Endurance Nation | Triathlon Coaching, Ironman Training, Half Ironman, Beginner Triathlon

It’s up on the EN Podcast Channel!  Listen to this episode or subscribe to all future podcasts here.

Enjoy!

Rich and Patrick

Popularity: 4% [?]

We have bad news and good news for you. The bad news is that once you finish this article, you are going to want to cancel that winter schedule of base building, aerobic mileage-oriented, zone 1-2 training.  The good news is that by the time you finish reading, you’ll be ready to set up your best triathlon season yet!

Before we begin, a warning: What you are about to read goes against every single email newsletter or training article that will hit your inbox between now and January. The “Go Slower to Get Faster” off-season theme not only makes zero physiological sense, it’s utterly wrong.  Recycled year after year by the latest coach of the month trying to make a name for him/herself, these ideas have become woven into the cultural fabric of our sport.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 12% [?]

It’s fall, and marathon season is in full swing. A disproportionate number of triathletes opt for a fall / winter marathon even though they have already had a relatively long season. We advise against running a marathon in the off-season, but if you do, you can still execute well and have a great race. Here is a relatively simple run strategy that can help you reach that elusive goal time on race day.

The marathon is a long day. Some people look at it as a “long catered run” while others are ready to set a new personal best. An effective pacing plan will get you to the latter part of the marathon ready to test yourself whereas a poor plan will only leave you with a lot of questions (and plenty of time to think about them).

Warm Up & Starting Strategy

Marathon starts are generally pretty crowded. Start heading down to the starting line about 30 minutes before race time. It’s at this time – once you have dropped your clothes bag off to race organizers or your support crew – to go pee for the last time and do a little warm up. Depending on your goals, your warm up will vary in length and intensity:

Regardless of your warm up effort, be sure to stretch/stay loose once you hit the starting line.  Even just bouncing up on your tiptoes will keep you loose and a bit warm.

Mile One to Mile Five – Warm Up Continued

Once the gun goes off, work quickly to get into a good rhythm. Do not be one of those crazy people weaving in and out of the crowd trying desperately to get on pace. That’s a great way to twist an ankle and waste a great deal of precious energy you’ll need at the end of your day. If you aren’t relaxed and smooth, then you are going too hard! Note: If you are in a large race and have a pace goal, do your best to seed yourself in a good place so you aren’t stuck behind the doode running as the Eiffel Tower.

We generally counsel athletes to figure on starting 30 seconds slower than the average pace they’d need to finish “on time”, and then taking 10 seconds off – per mile – until they are just below that mark. So for someone looking to run a 3:30 (approximately 8 minute per mile pace), we advise the following:

Mile Six to Mile Twenty – Steady Pacing

This portion of the marathon constitutes the bulk of your day. It is the longest leg yet if you are fit and tapered, you will be relatively fast through here.  Focus in on your race and your pace, ignoring the other athletes riding around you. Your goal is to maintain a pace just under the average split of your time goal. Veer from this conservative race plan and you can essentially kiss your race plan goodbye! Most folks feel pretty good at the halfway point only to have their hopes dashed by mile twenty.

Things should be much calmer at the six-mile point.  You have found your “pack” for the day and you will stick with most of these runners.  Keep the nutrition plan on target (yes, this is most important) – especially through the aid stations – as you prepare for the final six-mile push.

Mile Twenty to Finish – Bringing It Home

Make no mistake about it – you are working here. Even though the majority of your work is behind you, you still have to face the true challenge.  Your pace is moderate-hard (you might not be going any faster, just working harder to maintain the same pace) and you should be making a move on most of the field if you have paced yourself accordingly.

You are entering The Zone here. People you might have waved to before only get a ‘thumbs up’ or a nod, if that.  Your body is on autopilot and you are on a mission to get to the finish line. Continue your nutrition. Focus on maintaining good form and your pace.  You are moving aid station to aid station, preparing for that final run down the finishing chute!

Pace yourself well and you will be able to race your day. No Pace = No Race. Remember how you have trained for the last few months, for that is how you will race (no new tricks on race day!).  And most important of all: Remember to be thankful that you can do this race in the first place. Good luck and have fun!

Popularity: 9% [?]

We’ve found that pretty much everything slower than about a 1:15 IM swim is all technique. Meaning, the difference between a 1:45 and 1:15 is better technique, not becoming more fit.

Getting below 1:15…fitness starts to become more important, requiring a larger time investment, but still not crazy until about 1:08. Going from 1:08 to about a 1:05 usually comes from 1-2 technique breakthrus + a big fitness investment. Sub 1:05 is just a LOT of time and work for the age group swimmer. In the end, you’ve invested MUCH time to go from a 1:15 to a 1:05, when there are much easier places to find that 10′ on race day. 10′ is not walking a mile, not slowing down by only 1′ per mile in the last 10′, etc.

We recognize this diminishing ROI so it’s a matter the timing of that investment to swim, not just if you should swim. In the off-season, investing 3-5hrs a week in your swim comes at a high mental and logistics cost, and just does not pay out on race day. Better to bank that time to sleep in, not do the bag-packing, shower at the gym before work routine, keep your training volume and logistics committment low, and spend that swim time closer to the race, about 12-20wks out. We have a data set of 100′s that says you won’t give up anything on race day, may even be faster, with this approach. Most importantly, you are keeping your time committment as low as you can for as long as you can, making the months and months long process of training for an IM much less onerous.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 8% [?]

Consider this your signed permission slip from your triathlon coach: Get out and vote tomorrow (Tuesday). Find your closest location here.

If you care about your future and believe in a democratic process, it is your DUTY to get out and vote.

The best-informed people, for some reason, seem to sit on the sidelines playing armchair critic while elections happen. Last time I checked triathletes were a pretty smart, well-connected group of people…so put down the spandex and head over to your local voting location and do your part to break this stereotype.

Let the boss get a little pissed, let your workout buddies whine for a few hours. Screw ‘em — they’ll get over it. The future of this country, and every person you know in it, is at stake.

Good luck!

Patrick

Popularity: 4% [?]