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

Please note the wording there…I didn’t say “Putting Your Coach” to the test. I am talking here about methodology; about philosophy…not about your individual situation. Whether you have a 1:1 coach or you are self coached, you are following a particular approach. But how robust is the methodology you are using? What actually happens to all the pretty formulas and expert strategies when they encounter the real-world we live in?

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Popularity: 6% [?]

This week Coach P talks Watts per Kilo, keeping it real and…finally reveals the sign up URL for our free Bike Fit Webinar on 3/29! Czech it out!

Popularity: 16% [?]

Folks -

It’s already been almost a month since our epic Tour of California Camp. Lance has already moved on to France to train, I am back in (thawing) New England, and our intrepid campers are all back home plotting the demise of their unsuspecting training partners.

Despite the time lapse, I can’t get the camp, the scenery, or the fun I had off my mind. And neither should you: 11 out of 16 slots have already been snatched up! If you are considering the 2010 camp, we strongly suggest that you email kris@endurancenation.us to make a deposit before 4/15/2009 and secure your own place at the table! It’s only gotten better each year…we know that 2010 is going to be epically cool already!

See you on the roads,

Patrick and Rich

Popularity: 7% [?]

Endurance Nation Coach Rich Strauss and professional mountain biker and coach Lynda Wallenfels, of LWCoaching.com, discuss the brand new Ironman St. George. Lynda is a long time resident of St. George, a former Ironman athlete, and knows every inch of the bike and run courses.

She and Rich discuss weather, terrain, road conditions, hills, curves, chip seal, water temp, where to spectate, where to park, where to stay and much, much more!

If you are a mountain bike or triathlete looking for the best guidance on how to train in the dirt, there is no one better than Lynda Wallenfels. Please check her out at LWCoaching.com!

If you are registered for or thinking about racing Ironman St George, check us out at EnduranceNation.us. In only the first week of registration we already have 8-10 team members signed up for this race! We will easily have 20-30 athletes in the event by the time the gun goes off!

Direct download: SGIMTalk.mp3

Popularity: 10% [?]

From a post by Rich on Slowtwitch. The discussion included some questions about our bike training at Endurance Nation so Rich decided to provide a summary of how we do business on the bike:

Thanks for the mention. Patrick and I did a free webinar in the winter and turned it into a free ebook, which you can download here: https://www.box.net/shared/l57mxcp2pa. In it is a $20 discount code on our much more complete webinar product that you helped us with (thanks!) last year:

Since Endurance Nation was mentioned in the thread I want to clarify a few things:

• For the first 16wks of our season (our Out-Season, your Off-Season), we are 100% focused on lifting FTP. Interval sets, zero concerns for volume, about 4hrs total cycling volume per week. Average FTP gains last year, teamwide, were 15%. We are gathering the data from this year. Several members have posted 24%+ gains this week
• In General Prep (about 8wks for us), volume increases because it can (you’re outside) but we stick to about 2.5-3hrs max on the weekends. This is the volume that is repeatable week after week for our athletes given work, family, etc. Still focused on FTP but we add 80-85% time. Additional volume comes from a warmup but we still prescribe nothing below 80% (other than a warmup)
• Race Prep the volume increases but tops out at 4.5hrs for Saturday, about 3hrs on Sunday. 1 x interval session during the week with zero volume goals. Main Set only. On these long rides we do prescribe 70-75% riding, to build race-specific fitness. More specifically, they lock themselves in the aerobars and wrap their heads around nutrition, the art of riding steady, and the pacing discipline we expect of them on race day, etc. But, again, the FTP and 80-85% work continues.
• They perform 2 x race reahearsal rides before the race. These are the only sessions that they ride over 4.5hrs. These are by far their easiest rides with us.

In general, our focus throughout the season is:

• Lifting FTP. Best time for us to do this is on the Out-Season, when they don’t also have to go far, but we maintain this focus, in some measure, throughtout the season. That said, we believe the value of going far (for much of the year) is significantly over-rated. The last three years we have done a cycling camp for the Tour of California. About 350 miles last year, close to 400 this year. About 2/3 of our participants are east coasters, dropping into this camp after no more than 4hrs/wk of cycling. From 4hrs on a trainer, all FTP-focused, to 20-25hrs outside on challenging terrains…no problems: Tour of California Summary
• Optimizing (usually by maximizing) their TSS/hr of training time by having them do alot of 80-85%/sweetspot training. Low risk method to significantly boost the TSS of each session.
• We reserve the race specific intensity for much closer to the race and don’t have any “magical adaptations” thoughts about it. You’re strong, time to get comfortable at your race watts in your race position, learn what works for you nutritionally, and get your mind right about how we want you to pace the race.

Popularity: 15% [?]