How we Train...

First win of the season for Coach Eric!!
EK Endurance Coaching

Also some more on training for the RAAm. Below is an article written by a veteran RAAm rider.

This article lays out a basic protocol for training for an extreme event like the RAAm. I have posted here because over all I think it is a good foundation in which to start planning your training. However realize that this is not the Holy Grail of RAAm training. Although it is widely accepted it is still one view. One opinion. There are aspects in here that I disagree with. Much of these areas have to do with time. How much time do you have in a given week? How much time do you have from now (the day you start training) and the event? And how long have you been training, what “kind” of training has it been?

These are all aspects that make every athletes different, very different.

I will go over some areas of conversation with in this article, highlighting a conversation I had with Tim Case, Strong heart team solo rider, and lay out some guidelines of what worked and did not work for team strong heart.

For now the article is below, Enjoy!

From the Field: How RAAM Riders Train
Training methods employed by accomplished RAAM racers.
by Bernie Comeau
Bernie Comeau, a veteran of RAAM and Furnace Creek, edits "From the Field"- a series of articles on what accomplished RAAM racers (the elite of the ultra community) do and use in order to be successful.
As ultra cyclists, we are all faced with the question of how much training is enough to perform well at the distances we choose to ride. We need to make sure that we have trained enough so that our bodies are comfortable riding at desired speeds for particular distances. But one of the common misconceptions regarding training for ultra events is that more is better. The logic behind this training philosophy is clear enough. If ultra cycling is about riding to exhaustion, then why not train to simulate those conditions as much as possible?
While such high-volume approaches have proven to work for some riders, it has also become clear in recent years that these efforts are not necessary; nor are they the most effective means to train for ultra events. Such approaches may, in the end, be counter-productive. As one accomplished long-distance rider and coach has noted, "one of the biggest [training] pitfalls is to get into a grinding mega-distance mode early in the year and try to carry that through to a race.... the body just cannot take long miles all year without breaking down before your race performance".1
"One of the common misconceptions regarding training for ultra events is that more is better."
How much training is enough? What is the optimal amount that will leave us feeling neither stale from too many miles nor unprepared from too few? Accomplished RAAM riders are have clearly trained successfully, and they can provide valuable insights into optimal training practices. By examining not only the number of miles these riders are riding, but more importantly the principles behind how these athletes train for RAAM, we might better hone our own training efforts.
Most cycling coaches agree that, regardless of the distance of an ultra event, the most effective training program is one that divides training into four distinct phases, generally given titles such as: 1) base; 2) speed work; 3) peaking; and 4) taper. Simply put, "the right approach is a cycle of long base-building early in the year, followed by a period of shorter sharpening workouts, then a final push of longer endurance training, and a taper"2 Over the past few years, John Hughes has produced a number of excellent articles which have outlined the philosophy and particulars behind this training approach, and he has employed this approach in coaching several riders to successful RAAMs.
To be at your physical best for a specific race, the general rule of thumb with this training program is to use four months for base, 1-2 months for speed work, 6 weeks for peaking, and 1-3 weeks for tapering. In other words, it's what you do in the 7-8 months prior to an event that will most determine your physical fitness level for that event. I queried accomplished RAAM riders regarding their training practices during the 7-8 months before RAAM.
From their responses, it was clear that the specifics of RAAM riders' training schedules varied from person to person. This seemed the result of their own time commitments for training, and their geographical locations. While not all RAAM riders trained specifically according to the four-phase model outlined above, it was clear that there were elements of each of these phases in each person's training approach to RAAM. As such, it may be most beneficial to consider accomplished RAAM riders' training schedules from the perspective of this model.
Base As the name suggests, the purpose of this phase is to produce a solid base for subsequent more intense training. In this phase, you are essentially "training to be able to train".3 Many riders understand this to be "the opportunity to lay a foundation for the entire year of racing and training".
These are longer, strictly aerobic workouts that are "mildly uncomfortable" in terms of duration. The goal is to increase slightly the time of the workout each week, so that by the end of the four month period you are able to ride for about 50-75% of the total time you would be on the bike for your event. If training for a 12 hour double century, the goal of base training would be a six to nine hour ride. (For events that last 24 hours or longer, the goal would be to finish the base phase with a weekly ride of 12-18 hours.)
In terms of miles ridden, one rider noted that his base-phase monthly mileage was a steady progression of 780, 1250, 1600, and 1850 miles. The overall base phase for typical RAAM riders consisted of about 5,500 miles over the four month period. Although RAAM riders kept logs of their monthly totals, overall mileage was not their main objective in the base phase. As one rider pointed out, "for endurance riders, total volume is less important than the long ride of the week".
"For endurance riders, total volume is less important than the long ride of the week".
The notable exceptions to riders putting in 5,000+ miles during the base phase were those who lived in northern climates, where snow and slush typically cover the ground until the end of March. These riders compensated with activities that would provide them with a strong aerobic base so that they could ride long hours on the bike as soon as conditions permitted. Although they may have logged many fewer miles during the base period, their goal was still achieved ó to lay a strong foundation for subsequent intense training. Their primary means for building and maintaining a strong aerobic base were cross-country skiing and ice skating. Both of these activities, in addition to being good aerobic exercises, also employ many of the same muscle groups as used in cycling.
The overall goal of the base phase, then, is simply to "build into your muscle memory the knowledge of what it takes to work out for that long a period". Not surprisingly, RAAM riders regarded this as an important phase not to be overlooked. One rider said "the first long rides of the season are slow and exhausting for me. They are important because doing several long rides reminds me of the reality ó pains that come and go, staying on the bike for 12 hours or more, etc.".
Speed WorkSpeed work is an important part of endurance training that is often neglected by ultra cyclists. We all know the theoretical benefits of pushing our anaerobic thresholds, but few of us consistently train this way. As a result, we are often slower in long-distance races than we think we should be. After RAAM 1998, John Hughes polled RAAM riders, asking them what they would change about their training if they were to do RAAM again. Many of them responded, "more speed work".4
During this phase of training, riders typically maintain their one long ride per week of 12-18 hours, but now substitute high-intensity training at least once per week for the previous aerobic rides. For accomplished RAAM riders, this intensity training typically took the form of intervals (about 10 minutes each), time trials (about 25 miles), or hill climbs (about 10 minutes each), done once per week. Many riders, to alleviate the tedium, rotated these activities, using the time trial specifically to gauge their progress.
Other riders used less structured means of high-intensity training, such as sprinting at specified points of a training ride, or doing group rides. As one rider explained, "I try to get in the long miles on the weekends (about 250 miles on Saturday), and during the week, I try to maintain my regular road-racing training regimen of group rides, time trials, sprints, etc.".
The result of substituting speed work for some of the longer aerobic rides of the base phase is that one's overall weekly and monthly mileage drops slightly. The rider noted above, for example, had his monthly mileage drop to 1,600 during his speed work phase. These riders regarded overall mileage as less important than the type of miles that were being ridden: at least one long ride, and at least one episode of speed work each week. As John Hughes has stated in an earlier article, "whatever the method, RAAM riders realize that by training at high intensity, they improve their aerobic capacity and power so that they can ride for days at low intensity".5
PeakingThe peaking phase involves a final push to reach peak fitness level before the desired event. Lasting about six weeks, this is "where racers generate the fitness that allows them to ride one half mile an hour faster without going anaerobic".6 In the words of one rider, "basically, you are trying to load your body with as much as it can take without injuring yourself".
During the peaking phase, riders continue with speed work, though the duration is typically longer than the previous phase. Many RAAM riders, for example, began riding 100-mile time trials every week. As John Hughes has explained, "after a rider has built the base and improved the endurance capacity of the heart and lungs, then these long time trials are a great way to improve the body's ability to process fuel and produce energy. In ultra rides, this ability to process fuel is often the limiting factor on pace".7
In addition to this continued speed work, riders increased their weekly long rides. Some, for example, rode back-to-back weekend rides of 250 and 150 miles. Others rode 300 miles as their long ride. The most common strategy, however, was to increase the long ride to 24 hours. Many RAAM riders rode three 24-hour rides during this phase; one 24-hour ride every other weekend, with a 200-mile ride during the in-between weekends.
The weekly and monthly mileage of these riders increased greatly during this phase. The rider noted above, for example, had his monthly mileage rise to 2500 during his peaking phase. However, overall mileage was not the goal. As this rider explained, "long rides are the key!".
TaperAfter completing the peaking phase, it is necessary to back off on the workload (to taper) to allow your body to fully recover and regenerate. Though vitally important, this phase is often overlooked by many ultra riders. As one coach has explained, "the most committed training program means nothing if you don't taper correctly and are too tired to reap the benefits on race day, or if you have begun to lose any of the fitness that you have banked during the months leading up to the race".8 And, as John Hughes has explained, "what's important is that the taper is not rest, but reduced volume so that the athlete is fully recovered". As a coach, he advocates that his RAAM riders allow three weeks for the taper phase, cutting the high-mileage ride at least in half, and maintaining only short-distance speed work.
This, indeed, is how many accomplished RAAM riders described their taper period. As one rider explained, "I always plan to do my last long-distance weekend about three weeks prior to RAAM. It takes me over a week to physically recover from a long-distance weekend, and the extra two weeks are good". Typical mileage during the taper phase included a long ride of 100-150 miles on weekends (at "race pace"), and speed work of about 20-30 minutes. Average monthly mileages during this phase were about 600 miles, a clear decrease from previous months.
ConclusionsFrom their responses to my queries, it is clear that most accomplished RAAM riders are not simply going out and riding long distances for the sake of distance. They typically have very clear goals in mind with respect to their training and each ride is done accordingly. Accomplished RAAM riders typically ride about 10,000 miles in the 7-8 months preceding RAAM (riders from colder climates notwithstanding), but they are clearly focused on their weekly long rides (and speed work) as opposed to their overall mileage.

1. Mark Allen, "Get a Grip on Ironman Training", Triathlete, 179, p. 20.2. Mark Allen, "Get a Grip on Ironman Training", Triathlete, 179, p. 20.3. Paula Newby-Fraser, "7-Months to an Ironman: Base Tarining", Triathlete, 180, p. 88.4. John Hughes, "Training for Ultras: Are Mega-Miles Necessary?", Ultra Cycling, 7(6), p. 22.5. John Hughes, "Training for Ultras: Are Mega-Miles Necessary?", Ultra Cycling, 7(6), p. 21.6. Dan Empfield, "Ironman Countdown", Triathlete, 197, p. 787. John Hughes, "Training for Ultras: Are Mega-Miles Necessary?", Ultra Cycling, 7(6), p. 21.8. Mark Allen, "Get a Grip on Ironman Training", Triathlete, 179, p. 18.

real people, no time!

how does one hold a job, relation shop, house kids maybe, try to have a life, and train for some thing as daunting as the RAAm?
maximize your time!!

One work out two effects.

With busy schedules, many athletes just don’t have enough time to work on all the aspects necessary to reach their full potential. Let alone the Triathlete who needs to be effective in “all four sports”, Because of this, it is of great value if one can combine workouts. I am not talking about a brick workout or double sessions either. I’m talking about maximizing your time. Even pro’s whom train for a living need to be effective with there time and training. Do you think lance logged any junk miles while training for the Tour? Don’t think so. A great way to do this is by focusing on more than one aspect of your training in one workout. By placing workouts within workouts one can get a double whammy effect out of his or her training. Consult your coach before concocting your own “double whammy” workouts. One of the best ways to do one of these is to place tech. drills or hard intervals into a longer endurance workout. For example: In your 3 hr. ride, focus on your technique while riding up hills. Keep pedal cadence high and concentrate on pedaling “perfectly”. Talk to your coach about that too. Alternate standing and sitting. Stand up on one hill; for the whole hill, sit on the next. Hone your skills. Do fast pedal drills in your long ride or strides in your long run. Another option is to do intervals or some kind of harder effort in your work out. If you are looking to increase your power or speed, do your intervals after a solid warm up. Cool down easily, hydrate and fuel up appropriately, then continue with a low intensity endurance workout.
Bike example: 20’ warm up. 3x10’ level 3-4. (rest 3’). 10’ cool down, continue cool down at level 2 for 2 hours.

Looking to focus on more endurance for that IM. Do the intervals after 2 hours of riding at level 2. BAMB! Two birds with one stone! Please consult your coach or a coach before doing any of these as they are a bit more taxing than your normal single aspect workouts that mere mortals do. There are some “double whammy” workouts that are a bad idea. Example: working two different maximal effort zones in the same work out. Working long tempo, cooling down then doing 1minute intervals. Not effective training here. With proper planning there is no reason that anyone can’t finish that IM, be a contender in there age group, or win the big one. Happy training!
Coach Eric Kenney
Erickenney.blogspot.com

above is a shot of a piece of my training ride the other day. I think this is a great example of the single most common aspect that rodies and tri geeks alike try to avoid. Fatigue. This is somthing that the Strong Heart Team will be training very hard to try and avoid or more likely just delay the onset of the major effects.

As you can see from the first major climb in today’s effort, highlighted. 8 minutes or so around 335 avg. wattage. It felt… like you would imagine for December ride 2 days after a hard weight room workout and 3+ hour yesterday, but I still had some juice left for 2 big Chipo like sprints, well... maybe when he was 15 years old. Moving on, a nice steady effort after that with some rolling hills. The last bit of visible data is the same climb. 8 minutes up the steep part of the climb. This time I pushed a bit harder, struggled more and averaged only 309 watts. Why? fatigue.

This is a small time example but worth noting. Weather you use a power meter or not. Race with one or not, to be effective come race day you need to know your body and know what it “feels” like. Whether your training for a 45 minute cyclocross race or an Ironman having a totally dialed in feel for your own body and all the different efforts that that you put it through is vital! So use that power meter the right way. Get involved in your training but don’t get too attached to all the data. Don’t just download all the ridicules numbers, norm power, TSS, IF, this, that, the other and ask questions on your favorite forum. these number do provide relevant data but don't get caught up! I see to many people living and by them. Find the one or 2 key things you are working on, note them make adjustments if need be and get ready for tomorrow.

Happy Holidays!!

Following is an article on planing during this time of year.Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Turkey day!! Your thinking “its Thanksgiving! What could I possibly do for training??? Turkey Carving is some of the best deltoid training there is! This will make you more stable on the bike and resist fatigue longer! Don’t miss the opportunity. Actually I am kidding. Thanksgiving marks the beginning on the holidays and the beginning of the long difficult road to start training again. I have fallen victim to the following scenario before. First its time to rest, then turkey day comes along, then Christmas, which slams full speed into new years. Throw some travel for work in there, a vacation and maybe a wedding (went to a new years wedding a few years back. Best time ever) and the next thing you know its February your turning 29. Again. And you are barely going to get in 6 weeks of base training before spring.What to do?Its time to plan. The answer here is this is not the time to stress about training but to plan ahead. And before we can plan one must look back at the past. Looking at your past year or more of racing and training can be the best thing you do in planning for the next season.Here are some steeps to get you on the road to success.
1. Write down your general goals. Things that you want to focus on in general. Ie. Become a stronger runner, spend more time training on the bike.
2. Then write down specific goals: these can be precisely measured. Increase threshold wattage to 300. Run sub 30:30 minute 10k.
3. Then write down your goal races, there dates and rank them in priority.Now you know where you want to go. From here you can look back and see where your coming from. Look at results, your notes from training and races. This is where you need to objectively look at your performance and figure were your weakness, limiters and strengths lye. This is something that should be done with your coach. Don’t have one? Get a consultation. If you have done your part, steeps 1 up to here, you can have a very useful 1 hour conversation with a certified coach. Money well spent. I just did this for my self!You will now be armed with essential tools for planning and training for your season.
1. You have you goal races down in the calendar.
2. You should know what key skill and abilities you will need to meet your goals at these events.
3. You should know what weakness match those needed skills (your limiters). After this planning you will know the most import things to know for a successful season. Like our old hero’s would say. “And knowing is have the battle” ~GI joe~
By Coach Eric Kenney

Silverman triathlon

below are two reports. one a training article on some my preperation for the Silverman 1/2 ironma and second the race report on how it actually worked.

The half I did a few years ago produced some good results and it was a killer time. lets see what happens this go round??The Silverman triathlon is almost upon us now. After a full season of skinny armed bike racing I am hardly worthy of a half ironman. Its always a fun and daunting challenge to take one on with the clock ticking. I always get questions about my training, so I will highlight some key aspects and focus points. I have some very weak weaknesses, some very strong strengths and mixing them with not nearly enough time to prepare makes for some unique and interesting training. I think this is a good topic to write a training focused article on because many athletes find them selves in a similar situation all the time.Coming into the race:I had a full season on road racing in me, almost too full of a season. I was tired, stressed out from running my own business, buying a home and plain old run down. A visit to the doctors and a few weeks of rest had me feeling some what better in the average Joe sense but not the in elite athlete sense. I was far from 100% and had a lot of careful work to do.Race Goals: With a $250 cash prize for the fastest swim, bike or run split I was instantly thinking “the bike is mine!” of course with Dave Scott and Chris “ironman man world champ” McCormick now racing its more like” I’m gona give it 100%”. Goal number two is to finish as best possible over all. This may sound contradictory but I can’t run fast. So if I were to… save it, for the run I really wouldn’t be “saving” much.Training:~Swim: With me now teaching spinning for the winter at Rally Sport in Boulder I have access to master swim classes and a great coach. My swim training will focus on building up some muscle in my skin and bones upper body and refining my technique to the point that swimming for 45’ is no large task. My speed will come from the bottom up. Meaning as my technique gets better and upper body stronger I will simply get faster for the same exertion level. This has worked well. Saturday morning swims have seen me put in a good 1hr with out to much trauma. One or two weeks I threw in 2 swims per week, fatigue was higher but still, I was able to complete the task. I have put in some serious time in the pool compared to the past. However, I think of my swim training not as getting faster but enabling me get to the bike in better shape and with more gas to burn in the hunt for my # 1 goal. Also a more efficient swim will help me get to the finish line strong which is inline with goal #2. The swim is not long in comparison, in any tri I realize, but swimming is tough! If you’re not up to a minimum level of efficiency you’ll come out of the water with far too much of a debt to pay.~Bike: My training here was a slow build up. With the fatigue of a long summer just wearing off I didn’t want to jump in too fast. Instead I focused on short frequent rides until my legs came around. These rides were mostly alone. It would have been ideal for me to get in a solid block of on-the-bike strength work as I had lost some muscle mass but there was no time. Instead I opted for specific intervals. Intervals at my goal race pace (wattage/P.E./ HR) on hilly terrain as the Silverman 1/2 has a very hilly bike course. These rides felt better each time and culminated with a 56 mile, 2.5 hr ride at pace. This ride was key as it helped me really dial in how my pacing “felt” and how much gas I would have in the last 10 miles to really pour the coals on the fire. In this case I did not have enough time to work my weakness and then move on to race specific training. Because my weakness was not race specific and having limited time I skipped that step.~Run: The last time I jumped into a half iron distance race I had even less time to train. 4 weeks, 3 really if you don’t count the week leading to the race. That time I focused on running as many times as possible before the race and not necessarily “long”. My 2 long runs that time were 1 hr. each. This worked well as I ran just as fast on race day as I did in training. I only really have 1 running speed. This time I abandoned the “long run” theory all together. Instead focusing on frequent quality runs. Running this time has felt much better, more control over exertion and less soreness after runs. And while I have not done one run up to an hour I have logged significantly more total running time, as well as many, many short bricks 10-30’ long. My theory here is that I have the fitness. Going hard for 5 hours is not the issue with this body, its being efficient at the 3 disciplines, or 2 really; Swimming and running. If you are looking to complete any type of event one must be technically sound in the movement it will require. With out this you are to paddling a row boat with you hands.


Race Report:
I have done a few tri’s in my day. And I have done even more through my clients. Learning every steep of the way. But sometimes I still get caught up with THE question, “are you a triathlete?”. I don’t label others or my self unless its absolute. Well now there is no question, the Silverman triathlon is the most beautiful and toughest course I have seen. If you are wondering if you should label your self as “Triathlete” or are maybe looking to redefine what you are capable of do this race!Race: At 5 am my eggs and rice didn’t taste so great but I got it down. A power bar, gel, lots of panicking and we were off! At first I felt no so good the my women’s med. wet suit wasn’t the best fit but after a few minutes I found my rhythm. No sooner than that we hit the windy part of the swim. The swells were… big. I have swam in the ocean, body surfed, played water polo, I have even been thrown off a horse. Swimming in the 2+ foot swells was worse. I was simply being tossed, I could hear the tri geek gods bellowing out in laughter. HAA, HAA, HAA, a road cyclist thinks he can simply run for a few weeks and do this race HHAAAAA!!! And for a few minutes I thought I might not make it! But after some wounded seal like swimming maneuvers I was into the tail wind then back to the cross wind but I was handling it a bit better. I could barely make out the buoys but still managed to swim pretty straight. People were all over the place. At first I tried to find a pair of feet to follow but one wave and they were gone. Up the chute to T1. pretty smooth. I bent over while sitting down to put my shoes on and my legs, both of them, seized. Ahhhh… “Ok I’ll just pretend that didn’t happen.” Out of the tent to my bike and ... a tail wind greeted me making the ridiculous climb out from the lake a bit easier. Bike: right away I was passed. A big guy came by, “now for the fun part”, he said. As I watched him pedal away I thought, to hard. He’s mine. It wasn’t long. 5’ or so before I had passed him. “OK EK keep it easy!” I did, just letting my legs fall. The HR was high but the legs felt good. I pushed on. Coming up the first turnaround, Maca was coming the other way, I checked my mileage. Holly crap! I thought. He is really far ahead of me. I began to think that my fasted bike split goal was no longer in the cards… ohh well stick to the plan. I counted the guys in front of me and I was now in the top ten. Nice! Turn around at mile 23, fast riding for a bit and I came into the second half on the course. Hills, big long head wind hills. I passed a few more riders, slower now. Yeah, I thought, I must be in the top ten these guys look good. On to the bike path, Yes a bike path! 3 short climbs back to back. The 3 sisters they are called and I would not want to meet mom or dad. They were biters at 18 percent. I simply “let” them be hard and then pushed as the path turned into the head wind and plowed upward at a low grade. 2% grade + 20mph head wind + 300 watts equals me going some where between 12-15 mph. It was not for the weak minded. I pushed, I caught one more. Boom! Out onto the main roads now more head winds and long gradual climbs. Some fast riding too, 47 mph fast! With 8 to go I was pretty cooked, with 6-5-4 to go I was really, really cooked. I kept stuffing fuel down my throat. I had no more acceleration, but I had enough to hold on.Into T2.I put the shoes on, grabbed my food, and was off. “heh, how far ahead is Maca?” I asked “peffff…. Ohh god… like 20 minutes I think?” “Yeah that sounds right”, said his side kick. I was in disbelief. Time to switch hats, or off with the “racing” helmet and on with the lets just finish, hat. Or no hat really, but new shades. The first mile is slightly down hill. Nice! I liked it. I could find my rhythm with out having to fight to hard. At just over 1 mile you turn right. And into the head wind and up a 2 mile climb. I looked at the profile in my head. I quickly came up with the plan of really keeping it in control as 90% of the up hill running was in the first half, then it was more down hill. I thought make sure I have enough in the tank so that I can “let my legs go” on the down hill. I was on pure feel now. My HR monitor watch had kicked it this past week and with no time I couldn’t even get a round about on my pace. At mile 7 I saw a sign for mile 6. ohh bummer. But half way so that good. wait, is that half way? How far am I running exactly? Ok there’s mile 7 this was right around the time the cramp in my gut started to concern me. I can handle pain, but if it got worse it would start to slow me down. I couldn’t think straight and I could really feel the swim now. My hands started to not work so well. Grabbing water became hard work, my arms felt like lead and at feed zones my response to “what do you need!” had gone from, HEH!! Thanks! umm I’ll have water and ohh are those Oranges, no thanks, water and a gel, thanks guys you rock!!” go Hilleary! To ahh ahh water, go Obama! To here a mile 7, “number 359 what do you need!” …. …. “hey what do you need! …. Are you OK? 3-5-9 are you.. watcoke!... …waaaqalk%$35… it was pretty bad. Then my race brain kicked in again. YO EK, get you s#*% together were barely past half way, your in 6th place! From here to the finish all I could think about is that scene in a football game, when a play goes bad, a fumble happens and some how the 350 lb line backer picks it up and starts running. He probably hasn’t touched a ball in a game in 5 years and looks like a wounded doe on ice trying to run. His teammates run up, and try to block for him. He thunders on, slowing now with every steep. I bet that guy isn’t even thinking End Zone! He’s just thinking, when I get hit by the 5 guys running 10mph faster than me, don’t drop the ball! Don’t drop the ball EK!Think! This is getting worse and your to far from the line to tough it out… number 359 wh… Pretzels!! I had been taking in my normal electrolyte levels and while it wasn’t hot we are in the dessert and energy usage was high. This combined with drinking water on the run (can’t do the Gatorade) was making my tummy low on salt. Or was it? I had to go for it. 1 mile later I was doing better and just in time as the down hills came. “great job 359 what ... COKE, AND WATER! The racing brain was back. Next set helpers “hey great job loo…! Water! Water!! “ahh we’re just cheering” “ohh sorry” The last 5 k was brutal. Things started popping into my head. Mostly a family friend who lost a long, long battle with cancer a few years back. Don’t know why I thought of her. Maybe she’s in Las Vegas? I was trying to pick up my pace, come on EK top ten top ten can’t get passed again!!,I put down another gel and finished her off. I could hear the announcer as I came down the chute the crowd was insane, Eric Kenney coming in from Boulder, CO. looking strong!! When I finished I was a bit over whelmed. Zach was there. And thank good. A volunteer came over, are you OK do you need the medical tent? Ahh… do I? I asked Zach. No, not yet anyway, food, recovery drink. I sat down, shock a few hands, and got a message. Everyone was talking about the water and the wind on the bike path! It was brutal. Everyone that had raced gave you this look. It was this look that said, wow dude, you made it too. Congratulations. You’re a Triathlete.

Early results and stats:
Swim: 29th, 37’ hard as hell.
Bike: 3rd, avg HR 176 (threshold 183-185)Estimated avg wattage 285-300
Run: ?, ?, ?, harder than hell.
6th over 2rd in age group.

Part 2

Cyclocross as cross training?

Cyclocross is huge. Once participated in as training in the fall and winter months for fun it is now a huge international spectacle. Athletes are now focusing their whole year on cyclocross. Even for us Tri geeks and hard core all road all the time people cyclocorss is luring.

The question is coming up more and more; will racing cyclocross be a good option for training in the fall and early winter?
First lets take a look at your year ahead and behind to answer a few questions.
Have you had enough time TOTALLY off after your last race/ training block? (I prescribe 2-6 weeks)
Will you have enough time to rest after your cross season and the start of Base training? (2 weeks)
How taxing was your summer season of racing and training?
How much other stressors will you encounter? ($$ for bike, race entry, travel, specific training, etc)
If you answer no and/or “pretty taxing to very taxing” I would seriously consider joining the yelling, full drinks in hand spectators on the side lines. Also, the last question, realize there are a lot of other factors that come into play with your race sch. There are only so many times you can go all out in one season. And while a cross race may be short in relation to road races and triathlons you normally train for they are hard. Really hard! One of the most important things to having a good training program that leads to a successful season is being rested, both physically and mentally. Be sure you can achieve enough total down time between your training phases.
If you feel after answering these questions you are in the clear move onto the next set of questions to ask yourself.

Does cyclocross address any of my weaknesses specific to my A race(s)?
Does cyclocross address any of my weaknesses not specific to my A race(s)?
Is you’re A race 7 months away or more after your last cyclocross race?

If cross addresses any of your weak areas it is worth considering. For some, like my self cross is every thing I am bad at on the road wrapped up into 1 hr with a punch in the jaw at the start! For athletes like me cross is a great and extremely fun way to train that weakness. (see my last article) However, and very importantly, the first set of questions are the most important. If you are to be at your best for your BIG event of the year being properly rested, having a good build up of systematic training trumps all. So consider your options carefully.
So now how do you use this “cross thing” to your advantage? Here are a few things to keep in mind.





The big picture: your a race is months and months away! Don’t get too caught up in your “cross training” this should be for fun! Leave the ego at home.
Focus your training on basic skills: You’re racing cyclocross because it is going to address some weak areas but don’t forget to spend time training the basics that got you to where you are now. For example, aerobic base, technique. and efficiency of movement in your primary sports, core strength and flexibility.
Check your mental state: Its early in the game for you. If you find yourself not pumped up for a muddy race or training ride in the cold rain stay home!! Like I said before being mentally rested and ready to go come time for the big day is the most important preparation you can do.

Eric is a full time Cycling and Triathlon coach and works with Endurance Nation and performance training systems. For more details on this plan and other transition period plans contact Eric at: eric@performancetrainingsystems.com

finding your weakness.

This is part one of a three part training seminar that I have been doing around the country. for more infor on my coaching or the strong heart team see links to the right.
enjoy.


It’s that time of year when we start to sit back and relax… sometimes. Many of you are probably already thinking about next year and starting to plan. That’s good, but before we can effectively plan out next year we have to take a look at this year. Reflect a bit and figure out how we are going to train more effectively. The first place to look is your weakness. However finding this can be harder than it seems. Here are a few methods for analyzing your season and finding your weakness to get you started right on 2008.

Step one: Analyze Your Season
Did you meet your racing goals and training objectives? Did you peak when you wanted to? Did you go as fast as you predicted? These should be pretty simple yes or no questions. Look then at your training objectives. These might be things like climb hill X in 30 minutes or less, raise FTP by 3%, etc. They should be measurable goals that are stair steps to you major goals. If you didn’t meet your major goals of the year the answer, or at least part of the answer, to why may be right there. As you keep looking into why you did or did not meet your goals look at everything: job, personal life, relationship, etc. Stress out side of the athletic world is the number cause of people under performing. If you’re a lawyer working 60+ hours a week and training 20 hours a week as well as being a mother or father, you may have been setting your goals a bit too high.
Note what worked for you and what did not. The things that worked you will want to keep in your bag of tricks as the things that will likely work again. The things that didn’t work, get rid of them! We’ll come up with something better!

Step two: Finding Your Weakness
There are 2 ways to look at this. A good starting point is finding your weakness by the numbers. On the bike, the easiest way to do this is test your power profile. Test your maximum power out put for 12 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes and your threshold power.
A power profile chart can show you where you are lacking. Is this written in stone? Is this the end of the road? No, but it is a good starting point. Even if you don’t “need” the areas you are weak in, for example, an Ironman triathlete having a weak 12 sec. and 1 minute power. They don’t need that ability but if it is weak enough it could be an area that is holding your other abilities back.

Part two of this is comparing your weakness to your competition? “But Eric I don’t race other people I race my self.” That’s fine and I applaud that self motivation but if you want to improve the best place to look is to the people that are better than you. For example, in your triathlon results if you’re coming in 50th on the swim 50th on the bike and 450th on the run time after time again working on your running would be a good place to start. If you’re getting dropped on short hills in bike races, short hills or 1 to 5 minute power outputs might be your weak point. Before you make the decision as to what your weakness is make sure you have more than one or two examples that show your weakness. Also look at this deeply. This is very important. Are you not running well because you’re and bad runner OR because your swim and bike are not up to par and you’re paying for it on the run at the end of the race? Are you getting dropped on the hills because you’re a bad climber or because the hills are at the end of the race and you have trouble there because your threshold power and endurance is not as good as your competition? Take some time with this, consult a coach and or trusted training partner or both.

All of this may look straight forward on paper but it’s harder to implement than it looks. Getting some one else to give you a good objective look at your self could be the best thing you do this fall. Now put it into action! Commit to getting out of your comfort zone. Don’t do the same old workouts, mix things up! Take a chance and train that weakness.

Eric is an associate coach with Endurance Nation and Performance Training Systems and coaches all abilities of Triathletes, Cyclist and other endurance athletes