Coaching and Training

Back in October, I realized that the training peaks training plan was not very flexible to my changing schedule. If I were to be out of town for a few days, the training app would not take that into account. I felt like I was falling behind and fast! I decided I needed to up my training game.

I did some looking around online at resources, joined some triathlon beginner Facebook groups, and ultimately decided that I needed a coach.

From those same Facebook groups, I checked into three different coaching options. I ended up having a call with Branden Scheel with Branden Scheel Racing. He offered personalized coaching at a reasonable price. He also had many sponsors which meant deals on training gear that I would eventually need.

I signed up to be coached by Kyle from BSR. He’s in the military and a family man with young children. He gets the busy lifestyle and flexibility needs that I also struggle with.

In the six months of coaching so far, I’ve come to know Kyle as a coach, mentor, and friend. My training has migrated from Training Peaks to a program called TriDot. It uses AI to plan your workouts and also allows changes on the fly based on personal life needs (no pool in the hotel when out of town for work, for example).

Gear Updates

Since committing to this, I knew I would have to invest in some gear outside of the standard running shoes and goggles. The following is a list of gear I have purchased, some of which came with a nice BSR team discount.

• TYR Goggles (gift from nieces)
• Asics running shoes
• Running/biking socks
• Zwift membership (see biking update)
• Jakroo custom TriSuit
• Sailfish Wetsuit
• Infinit Nutrition custom blend hydration powder

Swim Update

Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. That’s what continues to go through my head as I go back and forth down the lanes in the pool. When I started, I thought the swim would be the easiest event to gain confidence. I was right

I mentioned I bought a wetsuit. After a team call in February, I decided to bite the bullet and get a wetsuit. I’ve learned that they don’t keep you dry, but buoyant. This was a great bit of news as I’ve been training to not kick much during my swim. I’ve been pulling a buoy between my legs for training. I’m excited to test out the wetsuit.

As for the analytical updates, I feel I’ve been crushing it!

When I started, I was swimming a max of 200yds before needing a major break. I can now go 2000yds and pause for a minute before my heart rate recovers and I’m ready for more.

When I started, I did a baseline test called critical swim speed (CSS). You swim 400yds, take a10-15 minute break, and swim 200yds. You then get the average power per 100yds.  My first one was 2:34/100yds. My latest CSS was 1:38/100yds.

Biking Update

I am now more confident in my biking than I ever thought I’d be. Don’t be fooled, I still have plenty of work to do before the word confidence enters the arena. But, for now, I’m happy with where I’m at.

I’ve been riding my bike indoors during the winter months. I’ve got it on a TacX trainer, but am currently considering a direct drive trainer for a better experience.

I’ve also learned of an app called Zwift. It’s more of a game that puts you into a first-person biking experience. I can load my rides in as custom workouts and ride in virtual places, like London and France. I’ve rode on a couple of group rides with it as well. It’s a cool training tool to keep the indoor training from getting too boring.

Let’s now dive into the technical and analytical side of this, shall we?

When I started, my average power was about 100 watts and my functional threshold power (average sustained power over 20 minutes) was 141 watts. My FTP is now in the 180s and my average power is North of 150 watts.

When I started, my average distance before feeling wiped was about 5 miles. My current max distance is 35 miles, which I did in 2 hrs 5 min.

When I started, my average speed was 14mph. My current average speed is about 17mph.

Running Update

“Trust the plan.” It’s a phrase I have had to tell myself many times throughout my run training.

I found myself running on our indoor treadmill more than I ever thought I would. I’ve also learned that when the treadmill starts to smell like it’s burning, you should stop and give the treadmill a break.

I also had quite the experience with my Garmin and doing indoor track runs. I tried to track my run at the Chaska Community Center and got the following result…oops

I found myself wanting to go faster on some of the runs, but the training said to focus on heart rate instead of pace. It was really hard to follow the plan, but I have.

Now for my progress in numbers…

When I started, I was able to run half a mile before needing a break. Now, I’ve been able to go 7+ miles without stopping.

When I started, my average pace was about 15 minutes per mile. Now, my average pace is 10:30 minutes per mile and improving with each run.

In Closing…

It’s been a demanding winter for training and I haven’t been religious with my workouts, but feel that I’ve been doing enough of the right things to complete this milestone event in one month.

BRING ON DES MOINES!!

The post 1 Month Out appeared first on Becoming an Ironman (70.3).

Now, I’m a 39 year old man, who’s been riding bike for a really long time. I’m one who recalls riding no handed across the entire town of Tioga, ND to the pool with Jason Larson! Granted it may have only been a fraction of the distance I’ll be doing next summer, but hey, I was ten!

Why did I have so much worry about the biking? Well, you see, when I decided to commit to this and get a nice road bike, I didn’t realize that it wouldn’t come with pedals. This meant I needed to either buy a normal set of pedals and eventually switch to clip in pedals and buy shoes or just bite the bullet now and learn with clips from the get go.  I chose the latter.

Everyone I have spoken with about riding with clips had said “you will fall” and “it’s not a matter of if, but when.” I decided to take the advice of my brother in law, Paul, and ride around in the grass first a few nights ago. No falls.

Now, back to the morning biking fitness test. I walked out the door at 6am, put on my clip-in biking shoes (there’s probably a more formal term for them that I’ll learn about later), strap up my helmet, and grab my bike.

I had a brand new 2023 Trek Domane AL 2 with Disc brakes. I had the guys at the store put on a little road kit bag that has a spare tube, CO2, and a nozzle adapter. I was able to fit my money clip in there, but not my phone. “Now what?” I thought. What am I going to do WHEN I fall? I decided to brace it and take off anyway.

The workout itself was another fitness test, but on the bike. A nice 12 minute warmup to start, some interval tests, and then a cool down.  It seemed too easy.  IT WAS! In learning from my mistakes from the day before, I decided to go into my Garmin and select the actual training workout, not just a biking workout. When I got through with the internal testing, I pushed a button to see what was next. It turns out that the button I pushed was the Skip button. What did I skip, you ask? Just a 20min active workout. Only half of what I should have done.

I’m two days in and I’ve already been learning how out of practice I am with my training.  I have faith that I’ll hit it out of the park with tomorrow’s workout (it’s already a rest day).

I’ll end this blog with other little details I was able to takeaway. I need a larger pair of padded biking shorts. The pair I have tends to show off my bottom region to those behind me. I also need to find a better biking shirt. Mine kept riding up my back and armpits.

Tomorrow is rest and then we’ll see how bad my knees are with the running test on Friday.

PS: I redid my bike workout in the evening after the kids were sleeping. I chose the indoor bike as I don’t have proper lighting for the Trek yet.

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I got up, grabbed my bag of swimming gear I had packed the night before, double checked my contents, and left the house.  I had my goggles, towel, ID, and clothes to change into after the workout. I knew I probably looked like I’ve never seen 5am as a start of the day, so I managed to take a selfie as I walked out the door at 5:25am.

Here we go; the journey officially started today! Reformation! Determination! Motivation! I had everything going for me (minus the early start time)!

Thankfully the Chaska Community Center was only about a 12 minute drive and was not very busy when I checked in. Unfortunately, my membership had expired and I had to renew the family pass. Nonetheless, I was able to get my stuff, find a locker, and enter the pool area by 6am.

The workout itself was a Day 1 Fitness Test Primer. Out of the three events, swimming was my most confident. However, I hadn’t truly exercised in over a year (if you take away the 1 week of skiing in March). After the first couple of laps I felt good. My legs were working. My arms were pulling. I didn’t swallow any water. My breathing was every 3rd or even 4th stroke. The only thing I felt was my lungs and heart yelling at me, “WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!” After my warmup, I didn’t break long before getting into the full test. After about 50yds, my heart and lungs settled down and I got into a nice groove.

This was also my first workout on my Garmin 955. I had used a Garmin in the past during my running with friends workout (Shoutout to Brian, June, Michelle, and the rest of the Run Chaska crew)! This was the first time I had a training workout sync’d with my watch, though. So I fired up the swimming tracker and did my first timed 400yds. After finishing it in 8:04, my watch said, “You have a workout to do, would you like to start it?” This was my sync’d training workout. What I had just done was separate from the planned workout. I felt good about my math and manually overrode the workout with my timed stats (2:01/100yds).

The second test of 200yds seemed much harder for me for some reason. My pace was a little slower overall at 2:08/100yds, but it gives me a starting point for which to go off of.

After a nice relaxing cool down and some stretching, I felt really good. It was still before 7am and my workout for the day was done. I had normally been an evening workout person, but this was amazing! I knew my skeptical but yet supportive friends would wonder if I actually started this thing today, so I managed to have a very nice lady take my photo after my workout.

My journey has just begun, but I’m looking forward to the outcomes it brings!

The post Day 1 of Training appeared first on Becoming an Ironman (70.3).

What is a half ironman, you ask?
A 70.3 is a triathlon where the athletes swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles (half marathon). The total distance is 70.3 miles. It’s half of what a full Ironman is.

To give some history, I’ve done one single triathlon in my life. It was a sprint distance which is a half mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. I’ve also got a handful of half marathons under my belt. It’s been seven years since my last one, but that doesn’t matter, does it?

I feel very comfortable with swimming. Having done the half marathons in the past, I have faith in completing another. The biking part worries me a little as I’ve never biked more than 12.4 miles in one shot before.

I reached out to Kelcey and Mike to get their immediate feedback on the course and the training involved. Both were very helpful for me and my decision to commit. I’ve even been added to a few Facebook groups to help with my training, motivation, and even buy/sell equipment.

Do I commit?
If I commit, I’ll have 49 weeks before the 70.3 in Des Moines, so my runway to get into shape and ready for it is primed. I looked at professional training coaches and online training plans for days. I settled on a 48 week training plan through TrainingPeaks.

I’ve gone out and acquired my initial equipment, including a bike (Trek Domane AL 2 Disc), helmet, shoes, goggles, Garmin, and some other little items. My next few items I’ll need to consider for purchase will be a wetsuit and tri-suit. This is going to be an expensive hobby, but worth it in the end if it means I’m healthy and skiing all the runs with my kids when they get older!

Despite my all my apprehension, I told myself to just go for it. So, I committed to doing the Ironman 70.3 Des Moines in 2024.

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