Coach the Coach
So here's the dealio...
After I finished IMWI I was actually in a pretty good place: didn't feel too burned out, though I was ready to have some fun with my non-training hobbies, etc. However, my first attempt to run, about 2wks later, only lasted about half a block. I had really jacked myself up during the race. I probably couldn't "run" for about 4-5wks after IMWI. In the meantime I did a bunch of dirtbiking, including ~7days solo in UT = no cycling. Did a climbing ride with my friends after 6wks of zero cycling and felt about how you'd expect to feel 
.
Got back into running again, was doing ok, then I wadded myself up pretty good in the desert over Thanksgiving weekend. No running, no cycling, started running again a bit before Xmas...then 10 days snowboarding in Big Sky...and here I am. The short story:
- Very unfit, but not a huge deal. Been there.
- Shoulder surgery on the 19th and in a sling for 6wks during which no running, cycling, though I can get on a stationary bike and the eliptical after a couple weeks, I think. But I can tell you how likely that is to happen...I hates gyms and trainers.
- So figure I can get back at it by...early March or so, but I'll be stiff, will be doing PT, etc.
- I know what level of fitness I can achieve between early March and IMWI, Sept 8th and I'm pretty sure it's about where I was last year, but....
- I don't have much interest in "just getting back to where I was last year." I want/wanted to crush it, especially my run, and dealt with similar issues (no running due to severally sprained ankle Oct'10-~Feb '11) last year so I know what sort of run I can build Mar-Sept this year...bleh...I want to be faster than that.
So...
I think I'm going to bail on IMWI and switch to a season of HIM and short course racing:
- Don't know what that might look like. I need to bounce my EN travel off of a race schedule, prefer to not do the airplanes and bike box thing to race a half, stuff like that.
- I think it would be valuable for us as a team to have the head of one of the coaches firmly in the HIM/SC space -- from developing content to going, competing at a few races, stuff like that.
- I've never trained for short (in my head, HIM racing is short for me, as I've lived IM 24/7 for 12yrs) stuff through the summer. In fact, the latest HIM I've ever done is Wildflower...in early May
. So I gotta say that the idea of a summer of 3hr Saturday and Sunday total hammer rides, a couple weekly tempo runs with friends, and not sweating the opportunity cost of disappearing on the moto for 3-4 days in July really appeals to me.
So the sketch plan is to finish a HIM season in the late September and October timeframe. Pretty sure my mojo will not have taken the big hit that it will have likely taken with a summer of IM training = more likely to be consistent through winter 2012. Roll that fitness through the winter, into the spring, racing Oceanside, Wildflower, and CDA '13 when I'm 45 and at the bottom of the AG. I did this triumvirate in '05, after racing IMWI'04 and had my best season ever, winning my AG at WF and putting up a 10:02 at CDA. The above gives me a solid 15 months (Mar'12-June'13) to really see what I can do on the run.
Bottomline:
- ^this^ sounds "fun."
- Spending all summer coming back after surgery to get the same fitness back and then racing at the top of the 40-44AG sounds like "work"
And in the end the above is really what it's all about
Comments
I like it -- A coach that'll focus on some fine tune details of the shorter (relative) course guys.
After two straight IM Louisville's and given I will be racing as a 49 year old, I made the same choice for 2012 - two HIMs. Like you, the mental relief felt great. I figure I can give my family 50 hours back this summer, learn how to go fast and reload for IM as a 50 YO in 2013. Plus, it will be fun to compare notes with the Coach also racing HIM!
I like this plan for Rich the racer. No sense in rushing the recovery from surgery just so you can do an IM you've already raced before; you might increase the risk of re-injury as you might try to come back too soon, too hard as the clock ticks towards IMWI. As you mention in your post, you're aging up and I hate to tell you but we just don't heal as fast as we did when we were in our 20s. Also, I like the idea of you just working on getting faster by focusing on HIM/SC. Isn't that our motto - fast before far? Then you'll be mentally and physically ready to add the distance in spring 2013 to rock IMCDA.
I think this plan also makes sense for Rich the EN coach. It expands your personal knowledge of the different aspects and challanges of training for and racing these other distances, and even how a SC season can a stepping stone (launching pad?) to an IM. This has got to make you a more versatile coach from which the entire EN team can benefit.
But most important of all, it sounds like you think this new plan will be more fun. Go for the fun. Nuff said.
I did nothing longer than an Oly last year, and had a frickin blast with the lack of mental overhead on the whole thing. Doing it again this year (excepting for the Am Zof race, which I won't be training for in the traditional sense).
I agree. Investing in our state-of-the-art thinking -- for SC in particular, where the team is relatively under-developed in content -- would be very valuable.
One thing to be careful of is your expectations. If you don't have the fitness to perform to your aspirations in an IM, it is likely that you'll turn in a sub-optimal HIM or SC performance. You know that a well-executed HIM is no joke, and that the HIMs are plenty competitive in M4044. But of course you won't have invesed as much time.
Overall it sounds like a great plan, and with your swimming speed I'm sure that your performances in olympic-distance races will be outstanding regardless. Have fun in Vegas........
I suspect that successful HIM race execution is not simply a question of applying the same strategy as an IM, but just doing it faster. And that's for sure true for Olympic. It would be great if our coaches could define for us a refined, replicable racing strategy for those shorter distances.
And if you can have fun and recharge (without reinjuring) at the same time ...
To me it sounds like you have thought this out and have a solid game plan--as much as you can with shoulder recovery. With that said, you have enough time in your plan to manage minor set backs if they come.
I think that at these distances, performance is highly correlated with pain tolerance. I was passed by the M20-25 AG winner on the run last year at AG Nationals (dude started 8-10 minutes behind me, and passed me in mile 2!), and he was pushing himself so much harder than I was. You could hear it in his breath, see it in his face, and watch it as he flew down the course. No matter what I tried, I couldn't will myself to hurt that much. Makes me think that Noakes is on to something about brain training...
All,
Thanks for the support!
FYI, Vegas isn't a goal at all, as I need to be at IMWI to support the team! I have no idea what races I'll do. Unfortunately, CA doesn't have nearly as many HIMs as other parts of the country do.
Good point on not wanting to rush the healing. I hadn't thought about that and jumping from surgery right into an IM workup might not be the best thing.
Finally, this whole incident has reminded me that I miss being more "completely" fit, if that makes sense. For years my definition of fitness was the abillity to go a long time, pick up heavy things, and manipulate my body weight in lots of situations. While it's not so bad that Joanne is the designated picklejaropener in the house, I would like to get back to 20 dead hang pullups and some other benchmarks. Beside, appartently the standard is to look like Andreas Ralaert so I need to get busy!
One thing that sticks out to me with your post: Why do you think you were so "jacked up" after the race. Was this caused by during the race issues or maybe training leading up to the race? If you had not hurt yourself riding your dirt bike would there still be some lessons to learn about how you trained, raced, and ultimately recovered from IMWI.
wishing you well post surgery.
Nate, basically, I ran myself into/through a lot of pain on the IMWI run course and I paid for it for a long time afterwards.
At last I checked, we are a group of AG athletes who coach ourselves with the help of some really smart folks and a couple of coaches. I am pretty sure you got paid as much as I did at the end of IMWI, with the exception of the WTC almost tagged you for another 800 bucks or so. You are a young man who will be living like a very old man if you do not stand down and heal. Listen to your body, and make changes accordingly. Your therapy may be a piece of cake, or could suck the very life from you, it all depends on how they cut you. If IMCDA 13' is your goal, then focus on that race and what it takes to get there. If HIM or SC is your goal, focus on that and do what it takes to get there. I think you can do both, although it shouldn't be thought of as "if A then B" more along the lines of "first A then B". You know what it takes to run faster and some time spent in SC/HIM land will make you faster.
Now don't get all pansey on us either. You are going to put on some pounds post op, and need to get them off. Start thinking about where your daily walks are going to take you and HTFU, get on a trainer...or one of those sit on your but and pedal bikes at the gym...either way, you need to keep a base level of fitness or life will suck big time for you when you want to race this summer.
Just becasue you are changing the "bar" does not mean you get to lower it!!!
Good luck on your surgery and rehab!!!
The other advice i would give is to not rush back. i broke my hand last fall and started riding too soon and caused it to take longer to heal. So plan on allowing some extra heal time. We dont heal like we did when we were 20 :-)
As you said
Your a warrior on the race course with the push , drive, and personal motivation to get " Things " done . What ever direction you decide have fun with it you deserve it.
Anybody hear how Rich's surgery went? Wasn't it today?