The Coach Buzz ...

Just a quick update to let everyone know that things are rolling along really well. The last 3 weeks totaled about 90hrs, with some very solid sessions. I am now easing off for a few days, before hitting it again. This last training block has really put a new perspective on training to me. I am now working toward my 3rd of 4 or 5 Ironman races this year and I am loving the training more than ever. My job is to just be out there working hard each day...every_single_week. Some days are good and some days hurt a lot, but that is life as an athlete. In the end I believe that this is what gets you to the top. Consistently being consistent, day after day, month after month and year after year. For ohhhhh, about 10 or 12 years. ;) ++++++++++++++ Oh, a few weeks ago i posted something about news regarding a passport/visa. Well, I will be going to Australia to train from November 24 th to March 17 th with my friends Chris and Marylin. I trained with them in 2006 and am really looking forw

The title is something that Kurt constantly reminds me of and is something that I am always pushing on my athletes. Let me explain. "The Trees" are specific workouts, intervals, HR's, watts, sets and small details. "The Forest" is the big picture and what could be called your fitness. +++++ If you look at a forest from above, will you notice if a tree is missing? I don't think so. The same could be said for missing a workout for the sake of recovery, family, or anything else. It is NOT going to make or break your fitness. Now if you don't take that day off and get injured, all of sudden you are missing 30 or 40 trees/workouts....THIS makes a difference. +++++ Another point that could be made here relates to the details of your training. Does it really matter if you are running at 144 or 145 bpm or 7:30 or 7:32 per mile? What about riding a loop at 167 or 169 watts? Should you pay attention to things like this? While it is important to watch for trends t

So today, after 6hrs in the saddle and short run, I decided to come home and see how much work I have put in this year. It is not my highest volume training year, but it is one of my most consistent years, with no injuries or major set backs. In roughly 6 months worth of training (about 2 weeks off after each Ironman), here is what I have come up with. Keep in mind that numbers are just that....numbers, which mean nothing. BUT, they are fun to look at. Total Hours: 688 hours --- Swim: 566,847 yds --- Bike: 7,137 mi or 11,485 km --- Run: 1,230 mi or 1,980 km

I have talked to a few other coaches about athletes who sometimes get upset or worked up over a bad session or workout. As much as try to design a training plan that yields successful key sessions, we are not machines and sometimes we "just don't have it." There are so many variables that go into our performance on a daily basis. A few examples include; fueling before/during/after previous workouts, sleep during the previous week, anxiety, hydration, weather, our mental attitude toward the session....and the list goes on. Sometimes we can't pin a failed workout on anything specific, we "just had a bad day." Just like we have days where it all clicks, we also have days where nothing does! It happens to everyone and the best thing you can do is just put it out of your head and keep rolling. Don't try to make up for it in the next session. Just continue as you normally would. Remember, you can't control anything in the past...all you can just lear

If you have followed me at all since I started racing, you know that I have executed and done well at all distances, except Ironman . This is despite training soely for Ironman. I have thought a lot about this and have heard all different explanations that ranged from metabolism issues, to the wrong type of workouts, to muscle fiber make up. Well, after much thinking and talking with my coach, it seems that the above issues are NOT the problem. The only issue is that I just continue to be an idiot on race day. If you look at all of my power files, you will see what looks like a double black diamond ski slope. I over pace the first 2hrs of the ride, not necessarily by average or normalized power, but by integrating too many power spikes over threshold power. The result is that I feel like I want to crawl into the ditch and hide at about the 4hr mark of the ride. I don't, but I do suffer a lot (and slow wayyy down) in that last hour. It then gets better. I have to get off the bike

After a week almost completely off(4k of swimming), I am back rolling again. The body and mind feel great and I am very motivated to have my breakthrough race in my hometown. This week consisted of a little over 22hrs of training, but with no very much intensity. I posted a brief summary below. Before I get to that though, I have had some time to analyze my race in CDA , go over it with Kurt and gotten input from others.....though some people have trouble understanding why I am disappointed to be the 10 th Pro...you can easily see why by my power file. I again over paced the first half of the bike and paid for it in the last hour of the ride and on the run. I am determined to get this right and when I do, it will all come together. I am going to post a blog this week about why I think it is tough for me to get Ironman right, as well as why other might have trouble. More coming soon! Training Week 6/30/08 Monday- Swim 3k Bike 1:30 Run 40min Tuesday - Bike 1:50 Run 50min Strength