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    Here's your updated Season Plan, as promised. This is where you'll return to post all your "coach" questions as responses; I'll see them and reply. This first post is my best outline of how to proceed with your races, but you can ask any / all questions you want. So post away, know that I reply here usually M/W/F each week.

    Power User Tip: Click the Star icon by the Title of this thread to subscribe, and you'll get email updates when I do reply.

     

    Your Notes

    Just finalized year 1 with EN and also first year racing the full distance.

    2017 summary:
    March: Half Marathon 1:58:00
    July: IMCA 15:13:00
    November: IMAZ 15:20:24

    Season with multiple injuries and surgeries. 

     

    Your Races

    • Ironman Louisville (2018-10-14) #IMLou_18

     

     

    Season Update

    These are your recommended training plans, including the date you should start each one (sometimes you won’t complete a full plan but transition to another one).  You can change your plans on the Training Plan page by clicking the Move / Change button. Learn more about each plan on the Training Plan Central Page.

     

    • Last updated by Coach on 12/04/2017
    • On 11/27/2017 Load the -- Run Durability 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/24/2017
    • On 12/25/2017 Load the -- Run Durability 2 (8 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 1/21/2018
    • On 1/8/2018 Load the Intermediate OutSeason / Run Durability Plan, 14wks to end on 4/15/2018
    • On 4/16/2018 Load the Swim Camp to end on 4/29/2018
    • On 4/30/2018 Load the Intermediate Bike Focus Block, 6 Weeks to end on 6/10/2018
    • On 6/11/2018 Load the Intermediate EN*Full to end on 10/14/2018
    • On 10/15/2018 Load the Intermediate Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 11/11/2018
    • On 11/12/2018 Load the -- Run Durability 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 12/9/2018


     

    Coach Notes

    Let's hope 2018 is much smoother, my friend! I have loaded up the plan for you through IMLou, but first order of biz is to make sure you are rest from this year and ready for the next. Let me know what you think of the ^above^ and we can go from there!

    Let's get to work!

     

    ~ Coach P

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    Hi Coach,

    Thanks for the season plan. Just one question: what about the Half in Victoria on June? Should I do any specific training for that or the current season plan will take care of it?
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    I think you will be OK. You’ll need to keep the swimming up during the bike focus, but I don’t want to sacrifice your development for the Iron Man on the bike unless you tell me otherwise. Let me know.
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    edited June 7, 2018 10:21PM
    Hi Coach,

    It's been a long time since we talked. Time for an update: I just raced Victoria 70.3 last weekend and it was a great race. You can check the details on my race report but in a nutshell it was the first time that I was able to execute. It felt pretty good. It was the first time I was able to run the run instead of walking it and my last mile was my fastest mile. The plan was realistic and that allowed for a proper execution. A lot of mental work to stay in my zones during the bike and also a lot of mental work to take my nutrition as planned. This race was a PR by 13 mins for 70.3 distance.

    This race was supposed to test fitness and provide fine tuning for IMLOU. Despite being super happy with the results, there are some observations and "weak points" that I need to work on:


    SWIM: I can't improve my times. Regardless of my training it seems that I am stuck between 40-45 mins for 1.2 miles. I know something has to be wrong with my technique and after "spying" on faster people in the pool I have noticed that my strokes per lap are less than those guys. I can't increase my RPMs. My average swim time for 1.2 miles so far this year in 43 mins and that is the exact time I did during the race. 
    Solutions: I am going to work with a local coach to improve form - I am also thinking on doing some gym work to increase upper body strength which has always been a weakness of mine (growing up as a soccer player, upper body strength was never a priority)

    BIKE: No problems here. I think I mastered the art of being passed and not giving a shit. I was able to stay within my watts (target NP 200W - actual NP 205W, target HR less than 105 - actual HR 138). Stop one time and pee, and even if I had to slow down I made sure to have my nutrition as planned. 

    RUN: I was happy with my run, the HR was a little high during the first 3 miles (I was trying for TRP 136 bpm but it was stuck at 148 bpm), miles 4-11 were right on Z3 target at 150 bpm, and during the last two miles I was able to push and make them my fastest two miles. I am able to run a stand alone half marathon at 9:05 per mile, and during training I am able to do bricks at 9:31; and during my long runs I can go for 90 mins at 140 bpm with 9:50 pace.

    I hit a dark spot around mile 9. I had to dig really deep to avoid walking. Passing walkers and slower runners was my incentive to keep going. My thought for over 20 mins was, there is no freaking way I can run a marathon, there is no way I can do this at IMLOU. I am not certain I can run the full 26.2. This is where my previous IM's have fallen apart and I don't want this to be the case at IMLOU. I am pretty nervous about the run. 

    The plan calls for uploading the Intermediate EN*Full to end on 10/14/2018 by Monday. Should I load the Bike Focused or the Run Focused?

    Appreciate any words of wisdom and advice.
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    @Jorge Duque - thanks for the note and the RR. As far as I am concerned the EXECUTION is the most important part. All else follows. We have people on the team who AVG 14.5 mph and run 18' miles, so while it seems like you aren't ready, I assure you that your baseline fitness (aka what you have now) is pretty darn sufficient!

    As for your dark place, getting there means you WERE racing. Getting through it means you DID EXECUTE. So pumped for you.

    LOU is approximately 4 months away, so it's time to refocus on run consistency and nutrition for the next 4 weeks before Race Prep begins. Can you work in another "bike volume" pop (a weekend) before the race? Let me know what your options are and we can go from there. 

    Hope you are recovering quickly!

    ~ Coach P
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    Hi coach,

    It felt pretty good to execute. I am right now on week 3 of the EN Full intermediate run focused plan.

    Do you want me to keep on it or should I do any modifications? I’m open to any suggestion. You are the expert so I will follow your lead.

    Thanks

    Sent from my iPhone
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     I’m glad you enjoyed being in control of your race day. That is super important. With so many weeks to go until Louisville you have options. One option is to load the bike focus plan and get some good volume in while maintaining a nice consistent weekly run mileage. This is usually a nice investment that can set you up for success And is a nice change of pace from the traditional training plan.

    Why don’t you go check it out and see what you think. You can read about it in the training plan central section of the website. If that’s not up your alley, then you can stick with the basic plan as you have it now. Let me know what you decide!
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    Hi Coach,  

    As you know I will be racing in IMLOU later in October. I am thinking about doing IMTX next year in April so I can take it easier during the summer. Do you think that those races are too close or there is enough time to recover and train again? 

    I want to take advantage of the early entry Tri-Club program with IM and the code they send is good till Sunday
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    Sorry I missed this, I was in Lake Placid. Yes, that schedule would totally work. Let me know whether or not you pull the trigger! Again, my apologies.
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    Hi Coach, I was following IMPL and I know you were pretty busy so don't worry about that. 

    I pulled the trigger. Two races in the horizon right now IMLOU in October and IMTX in April. Probably would add a HIM in the second half of 2019 just for the fun of it (and to burn some of the billion calories I intend to eat next summer). I will let you know how IMLOU goes so we can plan for IMTX.

    Thanks
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     Look out, Ironman  maniac in the house! Let me know what you need from me in terms of planning a guidance. Super happy to help you out. I love both races, and in a strange way to Louisville and Texas courses are fairly similar. I hope your training is going well. 
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    Hi @Coach Patrick , it was fun following you and the rest of the team at Kona. Congrats on your race. I believe you had a little better weather than we did at IMLOU.

    The outcome of my race wasn't as expected but it was a brutal day. With super cold temps and rain all day I knew it was going to be a hard day. I felt very well prepared for the race and had high hopes for PR's. I came healthy and strong to IMLOU.

    Mechanical problems on the bike had me working on the side of the road for close to 40 mins and that screw my bike times. Despite of it I manage a decent time on the bike, was able to stay aero most of the time and executed close to the plan. I also had a successful nutrition strategy for the race.

    I wanted to run the marathon but I don't know if it was the cold or what, but my legs shut down by mile 10. I was cramping almost from the beginning but took care of that with salt (chicken broth and pretzels) and was able to run as planned for the first 10. After that I started peeing like crazy, 12 times during the next 16 miles and my legs shut down. My HR was fine, I was in a good mental place, but my hips closed, I couldn't propel, it was weird. I begun marching and it worked fine.

    Overall I was happy finishing the race. All my training times tell me that I should have done better but there were too many outside factors that made it hard. I am very happy with my development over the past two years. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Need to make small adjustments here and there and I will have the race I want to.

    Next stop will be IMTX on April 27. That's going to be my A race for 2019 and probably my only IM for the year. I am confident that it would be a fast bike course for me, but I know I have to improve my run. My goal is to have a solid bike and follow it with a decent run - Doesn't have to be fast yet, I just want it to be consistent.

    It's time to load up the training calendars and would like to have some input here. What do you suggest? Oct OS until 12/10/18 and then load up the full plan ending on 04/27/19? Should it be bike or run focused? A completely different direction?

    Would love to hear your feedback and comments.

    Thanks

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    Thank you for the update. I am pretty sure that the entire planet had better weather than you for racing on that day. 😒

    It’s very hard to race in extreme conditions whether it’s hot or cold. I believe that your mechanical really derailed your day. Curious to know what that is and if you can fix it so it doesn’t happen in the future? Something to think about.

    Normally after your race I would recommend that you do the run durability program for one or two months. The challenge with that is starting out season in January doesn’t give you much time to build for Iron Man.

    So the question is, are you OK starting so soon? And having the social experience of the November out season? Or are you OK waiting a month so you can get running in and starting the December out season but it’s more on your own?

    Remember I am doing my call on Monday night at 8 PM for all Florida folks if you want to talk about this in person.

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    @Coach Patrick To understand the mechanical we need to go back a couple days before the race. There was no TBT service from Seattle to Louisville, so I flew with my bike. When I unpacked at the hotel, noticed that the wire connecting the rear derailleur (Di2) was cut. At the IM Village they didn't had extra parts so they did cut and reconnect the wire with the hopes that it would hold during the race. Let the electrical tape perform its magic.

    By mile 27 I had a flat on the rear, on my road bike this is a 4 min fix, on the tri bike it takes like 8 mins, but it was so cold that it took like 15 mins. When putting the CO2 in the new tube, the CO2 pump failed and only a small portion made it through leaving me with a tire with very low pressure. As you can imagine there was more time lost here. That resulted in a super slow and careful ride for the next 10 miles until I found a pump. I rode with only 40 PSI for 10 miles. I lost a lot of time here too.

    This forced me to stop at special needs and pick up another tube and CO2 bullet so I lost more time.

    Finally around mile 75 I lost my shifting and I thought that the fix made a couple days before failed. I had to stop again and check the wires to find that the wire connecting to the rear derailleur was loose. Probably got loose while removing the rear wheel or when the repair was made or the bumpy roads or God knows. Lost some extra time here.

    My bike split ended up being decent despite all of this. Total time: 6:49:01, Avg Speed 16.4 mph, IF 0.73, NP 192W, moving time 6:19:37.

    Lesson learned: Get a new CO2 pump every year. It's a $10 investment.

    I was disappointed at my run. I honestly thought I could run the whole thing. All my training runs were solid and consistent. I knew I would end up pacing around 11:30 - 12:00 per mile including walking the aid stations, but that was the pace that proved to be right while training. Having to walk almost the entire second lap was not what I planned for. My overall pace ended up being 13:56 per mile.

    I need to become a better runner. I need to go through body comp to achieve this. You are going to love this one: After crossing the finish line, the volunteer helping me took my t-shirt finisher tag which said "Men's Large", she looked at me and said "Honey, you look more like an extra large to me" and she gave me an extra large shirt. I couldn't stop laughing at this. It's the best way I have been called Fat Bastard and the clear sign that body comp starts today 🤣.

    Since running is the focus I think we should start today with run durability, after that I am not sure how to proceed since timing is not helping. In order to go through the 20 weeks of a "Full Plan" that would require to start on 12/10/18, leaving a weird 3 weeks between Run Durability and Full plan.

    I will jump on the call tonight to continue talking.

    Thanks

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    wow, that’s a crazy set of issues with your bike. I can’t believe how much uncertainty there was there. Maybe next time you go find a local bike shop versus relying on the expo? Also maybe be a little more careful buying the bike? Sorry to hear about all of that. Honestly, I wouldn’t get too down on yourself about the run. It’s very hard to run after a longer than planned a bike and in the cold weather. You just honestly weren’t in the right place to do it the right way. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have the Fitness it just means that the day wasn’t the place to be super fast for you. I agree that body composition and run durability will help you but please don’t get down on yourself !!

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    Hi Coach, thanks for your reply. It was just bad luck, nothing more than that. I agree that if there is a next time in which I need to fix something before the race I would use Velofix or a bike shop. The bike is a new Cervelo P3 which has been great. We chose the bike together with my PT because if you remember, I couldn’t hold the aero position on my former bike (Specialized Transition) so I was looking for a more forgiving geometry and Cervelo is amazing for that.

    The issue wasn’t the bike but the transportation of it, that’s when it got damaged. The lesson learned and something that can be used by the team is more about the CO2 pump. Those things have a lifespan and they should be replaced annually.

    I am still very happy with results given the conditions and I also had a great time. I do Ironman for fun and always have a blast regardless of my times; the day it stops being fun and I get down, depressed or pissed, that’s the day I will call it quits. For me this is a lifestyle that allows me to stay healthy and motivated within a great community of athletes. As you might have seen from my race reports and participation in the chats and forums, I’m always joking and goofing around and that won’t change despite the outcome of a race.

    That being said I also want to improve every single time. I am not competing against the rest of my AG, I am trying to beat my previous performances every time. After 2 years with EN, I have a better understanding of the game so I can tell very objectively what needs to improve, and also what has been improved.

    My cycling has improved tremendously and my run is getting better. I have uploaded on FinalSurge the training calendar for IMTX as follows:

    1. Run Durability starting Nov 5
    2. Dec Run Focused OS starting Dec 3
    3. Full Run Focused starting at week 9 on Feb 4 - probably will do level 2

    I think this is a solid training block for Texas but would love to hear you feedback.

    Thanks

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    I am glad you are able to have that kind of perspective. Sometimes things just don’t go your way. It’s certainly an expensive lesson learned, but it’s also a great story!

    I think your black into Texas is perfect. The key is to really keep it low-key for the run durability program. I have no van volume or speed goes for you. Only frequency goals.

    The more consistent you can be, the better off you’re out season will be. We need to keep you focused but still loose as before you know it you’ll be doing some good indoor work again.

    When you get a second, why don’t you let out some goals for the out season for me.

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    Hi Coach,

    I have a friend who is thinking about joining the team. I already send him the link and he is wondering if he can have a quick call with you before pulling the trigger. Let me know what to do

    He is 99% sold.

    Jorge

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    OF COURSE @Jorge Duque No worries....tell him to text me here: (617) 513-3830 And to introduce himself as your friend and we can find a time.

    Normally I would give you a call link, but with the holidays approaching I have blocked off most of my calendar.

    Thank you for representing!

    ~ Coach P

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