Hi! I'm a trial member with a question about training plan flexibility, and am hoping to connect with some folks in similar work circumstances to see how they make the EN training plans work for them. I learned quite a bit from the Webinar last night, so thanks!
I'm a cargo pilot (ie: I work 3-5 nights (all night)/week, stay in hotels with limited workout resources and eating options, and most importantly am away from my bike) and am concerned about being unable to execute the required bike workouts in my training plan when they need to be carried out. Biking is also my weakest sport. I've tried spinning classes when on the road, and actually think I owe a slowly healing case of achilles tendonitis to one session in particular...ouch.
Some weeks my schedule will be better than others - some weeks will be worse - and I'm completely onboard with the necessity to be consistent in training.
I realize my job will pose these problems to any training plan - I was just wondering if EN would be able to offer me options/advice/tips/ANYTHING on dealing with these challenges. Any other "freight dogs", traveling businesspeople, or military out there that make due with the training plans without access to their steed every day?
I have a couple of questions before I pull the trigger and leave my "trial" status behind.
1. I've seen it asked, but did not see a reply, do you need Power to take full advantage of the plans, or is HR enough?
2. Besides the social aspect of local/regional/same race groups and the plans, what do you all see as the biggest benefit to EN vs a more "local" group training program ($ is important, but I want to look beyond just the cost for now).
Hi Mike, although I do not have a job similar to you, I think what you would do is use the micro thread when you need to ask for advice about adjusting your schedule. Once you do that a couple of times you usually are able to make the adjustments necessary on your own. The micro and macrothread are the areas that only the coaches answer, and since they are the ones designing the programs, you would be getting great advice. They are very good and making sure you can modify your schedule. Hope others with a similar job can chime in to help you.
Hi Brian, good questions.
#1 - yes you can see advantages of using the plan with HR. Hubby did his first year with HR and cut 30 min off his IM bike time on the same course.
#2 - learning how to race the IM. EN coaches are masters at teaching us how to be execution ninjas. While others are passing us on the bike, because we are staying inside out box, we are passing them on the run while they are walking.
Hi Brian - you'll probably get multiple answers on this, but here's my $.02. FWIW, I joined EN last October, after playing in triathlons for 5+ years, mainly unstructured, although I did have a coach in 2011 to prepare for IMLOU. I'm also member of a pretty active local tri club.
1) Many people train with power here (myself included), but you do not need power to do the training. The prescriptions for all bike training workouts list both the power and HR metrics that you should aim for, so if you don't have/want power, you can focus on HR. From a standpoint of evaluating your training, I would just point out that the quality of my sessions has increased since switching to power since it's more precise and not dependent on external factors such as fatigue or stress as training solely w/ HR does. On the other hand, training by HR and RPE (rate of perceived exercion) results in you being an athlete much more in tune with your body and probably more capable of detecting and listening to your body's warning signs during training and a race. I've seen stories of power athletes having to rely on 'feel' during a race when their powermeter malfunctioned, which is not something they were necessarily prepared for, unlike a HR athlete. So no, you don't need power, and you're not a second-class citizen if you don't have it.
2) Regarding the value of Team EN, I was asking the exact same question as you just a few months ago, especially since I consider myself to be a self-starter and highly disciplined when it comes to executing prescribed workouts. Yet ... I'm here! It's hard to boil the benefits of the Team down to one thing, but consider the following: First, I like having an experienced, knowledgeable dude (in this Coach R.) put together a season plan for me that takes a year-long view and makes sure I race and train smart and don't break my body in the process. That's huge for me. Second, there's a wealth of knowledge here, and rather than take advice from random strangers on anonymous internet boards, I feel like the sources are more personal. In my view, there is a greater sense of community and personal accountability here than on other forums. Third, there are great resources here that help me w/ training and racing, such as a calculator showing how to adapt your paces for racing in heat; webinars on nutrion etc... Fourth, folks are always willing to chime in with advice, encouragement, comfort or whatever else you may need.
sorry for rambling, that's just a start. Let us know if you have any other questions. Take your time to surf the forums. That'll give you a pretty good idea of what goes on here on a daily basis!
@ Brian - +1 on Brenda's comment - We know how to race, that's why I'm here. Anyone can design a training plan for themselves, but racing an Ironman is an esoteric art, with an infinite number of options and moving parts. The collective knowledge of the coaches and team is unmatched in the amateur IM world.
@ Ken - I did HR training the first year I was with EN, and did OK; my IM times (which were already pretty good after 10 years of work) improved at both IM Coeur d'Alene and IM Arizona from the year before. Crossfit - stick with it, over age 45-50, it's use it or lose it as far as muscle mass is concerned. Just don't go overboard in the "In-Season" (building for a specific race) and allow the weigt work to fatigue you to the point you can't benefit from the S/B/R workouts. I do about 25 minutes 2x/week, and find that's plenty to keep me going.
Intensity and recovery - OFs like us CAN handle intensity, we just go slower at the same effort level as young folks for lots of physiologic reasons. The cool thing about EN training is that the intensity of the workouts is totally personalized - you are asked to do what you have shown yourself capable of by specific testing protocols. And you're expected to be smart, and not drive the training plan into a brick wall; we all support each other when the body says "I need a day off, and it's not in the plan" "Better to be a little undertrained on race day, than overtrained and too fatigued to perform"
Flexibility - most of us are constantly juggling the plans due to family, work, life, etc. The coaches have a specific thread in the forum to help you with this, and of course, a lot of experience on the team about how to switch things around effectively. Ditto training with others - it can be done within the context of the workouts, but requires some planning and assertiveness. Best advice: become an EN evangelist and bring a few others on board, then it's easy!
Finally, this: "What I really want at IMLP is to run the marathon and not walk 10+ miles." is the best reason for you to stick with EN. EVERYTHING here - knowledge base, training plan, race execution strategy, everything, is focused on that one over-arching goal. That is the definition of a successful Ironman in the eyes of EN's coaches and team, not time or place in an event. Everything and everyone here supports and shares that goal. If you've ever watched an Ironman (not the one in Hawaii, different beast), you'd notice that many many participants either can't or don't want to perform that way. We do.
Wow, thanks for taking the time to provide me with such a comprehensive response! Your advice on CF is perfect. I think the older we get the more we need to monitor and maintain our strength, it seems to want to fade away so quickly if we don't. I also really like the idea of the intensity of the EN workouts being personalized and dialed into an indivdual protocol and not having me try to do 20 x 400m track repeats on 2' from day one. I am also eager to learn more about race strategy for IMLP.
Looking forward to coming on board EN. Thanks again.
Hi! I'm a trial member with a question about training plan flexibility, and am hoping to connect with some folks in similar work circumstances to see how they make the EN training plans work for them. I learned quite a bit from the Webinar last night, so thanks!
I'm a cargo pilot (ie: I work 3-5 nights (all night)/week, stay in hotels with limited workout resources and eating options, and most importantly am away from my bike) and am concerned about being unable to execute the required bike workouts in my training plan when they need to be carried out. Biking is also my weakest sport. I've tried spinning classes when on the road, and actually think I owe a slowly healing case of achilles tendonitis to one session in particular...ouch.
Some weeks my schedule will be better than others - some weeks will be worse - and I'm completely onboard with the necessity to be consistent in training.
I realize my job will pose these problems to any training plan - I was just wondering if EN would be able to offer me options/advice/tips/ANYTHING on dealing with these challenges. Any other "freight dogs", traveling businesspeople, or military out there that make due with the training plans without access to their steed every day?
Thanks!
@Mike - First off, welcome! I think you will find the teammates and resources here invaluable to helping you get ready for race day.
I don't know of any current teammates that are airline pilots --- we had one that I know of, Aleksander Tasic -- but we have a lot of people with 'funky' work schedules. IIRC we have a firefighter (Carl N), another is an ER doc, and then there are people like me (military and former airline pilot) who travel regularly.
You will have a couple of great resources available to help you manipulate your training: the 'Micro thread' where Coach Patrick will provide guidance, the weekly Coach Chats (info on the dashboard), and then the Forums like this. We have had a number of threads where teammates help eachother figure out how to handle "Life"....
One of the great benefits of EN is that you are not alone, your situation, whatever it is, has probably been seen/handled by people on the Team, so the depth and breadth of advice and knowledge is without parallel.
And finally, there are no long-term commitments here. Your membership is month-to-month, so if you find you aren't getting what you need, then it is easy to depart the fix and head elsewhere.
I travel quite regularly…I'm on the road 4-5 days/week. I'm not a pilot (well technically I am – CMEL/IA – but that's not what I do for a living), but I travel extensively and have the same challenges with respect to bike availability. I also have the complexity of two young children at home, so when I get home I cannot just disappear and go to do workouts. My approach is as follows:
1. I do not attempt to bike while traveling. I am paranoid that the fit of the various exercise bikes etc will leave me with a knee or other injury. Also my powermeter is on my bike and I'm a data junkie so I ascribe a lot less value to the workout if I can't track it (silly I know, but that's how I am).
2. I shuffle my bike workouts to account for my schedule. For example, the OS is a Tuesday brick, Wednesday run and Thursday bike. I will move these around to put the brick on Monday if I'll be flying out Monday later in the day and will miss the rest of the week. I can do the Thursday bike on Friday morning, etc. I can skip a bike workout…although I really do try to get them all in. Interestingly the in-season plans have 2 of 3 rides on the weekend so it's a lot easier for me. I assume you schedule is more of a moving target so you'll need more flexibility to move things around. David Saltzman is an ER doc and does his weekend rides on weekdays. It is all fine. To me, the key thing is getting in the workouts.
3. When I'm on the road, I do all of my run workouts. I have a collection of Garmin maps documenting my runs around the world. It's become quite a neat little collection. I do research before I go somewhere to figure out where I'll run. I use Garmin Connect to see where other people have done runs or I ask around the EN forums here.
4. I am highly committed to getting the workouts done. This takes serious commitment with all the travel. I have no problems starting a 90' brick workout after 10pm. In the summer I will wake up at 4am to be biking at dawn so I can be home by the time my family starts rolling. When I fly to Europe I usually run right when I land before my meetings start. When I fly to Asia I'll hit the treadmill in the afternoon/evening when I land, then run super-early in the morning because I know I'll wake up early due to the time change. So I end up working out at all kinds of bizarre hours. More often than not it's nights, and luckily I have no trouble sleeping an hour after finishing a big workout.
This is all very tiring and takes a lot of commitment. But it builds mental fortitude for race day and hey, you don't get PBs for taking it easy!!
If you want, PM me and I can put you in touch with a buddy of mine, Aleksandar Tasic (mentioned above). He is former-EN and flies 7 on / 7 off for NetJets. He takes a different approach in that he DOES use hotel exercise bikes. He might have some tips on finding quality running around airports all over the country. He left EN to be coached by the Serbian national coach ever since he represented his former country at the AG worlds a while ago.
Hi Everyone. My name is Brandon Wilson. I am a new trial member from Torrance CA. I am brand new to triathlons and I was wondering if you think that being a member of EN will be beneficial for someone like me who is completely new to triathlons and only has a goal of an olympic distance this season? Also I was wondering if there were many members that are training or planning to train for the Malibu Triathlon in September? Thanks in advance for your help!
@Brandon, while not speaking from actual experience in the house and SC racing as I'm currently focused on going long, I can tell you that one of my options for next year is a season of local Short Course races (Spring and Olympic). If I do go that route, I will be staying with EN for yet another season (currently in the middle of my second year in the Haus). Lot of folks here go short and I believe the EN philosophy fits for that demographic as well as the long. The long is what gets the most attention, but there are groups of folk starting SC threads/groups and keeping their mojo going.
Hi Everyone. My name is Brandon Wilson. I am a new trial member from Torrance CA. I am brand new to triathlons and I was wondering if you think that being a member of EN will be beneficial for someone like me who is completely new to triathlons and only has a goal of an olympic distance this season? Also I was wondering if there were many members that are training or planning to train for the Malibu Triathlon in September? Thanks in advance for your help!
Brandon
Brandon, welcome to the team. As you can tell, most of our members are primarily long course triathletes, focusing on the HIM and IM distances. That said, most of these folks are racing several short courses en route to their LC race(s). However, we do have many short course athletes on the team and have recently given them their own forum where they can connect with each other around their training. A few additional notes:
The discussions around here can be kinda technical -- Patrick and I are Ironman coaches, we have our feet firmly planted in the power and pace worlds on the bike and run, so EN attracts that kind of athlete. I wouldn't say "more experienced" athletes but rather athletes who are willing to learn and are not intimidated by discussions they don't understand in the short term because they see the quality of the discussion that does happen and the long term learning opportunities.
You will not find a more supportive, welcoming, attitude-free group of triathletes on the web. Waiting list + 7-day trial + monthly fee + first/last names only has always served as a great filter to weed "those" people out. So never have any qualms about posting any question you have anywhere. You'll always get a very informative and polite answer.
All of ^this^ is to say that we don't "talk down" to beginner athletes. That is, we don't speak slowly and write in crayon. Instead, we encourage you to learn and bring your triathlon knowledge game several years up the learning curve, very quickly. But doing so require some initiative and participation on your part, with the team always willing to show you around. You just gotta ask.
Thanks Coach Rich. That is really helpful. I am already starting to see how the team coaching could be good. I'm a bit of a tech geek but on the motorcycle side so I will certainly be getting into it on the bicycle side.
Can someone please help me understand why one would choose the 12-week Ironman plan over the 20-week Ironman plan? Does one focus more on making you faster than the other? Can the 12-week plan be just as effective as the 20-week plan? I appreciate your help in advance!
There are different paths people end up on in their training for an IM. Many people go through a progression where they start their season in the OS (outseason) in November or December. That goes for a few months before progressing to another block of training, followed by another block, followed by dropping into the 12 week IM program. Other people have life circumstances that dictate they have to follow some other path, and for them, starting at week 1 of the 20 week IM program may be more suitable.
So, the long answer is that there are two options and you go with the one that best suits your needs - generally speaking if you have been training and working out for some time, you can drop into the 12 week to get your volume push prior to the event. The short answer is that you can fill out a season planning survey that Coach Rich looks at, and plans out your season for you - when to do certain training blocks, etc. There you will find out whether the 20 or 12 week IM plan is a better fit for your situation.
Comments
Hi! I'm a trial member with a question about training plan flexibility, and am hoping to connect with some folks in similar work circumstances to see how they make the EN training plans work for them. I learned quite a bit from the Webinar last night, so thanks!
I'm a cargo pilot (ie: I work 3-5 nights (all night)/week, stay in hotels with limited workout resources and eating options, and most importantly am away from my bike) and am concerned about being unable to execute the required bike workouts in my training plan when they need to be carried out. Biking is also my weakest sport. I've tried spinning classes when on the road, and actually think I owe a slowly healing case of achilles tendonitis to one session in particular...ouch.
Some weeks my schedule will be better than others - some weeks will be worse - and I'm completely onboard with the necessity to be consistent in training.
I realize my job will pose these problems to any training plan - I was just wondering if EN would be able to offer me options/advice/tips/ANYTHING on dealing with these challenges. Any other "freight dogs", traveling businesspeople, or military out there that make due with the training plans without access to their steed every day?
Thanks!
Hi all -
I have a couple of questions before I pull the trigger and leave my "trial" status behind.
1. I've seen it asked, but did not see a reply, do you need Power to take full advantage of the plans, or is HR enough?
2. Besides the social aspect of local/regional/same race groups and the plans, what do you all see as the biggest benefit to EN vs a more "local" group training program ($ is important, but I want to look beyond just the cost for now).
Thanks in advance,
Brian
Hi Mike, although I do not have a job similar to you, I think what you would do is use the micro thread when you need to ask for advice about adjusting your schedule. Once you do that a couple of times you usually are able to make the adjustments necessary on your own. The micro and macrothread are the areas that only the coaches answer, and since they are the ones designing the programs, you would be getting great advice. They are very good and making sure you can modify your schedule. Hope others with a similar job can chime in to help you.
Hi Brian, good questions.
#1 - yes you can see advantages of using the plan with HR. Hubby did his first year with HR and cut 30 min off his IM bike time on the same course.
#2 - learning how to race the IM. EN coaches are masters at teaching us how to be execution ninjas. While others are passing us on the bike, because we are staying inside out box, we are passing them on the run while they are walking.
Hi Brian - you'll probably get multiple answers on this, but here's my $.02. FWIW, I joined EN last October, after playing in triathlons for 5+ years, mainly unstructured, although I did have a coach in 2011 to prepare for IMLOU. I'm also member of a pretty active local tri club.
1) Many people train with power here (myself included), but you do not need power to do the training. The prescriptions for all bike training workouts list both the power and HR metrics that you should aim for, so if you don't have/want power, you can focus on HR. From a standpoint of evaluating your training, I would just point out that the quality of my sessions has increased since switching to power since it's more precise and not dependent on external factors such as fatigue or stress as training solely w/ HR does. On the other hand, training by HR and RPE (rate of perceived exercion) results in you being an athlete much more in tune with your body and probably more capable of detecting and listening to your body's warning signs during training and a race. I've seen stories of power athletes having to rely on 'feel' during a race when their powermeter malfunctioned, which is not something they were necessarily prepared for, unlike a HR athlete. So no, you don't need power, and you're not a second-class citizen if you don't have it.
2) Regarding the value of Team EN, I was asking the exact same question as you just a few months ago, especially since I consider myself to be a self-starter and highly disciplined when it comes to executing prescribed workouts. Yet ... I'm here! It's hard to boil the benefits of the Team down to one thing, but consider the following: First, I like having an experienced, knowledgeable dude (in this Coach R.) put together a season plan for me that takes a year-long view and makes sure I race and train smart and don't break my body in the process. That's huge for me. Second, there's a wealth of knowledge here, and rather than take advice from random strangers on anonymous internet boards, I feel like the sources are more personal. In my view, there is a greater sense of community and personal accountability here than on other forums. Third, there are great resources here that help me w/ training and racing, such as a calculator showing how to adapt your paces for racing in heat; webinars on nutrion etc... Fourth, folks are always willing to chime in with advice, encouragement, comfort or whatever else you may need.
sorry for rambling, that's just a start. Let us know if you have any other questions. Take your time to surf the forums. That'll give you a pretty good idea of what goes on here on a daily basis!
Kate
@ Brian - +1 on Brenda's comment - We know how to race, that's why I'm here. Anyone can design a training plan for themselves, but racing an Ironman is an esoteric art, with an infinite number of options and moving parts. The collective knowledge of the coaches and team is unmatched in the amateur IM world.
@ Ken - I did HR training the first year I was with EN, and did OK; my IM times (which were already pretty good after 10 years of work) improved at both IM Coeur d'Alene and IM Arizona from the year before. Crossfit - stick with it, over age 45-50, it's use it or lose it as far as muscle mass is concerned. Just don't go overboard in the "In-Season" (building for a specific race) and allow the weigt work to fatigue you to the point you can't benefit from the S/B/R workouts. I do about 25 minutes 2x/week, and find that's plenty to keep me going.
Intensity and recovery - OFs like us CAN handle intensity, we just go slower at the same effort level as young folks for lots of physiologic reasons. The cool thing about EN training is that the intensity of the workouts is totally personalized - you are asked to do what you have shown yourself capable of by specific testing protocols. And you're expected to be smart, and not drive the training plan into a brick wall; we all support each other when the body says "I need a day off, and it's not in the plan" "Better to be a little undertrained on race day, than overtrained and too fatigued to perform"
Flexibility - most of us are constantly juggling the plans due to family, work, life, etc. The coaches have a specific thread in the forum to help you with this, and of course, a lot of experience on the team about how to switch things around effectively. Ditto training with others - it can be done within the context of the workouts, but requires some planning and assertiveness. Best advice: become an EN evangelist and bring a few others on board, then it's easy!
Finally, this: "What I really want at IMLP is to run the marathon and not walk 10+ miles." is the best reason for you to stick with EN. EVERYTHING here - knowledge base, training plan, race execution strategy, everything, is focused on that one over-arching goal. That is the definition of a successful Ironman in the eyes of EN's coaches and team, not time or place in an event. Everything and everyone here supports and shares that goal. If you've ever watched an Ironman (not the one in Hawaii, different beast), you'd notice that many many participants either can't or don't want to perform that way. We do.
Thanks for the feedback Al, I appreciate it.
Thanks Kate, enjoyed the ramble. Just kidding, I appreciate your thoughts and the information.
Brian
Thanks Brenda -
Good to hear about your hubby's improvement. I'm looking forward to learing about being a ninja
Brian
Hi Al,
Wow, thanks for taking the time to provide me with such a comprehensive response! Your advice on CF is perfect. I think the older we get the more we need to monitor and maintain our strength, it seems to want to fade away so quickly if we don't. I also really like the idea of the intensity of the EN workouts being personalized and dialed into an indivdual protocol and not having me try to do 20 x 400m track repeats on 2' from day one. I am also eager to learn more about race strategy for IMLP.
Looking forward to coming on board EN. Thanks again.
@Mike - First off, welcome! I think you will find the teammates and resources here invaluable to helping you get ready for race day.
I don't know of any current teammates that are airline pilots --- we had one that I know of, Aleksander Tasic -- but we have a lot of people with 'funky' work schedules. IIRC we have a firefighter (Carl N), another is an ER doc, and then there are people like me (military and former airline pilot) who travel regularly.
You will have a couple of great resources available to help you manipulate your training: the 'Micro thread' where Coach Patrick will provide guidance, the weekly Coach Chats (info on the dashboard), and then the Forums like this. We have had a number of threads where teammates help eachother figure out how to handle "Life"....
One of the great benefits of EN is that you are not alone, your situation, whatever it is, has probably been seen/handled by people on the Team, so the depth and breadth of advice and knowledge is without parallel.
And finally, there are no long-term commitments here. Your membership is month-to-month, so if you find you aren't getting what you need, then it is easy to depart the fix and head elsewhere.
I travel quite regularly…I'm on the road 4-5 days/week. I'm not a pilot (well technically I am – CMEL/IA – but that's not what I do for a living), but I travel extensively and have the same challenges with respect to bike availability. I also have the complexity of two young children at home, so when I get home I cannot just disappear and go to do workouts. My approach is as follows:
1. I do not attempt to bike while traveling. I am paranoid that the fit of the various exercise bikes etc will leave me with a knee or other injury. Also my powermeter is on my bike and I'm a data junkie so I ascribe a lot less value to the workout if I can't track it (silly I know, but that's how I am).
2. I shuffle my bike workouts to account for my schedule. For example, the OS is a Tuesday brick, Wednesday run and Thursday bike. I will move these around to put the brick on Monday if I'll be flying out Monday later in the day and will miss the rest of the week. I can do the Thursday bike on Friday morning, etc. I can skip a bike workout…although I really do try to get them all in. Interestingly the in-season plans have 2 of 3 rides on the weekend so it's a lot easier for me. I assume you schedule is more of a moving target so you'll need more flexibility to move things around. David Saltzman is an ER doc and does his weekend rides on weekdays. It is all fine. To me, the key thing is getting in the workouts.
3. When I'm on the road, I do all of my run workouts. I have a collection of Garmin maps documenting my runs around the world. It's become quite a neat little collection. I do research before I go somewhere to figure out where I'll run. I use Garmin Connect to see where other people have done runs or I ask around the EN forums here.
4. I am highly committed to getting the workouts done. This takes serious commitment with all the travel. I have no problems starting a 90' brick workout after 10pm. In the summer I will wake up at 4am to be biking at dawn so I can be home by the time my family starts rolling. When I fly to Europe I usually run right when I land before my meetings start. When I fly to Asia I'll hit the treadmill in the afternoon/evening when I land, then run super-early in the morning because I know I'll wake up early due to the time change. So I end up working out at all kinds of bizarre hours. More often than not it's nights, and luckily I have no trouble sleeping an hour after finishing a big workout.
This is all very tiring and takes a lot of commitment. But it builds mental fortitude for race day and hey, you don't get PBs for taking it easy!!
If you want, PM me and I can put you in touch with a buddy of mine, Aleksandar Tasic (mentioned above). He is former-EN and flies 7 on / 7 off for NetJets. He takes a different approach in that he DOES use hotel exercise bikes. He might have some tips on finding quality running around airports all over the country. He left EN to be coached by the Serbian national coach ever since he represented his former country at the AG worlds a while ago.
WHere do I find the swim warm up? There is so much information and so many e-mails, i am kind of lost.
Hi Everyone. My name is Brandon Wilson. I am a new trial member from Torrance CA. I am brand new to triathlons and I was wondering if you think that being a member of EN will be beneficial for someone like me who is completely new to triathlons and only has a goal of an olympic distance this season? Also I was wondering if there were many members that are training or planning to train for the Malibu Triathlon in September? Thanks in advance for your help!
Brandon
Hopes this helps! Good luck with your decision.
Brandon, welcome to the team. As you can tell, most of our members are primarily long course triathletes, focusing on the HIM and IM distances. That said, most of these folks are racing several short courses en route to their LC race(s). However, we do have many short course athletes on the team and have recently given them their own forum where they can connect with each other around their training. A few additional notes:
All of ^this^ is to say that we don't "talk down" to beginner athletes. That is, we don't speak slowly and write in crayon. Instead, we encourage you to learn and bring your triathlon knowledge game several years up the learning curve, very quickly. But doing so require some initiative and participation on your part, with the team always willing to show you around. You just gotta ask.
Hi Roy,
Thanks Roy,
That is helpful. Good luck with the season!
There are different paths people end up on in their training for an IM. Many people go through a progression where they start their season in the OS (outseason) in November or December. That goes for a few months before progressing to another block of training, followed by another block, followed by dropping into the 12 week IM program. Other people have life circumstances that dictate they have to follow some other path, and for them, starting at week 1 of the 20 week IM program may be more suitable.
So, the long answer is that there are two options and you go with the one that best suits your needs - generally speaking if you have been training and working out for some time, you can drop into the 12 week to get your volume push prior to the event. The short answer is that you can fill out a season planning survey that Coach Rich looks at, and plans out your season for you - when to do certain training blocks, etc. There you will find out whether the 20 or 12 week IM plan is a better fit for your situation.