It’s that time again, when we get to report on the data that really matters. Forget about w/kg, vDOT, or your LTHR…let’s talk about giving real money to organizations that are making a difference in the lives of others and improving the quality of life for us all.

Every month in 2011, Endurance Nation has pledged to award member or training plan athletes who are racing to raise money for a particular charity.  So far in 2011 we’ve donated $6000 to our athletes’ charities of choice. Our 2011 annual commitment is $24,000 — a lot in some ways, but not enough in others.

Please review the organization below and the amazing athlete that supports them. If you have the time and the means, we’d appreciate you continuing what these he has started by adding a contribution via their individual donation page.

Jim Yanoschik, Salvation Army/JCPenny ChildSpree (Help Jim make a difference here.)

ChildSpree is a joint program with the Salvation Army and JC Penney to send needy children into JC Penney to obtain new school clothes.  This year’s event is July 31st and we start at 6:00 am with 200 children standing in line.  The children are matched up with a shopping chaperone and they are given a $125 gift card.  After shopping the children are given school supplies and breakfast and reunited with their parents.  The reason that it matters to me is the FEELING that everyone that is involved with this event gets when a child comes out of the store with a huge grin and the parents have tears in their eyes.

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

It’s that time again, when we get to report on the data that really matters. Forget about w/kg, vDOT, or your LTHR…let’s talk about giving real money to organizations that are making a difference in the lives of others and improving the quality of life for us all.

Every month in 2011, Endurance Nation has pledged to award $250 to up to eight (8) member or training plan athletes who are racing to raise money for a particular charity. Our 2011 annual commitment is $24,000 — a lot in some ways, but not enough in others.

Please review the list of organizations below and the amazing athletes that support them. If you have the time and the means, we’d appreciate you continuing what these folks have started by adding a contribution via their individual donation pages.

February 2011 KickStart Recipients

Robert Diday, The Hall Education Fund, Inc.

“The Hall Education Fund provides scholarship funds to nurture and enhance the educational opportunities and goals of students with demonstrated financial need who are residents of New Brunswick, NJ.

This fund has been in existence since November 25, 1808, and has provided scholarship funds to many poor students since that time.”

Shannon Scott, Children’s Tumor Foundation (Help Shannon make a difference here.)

“My 4 year old daughter Scarlett has a genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis. She was diagnosed a little over a year ago, and has large tumors reaching from her clavicle, up to her eye socket. One tumour wraps around her larynx and throat; she’s already had one surgery to help mimize the tumor’s impact on her breathing, but docs say any more surgery would be far too risky.   Because there is no cure for NF, my husband and I raise funds for NF Research.

We have a blog called www.scarlettscott.com that gives more details about our amazing Scarlet.”

Jim Maas, Multiple Sclerosis Society (Help Jim make a difference here.)

“This cause matters to me because my aunt is battling MS right now. She has lost her vision at times and battles with crippling body aches. She is relatively young (38) and with no cure in sight we know it will only get worse. She is a great person, she worked for an adoption agency for a while and during her time there she worked on a case with four brothers ages 5-13. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t find a home that would take them all in. Not wanting to see the boys split up, SHE TOOK ALL OF THEM IN!!!! Already having two teenage boys herself we thought she was crazy but felt that she was doing a truly heroic thing, now these boys are young men or teenagers themselves and we were fortunate enough to see them grow up before our eyes in OUR family. She is truly a angel in those boys’ eyes (as well as our family’s)and it is unfair she has been inflicted with this disease, that’s why I ride in the Tour De Farms every year. It’s a great organization that puts so much effort into research and comforting the people with this disease. The ride is two days, 100 miles the first and 75 the second. I’m the geek who shows up TT bike, disc rear, tri suit every year and smashes myself, not because it’s great training for Ironman Louisville but because I have the ability to, unlike my aunt. This is why this cause matters to me.”

Joe Roof, YMCA’s Partners with Youth Program (Help Joe make a difference here.)

“I am race director for the Tom Hoskins Memorial Triathlon and a board member of the Columbia YMCA. I also started our Triathlon club three years ago with a mission…a club that gives back! We have grown to over 70 members and held our first event last year. Our goal was twofold, raise money for the YMCA’s charity, Partners with Youth, and raise awareness for bicycle safety. We raised $8000 for Partners with Youth!!  We aso honored the memory of Tom Hoskins, a local cyclist killed on a charity ride in 2007 when struck by a motorist allegedly on her cell phone.
A donation from my team at EN would get us a step closer to our goal this year of raising $10,000 and continuing our efforts to make our roads safer.
For more information on the race series go to www.ytriseries.com.
I appreciate your consideration!!”

Bill Fritton, Irondads for a Cure/Curesearch (Help Bill make a difference here.)

“Mike and I met a few years ago when we both started participating in triathlon. During the past several years we have grown close as friends and our families and kids have become friends as well. Last year when his son was born with cancer this seemed to me the most unfair thing possible. To have a life lost after only 27 days to such a horrible disease just did not seem right. I remember hearing that Mike and his family had decided to stop the experimental treatments because the doctors had so advised. I cannot even imagine having to make that kind of decision regarding my child. Makes one appreciate how much we have each and every day. Anyway, there was not a whole lot I could do at the time to help with the situation. So if doing this race and helping raise a little money along the way to possibly help others facing a similar situation it seems like a good thing to do.”

Suzanne Kinsky, AIDS United (Help Suzanne make a difference here.)

“AIDS United is the organization I work for. In my current position, I manage a grant program that sends money straight to the community to support services to get people with HIV/AIDS into and maintained in medical care. Our goal is to connect 3500 people to care in the next three years. Money raised by this event will contribute to this effort. I am so excited by the innovative programs with whom I’m able to work and I desperately want to see each project succeed.

In addition, part of the funds raised by this fundraiser will also go to the Washington AIDS Partnership, a DC-based nonprofit for whom I used to work. In addition to supporting HIV prevention and care services in DC, where HIV rates are higher than many third world countries, the Partnership runs a critical AmeriCorps program that places 12 volunteers throughout the community each year. The volunteers fill important roles (HIV testers, educators, case managers, etc.) during their year of service, and afterward many go on to medical, law, and public health careers serving the poor and underserved.

Fundraising for this event is through a program called Team to End AIDS (T2EA), which is similar in model to Team in Training. I’d much rather do a triathlon than a marathon, honestly, but it’s really important to me to not only support my organization but also be a part of the team with my colleagues in the first year of this program. I’d love it if my “other” team, EN, could be able to support me in this. Either way, I think it’s really amazing that you guys have committed to giving back in this way. “

Ebe Boettcher, American Cancer Society/DetermiNation (Help Ebe make a difference here.)

“I was working with a patient in my hospital who had bone cancer. He was going to start radiation after the Thanksgiving holiday (great place to be over the holiday…not so much!) when we started talking about riding bikes and a park that he rides through every day I had raced in 2 months before. He started telling me how much he admired my tenacity and drive to do an Ironman. I asked him how he could say that when he was staring death straight in the eye…he told me “Ebe, I don’t have a choice, I am going to die, but I am not going to go out without a fight. You have a choice, and you have chosen to get off your ass and do something amazing with your life.”That statement is what gets me through 2×20 minute/ 4×2.5/ and 2x 15 @85%.
2nd Reason
Uncle Randy. Randy Maifeld was one of the finest human beings to walk the earth. Everything he did made this place wonderful. He was a cycleist, landscape designer, artist, father, husband, renosaunce man…he passed away from cancer and showed everyone he knew how to live life to the fullest.”

Lance Carter, Team in Training/LLS (Help Lance make a difference here.)

“I have been a Team in Training tri coach for 9 years.  When I began coaching I did not personally know any Leukemia/Lymphoma cancer patients/survivors.  (Though I am a cancer survivor – malignant melanoma 1997 diagnosed/surgically removed).  Over the years I’ve come to hear many sad stories of lost loved ones and a few happy stories from the lucky ones.  I was always amazed at the participants for getting out there and asking for money.  It was a prospect that scared the bleep out of me personally.  I finally decided that I needed to become a participant, face a fear, and take my turn fundraising.  So here I am!”

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If you want to join Endurance Nation and apply for your $250 fundraising “kickstart”, please visit our Join Page here. If the Team is closed you can buy a training plan or join the WaitList for the next available opening.

I will be doing my first Half Ironman this year at Oklahoma City OK, and by donating money to my cause you are helping me get to that finish line.“

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

Every month in 20111, Endurance Nation has pledged to award $250 to up to eight (8) member or training plan athletes who are racing to raise money for a particular charity. Our 2011 annual commitment is $24,000 — a lot in some ways, but not enough in others.

Please review the list of organizations below and the amazing athletes that support them. If you have the time and the means, we’d appreciate you continuing what these folks have started by adding a contribution via their individual donation pages.

January 2011 KickStart Recipients

Zach Copeland, Epilepsy Foundation. (Help Zach make a difference here.)

“I thought it would be cool to race for a cause this year. I picked the Epilepsy Foundation to help my wife Kristen and my Step-Sister Delacey who struggles with Epilepsy everyday. By donating to my cause you are giving me motivation to go out there everyday and Swim-Bike-Run.

Carrie Chavez, Blazeman Foundation (Help Carrie make a difference here.)

“Hi friends and family, One of my dear friends and teammate from FMRC was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. He is a husband, father of 2 boys, an amazing athlete and a sweet friend. Our team had begun raising funds for ALS years before this diagnoses for Pete. This year our ALS team event takes on a whole new meaning for me. Please consider making a donation to fight ALS. We will be hosting a Spin a Thon from 5:30AM-10 PM on 2/5/11, at Club Sport in San Ramon. 16.5 hours. The same amount of time it took Jon Blais to complete the IM in Hawaii in 2005 while battling ALS. Jon lost his battle with ALS 2 years later. A minimum $60 donation will reserve you a bike in any of the classes, you just pick. Sign up soon as the classes are filling up. Steve and I are teaching 2 of the 90 minute classes. 7-8:30am and 8:30-10 am. Please help us find a cure.”

Todd Manning, World Vision (Help Todd make a difference here.)

“Quite simply it is about giving back and being a blessing to others because I have been blessed by God. This is about helping those in parts of the world (this year Africa) who are in desperate need of the basics in life. While I’m fortunate to be able to think about the latest race wheels for my tri bike these people are just looking to have clean water and nutritious food. World Vision helps make that happen and that is why I’m partnering with them and my local church (Canyon Hills) to make a difference.”

Mark Baumli, San Francisco AIDS Foundation (Help Mark make a difference here.)

“I am riding to end AIDS.  I have had numerous friends who have died from this terrible disease and riding 545 miles over 7 days is one small thing I can do to help.”

Scott Davis, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Help Scott make a difference here.)

“I originally started riding this event because a good friend wanted me to ride with him, but being that this is my 7th year, I have become very involved in helping find a cure for this debilitating disease.

I ride in honor of my wife’s Aunt who has MS, several friends, and as I found out last year, a former classmate from my High School, who is just 42 yrs old, and has MS in its final stages.

I never thought I would be as involved as I am now with this cause, but If we don’t raise the money to support our local chapters, and the national research nobody will.”

Olivia Spytak, Team Sweat Equity/LiveWell Colorado (Help Olivia make a difference here.)

“Team Sweat Equity allows athletes raise money for a number of local charities. My running partner (Monica) and I have chosen to focus our support on LiveWell Colorado.

While there are other worthy charities supporting children’s education and enrichment programs, as we see it, LiveWell’s charter of developing healthy eating habits and active life styles helps ensure a sound nutritional foundation for kids. If kids are well fueled and are getting the physical and emotional benefits of physical activity, they are set up to be more happy and successful in learning, play, and even those enrichment activities supported by other organizations.

By delivering its healthy eating programs and activity initiatives in schools and communities, LiveWell has the potential to have significant impact on the culture and behavior across Colorado which could help slow obesity among our children.

Monica and I are thrilled to have this chance to build awareness for this great organization and bring in solid financial support for the cause. Please help us with your support!”

Martin Whist, Challenged Athletes Foundation (Help Martin make a difference here.)

“I am truly inspired by these people who not only overcome the challenges of living an everyday life with disabilities, but go one step further and take on the rigors of training and athletics.  Their desire to be active and overcome obstacles is awe inspiring. We all know how hard it is to get to the pool at 5 am, but imagine with no legs!! I personally can not. To me they are super human, extra-abled, not disabled! If I can help that child who has to sit and watch from the sidelines get out there a play I want to. Now I can through CAF. CAF is a great organization of which I am excited and honored to be a part of.“

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If you want to join Endurance Nation and apply for your $250 fundraising “kickstart”, please visit our Join Page here. If the Team is closed you can buy a training plan or join the WaitList for the next available opening.

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

WSM nominations are submitted by the Team, not the coaches, with zero regard for how fast the athlete is. Instead, the WSM is acknowledged and respected for their knowledge and experience, and for sharing those openly with their peers on every occasion.

Winter 2010 Wicked Smart Members

Al Truscott

Al is an age group winner and course record holder at IMCDA and IMAZ…but we don’t really care about that. Al is wicked smart on a range of training and racing topics, and always steps up to the plate to share his expertise with his teammates. 
Listen to Al’s IMCDA’10 race report interview here

Matt Samojeden

Matt, at IMLou, flashing the EN Gang Sign

Matt has gone from the couch to Kona in 2.5yrs, 2 of those with TeamEN…but we don’t care about that. In the lead up to IMLou’10, Matt used his wicked smarts and mad Excel skills to do some wicked smart analysis of historical run performances from hundreds of athletes at dozens of Ironmans, across in a variety of terrain and heat conditions. Matt shared this tool with the team and then applied these lessons to his performance at IMLou: on a wicked hot day, Matt ran down his competition and qualified for Kona…because he’s wicked smart and raced better than everyone else. Matt is now leading a team of WSM’s and smart computer types to create an even more comprehensive modeling and pacing tool for the team.
Listen to Matt’s IMLou’10 race report and “couch to Kona” interview here.

Mike Graffeo

Mike getting it done and looking great at IMUSA'10

Mike has been with us for a couple years now and has really absorbed the EN training and racing philosophies. He’s also a great communicator and always eager to pay it forward by helping his teammates solve their training and racing issues.

Dr Kitima “Kitboo” Boonvisudhi

Kitboo, cheating on her tri-bike!!

Doc Kitboo has lent her medical expertise to the team for years in our all-volunteer, member-led “Medical Help Forum.” This summer she used her skills to create for the Team a wicked smart wiki post on hydration. Finally, she is wicked smart in all things power training and racing related.
Meet Kitima here, listen to her IMWI’10 race report interview here

Leigh Boyle

Leigh in one of her many "hats"

Leigh is an ENOG (Original Gangsta), following Rich over from his Crucible Fitness days. She’s a wicked smart physical therapist in New Hampshire and has used her skills to create a range of core strength, self-help, and injury re-hab goodness for the team. She has also completed two Tours of California with us and is scheduled for a third in 2011. Be sure to check out her website, Athletes Treating Athletes, and share it with your friends!

Hayes Sanborn

Hayes representing EN while getting his cross on

Hayes is another ENOG, also following Rich over from Crucible Fitness. He’s been sharing his training and racing knowledge with his teammates for years, and is an unofficial EN Sleeper Cell Leader in the Midwest, organizing camps and riding weekends on the IMWI course for his teammates

Interested in learning more?
Go here to read about our TeamEN Community Standards, or create a free trial membership below

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

As members post their workout data, it’s clear that many are possibly riding harder than the prescribed intensity. So let’s sit around the table, have a beer or two, and I’ll give you my thoughts on how you can apply our experience with this stuff to your job as a self-coached triathlete. But first, lets step back to give you a little power primer. I’m going to speak “power-geek” in this post because it allows us to frame this discussion around objective numbers.

Typical OS forum post by our over-achieving members: “I just rode 3 x 12′ @ 1.08, 1.09, 1.05 IF. Yay me!!”

This doode is riding with power. He did some testing to determine his Functional Threshold Power (FTP), let’s say 200 watts. Intensity Factor (IF) is how hard he rode, as a fraction of this FTP. So an IF of 1.05 means he rode at 105% of his FTP of 200w, or 210w. So…what’s the problem? The problem, or issue, is that the prescribed intensity for the workout was 95-100% of FTP, not 105%. And once you get over 100%, things get real hard, real fast and too much too hard can put you into a hole and compromise your other sessions.

These are my questions and observations as a triathlon coach:

Does Timmy have an accurate FTP?
That is, did he have a good test, is he then using that FTP to calc these numbers, and is his FTP still an accurate measurement of his fitness (ie, has his fitness improved/FTP gone up since his last test)?

Riding 3 x 12′ at those IF’s is doable, given an accurate FTP. It’s a solid session, no doubt, and the drop between the 2nd and 3rd intervals tells me that what’s likely happening is a combination of an accurate FTP, the guy just crushing himself on #1 and #2, and paying for a bit on #3. But he didn’t completely implode on #3 (still above FTP). In short, it’s possible to overachieve on these relatively shorter intervals and get away with it. But if he were putting up those IF’s for intervals of 15-20′, that would be a sure sign that his FTP has likely increased since his last test and he’s ready for a bump.

Should he bump his FTP up?
Our OutSeason plans include power testing about every 4-8wks, so you can test your fitness and move your FTP upwards accordingly. And the “rule” is if you think your fitness has improved, prove it by testing or racing faster and use that proof as permission to then train at higher wattages…but that’s the general rule. Let’s all have another beer and continue to talk to each other smart adults able to manage our own training, pay attention to our bodies, and not drive them through a brick wall…

In general, yes, it’s best to wait until a formal test before you bump your FTP up. The reason is that this workout above doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Far from it. Timmy will follow this up with a hard interval run on Wednesday, a similar bike interval session on Thursday…and more intervals on Saturday and a hard run on Sunday.

So Coach Dick’s Don’t Be Stoopid Rule, to be applied to every situation where you feel the need for speed, and the ability to over achieve a bit in a session, is:

How will what I’m doing right now affect my ability to successfully complete downstream workouts?

So when Timmy has his nose on the dial for the second interval and can feel a 1.09 IF ride in the works, he should ask himself “Self…the workout sez to ride at 95-100% but you’re tracking towards a 110% interval. Is this the smart thing to do, considering the fact that you have to back up it in 24hrs with a run interval session that kicked your ass last week. And the run is your weaker leg…and you’re going to be up late tonight busting out that project for your boss (damn job!!)”

If it were me and the answer was:

• Yes — I would let it ride and consider that my over achievement (and sorta-comfort doing so) = my FTP has increased since my last test. I “might” do some math* to establish a new FTP, and take that for a spin on Thursday to see how it feels. Or I might wait to see if I can repeat the performance on Thursday and, if so, do the math and increase my FTP.
• No — I’ll back off, sit down, shut up, do what I’m told and keep my eye on the bigger game — to do the best I can do with EVERY session, not just hit a homerun on Tuesday only to booger Wednesday and Thursday.

Now within this discussion I’ll say it’s more ok to overachieve on the bike than on the run. The bike is a much lower risk activity and so “can” warrant a little bit of risk-taking. However, the run, especially what we have you doing during the OS, is much different and no joke. You DEFINITELY should wait until your next run test to prove you’ve earned the right to run faster in training. You need to have a much longer term view of your get-faster run project, assigning yourself the task of getting much faster on the run between now and September vs perhaps a now through April time frame for the bike.

“Yeah, yeah, blah, blah…so I can ride harder than the prescribed intensity on my rides or not?”
I’m saying you can be smart, think things through on every ride, keeping your eye on the long term goals and bigger picture: your job is to do the workout today that creates conditions for success TOMORROW and the next day and the next. And if you need help, just ask Patrick and me in the forums, or post your questions to our Facebook page.

*The Math — or how to determine your FTP from a breakthru ride:
One FTP test is to do a 20′ time trial, subtract 5% from your average watts and call the result your FTP. Using one of my own recent rides as an example: every Tuesday since the Dawn of Time I’ve been doing hill repeats on a 5k, 5-6% hill about 2 miles from my house. This week I put up 307w and 1.10 IF on the second repeat, after about 1.05 on the first, and I then comfortably went 1.02 IF on the third repeat. So I multiply 307w x .95 = 291w FTP, call it 290w. I’ll take this FTP for a spin today (Thursday) and this weekend to see how it feels. More importantly, I know myself well enough to know that if it’s set a little too hot, I’m pretty good at managing individual sessions, and sessions across the week, so I can achieve all of my goals for every session.

Rich Strauss
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Rich and Patrick deliver their Four Keys talk in Madison to TeamEN athletes and ENFans

A trial member recently asked the Team for their input about the value of Endurance Nation vs hiring a local triathlon coach to prepare for their next Ironman.

Before We Start: Don’t confuse proximity with proficiency.
So the guy/gal lives in your town, you can ride/run/swim with them now and then, meet for coffee, etc. That’s great. But this is a brave new world of video calls via Skype, the HD Flipcam + Youtube, and podcasting from your iPhone.  We believe that the nearly everyday technology of the modern world has significantly reduced the advantage of proximity.

We also strongly believe that Ironman triathlon coaching is significantly different than coaching athletes to shorter races. Ironman triathlon coaching truly is a specialty. So when you put EN and Your Local Coach across the table from you, for the interview, we think you should ask us both these questions:

#1. Is triathlon coaching your full-time gig?

If you’re reading this post, it’s likely that you have/have had a real job. It’s also likely that there are part-timers in your field. In your experience, what are the knowledge and proficiency differences between full-timers and part-timers in your field? Triathlon coaching is no different.

Triathlon has grown by leaps and bounds over the last ten years, creating opportunities for many folks to hang a shingle and call themselves a coach. The price point of 1:1 triathlon coaching ($150-400+/month per athlete) can enable a new local coach to assemble a squad of 10-15 athletes at the default rate of ~$200/mo relatively quickly, providing a decent living when combined with the income of a real job. The net is that 90% of the coaches out there are teacher, personal trainer, got-a-real-job, local-fast-guy-with-real-job/triathlon coaches. From our experience,  the real job cushion usually means the coach doesn’t have to work too hard or think out of the box about how to improve their coaching skills or provide better service to their squad of athletes.

Endurance Nation: Rich and Patrick have been coaching full and half Ironman athletes, full-time, since 2001 and 2004, living in Los Angeles and Boston respectively with no safety net. This full-time focus has demanded that they think significantly outside of the box for how to best coach and service their athletes, leading to our suite of online resources, lower prices, race site support and free training camps.  Every year brings a new suite of innovations to our plans and community.

2. How many Ironmans have YOU raced?

We aren’t saying that you need to be fast Ironman athlete to coach people to an Ironman. While there are many high-dollar coaches without an Ironman finish to their name, we all know there are things you learn by doing that you can never pick up in a book or the latest article on triathlon training. Through their training and racing a combined 25+ Ironmans, including 5x Kona, Rich and Patrick like to say that they have made every conceivable mistake you can make…so you don’t have to! So when Rich and Patrick send you out on a Saturday to ride 4hrs of intervals, not 6hrs of Z1-2 riding, it’s because they themselves have tried every possible permutation of Ironman training ride and have learned, through their own experience, which is best. Their experience saves you years and years of learning the hard way.

3. How many Ironman finishers have you coached? Show me their results and testimonials.

A significant weakness of the 1:1, small squad, part-time Ironman triathlon coach is simple experience and small sample size. How much can you learn if you’ve only raced a couple Ironmans yourself and have coached maybe a couple dozen local athletes to Ironman races? Before they founded EN in 2007, Rich and Patrick had coached well over 400 individual Ironman athletes between them. And in the four years since it’s founding, EN has grown from a squad of about 80 athletes to over 500, with 20-50 athletes at every US Ironman.

Now step back and think of everything that’s involved in teaching and managing a single Ironman athlete: educating them about proper training, swim/bike/run technique, bike fit and setup, figuring out training schedules, how is that schedule different for Timmy in SoCal vs Mary in Maine, teaching them how to actually race Ironman…and much more. Now multiply that by over 2000 athletes since 2001. That’s a LOT of experience with a very, very broad range of athletes and unique situations. In short, there is no training or scheduling problem or situation that Rich and Patrick haven’t seen and had to figure out a solution for.

>> Go here to read the testimonials of our athletes and here to listen to podcasted race report interviews.

4. What is your Ironman training philosophy? How did you develop it?

Most coaches have read a book or two, few have written one. Many coaches position themselves as the loin-clothed guru, coaching out of a black box on a mountain top, only choosing to work with the Few who’ve climbed to the top of PricePoint Summit and are therefore lucky enough to work with the Guru.

This is ours, the Endurance Nation Long Course Training Manual, a 130-page book we’ve written. The Manual is our application of scientific training principles to the training of real people with real lives. In short, there is what you read in a book and there’s what you learn when you apply the book stuff to the real world, and figure out your own tweaks and methods based on your own experiences and observations. See 2000+ athletes, full-time, nothing but Ironman triathlon coaching above.

We’ve also shared everything we know about training, coaching and racing here on our blog, in our podcasts, and our free seminars and ebooks openly available. We invite you to create a 5-day, free trial membership.

The bottomline is want you to have every opportunity to thoroughly vet us and our coaching before you pay us a dime. We are the Anti-Guru, Anti-Black-Box coaches.

5. Do you have a strategy for racing Ironman/70.3? What is this based on? How will you teach it to me?

Please download and read our Four Keys of Ironman Execution ebook. We’ve turned this strategy into a DVD which we’ve put into the hands of over 4000 athletes. We have created a virtual seminar on how to race Ironman. We’ve created a series of Course Talks to teach people how to race every inch of specific US Ironman courses. We’ve been on site at every US Ironman every year since 2007 (and 3-4 races per year well before then) to support our 20-50 athletes at every race. In short:

1. No two coaches in the Ironman triathlon world have managed as many rolls of the Ironman execution dice as have Rich and Patrick.
2. No two coaches have used this experience to create a similarly comprehensive suite of race execution products and learning tools.
3. No two coaches manage a Team with similar numbers of Ironman athletes, creating an ever-growing data set of what works, and doesn’t, on race day.

It’s About More than Dollars & Distance

Inside Endurance Nation, Ironman triathlon coaching is, literally, all we do. We live it, 24/7, and have a created a training and racing system proven through the feedback and results of thousands of Ironman finishers. Our online community has grown into a real family of amazing athletes who connect daily and meet up in-person at races and training camps across the US. But don’t take our word for it, create your own FREE five day trial to experience the energy, support and knowledge of the world’s largest online triathlon Team!

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

photo credit: k.steudel

Auth Note: PSA = Public Service Announcement

Attention Triathletes: Do Everything You Can to Avoid Swimming This Winter

If you are like me, you don’t like to wait. We live in an on-demand world, and nowhere is this more true than in the realm of our performance, where we seek out incremental speed gains by dropping cash on wheels and carbon widgets. If you are planning on being faster next season, and are ready to do the work to get there, here’s the single best tip we can give you this winter: Stop Swimming.

Swimming in the winter is the fitness equivalent of voluntarily waiting in a really loooooong line at the post office.

You are effectively saying some version of the following:

• I don’t need to recover or rest in the Winter.
• I don’t need to do quality bike and run sessions that will boost my fitness.
• I will do the same work now, in the winter, that I do during the regular tri season, and I will hold out hope (against all odds) that I will see different results by my next race.

Training Isn’t Complicated: If you want to be fast, you have to train fast.

Since 2007 we have helped over 2,000 triathletes build the baseline strength and speed over the winter months that has carried them to personal best performances during the regular season. Let’s take a closer look at our No Swim Policy and what it means for you.

The Average Swim Session Is Twice the Time for Half The Work

Think about it: 30 minutes drive + change, 60 minute swim, 30 minutes change + drive. Do this three times across a week and your 6 hours of time is only netting you 3 hours of training. Contrast this with a bike or run session from your house (or in your basement) where an hour long workout takes just that — an hour.

But it gets more challenging. Most swimming pools aren’t open at “regular” hours that fit our basic schedule. Most triathletes have to be at the pool between 5-7 in the morning to get in their swim, meaning an early morning wake up call and reduced sleep at night.

The real rub on swimming? Swimming is a technique-oriented endeavor. For most of us triathletes, proper swimming is about 80% technique and 20% fitness. This makes it incredibly muscle-memory dependent — meaning that unless you are a human rock in the water, your swim time is much better invested closer to your actual race season — when you can build your skills and fitness and then put them directly into a race.

And the final straw? Swimming is the shortest leg of any triathlon. Improving by 5% in an Ironman swim, for example, will move you from a 1:05 swim to a 1:01:45. Put that same 5% improvement into a 6 hour bike split and you’ll be flying to a 5:42 (that’s 18 minutes faster!).

Real Swimmers Don’t Have It Better

True swimmers have been in the water since age 5. By the time they are 20, they have been putting in 25, 50, even 75,000 yards per week! They have swum more in the first 15 years of their career than you or I could ever hope (or want!) to, given our jobs, lives, and multisport focus. But at the end of the day, those 15 years of swimming might earn them a 50 minute Ironman Swim…maybe only 15 to 20 minutes ahead of you. You can make that up with a solid bike and a smart run…and you got to watch all those episodes of the Smurfs and the A-Team while they were swimming away their youth.

But…But…But…

Everyone has their own reasons for swimming, and we certainly respect that. Outside of it being a powerful social activity, there is no real reason to suffer through the winter and miss out on better bike and run training.

#1 — Social Butterfly: If swimming is the only place you get to hang out with and get your tri-mojo, then cut that back to 1x a week in the winter. Think about it…if you save the other 4 hours, you could get stuff done and then actually have time to go out for a social night!

#2 — The Ambitious Upstart: After one year of racing, you are ready to pour your heart and soul into getting better. You have figured out how to squeeze the most time out of your week by cutting back on social stuff, curtailing family time and leveraging the trust of your employer to be a bit late (or leave early)…combined with a few well-placed sick days, you are ready to train 20 hours a week for the next 8 months….YEAH! With an IM swim time is slower than a 1:15, you aren’t a rock but you do need to focus on swimming. Don’t waste the better part of your winter in the pool…get faster on the bike and run while you research a good 1:1 swim coach in the area and plan on starting your “real” tri season in the spring with a few good weeks of multiple 1:1 sessions. Done.

#3 — The Rock: Yes, you. You are a great athlete, able to defy gravity on the bike and the run…but there’s something about the water that makes it your personal kryptonite. You are the sole exception to PSA #132 — you can start to work on your swim stroke. That said, instead of signing up for a masters program with tons of hours but little personal attention, we suggest you find a swimming workshop (think Total Immersion) that will get you the fundamentals. Then put those into practice 2x a week during the winter…keep the sessions to technique only so these days are very similar to a day off. When the season is nearing, you can begin to look at the guidance for the Ambitious Upstart listed above.

The Background

We launched the “No Winter Swimming” policy with our 2007 OutSeason training plans to a great deal of buzz. A triathlon coaching company who say don’t swim…people thought we were pretty crazy. We had to do a lot of damage control, as folks assumed we meant never, ever swim (not true)…and we even capitulated and now offer swim workouts and our swim ebook with all of our triathlon training plans, even the winter OutSeason plans. As the results trickled in from the 2008 season, we saw athlete after athlete who took 14 to 20 weeks off from swimming and swam just about the same speed as the previous year.

The real rub, however, was that these folks had taken their newly found free time and used it to recover better and get stronger on the bike and the run. The net being a season full of PR performances ranging from 10 minutes to almost three hours! This cycle has since repeated itself every winter, with a new host of Team EN athletes taking the no swim pledge and making the most of their focused winter training. If you are interested in taking your triathlon game to the next level, and know that swimming 5k three times a week in January for a September Ironman event just ain’t right, then please check out our OutSeason Training Plans here.

Interested in learning more?

Please take the Endurance Nation FREE five-part “Rethinking the OutSeason” Email Seminar. We’ll cover these topics above in much greater detail while also teaching you the basics of training with power, pace, annual scheduling, and much more. Join the more than 5,000 athletes who have benefitted from the EN approach to winter training!

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

It’s been less than a month since we announced our “Cash for Clunkers” training plan trade-in program and we wanted to give you an update:

We have paid over $4,000 so triathletes don’t have to train with their old, clunker training plans!

Our email filter of these training plan trade-in receipts reads like a Who’s Who of high-dollar, old skool coaches. Exchange reasons vary widely, but include:

• Out dated training methods;
• Ridiculous volume of training across an entire season;
• Injuries and burn-out from attempting to follow the other plans;
• Same workouts (and weeks) across entire seasons, and many more…

Endurance Nation Is Here to Help You Break The Cycle
Let Us Help You Get Stronger & Faster Today!

Many of these customers have gone on to take advantage of our double top secret training plan upgrade option to become full members at a discounted price.

This is how the program works:

• Have you trained with another training plan in the last calendar year? If so, we want to buy that plan back from you!
• Purchase an Endurance Nation OS training plan, on sale through December 31st for 20% off.
• Send us the receipt of ANY competing training plan and we’ll write you a check for 100% of the value of your clunker-plan, not to exceed the purchase price of your OS plan.
• Go here for complete details.

Thanks and stay tuned for another update when the Cash For Clunkers program ends on 12/31/2010!

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

Terry Olivas says "Guiness makes you stronger!!"

Rich arrived on Friday afternoon to lead the TeamEN Dinner at…Rula Bula…that evening. Over 35 athletes, friends, and family members were on hand to meet each other and enjoy dinner together

TeamEN dinner at Rula Bula

On Saturday morning the Team and ENFans assembled at the Powerbar bottle at the swim start at 10am for Rich’s Four Keys Talk conducted in the grass just outside the expo. 25 athletes quickly became 50 became 75. All heads were screwed on straight and minds gotten right. Go here to become an ENFan and receive a FREE copy of the Four Keys DVD, the worlds only Ironman race execution-specific DVD.

XLB1

Race Day!

Rich went out on the bike course to spectate at about Mile 20, while TeamEN members John Stark, David Ambrose, and Penny Wilson volunteered in transition. When they weren’t helping the athletes they found time to snap a few pictures.

Chrissie exits the water, at the start of her record-breaking performance!

Yes, that's CHUCKIE on the back of a bike!

Sammich saddlebags...NICE!!

Conditions: the water temp was in the low 60′s, which proved to be a problem for some athletes in the water longer than about 1:45. Airtemps were in the mid to high 40′s, but warmed up quickly to the low-mid 60′s…when the wind picked up big time. However, the winds on the bike were opposite of the normal pattern, this time blowing as tailwind out on the Beeline Hwy (a gradual 2% grade for about 8-9mi) and a strong headwind coming back which became much stronger on each lap of the three lap bike course. Athletes saw headwinds, crosswinds, some driving rain, some hail, and even a dust storm!

Rich and the TeamEN Cheering Squad assembled at Mile 17-18 with the ENFlag to cheer on their teammates…with a little help!

TeamEN, sponsored by Newcastle

The squad hammed it up for the Team and the athletes on the course until it got dark, and then retired to the finishline, where Rich was able to greet most of the TeamEN finishers, thanks to their teammates back at home watching the feed and texting Rich as athletes came across the finishline video feed.

At around 9:30pm, many of the finishers assembled at…Rula Bula…for burgers, beers, race reports and tall tales!

Below are Race Reports, Podcasts, and Finishline Interviews from TeamEN athletes
Complete Team Results here

Greg Charbeneau: 10:04, Kona Qualifier
Read Greg’s Race Report / Listen to Greg’s Race Report Podcast Here

Paul Hough: 10:36
Read Paul’s Race Report / Listen to Paul’s Race Report Podcast Here

Gilberto Hernandez: 11:19
Read Gilberto’s Race Report / Listen to Gilberto’s Race Report Podcast Here

Terry Olivas: 12:26
Read Terry’s Race Report

Scott Dinhofer: 13:57
Read Scott’s Race Report

Ellen Charnley – 12:37
Read Ellen’s Race Report / Listen to Ellen’s Race Report Podcast Here

Chuck Peterson – 14:25
Read Chuck’s Race Report

Colin Cook: 10:40
Read Colin’s Race Report / Listen to Colin’s Race Report Podcast Here

Julia Herrmann: 14:45
Read Julia’s Race Report / Listen to Julia’s Race Report Podcast Here

Adam Ainbinder – 11:38
Read Adam’s Race Report

Would you like to see results and a race weekend experience like these TeamEN athletes?
Go here to create a FREE 5-day trial membership!

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

This weekend TeamEN will be represented by 16 athletes at Ironman Arizona. Coach Rich be on hand to lead the athletes and their families, including a team dinner on Friday, our Four Keys Talk on Saturday, and rallying up family and friends to support the squad on the run course.

We’d like to introduce you to the squad:

Scott Dinhoffer
I am 45 years old and last was in shape around 15 years ago when I ran three marathons. Marriage, kids and all of that took away my fitness time. Fifteen years, 40 lbs later looking at the end of my marriage and a lot of time on my hands, a friend who is an avid ironman, convinced me that I can do this. Found team EN while searching for Triathlon tips online twelve weeks ago while going to PT for a chronic running injury. Coach Rich assured me I can do this and here I am, ready to go. I have three daughters, Ally 11, Samantha & Lauren twins who are 9. I also have a background as a competitive sailor, having done many distance racing events, and while not as physical, they often are quite the long term mental challenge. Looking forward to enjoying this part of the journey in Arizona with Team EN.

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Colin Cook
My name is Colin Cook, I’m 28 years old, from Pepperell, MA, and I’m new to Endurance Nation.  IM AZ is capping off my 2nd season of triathlon and will be my first full IM.  I played hockey in college and spent the majority of my life focused on hockey.  However, after graduating college, I found myself drinking a lot and after a couple years, I realized my life wasn’t going in the direction I wanted it to.  I then decided to run the Boston Marathon that year and found triathlons during my training.  I have absolutely fallen in love with the sport and the lifestyle.  Since then I have been very devoted to my training, but did get hit by a car on my bike about a month ago.  I’m cleared to race, but my hip still isn’t 100% so we’ll see what happens.

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Todd Mellinger
This will be ironman #14 for me. I raced IMAZ in the spring a few years back and it handed me my only DNF(food poisoning night before), I’m back with a vengeance and plan to more than make up for that DNF J   I will be accompanied by my loving wife and 2 beautiful children who have given me unbelievable support over the last year.  Both our families are in the area which should make for an amazing/supportive race.  For those wearing EN wear, you’ll be sure to get support from the entire Mellinger clan on race day.  Having survived a heart attack last year, I’m truly grateful to have the opportunity to still be racing, it is indeed a gift I’ll never take for granted.  I plan on giving it all I’ve got on race day, leaving it all on the course, I’ll take whatever that day gives me.  Looking forward to seeing everyone on the course.  Good luck to all. Todd

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Ellen Charnley
Ellen’s passion for triathlon started in 2004 when she joined a local Tri club in Hawaii where she lived for two years.  Now in Las Vegas, Ellen’s passion is still driving her to compete in triathlon especially half Ironman events and recently the grueling Silverman triathlon (voted one of the most difficult triathlons in the world by Triathlete Magazine in 2009).  After qualifying at Eagleman, Ellen competed in the 2007 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida.  During her long training rides, Ellen noticed some problems with her vision which lead to a series of medical tests.  In March 2010, Ellen underwent open heart surgery to fix multiple holes in her heart that had gone undetected for 41 years.  She is determined not to have this derail her Ironman dreams and will be at the starting line of the 2010 Ironman Arizona as her first full Ironman race.

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Paul Hough
My name is Paul Hough and I live in Tampa, FL.  IMAZ will be my 3rd Ironman, and second this year.  Pictured is me after the finish of IMCDA in June with my wife Karen and daughter Paula. I also have three grown sons and two grandchildren.  My goal at Arizona is to get as close to 10 hrs as possible and if it’s not my day, just to finish well.  Either way, the reward will be a visit to In & Out Burger to celebrate the end of a long season.

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Dan Sobiech
Hails from St Paul, Minnesota where the temperature on my long last ride a couple weeks ago was 36 degrees when I started.  Ironman Arizona will be my 3rd Ironman, both previous races were IM Wisconsin.  I am married and have one daughter 15, and one on the way – due end of February.  So I am hoping for a great race as I feel this may be my last IM for a while, that is unless a 140.6 race comes to the Twin Cities anytime soon.  I followed EN in 2008 when I did IM Wisconsin and had a PR of 56 minutes over my 2005 race in Madison.  I import wine and spirits for a living, and will be in town a few days early working to “peddle my wares”.  But I will be drinking BEER after the race!  Good Luck to all and thanks Patrick and Rich for a great season of training – I am prepared!  On to the race!!

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Greg Charbeneau
This will be my 4th Ironman competition and looking forward to executing really well. I remained healthy and injury free throughout the EN training and very grateful for that. 46 years old and trying to make the finish near the top of my age group. I am blessed with an awesome family; wife Kristin (22 years) and two daughters Alex (17) and Megan (15). Super exciting news in our family is Alex committed to James Madison University in Virginia and will be swimming for them! Soooo excited for her. Daughter Megan is a cross country runner and made NJ “meet of champions” the Saturday before IMAZ (bummed I won’t see her run). Wife is a great athlete who is now the family cheerleader!

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Chuck Peterson
IMAZ is my first IM – so I am anxious and excited.  I started down this road three years ago, after years of running and some biking, but no swimming.  I could not swim a length of the pool when I started and swimming continues to be a huge challenge.  I have completed three 70.3′s since 2008 and hope to complete IMAZ smiling. To do that, I will keep moving the EN way – saving watts and heartbeats until that finish line.  That smiling face with me in the picture is my personal coach – Sue – the Torture Queen.  She has been my constant companion for 35 years of marathons, long rides, mountain bike trips and ski days during the winter.  She’s the real athlete in our family – and I am just happy to be bumping along.

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Stacy Pemberton
Eight sentences…..hmmmm, well this will be my first ironman so of course I am trying not to freak right out!
Worked as a ski patroller and mountain guide in Colorado through my 20′s until I moved with my now husband to the South for his job…..So what does a mountain girl do in the lowcounrty…….discover triathlon! Started with sprint and olympics and did my first half before moving back to Colorado a few years later. So here I am married, with toddler, have “real job” as ER RN, and am T- 6 days to becoming an ironman. What can I say life does not get much better than this…… And skiing is my outseason, maybe a little swim, trainer, snowshoe thrown in, we’ll see. So send me all your good mojo and the rest of my IMAZ peeps, cheers to you all!

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Gilberto Hernandez
IMAZ 2010 will be my 6th IM distance race (IM AZ 2005/2008/2009, IM Lanzarote 2006, IM France 2007). Started with EN in 2008 for IMAZ and PR’d by 2hrs 40minutes! I am hoping for another big jump at this race from my current IMAZ PR of 11:41. However, it’s all about enjoying the day and the opportunity to race. My ‘one thing’ is the memory of my mom, who passed away on October 27, 2009 after a tough battle with breast cancer. Up until mile 18 of the run, my day will be about putting on a good show for my friends, family and the Endurance Nation. From mile 18 to the finish line, it will be all about running tough in loving memory and with her spirit driving me. I’ll ask her to count ‘em for me (i.e. those souls I pass, EN style, on that final 8.2 mile stretch home).

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Julian Herrmann
1st tri: ~1988
2nd tri – Lake Havasu, 1989
3rd tri, Los Angeles, 2006
1st IM: Ironman AZ 2009
I love training.  I love a challenge.  I am very lucky to have a family that supports me 110%.   Did a few marathons before switching to tris, and have done a smattering of HIMs leading up to IMAZ 2009, and am very excited about 2010.  Love the full distance race!!

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Adam Ainbinder
Whatup everyone? I’m a 30 year old Southern Californian that views the Irvine area as a gigantic playground for a triathlete. I grew up in Long Beach, CA, moved to Huntington Beach, CA when I was 13, and went to school in Berkeley, CA. Ironman Arizona will be my first Ironman. I completed my first triathlon last September (olympic distance), and my first half Ironman in March of this year in Oceanside.  I’m excited for this experience, particularly since I know I’ll be able to spend a lot more time with my wonderful girflriend Adrienne and my puppy Kaila once it’s all said and done! When I’m not training, I’m playing video games and working as a Director of Business Analytics for the security products company, HID Global. Good luck to all the other participants!

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David Cain

My name is David Cain and I’m a brand new member to the team, having joined a few weeks ago during the new member trial period! I was a training plan athlete, using the 20 week intermediate plan to prepare for this race. I live in Dallas, TX and have a great family supporting me, including my wife Kay and 3 sons, ages 14, 12 and 10. Arizona will be my 3rd Ironman. In those races I have had 2 “solid” bike rides followed by 2 “LONG” walks! I’m looking forward to applying the 4 Keys and actually running an ironman race! While my 2010 was spent re-gaining my fitness, I’m very excited about applying some outseason training this winter and tackling Ironman Texas strong in 2011! Looking forward to meeting many more members in the coming years!

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Terry Olivas
My name is Terry Olivas.  I’m a heart surgeon from North Dakota.  I am married to the most wonderful woman in the world….my wife Peggy.  This is my second year of racing triathlons and my first Ironman.  I have been with Endurance Nation for just over a year and have made tremendous progress with Patrick and Rich.  I have had several bike and run PR’s in the last few months and am looking to turn that fitness and Team EN execution strategies into a great race in Arizona.  I look forward to racing in front of many of my friends from Phoenix and my whole family (including 2 other EN members) from Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!