Plan now while you're not in the midst of spring training. Winter base miles are boring inside. Use that time on the trainer or treadmill while staring at the wall to come up with your A and B races. Great article from USAT today on top 10 tips for planning your season.
http://www.usatriathlon.org/about-multisport/multisport-zone/multisport-lab/articles/triathlon-season-planning-011014.aspx
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Metrics and Management
You can't manage what you don't measure. It is an old management adage that is accurate today. Unless you measure something you don't know if it is getting better or worse. You can't manage for improvement if you don't measure to see what is getting better and what isn't.
Training tools:
With the amount of indoor training I do, I needed a system that measured heart rate against time or hopefully distance. ipBike on a cheap Sony Ericsson smartphone does more than a Garmin Edge 500/800 does and cheaper too! This setup allows me to track my HR, time, and distance for indoor running (treadmill or track) as well as HR, speed, cadence, and distance for indoor bike time on the trainer. It also has a solid setup for calculating power on the bike without the need for a costly power meter. For the level I'm training at and competing at, this is close enough to what a $1500 power meter provides.
Remember, the management of improvement comes during training, not during racing. So there's no need to use a costly power meter during a race. I'll just push myself by how my body feels for the swim, bike, and run with an extra eye on my cadence during the bike.
Also, I needed an online database to store everything and review later. While some people look down on Strava, as a training tool, it's great. There are plenty of options out there on the webber-nets, but make sure you can upload to it from your work outs and capture as much data as you can.
The Sony Ericsson has the bonus of holding a SD card for mp3s and a builtin FM radio. This makes runs much more enjoyable while not having to carry 2 devices to track the workout and play music. Show me a Garmin that can do that! Load a high tempo and low tempo playlist on there.
In the end, you need a tool combo that you're comfortable with. I can geek out on IT based solutions and programs like ipBike. But if that's not your forte or comfort level, go with something like the Garmin ForeRunner line.
As that barista said to me last week when I ordered the Red Eye at 6AM, "go knock it out!"
Training tools:
- Strava w/Premium Account ($6 a month)
- Zephyr Heart Rate Monitor (Bluetooth) ($45)
- Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman (ANT+ smartphone) w/32gb SD card ($50 on ebay)
- ipBike - http://www.iforpowell.com ($7)
- Powertap ANT+ wireless speed and cadence sensor ($35)
With the amount of indoor training I do, I needed a system that measured heart rate against time or hopefully distance. ipBike on a cheap Sony Ericsson smartphone does more than a Garmin Edge 500/800 does and cheaper too! This setup allows me to track my HR, time, and distance for indoor running (treadmill or track) as well as HR, speed, cadence, and distance for indoor bike time on the trainer. It also has a solid setup for calculating power on the bike without the need for a costly power meter. For the level I'm training at and competing at, this is close enough to what a $1500 power meter provides.
Remember, the management of improvement comes during training, not during racing. So there's no need to use a costly power meter during a race. I'll just push myself by how my body feels for the swim, bike, and run with an extra eye on my cadence during the bike.
Also, I needed an online database to store everything and review later. While some people look down on Strava, as a training tool, it's great. There are plenty of options out there on the webber-nets, but make sure you can upload to it from your work outs and capture as much data as you can.
The Sony Ericsson has the bonus of holding a SD card for mp3s and a builtin FM radio. This makes runs much more enjoyable while not having to carry 2 devices to track the workout and play music. Show me a Garmin that can do that! Load a high tempo and low tempo playlist on there.
In the end, you need a tool combo that you're comfortable with. I can geek out on IT based solutions and programs like ipBike. But if that's not your forte or comfort level, go with something like the Garmin ForeRunner line.
As that barista said to me last week when I ordered the Red Eye at 6AM, "go knock it out!"
Winter Base
So I should give you something to start with.
http://mos.triradar.com/Training_Plans/Build_Winter_Foundation.pdf
This is the plan I am following from Jan 1 through the end of March. I'll share the 2 other plans soon. TriRadar.com has some great resources and tools. Very simple approach and time manageable.
Get some!
http://mos.triradar.com/Training_Plans/Build_Winter_Foundation.pdf
This is the plan I am following from Jan 1 through the end of March. I'll share the 2 other plans soon. TriRadar.com has some great resources and tools. Very simple approach and time manageable.
Get some!
The Intro and Plan
I've put one solid year of racing and training behind me. Being fully into the training months, I now acknowledge that 2013 was my "base year" of training and getting to understand how to race. Sure I was ambitious throughout last year and even posted some good finishes, but in reality, I was just figuring it all out.
Now is the time to take that rookie coat off and get into how to win. This blog will be my journey to getting on the podium each and every race.
First step is planning.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
― Abraham Lincoln
I'm realistic in setting my goals for 2014. Last year, I was so enthralled with racing that I wanted to race everything and thought I could. This did not work out well. Between triathlons, duathlons, and USAC bike racing season, it would (and did) not work. With that said, pick your "A" race. The one that you would do if you couldn't do any others. From there, back up your schedule with a number of smaller and less stress races. I've chosen the USAT Olympic-Distance National Championships in Milwakuee, WI this year as I qualified with a top age group finish in a triathlon in 2013. From there I fill in my calendar backwards off it's August 9th date with 1 (maybe 2) triathlons a month until the end of March. So the list looks like this:
Tune Up Tri
Manassas, VA, USA
Sun Mar 30 2014
East Coast Super Sprint
Glen Allen, VA, USA
Sun May 04 2014
Naylors Beach Triathlon
Warsaw, VA, USA
Sun Jun 08 2014
Tupper Lake Tinman Sprint
Tupper Lake, NY, USA
Sat Jun 28 2014
The 14.06 - TIN
Manassas, VA, USA
Sun Jul 27 2014
USA Triathlon’s Age Group Olympic-Distance National Championships
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Sat Aug 09 2014
6. That's right, 6 races. All but the last are sprint or super sprint distance races. Why? To limit injury. By not training for Olympic (or even longer) distance races all year, I reduce the fatigue and injury on my body. Through this blog, I'll share how recovery and rest, along with focused workouts on speed, will increase the overall goal of being faster and winning.
Remember, I'm no expert, this is what works for me. But hey, I just started a year ago, so I've got to be doing something right.
Now is the time to take that rookie coat off and get into how to win. This blog will be my journey to getting on the podium each and every race.
First step is planning.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Tune Up Tri
Manassas, VA, USA
Sun Mar 30 2014
East Coast Super Sprint
Glen Allen, VA, USA
Sun May 04 2014
Naylors Beach Triathlon
Warsaw, VA, USA
Sun Jun 08 2014
Tupper Lake Tinman Sprint
Tupper Lake, NY, USA
Sat Jun 28 2014
The 14.06 - TIN
Manassas, VA, USA
Sun Jul 27 2014
USA Triathlon’s Age Group Olympic-Distance National Championships
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Sat Aug 09 2014
6. That's right, 6 races. All but the last are sprint or super sprint distance races. Why? To limit injury. By not training for Olympic (or even longer) distance races all year, I reduce the fatigue and injury on my body. Through this blog, I'll share how recovery and rest, along with focused workouts on speed, will increase the overall goal of being faster and winning.
Remember, I'm no expert, this is what works for me. But hey, I just started a year ago, so I've got to be doing something right.
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