Brian Wiersma 2020 Season Official Coach Thread [PlanEN]

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  matt limbert

  February 7, 2020 5:20PM edited February 7, 2020 5:39PM

  @Brian Wiersma

  

  
  

  Hey Brian, Welcome! Super cool have you with us. I'm here help you get setup in Final Surge - better understand your training, make adjustments to your training week, find a schedule and workout rhythm that works for you and introduce you to our learning opportunities and link up with the rest of the team.

  For any questions you have getting started - chat with me here in this forum or schedule a call with me here: https://calendly.com/new-member-phone-call/1

  Let me explain a bit more about your first training block.

  The OutSeason is 14 weeks. 4+1 test week, 4+1 test week, 3+1 test week. The test weeks are when you will redo you FTP test and track your progression. It is a bike focused block, but you can still add your swimming and there is a baseline level of running for durability. The intensity is focused on the bike with a variety of shorter intervals early in the week, longer intervals mid week, followed by a ABP (Always Be Pushing) ride that is around 3.0-3.8 W/kg, or a CNC (Cruise and Crush) ride that is around 2.5 W/kg but has a few max efforts (45 sec, 4+ minutes, then a 30' sustained effort). A lot of the athletes on the Team ride on Zwift and coordinate ride times using the GroupMe chat (see below for the link).

  Running. You will see a description for TRP (Total Run Pace) this is a pace that is between Z1 and Z2. It should be easy and you should be able to carry on a conversation. That is the pace you will do a bulk of your work in this OutSeason phase. Here is it all about frequency and consistency. Early on, say the first 5 week block, focus on getting the duration in. If you feel good and want to mix up the pace based on the workout - go for it - but early on we want to emphasize consistency, frequency, and be conservative on the pacing/intensity on the run.

  Coach Patrick talked about adding the swim supplement. You can do that or just let me know and I can add it too. You can move the swims around to fit your schedule. You can (and we encourage) you to move workouts around if you need to. You have quite a bit of experience already and most likely have an idea of what works for you. If you want a second opinion or some additional insight - we are happy to help!

  A few thoughts on getting setup and organized.

  First off, think of this as an opportunity to get fitter, smarter, and share your experience with the rest of the team. Coach Patrick has designed a Race Roadmap for you. The progression of workouts will get you fitter and prepare you physically to race but, getting smarter about training and race execution is what sets Endurance Nation apart from other programs. Here you have access to Coach Patrick (11x Kona qualifier), a library of his Coach Lessons, and the experience of hundreds of other athletes across all age groups - willing to share their advice and what has worked (or not) for them. We would love to have your experience and voice in those forums too.

  Want to know the best equipment to buy? Where to stay for your race? How to triage you week of training when you have to travel for work? How to ride hills efficiently? How manage your power and heart rate on a hot day? You name it the Team can help you and make you a smarter athlete. There is free speed out there just by being smarter at how you play the game. Check out the GroupMe, forums and the learning section from the main Endurance Nation page to get started (see below for links).

  Consider downloading the Final Surge App. This makes it way easier to add comments about how you felt, ate, weather, and paces etc. Those are all super helpful to you as you track your progress, prepare and plan your for your race.

  We definitely want to see those hours, miles, and heart beats - but we also want to know how you felt, mood, how mentally easy or hard the workout was, what you ate and drank on those long rides (helps dial in your fueling and hydration for long races), what went good (as a reminder) and what you want to work on next time. This takes your Final Surge account from just workout data to a full on training log - where you see your progression and become a smarter athlete. 

  To make comments, select the activity and click on the "pencil" icon to tap "how I felt" or "perceived effort." You can add a few notes about what you ate/drank, how you felt mentally, the weather or any aches etc. Those comments are really handy when you are comparing workouts, tailoring your own training, evaluating progress and planning for your ride. It also makes it easy to look at and plan for your upcoming workouts. Just a quick not goes a long way.

  Here are a few things to do: 

  #1 Subscribe to your Coach Thread.

  Subscribe to your Coach Thread and get an email when we respond. Your Coach Thread is the best way to get a hold of us. It documents all of your training questions, its always here for your reference. 

  Here is how: 

  https://vimeo.com/390020607

  #2 Down load the Final Surge App

   

  

  
  

  Final Surge | Mobile Apps

  https://www.finalsurge.com/apps

  #3 Join our GroupMe chat and join the Team

  Our forums and GroupME chat its a great place to learn, ask questions and connect for accountability with other Team members. Need to buy a new training gadget? What is the best xxxx? Want some advice about your race we? We have someone on the Team that as done it before and can help you race like a veteran. Ask in the group chat, start a forum post, or just search the library.

  Your new Friends are waiting for you.

  GroupMe is an app you can download to your smartphone, visit on the web, and even search if you want. GroupMe is a running group chat that team members use to get a quick answer to a question, accountability, and celebrate a new PR!

  GroupMe

  ·        EN Live 24/7  [Join Here]

  ·        Run Group [Join Here]

  ·        Zwift Chat [Join Here]

  ·        Events  [Join Here]

  ·        Race Groups [Join Here]

  Forums

  If social media and chat groups are not your thing. Take a look at our forums. These are not your typical forums or chat rooms. These are where our smartest members hang out and answer questions or give advice. Think of this as your biggest group of endurance and athlete friends. These folks are super helpful. We have a set of Wicked Smart Members (WSM). These athletes are vetted by the rest of the team and Coach Patrick. They are recognized for their expertise and willingness to help.

  You have complete access to the entire Learning section. Check out the Coach Lesson Videos, Race Execution Guidance there and look through the forums. There are tons of race reports to help you learn more about training and racing.

  SignIn

  https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/categories

  #4 Customize your workouts in Final Surge

  If you have a recent 5k. Use your average heart rate to set your customized EN zones. Once you customize them, the workouts will say 20' @ (135-145 heart rate) vs. 20' @ Zone 2. 

  Here is how you update your training plan with integrated and customized zones (there is a video here too): 

  https://www.endurancenation.us/help/final-surge-how-to-update-your-integrated-training-zones/

  #5 Get Smarter with the OutSeason Plan and Checkout the Opportunities to Learn How to Race Smarter as part of TeamEN

  Getting Stronger on the Bike - Understanding your Training Plan Structure

  All of the Training Plans are explained here. The OutSeason plan is about halfway down the page. 6' video and a few short paragraphs.

  http://members.endurancenation.us/TrainingPlan/TrainingPlanCentralPage.aspx#half

  Check out the Opportunities To Learn:

  http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/RacingMemberCentral/RaceExecutionDetails/MasterRaceExecutionPage(HalfFull).aspx

  Use the Table of Contents links at the top of the page to jump to that parts that interest you.

  The 4 keys to race execution video is a good place to start. Patrick talks about

  #1 Racing is Execution NOT fitness

  #2 The Line - is where you start racing. For the IM, that is mile 18 of the marathon. All your decisions set up your ability to race when you get to that line. There is no such thing as a good bike split followed by a poor run. The bike sets up the run.

  # 3 The Box - All day long you are going to race inside a box defined by what you can control. Ask yourself "What do I need to do right NOW to create the conditions for success at The Line? 

  # 4 One Thing - Before the race, you need to be able to answer the question: "Why am I doing this race?" During the course of your race day, expect your body to have a very convincing conversation with your mind: "This is really starting to get old and very painful. You need to give me a good reason to keep going forward. If you can't give me a good one, I'm gonna slow down."

  While these may seem simple, the process of pacing, adapting to conditions, and managing fueling/hydration is more detailed in the text and in the video.

  Detailed Race Preparation and Planning resources (Impact of Heat on Pace calculator, Pacing with Power on the Bike, etc.)

  http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Race+Execution

  Check out Coach Patrick's videos under Learning -> Coach Lessons - "How to race in the heat," "Checklists and Race Logistics Matter,"

  
  

  My goal is to make your first month of Endurance Nation as simple and as awesome as possible! I want to help you get the most out of your workouts, Final Surge, learn more about race execution and how the team can help you get to your race goals.

  Talk with you soon,

  Matt, Training Plan Coordinator

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  Brian Wiersma

  February 11, 2020 8:01PM

  @matt limbert @Coach Patrick

  Hi, just letting you know that I got access to the Coach's Thread and had my welcome meeting with Brenda.

  Matt, I have started training to the plans, but would like to modify the dates of when specific workouts occor during the week. Later today or tomorrow I'll send in a proposed schedule for many of the weekly workouts. I've also recently put a power meter on my bike and would like to transition from using heart rate to power on the bike. I'll send details of what I have for a power meter also.

  It was a great conversation with Brenda, and I'm glad to be working with you.

  Brian

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  matt limbert

  February 11, 2020 10:21PM

  @Brian Wiersma Thanks for the head's up. We encourage you to modify the schedule. Let me know when you are done and drop me a note here about your thoughts or questions, then I will take a look at your Final Surge calendar if you want. Having power meter is a great tool. We can talk more about how to set up your computer to to take advantage of all the new info. I look forward to hearing more!

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  Brian Wiersma

  February 12, 2020 1:10AM

  @matt limbert

  Hi Matt,

  SCHEDULE

   Basis for the schedule (I’m 61 and retired so I can do a lot during normal working hours)

  Long swim day = Thursday; when weather supports Local Tri Club, Saratoga Tri-Club, open water swims on Thursday evenings

  Long bike day = Tuesday; want weekday because I like to ride the Saratoga battlefield (11 mile loop) with little to no traffic, except deer.

  Long run day = Saturday because it isn’t next to another long day, and even a long run day can be completed early enough to still enjoy the weekend with my wife.

  Pool swims on weekdays to avoid the weekend crowds; I never have to wait to get in a lane but sometimes have to share which is fine with me.

  Wednesday I meet with friends for much of the day so that's why I'd like it as the off day.

   

  Please feel free to adjust the following proposed schedule. I’d just like to meet the above criteria

   Wednesday = off day, start of my week

  Thursday = Run Strides, pool swim (eventually long swim)

  Friday = Bike Intervals, pool swim

  Saturday = Long Run

  Sunday = Run Strides, Bike Build Intervals 2

  Monday = pool swim, Run Intervals

  Tuesday = Bike ABP, Run off of the bike (~30 min)

   

  I tried to modify the calendar for Feb 12 to the 19 with the above schedule. Hopefully I didn’t make too much of a mess of it all.

   

  BIKE POWER METER

   This is the power meter I installed on my tri-bike (I had to replace the bottom bracket to install it; it was a good experience).

  FSA Road PowerBox Alloy Crankset Power Meter

  Chainring Size: 50/34

  Crank Arm Length: 175 mm

   It basically replaced the front gears and crank arms of the bicycle.

  The meter itself in integrated into the spider that attaches to the gear rings. It pairs with my Garmin Forerunner 920XT

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  matt limbert

  February 12, 2020 1:59AM

  @Brian Wiersma Got it. It looks good. You did a nice job fitting that jenga puzzle of schedules, priorities, and training stress together. Well done! Here are some additional thoughts:

  -Your first training block is what we call the OutSeason. Its when we primarily focus on building power and stamina on the bike with intervals. It is 14 weeks. Sets of 5, 5, and 4 weeks. 4 weeks work + 1 test week = 5 weeks. Then 3 weeks work + 1 week test. So keep that in mind for these first 14 weeks.

  -It would be nice to get a quality bike or run on Thurs. Coming off your Wed rest day. You seems to make it work. But, if you can would be good to knock out one of those run interval day or the bike interval days in order to avoid a back to back interval and day later in the week. Also, something to keep in mind.

  -Keep on going. Modify the rest of this 5 week block. We will learn a bit as we go. So making some notes on how you feel, how each workout impacts you, and how you recover will be key to dialing in the next 5 week block.

  Nice job installing that power meters. With so many "standards" for bike frames and bottom brackets - that is a small science project. Great looking BTW.

  Have you ridden much with power. Our advice is to use the 3 sec avg for the lap (hit the lap when you start and stop the interval) also use the Nominal Power (Nominal Power) for the ride and lap, along with cadence. Nominal power is a calculated number that your body would feel if you rode steady. If there is a big difference between your nominal power and average power, that is usually an indication of surging.

  We can definitely talk some more. Let me know what you are interested in.

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  matt limbert

  February 24, 2020 3:52AM

  @Brian Wiersma

  Looks like you got a nice solid week in last week. Did you think it went? Any feedback?

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