The "When Should I Start the OutSeason Thread"
Text below has been posted to the Wiki here. This is the accompanying discussion thread.
Have questions about when is best time for you to start the OS, given then ending of your 2011 season and the start of your 2012 races? Please post here!
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It’s that time of year again, as athletes end their 2011 season and begin to plan their training and racing for 2012. Inside the team we are now fielding many season planning questions and the Big One is:
Question: “Given my race schedule for 2012, when should I start my OutSeason Training Plan?”
Answer: You should start the OS when your head is ready to commit to anywhere from 14 to 20 weeks of focused, hard work.
This is a function of the nature of the season you just ended, the length of your 2012 season, and your own personal constraints during the winter months.
What is the OutSeason?
This is the critical time of year when we build your power and pace at threshold. Because you have minimal volume goals with no big races on the schedule, we can fill your extra time with recovery. This means we can really push the intensity of the workouts and help you establish new levels of fitness on the bike and the run. The net being that when you return to the open road next year, your training partners won’t know what happened to the “old” you that no longer rides or runs with them.
Your 2011 Season
If it’s been a long one, you definitely want to take some unstructured downtime to recover your body and reset your head. This includes Ironman Canada, Louisville or Wisconsin, and especially the late season races of Ironman Kona, Florida, Arizona, or Cozumel.
Why rest, you ask? Because our OutSeason training plans are tough. We’re going to ask you to a lot of hard work. You definitely want to be a mental place where you are ready and eager to do that work, not feeling like you have to do the work now because you have race on Date X in 2012.
Unstructured is just that — do what you want to do, staying active, maintaining your running frequency, etc, but consider not training with a scheduled training plan. Again, your priority is to reset your head before diving into the hard work.
The Length of Your 2012 Season
If you’re racing a late 2012 race, you want to err on the side of starting your OS training later rather than sooner. More importantly, definitely want to break your 2012 season into smaller, more manageable chunks. The idea is to move from short term goal/race to short term goal/race, vs putting your feet on the floor at 5:30am in December thinking you are training for Ironman Florida 2012. If you try the latter approach you will be insane by May, we promise.
Your Personal Constraints
When does the weather sentence you to the drainer or dreadmill? How far into 2012 will you be on those damn things? What are your work and/or family commitments during holidays and winter months?
Training time during the Winter can be very costly — indoors, in the cold/dark, shoehorned in around holiday commitments, occurring months and months before your 2012 races, etc. Be realistic about these personal costs and pick a start date for your OutSeason that reflects this assessment.
“But what about my goal race of the Podunktown 70.3 on April 15th? How does that affect my OS start date?”
- Please go here to read our thoughts on transitioning from the OS to your A-race training plan.
- If you need more help, please take the Season Planning Survey to have Coach Rich plan your season for you.
In short, we’ve managed the back end of the OS — how to integrate that with the rest of your season, how to transition you to your A-race plan — a thousand times. We have/are an app for that! But what is much more important is you choosing the best OS starting date for you, based on the three bullets above. Don’t worry about what means on the back end. That’s easy to manage.
OutSeason Start Date Considerations and Recommendations
Within TeamEN we traditionally start the OS on set dates to get massive numbers of athletes starting the same plans at the same time. This helps to maximize the accountability and mojo of the Team:
- ~October 1st — good for athletes who finished their goal races for the 2011 season in July or August (or earlier), “maybe” folks who raced Ironman Wisconsin who have seriously unplugged for the balance of September and are genuinely ready to get back at it. For 2012 races: good if you're first A-race is in April or May, maybe June if you are a warm-winter athlete
- ~November 1st — better start date for the IMWI and September 70.3 folks. For 2012 races: good if you are cold winter athlete with first A-races in May or June.
- ~December 1st — we do NOT recommend you start your OS plan in December. In our 5yrs of experience with guiding athletes through the OS, December is just very, very messy and more often than not December OS athletes end up doing a hard reset and starting their OS over in January.
- ~January 1st — for athletes who finished their season in November and/or have very late 2012 races.
- ~Feb 1st — similar to the January OS folks.
Managing Gaps between the end of the OS and the start of your A-race training plan:
As Rich plans the seasons of TeamEN athletes, he also sees big gaps between the end of the OS and the start of their training for their A race. For example, you want to start the OS in October, which would have you exiting the OS in mid February, but your A-race isn't until July or August.
In general:
- We like you to have, at most, an 8-12wk "focus window:" you're only focusing on an event(s) that's at most 8-12wks into the future. You are NOT training for the Podunk 70.3 for 8 months! You'll go insane!
- If we see a gap of about greater than 8 weeks between the end of your OS plan and the start of your A-race plan, we'll recommend you find a race or other cool event to do during that 8wk block. We will then likely have you repeat a block of the OS or use the Short Course plan as a low volume, get faster solution that also includes swimming.
But probably the most important take away from all of this is:
When to start the OS is NOT a function of when your A-race for next season is. Rather, it's a function of where your head is at.
Before you jump into the OS, ask yourself: is my head in a place right now where I can committ to 20wks of solid work? If the answer is now, push your OS start date back and don't worry about what that means on the back end of your OS plan and how that affects the start of your A-race plan. We've managed that a thousand times. Getting the front end right is more more important!
Comments
Just fire up the old one until they are ready?
Thanks coach - ready to get fast!
Yes, load up the old one. FYI, the significant changes to the plan, that is, changes to the actual workouts, don't appear until about Week 9. But the system into which we are putting the new plans -- will display the TSS of each session and each week, among other things -- is still being built out.
Step 1 of our rewrite process is to rewrite the .pdf plans, which will be released to non-members next week. Step 2 is bringing those plans into our system here as raw data. Step 3 is then tweaking the platform in which the plans are displayed. We're in Step 2 and 3 right now.
Hello Coach,
So here we go, ending 2011 season with Soma Half 10/23.
2012 race schedule:
06/09 70.3 Kansas "B"
07/15 70.3 Vineman "B"
09/09 70.3 Vegas "A"
10/07 70.3 Branson "A"
I was thinking January OS start, what do you say. Thank you.
@Aleksander: Yes, JanOS is good for you as you're ending your season so late. Just don't fall completely off the wagon in November and December. The 30-day run challenge in the challenge forum would be a good tool for you (and me!)
The one issue with the JOS is I think you'll be very tempted to pull out of the OS early and drop into the HIM plan in order to hit some more volume workouts ahead of Kansas. If you combine that with a season that goes from early-June to late September with 4 races, I wonder if Kansas is really such a great idea. I know it's a local race for you, but do you risk burnout before two late season A-races??
See you in the JOS again this year!
Brett,
We like to have a lot of people start the OS at the same time because it creates a great synergy in the OS groups, as people share, bitch and moan about their weekly training experiences
Many people who start the OS mid month usually sync up with the rest of the group after about 4-6wks by adjusting the ending date of their plan to move it forward/backward on their calendar.
Branson is moving to 10/7/12 next year (the website is wrong). They moved it away from the World Championships.
Bob,
Start in November, do the best you can during the holidays, then reassess if you need to repeat some weeks or if you're on track.
I looked at my WO for tomorrow and smiled. I love intervals on the bike.
I have PF - started out of the blue two months ago. Just moved to Seattle from Canada, so have to get a doc and deal with it. I can run on it with some discomfort - but should I? 90 mins is about my max.
Cheers
Jane
Hey Coach - I'mmmm Baaccckkk!
I am doing IMLP on July 20, and just want to sanity check my training plan timeline. The main piece I want to check is the length of the IM Plan - 12 week vs. 20 week. Is the 20 week more for folks just starting? If I go with the 12 week IM plan, I'm thinking OS start Nov 14 (runs through Apr 1), 1 Basic month, and then IM Advanced 4 week Apr 30 - Jul 22 (12 week).
Mike B
Welcome back! We have a "new" season planning process:
1. Go to your training plan page
2. See the "plan my season" link. Do that survey
3. I'll plan your reason for you.
I'm bouncing all over the place...but still training for Kiawah Marathon 12/10/11. Doing nothing but running these days, and actually liking it, but if I said I was back on for IMCDA in 2012 AND I wouldn't start OS until Jan 1, what advice would you have ?
Thx,
B
Bill,
You know our thoughts about training for a marathon during a triathlon season. You're experiencing that. The short answer is that the marathon will force you to have some downtime afterwards and a Jan start date at this point is what it is. I would have you do the OS through mid April and then transition to the IM training plan.
Again, you can submit a Season Plan survey if you want me to plan it out more formally for you.
I hear ya. Will submit survey.
B
Sure would be nice to have a training buddy for CDA Bill....
I have not started the OS yet. Did the NYC marathon but eager to start the OS. I hear what you're saying but I would like to start Dec OS (Nov 28).
Waiting to get your advice.
Rob
Robert, if your head is in the right place, then please submit your race schedule to me via the "Season Planning Survey" or whatever link in the right sidebar of your training plan page. I'll plan it all out for you.
Rich, started NOS 10/31 and am starting week 3. Half mary done 11/5 as C race and want to run better at flat half mary in Kiawah on 12/10. Sub 1:25 goal which would be a PR and I ran a 1:27:02 on hilly course 11/5. Aiming for IMCDA as A+ race and IMF as A- race if I don't KQ.
P had suggested 14 weeks of NOS then 4 weeks of much bike, run, swim then recover then start IM ADV plan. Was thinking I'd like 2 weeks of recovery rather than one given age (45) and history of overtraining/underecovering.
Thoughts on doing any sprint tri's during IM training as speedwork? Avoid totally or do as C race? Thx
Rich,
I asked this question 2-3 weeks ago and you told me to fill out the survey. I finally came up with a planned race schedule and submitted the survey. You asked me if I already started the OS and my answer is no and I was directed to respond here.
Thanks for your help
Rob
I'll hit your stuff formally tomorrow or Friday (traveling to IMAZ tomorrow), but I don't want this to become another Macro Thread, another place for PnI to respond to season planning questions. Again, more later, thanks!
Thanks for the questions from your e-mail, I guess this is where I would answer you. I can say that I am already itching and have started back with a bit of running and core work with some friends. I feel I can start the OS the week after Thanksgiving. I know there is the talk about Dec not being a good start but even last year when I used the OS I did well with staying with it during the holidays, I will be staying home. Or would it be better to just use the OS to get ready for the May race and just layer the swim on top of that then I would start in Jan.
Let me share original thoughts on my year process and see what you think.
I would start the OS and have it finish some weeks before the planned May 19th race. I would think that during the later part of the OS start to include swimming to get ready for the race and then switch into some of the race specific training as the race nears. This will have me focused on speed all the way through the the spring. Then switch to the IM training as I get ready for the race in Nov.
I trust what ever you plan out after my input. After using your guidance from the IM plan for IMFL I am totally drinking the kool aide.
PS: Beach to Battleship has been moved to Oct 20th so I am not sure now if I will be doing Augusta on Sept 30th.
I will be looking forward to what you will plan out for the season.
Thanks,
Thanks
I have just submitted my planned race schedule and wish to start OS 5 December. Please be aware I am beginning again after no doing much for 18 years and just starting back running and cycling. I also need to lose a lot of weight to get back to where I need to be.
Looking forward to my plan.
Cheers
Phil
Coaches: Here's the summary of the last 6 months...
A Race is IMCDA.
June 23 - Broke foot 3 days before IMCDA. In cast for ~10 weeks. Hard reset.
September 15th - Bike: began REAL OS-like bike workouts & NPW off about ~25-35 watts from peak in June. Run: slowly build run (like starting with 4 minutes, no pace goals).
Oct-Nov - Bike: kicked some ass and got the NPW back up to about ~10 watts off of June peak. Run: some short FTP efforts, mostly Z1 building back durability. Up to 75 min Long Run now.
Dec - Bike: want to do some "maintenance" to keep Bike fitness in check but not start full on OS until Jan. Run: plan to start OS Run now. Not ready to go Full Ass on Run OS right now...still being careful.
Question: Plan to start OS full scale Jan 1 and go Block 2 for 6 Weeks and then Block 3 for 6 Weeks and then just roll into Adv IM plan for IMCDA. Does this make sense?
Here's my race schedule for 2012, was hoping you could recommend a good path for me. I'm currently 10 weeks into the Intermediate OS plan (was supposed to be 15 weeks in, but got a 3 week wicked upper respiratory that put me out of commission).
5/26/2012 – Stony Creek X-Tri – Offroad Sprint Tri - Complete "Z" level race, just to try an Xterra and have some muddy fun in a Michigan spring.
6/3/2012 - Race for Recovery – Half Ironman - Dead flat and wicked fast; managed 5:20 in 2010 and want to see if I can sack up a 5 hour race this spring. Not my "A" race for the year, but a high "B" if I can be properly prepared for it.
6/9/2012 - Michigan Mountain Mayhem – Boyne – 200 KM Cycling - 10k feet of elevation gain, huge group ride, more social until we take turns hammering each other on the climbs.
6/17/2012 – Motor City – Olympic - Flat and fast, definite "A" Olympic race
7/29/2012 – Village Tri (Craig Greenfield) – Clarkston – Sprint/Olympic hybrid distance Tri - "C" race
9/8/2012 – Tawas Half – Half Ironman - "A" race for the year
I can do a sprint/Oly almost any weekend in Michigan, and will likely fill in the blanks of July with some additional racing of little importance.
Where should I be right now in which plan, what comes next?
Thanks!
-J
Jay,
Looks like you're asking for season planning advice. I recommend you take the Season Planning Survey, see the link in the right sidebar of your training plan page, and I can plan it out for you.