Coach P Training Updates [April 2017]
It's been a while since I last checked in, only because things have been pretty busy...including some training. I'm pretty pumped to say that I've been consistent over the last 12 weeks and even accumulating some training stress on my schedule. For those of you who have forgotten, my calendar includes two events for the season: Rev Three Quassy Half in June and Ironman at Mont Tremblant in August.
Normally I like to show up at races ready to crush it, but this year is going to be different. Rather than focusing on peak fitness and race-based performance, I am using these events as a motivation to get myself back into shape.
Baby Steps...
My body continues to hold up. I continue to stress to everyone that nothing is technically wrong. Something just isn't quite right.
I have been running about 12 miles a week and cycling 80 to 100 miles a week for two months. I have found that I continue to need pretty good recovery time and patience with the harder efforts. My bike fit from Todd at TTbikefit.com continues to hold true. I feel great on the bike indoors and out which is a huge improvement. I do feel a little out of sorts at higher intensities, almost as if my left side is a little bit weaker than the right. So I will continue to monitor that.
The run training has been good at what I would consider to be steady-state paces. For comparison I'm running about 20 seconds per mile slower than what I used to run...but hell I am running! :-) My goal is to maintain that run consistency and continue to be super conservative with the run mileage.
With the Blue Ridge Training Camp coming up at the end of this month, I am highly incentivized to get my bike fitness into order. I took the unusual step (for me) upgrading some components on my road bike to a compact crank and electronic shifting with the SRAM Red etap group. I think it's time to stop grinding up 45-minute climbs at 50 RPMs.
Since we last checked in, I have added the VASA Ergometer (ANT+ model) to my training. You will be able hear a podcast interview with the CEO on our channel here as of April 5th. This has been a phenomenal addition to my training regimen. Even though I have simple access to a pool and a very flexible schedule, I have found myself "swimming" every day between 500 and 750 yards. That means I am putting in the equivalent of to two "full" swim sessions per week within the comfort of my own home in very short bursts. I have noticed improvements with my swim stroke when I do hit the pool because it's easier to compare how I felt on the VASA with the water. I am also seeing some increased speed as well. I feel very confident that this will continue to trickle down into the rest of my stroke and I look forward continue using the VASA over the rest of this season.
Many of you have reached out to me about your own injuries and challenges and I want to thank you for sharing your story and wish you the best of luck! Now that I'm over the age of 40 I've learned that taking care of your body whether you're injured or not is simply mandatory if you have expectations around performance. This is new for me but I'm working on it and I hope you are enjoying working on it as well.
I will check back in assuming that I survive our Blue Ridge Training Camp early next month!!
Happy training,
~ Coach P
Comments
See ya in LP for camp!
and now I am bumming that I am not able to make quassy, glad to see you are on the road back!!
The better part of the last four weeks was designed to get me ready for our annual Blue Ridge Cycling Camp. This is an annual pilgrimage to the outstanding city of Boone North Carolina. There we ride like maniacs and have a ton of fun every evening.
Background
Last year I was unable to ride at all. In fact, I was relegated to fighting with AnnieB over where to put the van seat so my knees wouldn't get crushed against the dashboard! I had a moment on the Day Two ride back from Mount Mitchell. I recognized the stretch of road we were riding on and how, last year, I was walking up and down that stretch of road just to get some exercise. Kinda humbling for sure.
My Strategy
The plan was to build up overall fitness with an emphasis on the bike. I still enjoy being a triathlete, even though camp requires significant cycling fitness I still wanted a balanced approach. To that end, I used all three disciplines as a resource and tried to keep them as consistent as possible.
The Disciplines
I did a fair job of separating the run workouts to allow for recovery and keeping them in the 5 to 6 mile range. Over the course of the last month I've noticed the speed start to improve and discomfort post run to be less. I still need to ice my knee and do some flexibility work but overall things are going well.
As for the swim, I have continued to use my Vasa Ergometer as a great tool for building fitness. There is no substitute for getting in a great some work out in just 15 minutes a day. I know that swim work dryland works because I have definitely noticed an improvement not only in my swimming form but also the times on the clock. I'm excited to continue this experiment across the rest of the season.
The final aspect of training, and the most critical, was the bike. I started off at the beginning of the month doing quite a bit of intensity as a means of building up my strength. With the approach of the Blue Ridge camp I had to dial that is higher intensity efforts back and replace them with more volume. This is something that's very visible inside my performance manager chart from TrainingPeaks.com.
There were two main ways that I did this. First and foremost was our Sunday Zone Three ABP ride at 9 AM on Zwift. This is become an incredible resource for me and a whole lot of fun. For those of you who don't know's with, I really recommend you check it out. It's a great way to get in a trainer workout without ever feeling like you're on the trainer. Bonus if you can join us on Sundays as your teammates are there and we are texting and joking and riding together while the time kicks by. I promise you, once you hit the hour mark, the pain really starts to set in.
In addition to the Sunday workouts I was able to get out several times thanks to good weather for some longer rides. Prior to camp my longest ride is about 70 miles with minimal gain. But overall I had been building up my cycling fitness culminating in that 70 mile ride followed by 30 mile ride the next day as a swift race. For those of you who haven't raced on Zwift, it was just an insane insanely hard hour of riding!
Eighth Annual Blue Ridge Parkway Camp
Overall the Blue Ridge Parkway Camp was a total success. I was able to ride the long ride on the first three days. This gave me a total of just over 240 miles and 24,000 feet of climbing. It included our epic climb to the summit of Mount Mitchell, the highest point on the eastern seaboard.
It was a blast being able to ride again with my friends and teammates, many of whom were gracious enough to wait for me only got to the top of every climb. And they ignored my multiple requests for additional SAG stops. :-)
By the end of the second day, which is 100 miles, I knew my legs were in trouble. I got it out on Saturday but was still pretty tired. By the time I went to bed on Saturday night I was starting to feel sick which was just as well… My left knee/hamstring was already pretty tight.
I ended up taking the fourth day off and I'm now gradually in recovery mode working back up to some basic training. T
At the present time it doesn't look like I'll be able to raise Rev3Quassy in June but I will certainly be there to support the Team. I'm going to continue my conscious build across the year with an eye towards Ironman Mont Tremblant as a return to racing event -- being competitive is a very distant goal.
As always, thanks for reading and I wish you the best of luck in your endurance journey!
JULY / AUGUST 2017 UPDATE
Hard to believe it but it's time for another training update. This will be my July/August update, as I make my final push into Ironman Mont Tremblant. There were times when I did this exercise in the winter and spring where I really wondered why was doing it. My training was so minimal and I was trying to do things like lift the weights to burn calories.
Yet when I step back and look at my year I stand poised to compete in my 22nd (?) Ironman . The irony of this race is not lost on me — the last time I raised this in 2014 was my first race back from a year off after multiple collarbone surgeries. In a way it's kind of a nice homecoming.
The biggest take away from the last couple weeks has been the value of consistency. While my training hasn't been flashy, I put in a lot of good baseline work at a time when it seem like much. But now as I put up some of my biggest weeks several years, I am strong and rested enough the breakdown of my transition kind of look like this:
Part One – Baseline Training. This was designed like the out season but had very low levels of intensity I just got back to being active.
Run Chart for 2017
Phase 2 – Intensity this is more out season or get faster training. During this time I picked up the running pace and also participated in twice weekly Swift races on Tuesday and Thursday mornings these are all out 45 to 60 minute affairs that really push my numbers. I also did the Sundays with dried with the team it was a great temple session. During this time I began using the Vasari commoner the baseline tool for building something. And I started to focus on my diet.
Bike Chart for 2017
Phase 3 – the Volume Push around early July I realized that mantra block was actually around the corner and quickly knew I had to get to work. This is when I started to put in some of the longer rides which were especially long on my road bike. And made even longer by the fact that my shifting was broken for several weeks. I began to run more frequently and get a few split runs as well to get the mileage up safely. Those early runs definitely heard! It was during this time that I also began to swim a little longer on the fossa to be commensurate with what a typical swim session might look like.
I will insert an hours chart so you can see, but the basic progression has been pretty consistent over the last 12 weeks. Interestingly enough I don't have any of the typical fatigue that I associate with a normal Ironman build. I achievement this to the fact that I normally not rested after my last race when I start training again which is a common mistake.
I also have been much more in tune with my body and allowing it to rest. I have been doing lots of extra icing and compression as well as taking a rest day approximately every 10 days to ensure each session is quality. While it's not easy to take a day off when I see everyone else training, my numbers simply don't lie: I am faster and stronger when I have rest. This paragraph standing at three weeks out from someone I have only a few things left to do.
My last long run is done, my a last few long bikes are pending on my new Ventum! Still getting used to the fit into writing a try bike again. The swim continue strong and I will probably hold that pretty high right into race day.
Performance Manager Chart for 2017
Looking at the numbers I have put up some of my longest training weeks and highest volume training weeks in a very long time. And the numbers that I see for the run, bike and swim are all very comparable to what I have seen in the past. I have zero indication of what the day will be, but I'm very confident that I am as prepared as possible.
The biggest delta for me remains body composition. As I mentioned earlier, I began focusing on body composition this year a little earlier than normal because I figured I would not be fit enough the race well. Somehow when the volume kicked in I literally lost 8 pounds dropping from the upper 180s to just above race weight. With three weeks to go, I am laser focused on keeping the weight down. Looking at best bike split to plan my race, it's clear that having a few extra pounds on my side can make a real difference.
My favorite part about raising in this situation is having zero expectations. I honestly don't know how my body will handle the combined stress of swim bike and run on race day. But I do know that being able to race both individually and with my team is a real blessing. If you had asked me six months ago if I would be where I am today, I would've laughed in your face. It certainly hasn't been easy, but it's been a ton of fun.
I want to thank all of you for your support and guidance as I have navigated the tricky space getting fit on a tight timeline. Your input, perspective, and reassurance have all been instrumental in helping me to walk the right. I look forward to seeing you in Tremblant and if you won't be there, catching up with you soon in the forums.