Endurance Nation | Online Triathlon Coaching & Community

Yasko Howell having a great IMLV run!

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The following is a quick recap from IM Louisville by Coach Patrick. A full report will come later this week, as well as podcast interviews and more photos. For now you can see our pictures online via SmugMug and learn more about the weekend by cruising our Facebook page. If you like the vibe and want to be a part of Team EN, please become an ENFan to get a FREE Four Keys DVD and get cool insider updates!!

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Ironman Louisville 2010 was going to be hot. We all knew it heading into the morning, and my first step outside my condo confirmed it — Sunday was going to be a true test of execution, nutrition, and mental skills. By mid-morning the sun was in full effect and it was bearing down on the racers. Combined with the humidity, it was an evil 1-2 punch that didn’t go away until some clouds rolled in around 6pm. Riding had a slight cooling effect; but it wasn’t helpful as most folks didn’t realize just how hot it had become started running!

The swim line in the morning was just ridiculous. As in over a mile long ridiculous. Folks seemed to be pretty well-behaved, however, and some even brought chairs to sit in as they waited! It was crazy to see how differently everyone approached the swim in terms of their swim gear. There was everything from board shorts to speed suits (still legal as of this race) and everything in between. It seemed like a pretty orderly affair, but it did appear that some folks had been waiting since 4:30 or 5am in that line. Thanks to the TT start the swim seemed pretty un-physical for most folks, although it could have been that the rest of the day was so challenging that the early morning aqua-antics quickly faded.

Out on the bike, it definitely was clear that Louisville was out to make an impression on the competitors. I was parked at mile 17 on the bike, at the end of 1694 by the aid station out there, and even that early in the day folks looked hot and out of sorts. Many had their “mile 80″ faces on much too soon.

Reports came in that there were cars all over the course all day (both directions) and I witnessed quite a few even on my small section of the road. We had a pretty serious crash out there, as many new folks struggled to manage their nutrition at aid stations and continue riding. Over the course of the rolling course, the temps continued to climb and aid stations actually began to run out of water. Reports came in of people just getting off their bike and lying down in the drainage ditch on the side of the road…in the fetal position.

Most EN folks did quite well on the bike, as they had the execution experience to know that a hot day means a much longer day than planned. It was great to see TeamEN just rolling over the hills, sipping fluids and riding very calmly!

I made my way over to Mile 6 / 18 by about 2pm, and it was a tough place to be. The race course was very quite again this year, with minimal spectators outside of Fourth Street live and the immediate vicinity. Otherwise folks were on their own in a very hot and quiet space with more than enough time to reflect on how their days might have been different. The walkers didn’t really start until about the 4pm or 9 hour mark on the day…with the TT start it’s hard to say where they were on the day, but most of them didn’t look so great.

EN got lots of good words and verbal hi-fives for our Four Keys guidance, with a few guys hamming it up at Mile 18. By the time I headed to the finish line around 7:30pm, I had seen two guys drop out, one guy puke his brain out and three separate van loads of guys getting pulled from the race. It was, without a doubt, very hot.

Fourth Street Live provided another great finish line experience. The fans, lights, music and Mike Reilly did not disappoint, with almost everyone finding their running legs for the classic Ironman finisher pic. I was there for about 4 hours, catching lots of EN folks and getting video testimonials from them about their days. Not everyone finished, but each had a great story to tell about their Ironman adventure. Be sure to check them out here on the EN YouTube channel.

We had people all across the board setting anything from a 45-minute personal best (in a hotter race!) to crushing their first IMs, to not setting a personal best but still having a great race. Sometimes you race the race, other times the race races you. It’s all part of the journey!

Video Testimonials
Don’t just listen to what our amazingly handsome coaching staff has to say, tune in to hear what our members think mere moments after crossing the finish line!

• Frank — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIcS1i2cWj4
• Aimee — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2HrZX9vZ7Y
• Matt — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3phCz8fuqs
• Yasko — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpwIqdUDqCg
• Dan — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcst0HKukl4

Another giant thank you to all the EN athletes and families who made race week and race day so special. A shout out to the athletes who stopped to tell me that our Four Keys of Ironman execution really worked for them. All of you have earned some time off…so take it! We’ll still be here when you get back; take the time to write up your race report and process what did / didn’t work for you so you can be better next time!

Until then, be safe out there and see you on the roads!

Coach Patrick

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Athletes preparing for Ironman Wisconsin are eager for any information to give them a leg up on the day.  Having seen the recent reports from Ironman Coeur d’Alene and Ironman Lake Placid, everyone is sure to be excited about their preparations. Without a doubt, a large part of success on race day is being 100% ready to handle whatever the event will bring in terms of the course, weather, the competition, etc.

While no one has all of the answers, here is a quick review of the top questions inside Endurance Nation about racing Ironman Wisconsin.

What is the swim like?
The Madison swim is pretty unique…well, not the swim itself but rather the stadium-like feel the venue offers. The swim is a two lap, counter-clockwise rectangle, with the long sides parallel to the shore, and with a deep water start from the bottom left corner of the rectangle. However, Monona Terrace, packed with spectators at each level and in the parking deck, is on your right shoulder (on way out), giving the swim a very unique feel! Be sure to moo like a cow when you make the first left turn, in true Wisconsin fashion! Note: You do not exit the water at the end of the first lap, just continue swimming.

I’ve heard the Wisconsin transition is crazy? Something about a helix!?!?
Yep. Upon exiting the water and having your wetsuit stripped, you then run up the “helix.” Think spiraling ramp up a parking deck. Everyone has to do it, it’s no big deal, and the spectators lining the helix will make it an experience you’ll never forget! The changing tent? Think huge convention center room with convention center chairs. You then exit, run to your bike, mount at the top of the opposite helix and ride down it. Don’t worry, everyone runs the same distance, and don’t sweat riding down the helix. Again, think parking garage ramp and just take your time. Safety is your number one priority here.

I’ve heard the Wisconsin bike is tough…how tough?
Yes, the IMWI bike course, in our opinion, is the second most challenging on the US Ironman circuit, holding the title for years before IMSG stepped up to take the title. In our opinion, what truly separates one course from another isn’t total elevation gain, winds, etc, but rather how often it forces you to make a decision. Lots of little good decisions create a good day. Lots of little bad decisions add up to create a very bad day. At Wisconsin you are making decisions for the entire 112 miles. Flat, false flat, up, down, left, right, head/cross/tailwind, do I shift/not shift into my small/big ring? Do I power or noodle up this little/big hill?
On the Wisconsin course you are never doing any one single thing for longer than about five minutes.

This creates the opportunity to make a lot of little (and big) mistakes that express themselves somewhere on the run. Wisconsin, more than any other US course, rewards the smart, patient, and disciplined cyclist. Strength can be a liability on this course, if you don’t know how to use properly. We highly recommend you read our Climbing Smart on Race Day article. It’s helped thousands of athletes have great races on hilly courses.

The  course is a stick and loop affair: out of town and generally uphill 16 miles towards Verona and the start of The Loop. Twice through a 40-mile loop, then return to Madison. As we said, the entire course is a never ending affair of rolling hills, turns, and constant terrain changes. We highly recommend you drive (not ride!!) the course before race day.

Ok, what is the run like?
The Wisconsin run course is two laps, winding, urban, mostly flat and not nearly as challenging as the bike course. There are two sorta-significant hills on the course:

1. Observatory Drive, at about miles 8 and 18. A couple of rollers, then a short, steep, switchback downhill that rolls into State Street.
2. State Street, at the end of each lap. Actually, you need to climb up to the Capitol before heading to the end of each lap and, depending on how you’re feeling, that climb can feel like it starts on State Street…or much sooner! Either way, State Street is packed with spectators to cheer you on!

The rest of the run course has a little of everything: turns, roads through campus (and even a lap of the Camp Randall football field!), a shaded dirt walking path next to the lake, hundreds of spectators on State Street, and more. In fact, there will likely be only about 400 yards on each lap where you will not be cheered on by spectators.

What Can My Family Do on Race Day?
If they want to see you on the bike, the town of Verona puts on a neat family festival they can attend while they wait for you to come through town twice. The race should offer shuttles to Verona. Another option is to take one of many county roads to the hilliest hills on the course (Old Sauk, Timberlane, Midtown) and contribute to the Tour de France vibe on the climbs. If they want to stay in Madison while you ride, downtown Madison, and especially State Street, offer a range of activities. In fact, if you look at the run map, you’ll see that your family can station themselves near the ends of State Street and only walk a couple blocks to catch you coming and going many times.

What’s the biggest mistake I could make?
Without a doubt, overcooking the bike, especially on the hills. You really, really need to be thinking out there 100% of the time. We highly recommend that you commit yourself to Just Riding Along (JRA) for the first 90-120′, ignoring the others around you. Coach Rich rode a 5:12 and qualified for Kona in 2002 doing just this: a 72 mile bike ride after a 40 mile warmup.

What is the temperature like on race day?
Temps for IMWI have historically been highly variable. In 2005, it was 95+. In 2006, 55 and raining. Best to be prepared nutritionally for a hot day and gear-wise for a cold one — you just don’t know. At the end of the day, everyone else has to race under the same conditions!

What’s Your Top Swim Tip?
Only go as fast as your ability to maintain good form. If your form begins to go because you are tired or working too hard, just slow down. It’s a long day, so don’t sweat 2-3 mintues on the swim.

What’s Your Top Bike Tip?

You’re basically warming up until about mile 40 of the bike. Don’t worry, the hammerheads will come back to you or you’ll see them on the run. The bike course is very unforgiving and they will pay, don’t worry.

What’s Your Top Run Tip?
Run very easy for the first 6 miles, ignoring the crowds in the first mile. Then settle into your pace, preparing for the real race that starts at mile 18. At mile 18, put your head down and get it done. Count the number of people you’re passing and keep your head in the game. You can do anything for 8 miles!

Additional Resources:

• Podcast: Coach’s Tips — Ironman Wisconsin. More insights on IMWI from Coach Rich.
• Podcast: Four Keys of Ironman Execution Pre-Race Talk, IMWI Edition, from our Ironman Wisconsin Tri Rally.
• Podcast: Advanced Ironman Racing Topics — climbing, descending, bike handling, bike fit principles, bike setup, nutrition and much more!
• Podcast: The Ironman Taper, De-MYTH-ified — Join Coach Rich and Coach Patrick  for this 20-minute podcast on the myths and truths of Ironman tapering. Why we do it, when to do it, and how to do it. Eliminate some doubt, pick up some tips, get ready for your next race EN-style!
• Podcast: Ironman Race Week — Rich and Patrick talk about what to do, and what NOT to do, for every day of your Ironman race week.
• Event: Ironman Wisconsin Four Keys Talk, Friday, 10am at the KSwiss booth.  Join Rich, Patrick, 40+ TeamEN athletes and 100+ other competitors for our patented get-your-head-screwed-on-straight session!
• Complete TeamEN Race Weekend Schedule, including training and beers with the coaches
  

Become an ENFan today to receive a FREE Four Keys DVD, 10% training plan discount code, and a FREE trial membership opportunity.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Here is another weekly installment of updates from our Team members who use Twitter. If you’d like to be considered, be sure to write really cool or witty stuff and include the hashtag “#workworks” into your tweets! Go Nation, Go!

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Our OS Seminar and recent series in the blog have solicited several emails from training plan customers, inquiring about how to stack our plans across a season. Let’s discuss:

The Plans Themselves
We currently offer:

• 20wk OutSeason
• 12 and 20wk IM and HIM training plans

OutSeason:
Low volume, high intensity solutions to make you much faster. Notes:

• 5-8hrs total volume per week
• Divided into 3 training plans: a FTP/Threshold/T-pace block, a Vo2Max block, another Threshold block.
• Swims are not scheduled into the plan, but the plan includes tables with 20wks x 2-3 swim per week x Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced options, so you can insert them into the weekly training schedule wherever you want, if you do chose to swim in the OutSeason.

Long Course Training Plans (HIM and IM)

• 20wk plans = 8wks of General Prep + 12wks of Race Preparation training. These are written from the perspective of “this person may be starting this plan without a good base of fitness = we start things out slowly and ramp up gradually.” Think you pick this plan up in January to train for IMCDA after having not done much organized training since your last race at the end of October…as an example.
• 12wk plans = this 12wk Race Prep phase above. That is, the 12wk plans are IDENTICAL to the last 12wks of the 20wk plans. In contrast to the 20wk plans, we assume that you have been doing at least 8wks of organized training before dropping into this 12wk plan. We drop you right into Race Prep training on Day 1 with no gentle ramp up.

Now, after this preface, let’s talk about how we recommend you fit all of this togther across season. Notes:

• The OutSeason plans are our bestest tools for making you much, much faster while also keeping your training volume committment very low for a long time. This is a very, very good thing for you as an age grouper. So, whenver possible, we like you to default to this OS flavor of training because it’s so effective, the volume is so low, allowing you to preserve your head and your lifestyle committments for a long time.
• You are going to exit the OS plan very, very fit, even with it’s low volume requirement. You will exit the OS plan far more fit than Week 1 of our 20wk plan assumes you to be. For this reason…
• We prefer that our OS graduates only train for their A-race (HIM or IM) for 12 to 16wks. By this, we mean feet on the floor at 5:30am, head focused and actually training for this one event 12-16wks away. In our experience maintaining this focus for longer than 16wks begins to take a large mental toll.

Let’s now apply these thoughts to some annual schedule case studies:

Early Season (April – mid June) Half Ironman:

• Start the OS plan on whatever date of the calendar you can committ yourself to hard, but short, work for 20wks. We strongly recommend that you do not end your season and then drop right into our OS plan. You’ll want 2-4 or more weeks to decompress, pretend you’re a normal person, etc before you committ to making yourself much faster. So when exactly you start the OS plan is not as important as “is your head in the right place to start?”
• Next, back plan 6-12wks from your early season HIM.
• How does the end of your OS fit within this 6-12wk window? In our experience, you can go straight from our low volume OS right into the last 6wks of our HIM training plan and have a very, very successful race. Not so sure? Exit the OS plan at 8, 10, or 12wks out. Or you can add 30-45′ to the OS long run option and 1-1.5hrs to the OS long bike option, to give yourself a head start on the HIM plan volume while still keeping yourself in the OS plan…and making yourself much, much faster.

The guidance above works for a sorta early season IM as well, like IMCDA, for example, or IMUSA if you are cold-winter athlete.

• Stay in the OS plan until ~16wks out from your IM
• Consider adding volume to the OS long bike and long run, per above, if weather permits.
• Better yet, schedule an April or May HIM, doing:
  • 20wks of the OS plan, or as much as you fit in
  • Then insert yourself into the last 16wks or so of our 20wk IM plan, inserting your HIM into this IM training plan.

Late Season Ironan (IMCA, Louisville, WI, etc)

• Full 20wks of the OS
• 6-12wks of HIM training for a May or June HIM, then…
• Transition to the last 10-12wks of our 12wk plan in route to your Ironman
• If you find yourself with some messy weeks or just not sure what to do, your default solution is the OS plan.

Within this guidance there are many, many more considerations and we could talk this stuff for days. Questions?

• TeamEN: post your Q’s to the Macro Thread here
• ENFans: post your season planning, training plan stackin’ Q’s to this blog post and we’ll try to answer them.

Become an ENFan to save 10% on our training plans, and get a FREE Four Keys DVD.

By Rich Strauss

Popularity: 4% [?]

Every week TeamEN members and ENFans connect online via Twitter by including the hashtag #workworks to highlight their tweets. Feel free to join in and stay up to date or just review the highlights below!

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_noodle_: 9weeks post hip surgery and managed to land a 2nd AG finish at the St. Paul run with the celts 5k. #workworks

Kefrazier: Rockin the WI course! Great town Madison! http://tweetphoto.com/39024562 #workworks

hellyeah1979: 17:29 at the Adel 5k 3rd OA, likely won AG I only had 3 miles on the garmin still good race humid #workworks

jhansen21: 1.2 mile OWS done early this AM. Gearing up for another 100 mile ride w/ @mancona. Now where’d I put my big boy pants? #workworks

teamEN: FYI- Harrods Creek Bridge reopening next week- IMLOU bike course reverting back to old ‘08 course (yah!!) #ironman #workworks

Popularity: 3% [?]