2012 Season/ Braking the 2 Year Plateau
My apology for this being long, I will try to only give minimum relevant info. I am looking for your thoughts, advice or suggestions.
In summary, I am in one huge long plateau in triathlon performance since 2009. I would really love to brake that.
Objective: 4:30 HIM on a fair course and in moderate weather.
Background info:
I am 40 years old, 5'9", 152lbs, 5% body fat.
No background in any of the 3 sports.
In triathlon 4 years. LC racing since 2009.
2009 results: 70.3 NOLA 4:47 70.3 KS 4:44 LC Nationals/ Redman 4:39, all 30min or less swim, 2:25-2:30 bike, 1:45-1:37 run, all over swam, over biked and melted on the run.
2009 open running times 5K 19:34, fall half marathon 1:29
2010 results: 70.3 KS 4:45 (includes 4min draft penalty), like above faded on the run, 70.3 Branson 5:05 with a strong run in brutal heat
2011 results: open running, April hilly 5K 19:34, terrible SC results, 70.3 Branson 5:10 with the meltdown on the run
EN history: FTP before EN, 275W outdoors, since May 2010 with EN, 1 OS, entered with bike FTP 262W, VDOT 54+, after 8 weeks FTP peaked at 280W highest indoor ever to never show up outdoors, to roll back below 260W before end, VDOT stayed unchanged.
On the surface, running appears an issue. However, it is only of the three where I clocked in steady small gains over time, to never appear in triathlon racing due to poor execution and over estimated and weak bike fitness. Hard thing to verbalize, but that is what I think is the problem here. Poor bike fitness and stagnating FTP that is going nowhere.
Swim, will leave alone, no need there. I am a swim coach and can handle it and do have a swim coach handling it. Racing the swim and addressing it's fitness is where we will look into. In order for 30min to be easy and take less toll.....or roll back to 31-32min and leave it alone.
On the bike, I need 2:20 give or take. I want to see my FTP hit 300W, 4.2W/kg, race at 240W to be IF .80, that will lead to avg speed on rolling no wind course about 23.3mph or better for me.....
Run of the bike has to come down to 1:30. For that to happen, I first need open half time 1:25 and I know how to get there.
The biggest questions:
1. Is it the bike here that is the problem as I think it is, do I spend Nov-Dec as bike FTP focus? Starting JOS 2012.
2. Or, run is the issue, run focus Nov-Dec as I have in the past.
3. How do I go about the rest of the season in terms of focus and type work.
Thanks for all your patience reading through this.
Comments
Before I answer any of your questions, here are some thoughts.
I looked at your Branson result from last month and from 2010 your run split looks like this:
Branson 2011 7:06, 7:19, 8:00, 8:23, overall run pace 7:40
Branson 2010 7:25, 7:56, 8:56, overall run pace 8:03
It would appear that for both races you were running two fast off the bike and trying to "Force" the race to come to you. This I think is more of a race execution issue and not so much a fitness issue. I think this year if you would have come off the bike and run the first 4-6 miles around 7:30-7:45, you probably would have been able to pick up your pace and run an overall pace closer to maybe 7:15-7:30. You're blowing up on the run because you are running to hard out of the gate on the run, when you should be holding back some. Are you wearing a Garmin on the run or something that gives you your pace so you know how fast you are going or are you just going off feel on the run?
Another thing I would be curious about is what does your power file look like for your 2011 Branson bike split? I would be very interested in your TSS, IF & VI numbers. This will help determine if you overcooked yourself on the bike or if you properly executed the bike split but just ran to hard out of the gate.
You're Questions?
1. We need some of your power information to decide if it is possibly an FTP or bike issue.
2. Not sure it's a run issue, you ran 5 minutes faster in 2011 vs. 2010, probably more of a race execution issue. Your overall running fitness is improving.
3. Race season is pretty much over and didn't you punch your ticket to Vegas for 2012 at Branson? You should enjoy that for a while, then go whip up on your son until you start the EN off season plan.
I'm also wondering about race execution. Maybe schedule in some shorter races? Perhaps proof to legs/head that running off the bike fast successfully is the new normal?
a. Execution – you have a lot of gains to be had here. You overswim, you overbike, and you go too fast out of the gate on the run. The impact of oveswimming is being felt downstream on the bike and run for sure. You have a lot of free speed waiting in execution. You should make a goal – no, a REQUIREMENT – to negative split the run on your next HIM, and do what you need to do to ensure it happens. Run the last mile at a sub-6:00 pace and then earn the right to run faster at the start the next time.
b. Agree you need to work on your FTP. You are sitting at 3.8w/kg. Even at the 280 peak it was "only" 4.0. If you want a sub-4:30 race you'll need to get to the next level. But you know that, hence, how to break the "plateau". I think the suggestion of a focused cycling effort is good. The only issue is…if you do it now, will it stay with you? I wonder if you should try to get in a BBW next season at the recommended time. Also, I know you travel a lot and many of your bike sessions are in gyms on stationary bikes and not a trainer. So you do a lot of RPE training. Do you think you're getting the most out of those sessions? Are there alternatives (I don't know…I travel a lot and don't do cycling on the road at all)?
c. Similar to the bike focus, I'm not sure if the benefits of a run focus now will carry with you. It may be an investment too early. You are not on the steep part of the improvement curve anymore. That happened last year when you did the Daniels stuff, got a great VDOT, but it was lower by the time your late-season races occurred. Hard to tell if you ran better at Branson this year or last, since my understanding was that the heat and humidity in 2010 last year were just brutal.
For the rest of the season (after the final HIM), I'd take it easy and get prepared to hit the OS with a vengeance. And for SURE in your last race you need to experiment with execution. Easier on the swim. Minimal cumulative time with wattage over your goal watts (you did NOT do that in Branson, I know for a fact). A negative split run. A radically different nutrition strategy. You have nothing to lose by experimenting now, and there are big execution gains for you waiting.
Thanks to you all for reading through this. I am taking all sugestions seriously, I am going to provide more follow up based on your observations and questions.
As much as I would like this to be an execution problem only, I am sure that it is that and and whole lot more.
@Jason, 2010 vs. 2011 Branson, 2011 was weaker performance, no doubt. Let me disect it and give info you wanted:
2010 swim, I chose non wetsuit to stay cool anticipating a very hot day, 31:43 compared to wetsuit swim 2011 30:30, that is even performance, wetsuit gives me 5sec/100, 2011 swim form way below 2010, I over swam big time 2011 race.....
bike: 2:56 TSS 191 AP 220W xP 228W IF .83, all of that on the surface, however, when I look at the file closely, I overcooked the bike:
2hrs 8min, both loops on 465 spent at IF .865, target was what I came out with, but as you know not all TSS is created equal. I was way down on the power in the first 25min, recovering from the swim, struggling at 191W, to start feeling better and better and becoming my normal self later in the ride, second loop on 465 I spent at AP 232W xP 238W, well above target, HR average for the split was 10bpm higher than my RRs that had no swim attached to it. Than again, descent was also 9mi well below the target, at 196W, now you know how hard I actually pushed mid bike.
The rest you observe very well and agree on everything you mention. 2011 run had a potential to be way better than 2010 even after accounting for weather, but I blew it in the first 4mi.
Again, I want to go beyond and focus big picture. I have fitness issues relative to my attmpted race execution level or selected intensity level for racing has no rational backing.
What I have not brought up is this, I keep a close eye on every interval session, every long bike, every 500m swim interval.......every long run, one thing stands out, only running shows constant improvement, very gradual line, with the biggest gain last fall when I touched VDOT 55 before entering OS, even that has rolled back this summer.
Bike has been getting worse since late 2009. I observe intervals, stare at software every day, rolling backwards.
@Paul, relative rankings confirm your observation. I have never ran an open half sub 1:25 or ran in tri nowhere near 1:30. That is when running alone starts approaching my bike or swim in relative rankings. Has not happened yet. That is why I am so torn over what to focus on now, but that would stick for next season.
@Beth, I am puzzled as to how to take this fall. I have other swim coaches I work with where I can pose general questions about plateaus, but none of them understand the correlation of all 3 and how one affects the other. I am lucky to have a swim coach who understand the demands of triathlon/OW swimming, but that is it. I am really looking for direction.
@Matt, I promise as of tomorrow, everything I do will be N/S, bike, run or swim, even going to the gorcery store. I get yelled at by my swim coach about the same. I will execute at Soma, it will not be fast, but it will be a N/S run or there will be no me.
All acounts are correct. I did experiment with calories this past weekend, have to type an email on a result of that. Will have it tomorrow.
In summary, what will stick if I do now, focus on bike or run until JOS????????
Bike focus is attractive, fall is pretty, I can mostly ride outside and ride to ride 2-3hrs a day on the week at home. When I hit the road, stationary bikes, yikes...but that is all I got, do some intervals 3x week and run. Staging a bike focus is little more difficult, but if that is what I have to do, I will.
Run focus, easier to execute with my travel. I can do that.
The big question, which one will stick with me?
You guys and girls are awesome, thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this.
One thing I don't see much of in the EN run program is an emphasis on shorter intervals. Repeat miles seem to be the most common hard workout. I'm a fan of that, but there is a lot of value to be gained doing sets of 200s and 400s. Long ago, I spent 2 years training with Bob Schul (1964 Olympic 5K gold medalist) and never did repeats over 660 yards (mostly 110 - 330 yds). Bob felt you could run a marathon off intervals like that.
Regardless, your current times are already excellent. As you know, piecing the three sports together is what makes this sport so complicated. Good luck with whichever route you choose to follow.
@Paul, I would love to clock in 18:30 5K and feel it is within reach on a correct course. Everybody is going to laugh at me, I walk around everywhere including to potty brake with Daniels book, contemplating if I go down the road of run focus again, do I do 5-15K program as last year, loved it, lots of wicked fast running or do I embark on half marathon program or do I just go and run 60mi/week mindlessly, easy pace all the time. I am going to place a half marathon for mid April on the calendar, but I want to race some 5ks along the way.
I like your idea of alternating weeks, that is very doable for my lifestyle. I am going to give it a serious thought.
@Matt, memory serves you well. From reading this, things are clearing in my head a little.
Paul is correct with his view on my relative run weakness, however, I think the run race performance has never seen potential due to inferior bike fitness, both low FTP and weak race fitness. Second reason is execution that further reduces the chance of me running.
I think I need to adress both bike and run. So before JOS more bike heavy, than half marathon prep for April race and JOS together.
Like Paul's idea of alternating weeks of biking and running volume and intensity as I can implement that over 2 months before JOS.
Works with my work schedule. I simply need to run 50-60mi/week and bike 200mi/week+ of pure volume type work before JOS, than cut volume down to reasonable level along with OS.