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

The 7:30am Start Group for 112 Miles

Another EN Tri Rally is in the books. After months of planning and organizing, the weekend has wrapped and was an unqualified success. Seventy five triathletes came together in Lake Placid for a weekend of training and learning and fun…here are the full details.

Day One: Friday

The training for Friday was pretty straightforward — a Race Simulation. For those of you not in the know, that’s a 112 mile bike ride at goal Ironman pacing plus a six mile run. During this workout we test your nutrition, your ability to pace appropriately and we learn about your bike fit & comfort levels as well as where things get mentally hard for you.

The weather was absolutely perfect. Low 70s, minimal winds, and light cloud cover. By all accounts, everyone had a good time zipping around the course. No one said it was “easy,” but it certainly goes down as one of the best camp days we have ever had.

After the run it was off to the Brew pub to fuel up on a burger and then back to the hotel for our 90-minute presentation on the Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course and the Run Course.  You can get access to the individual video clips via this blog post.

Day Two: Saturday

Similar layout as Friday, the goal on paper was to put in another two loops on the bike. It was overcast and the promised rains soon began to fall. Combined with the wind, this made for a pretty miserable first loop of the bike. Most folks who didi the 112 on Friday opted for 56 on Saturday with a swim and/or run. A few late arrivals had to get in the full 112, and thankfully the rain began to fade and the roads dried out in the early afternoon.

Napping was the post-workout order of the day, followed by an hour long Ironman Lake Placid specific Race Execution and Training talk by Coach Patrick. In addition to answering some questions, Coach P covered the Endurance Nation Four Keys and then gave specific guidance on how to not only process the weekend’s training, but on what to focus on heading into the final few weeks.

We had a nice team dinner at the Lake Placid Courtyard by Mariott — they took GREAT care of us!!!! — and then apparently it was time to buy all the ice cream in town and try to eat it before we passed out.

Day Three: Sunday

The final day of the Tri Rally, Sunday started overcast but remained dry. Our workout for today was a long run, with at least one loop of the course — approximately 13.1 miles. We got an early start to beat the Lake Placid Marathon (except for the few participants who were actually racing the Half!), and headed out on River Road to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and what race pace would actually feel like on our tired legs.

By the time we got back to town, almost everyone was running properly and charging up the big hill by the Olympic Oval. When it was all said and done, we logged about 14 miles. Without a doubt, it was just the right way to end the volume pop of the weekend.

Quick goodbyes were exchanged and then it was time to pack and dash out of town…with a promise to say HI in another six weeks on Race Weekend!

Want In?

We hold three Tri Rallys every year on Ironman race courses: Texas, Lake Placid, Wisconsin. For just $25 dollars, you get a rockin’ T-shirt, three days of workouts and support, coaching guidance, new friends, intimate course details and insider knowledge and the confidence that you can crush your race. To click here to learn more about the Endurance Nation Tri Rally experience.

Popularity: 8% [?]

More than 75 minutes of IMUSA information!

A huge part of the Tri Rally experience isn’t the epic training, even though we will do over 200 miles on the bike in two days!  It isn’t the people, even though we average 100 athletes at every training camp. So what’s left, you ask?

The Coaching!!!

That’s right; whether you have Rich or Patrick at your rally, you are guaranteed to get several hours of coaching guidance and support for your $25 registration fee. We talk training, we talk racing, we talk execution, we answer your questions….the list goes on. (Find a rally that fits your schedule here.)

As an example, here are the links to Coach Patrick’s review of the Ironman Lake Placid Bike and Run courses from our 2011 Triathlon Rally.  This talk is divided into five separate sections, so fire up your Internet connection, grab a nice beverage, and get ready to get your learning on.

Ironman Lake Placid: Bike & Run Review (1 of 5): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8z4nEF6iCE

Ironman Lake Placid: Bike & Run Review (2 of 5): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPDkRJlA2BE

Ironman Lake Placid: Bike & Run Review (3 of 5): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iknRl2Dg64g

Ironman Lake Placid: Bike & Run Review (4 of 5): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUW8lqDFWag

Ironman Lake Placid: Bike & Run Review (5 of 5): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKwBHdsS6sU

 

Popularity: 12% [?]

In June of 2010, Endurance Nation held it’s seventh annual (and first ever!) Triathlon Training Rally in Lake Placid, NY. As you can see from the picture above, more than 100 athletes turned out to train together, get fitter and learn from the coaches.

It was so much fun that we are keeping the streak alive. The 2011 Lake Placid Tri Rally will take place on June 9-12. Join us for three days of training on the Ironman course, including a Friday 112 mile race rehearsal ride and multiple lectures by the coaching staff designed to prepare you for your best possible race.

Slots are limited! Register here before 5/18 to lock in your T-shirt!

Rallies are 100% SELF-SUPPORTED

Everyone participating should be ready to take care of themselves at all times — from spare tubes and CO2 to extra food, money and a cell phone, you need to be ready. We’ll have support available but it might not be right where you need it when you need it — consider it like any long ride or workout you’d do from your house!

Rallies are open to anyone who wants to attend!

That’s right, TeamEN members, Fans, friends, training partners, and even the general public are invited to train with us on the course!

Cost: Just $25.

Why are the Endurance Nation Tri-Rallies Just $25?

We are committed to building stronger, faster, smarter, well-balanced age group triathletes, at a fraction of the cost of traditional one-on-one coaching. Expensive, exclusive Ironman training camps are just not compatible with our mission statement. Instead, it’s just more fun, and the right thing to do, to leverage our experience (8 x camps in the IMUSA course, 7 x on IMWI) and create fun, challenging, and informative training weekends for EVERYONE.

Your Rally Ticket Includes:

• Group Training Opportunities on an official Ironman course.
• Course Maps, Coach Access, Group Rides/Runs, etc.
• Discounts and schwag from key sponsors

Rally Schedule

The full schedule of events will be similar to the 2010 schedule listed below.

Thursday

PM ARRIVAL: If time permits, participants will organize a run.

EVENING SOCIAL: Location: TBD

Friday

WORKOUT: Ironman Race Simulation; (100-112 bike / 4-6 run)

COACHES TALK: 5:00pm – Race Rehearsal Debrief: Lessons learned, problems solved and more.

EVENING SOCIAL: 8:00pm – Location: TBD

Saturday

WORKOUT: Epic Cool Ride; (up to 112 miles optional)

RALLY DINNER: 6:00pm – Location: TBD

**Cost: $25, Registered Attendees will get a chance to buy a ticket. This is not required as we’ll be going out every night…it’s just a nice way to close out the weekend!

Sunday

WORKOUT: AM Long Run on the Course.

CAMP ENDS: 12:00pm – Location: TBD; Final debrief and Q&A with Coach Patrick

Want to join us?

Learn more and register for the rally here.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Endurance Nation is pleased to present our second annual series of Triathlon Rallies for the 2011 season. This year, our signature weekend training camps will be held on the Ironman Texas, USA, and Wisconsin courses.

Each Rally consists of three days of training and discussion with the coaches to prepare the attendees for their event and are open to the public; in 2010 more than 200 athletes attended our Lake Placid and Madison events…we hope to double that number this year.

Rally Schedule:

• Thursday evening: Registration and Four Keys of Ironman Execution: IMTX, USA, or WI versions
• Friday:
  • AM: Race rehearsal brick on the bike and run courses, applying the lessons you learned Thursday evening.
  • PM: Advanced Race Execution Skills: bike fit, proper bike setup for race day, gearing, nutrition, transition tips and more
• Saturday:
  • AM: repeat of race rehearsal ride or similar session on the bike course.
  • PM: Ironman Training for Age Group Triathletes: the coaches will share with you the lessons and tools they’ve learned from nearly 20 years of coaching Ironman age group triathletes.
  • Camp Dinner (optional): a great way to wrap up the camp with a fun social event.
• Sunday:
  • Long run on the course
  • Final QnA with the coaches

The cost of each weekend is just $25, which gets you a sharp t-shirt, with the remainder being donated to a local charity on behalf of the endurance community.  Endurance Nation makes $0 off the camps.

Why are the Triathlon Rallies mostly free?
We are committed to building stronger, faster, smarter, well-balanced age group triathletes, at a fraction of the cost of traditional one-on-one coaching. Expensive, exclusive Ironman training camps are just not compatible with our mission statement. Instead, it’s just more fun, and the right thing to do, to leverage our experience (8 x camps in the IMUSA course, 7 x on IMWI) and create fun, challenging, and informative training weekends for EVERYONE.

To Register & Learn More:

• IM Texas Rally, March 31-April 3:  Click Here.
• IM Lake Placid Rally, June 9-12: Click Here.
• IM Wisconsin Rally, July 27-31: Click Here.

Popularity: 15% [?]

A few campers prepare to hit the swim before running 13+ on th run course

After two hard days of training on the swim, bike and run courses with one kinda messy due to the weather, it was time for the campers to knock out a long run on the course. Others chose to swim, some chose to swim and run. A few even raced the Lake Placid Half Marathon as the curtain call of their epic training weekend on the IMUSA course. Most notably, EN member Keith Buell set an 8′ half marathon PR in the race on Sunday, on anything BUT rested legs!! Great job Keith!!

Rich called an end to the camp, over sandwiches on a curb with Mike Graffeo, at about 1pm, taking a cab to Saranac Lake, then a Cessna to Boston (scored the copilot’s seat!!), to catch his flight to LA and then ride his motorcycle home. A very long day to end a long weekend!

Another satisified camper!

Coach’s Epilogue
by Rich Strauss

Patrick and I came up with the idea of the Tri-Rally at our IMUSA camp last year. We talked about how much value, and fun, we could create for our members and the Ironman community by pulling the plug on the overdone model of the expensive triathlon camp.

As an Ironman coach and the leader/creator of a community…it was a very fulfilling weekend, personally. After so many years in the Ironman training and racing game, I enjoy opening up my head and sharing with people the mistakes I’ve made and lessons I’ve learned over the years. I like to think I can save people many, many wasted races, and race registration dollars, by catapulting them several years up the learning curve. While all of our members had likely heard my various schticks many, many times, it was fun to share that knowledge with the non-members. I saw more than one lightbulb come on across my lectures. Just cool to see.

Some of our members have been with us, literally, since Day 1. Others have more than done their time on the squad. I’ve met many of them at the races, similar training camps, etc. Others are mostly a forum profile picture and a personality I’ve gleaned from their interactions with other members of the Team. At the same time, I’ve watched our members create relationships online in our forums, through interactions on Facebook, through their professional lives, etc.  As one of the “dad’s,” so to speak, of the community it’s always fun to sit back on these weekends and just watch it all come together. At Lake Placid this weekend I had many opportunities to sit back and draw the lines of connection between and among the members and their friends. Our members will tell you that these connections are an unexpected value that they have created for themselves, expanding far beyond their previous definitions of coaching, a training plan, having a coach answering questions in a forum, etc.

In short, it was very fulfilling to see the web of connections, relationships, and friendships that have been formed within and around the EN bubble. Total bonus that I get to teach, ride a bike, or have a beer with these folks at the same time

As the leader of the camp, I learned a ton and will apply those lessons to our next Tri-Rally, this one on the Ironman Wisconsin course next month. As of today we have 93 (!) people RSVP’ed and I expect the camp to be well north of 100 by the time we kick things off on Thursday, July 8! I hope you can join us!

Popularity: 17% [?]