guys can then have a conversation in there about all of the other stuff above and you'll get feedback from the team as well.
@Cristina --
• You're still welcome to train with other people, I do it all of the time :-) My solution is to tell people what I'm doing and invite them to join me. That said, you'll likely encounter some friction from your peers about what we have you doing, and when, vs how they think it should be done. Not to sound like too much of a Dick but…ask your friends and the local coach what their data set of HIM and IM athletes is? Ours is 25+yrs of combined long course specific coaching, nearly 30 IM finishes between us, and thousands of coached athletes. If stuff in the plans seems whack, it's because we did it the way everyone else does it about 8-9yrs ago and have learned what we think is a better way since then.
• My guidance is "do what you want to do…until it begins to affect your ability to successfully accomplish your bike and run workouts." At that time you'll likely be forced to make a choice. I personally don't do any extra curricular stuff with my legs but everything is fair game…until it starts to affect my SBR workouts. Then I remind myself what my goals are make adjustments.
• Body comp: many of us use online tools such as LoseIt! and others to track calories in as food vs out as exercise. I recommend you try that. I know you'll learn a TON.
• No, we do not have a training log on the site. We are coaches, not programmers, and have built this site to help is coach you. That means training plans and the coach-ey coach-ey stuff to support those plans. We let other people have the training log game -- TrainingPeaks, etc.
I've taken the plunge & upgraded to a full membership of Team EN. I am excited to get started but still have some concerns, particularly regarding fitting this into my regular schedule. I work full time & have an 18 month old & my hubby is often away with work, so external support is very limited. I loved the SAU's that you mention in the quick start guide.
One thing I am struggling with (after a 2 week break from daily training) is getting my mojo back to training every afternoon. I generally can't do anything until the toddler goes to bed, which means I'm starting my workout at 7.30pm ish. I have a little home "Suffer Chamber" set up which helps, but sometimes I just need a spoon full of cement to keep me going. I want to know if there are many Aussies on here - someone who can kick my butt from time to time?
Sorry for the rant, I guess I feel that by venting it hopefully my concerns will leave my body too!
Cheers
Sara
I am up in Arrowhead today and tomorrow. It is snowing so I can not ride (didnt bring a trainer) to do my TT test. Can I swap my 5k TT for tomorrow and do my ride on Thurs? Only issue I see, is it will be hilly and at altitude. thanks, Leah
You should do all of your testing, bike and run, in the venue in which you'll be doing your training. In this case, wait until you get back home and do your tests there, where you'll be doing the majority of your training.
Coach,
You had questions for me on my fitness level. I sent a post (don't see it now) so I am not sure if you received it.
At the end of the day, my main goal is KONA (we can all dream) or minimum podium at IM LP.
I have a fairly aggressive race schedule since I want to improve my "focus for race day" I am willing to take your advise on how to handle these races - a,b,c - based on the focus towards the IM LP goal. I did rule out St. Croix and now considering Fl 70.3 for a vegas slot.
You had questions on my current fitness level. Basically for the last 4 months my typical week:
Bike - 100-120 miles - 2 x per week intervals, LSD around 60-70 miles
Run - 20-25 miles - 1 speed workout, 1 long easy 10 miles, 1 pace
Swim - 4000-5000 m per week. 2 x per week.
Let me know your thoughts. I am very open to any recommendations and changes to achieve the IM LP goal.
Lori
http://members.endurancenation.us/Training/TrainingForums/tabid/101/aft/6287/afpg/22/Default.aspx
Hi Coaches,
I did the bike test and entered the info. Does it take a couple of days for it to show up on my training plan page?
Anna
thanks! i did find your response. I am still getting accustomed to the system! I am thinking about your advise.
I highlighted two options below. I am trying to balance the races already paid and your advise. I know that I have the base, so I get the need to focus on speed. Having said that, I am anxious to get some racing under my belts given all the base I have been doing for the last 6 months and I do have a bit of race anxiety in the swim and need to be primed for IM LP. I also have done very well at Nautica, Clermont and Florida, so I am partial to keeping them on the docket.
I think I could do the Olympic Nautica with the Get Faster plan (probably not the OS plan). I placed 2nd and lost it in the transition - couldn't find my bike and had to rerack in T2.
In any event, I am thinking about the EN IM LP traiing camp, as well.
Your thoughts ---
Now - 3/24 HITS 1/2
3/24 - 5/6 - Get Faster with Nautica Olympic race (I placed 2nd in AG last year and lost based on bad transitions! I think I could race it well under your "get faster" plan, but not the OS plan.)
5/6 - Kicks off IM LP
or
Now - 3/17 - Get Faster Plan or OS
HITS- look to downgrade to Olympic as training race
Nautica - Keep as A race
3/17 - 5/6 - HIM - St. Croix Race or 5/19 Florida
Is FL to late? I have done well in this race 4th in my "old" (younger) age group.
5/6 or 5/19 - Kicks of IM LP
Which option would get me in better shape for IM LP?
Yes, I think it takes a bit for it to show up…or something. You may get more help by posting this in the Power Forum where more people will see it.
@Lori --
Plan B with StX vs IMFL. StX means you can get the HIM done and move on with IM training FL means you'll have about a 10 day "accommodation hole" punched into your IM training schedule as you rest a bit for and recover after the race.
I've been given the EN "Getting Started" plan. It's been uploaded and shows that this is my plan in training=> my training plan.
However, when I go to Training => my training plan it shows that this is my plan but there are 1. ZERO workouts showing (none, ziltch, null set, all I have is the warm ups) and 2. ZERO videos/info etc.
I have viewed this in 3 different browsers and it's all the same. No workouts scheduled, no info, but it says the plan is loaded. I've tried relaoding it and still the same in all 3 browsers.
On the Dashboard the message is "OOps" and goes on about there being no workouts and gives two reasons why - niether of which apply because a plan is loaded.
I have asked about this several times over the last 24 hours and sent SEVERAL messages and have not received an answer as to why this is happening. I'll give it til tomorrow.
Andi
I just tried to load up the same plan and it appears that there is nothing loaded against it. Like I said earlier, I would start with the "Get Faster - Beginner" plan and set it to end anytime from this Sunday till 7 weeks from this sunday.
Please try that and see if your Dashboard, as well as Training Plan, pages show anything.
Joe