"Don't Stop Believing" Journey to Ironman

Free Long Course Triathlon Training Manual Now Available at Endurance Nation

Today I come bearing gifts!

Just when I thought my experience at Endurance Nation couldn't be any better, here's this! The coaches have published the EN Long Course Training Manual, and are offering it for FREE at the web site! Here's the description: 

Known to EN athletes as "The Book," this 110-page manual contains everything the age-group, long course triathlete needs to get fitter, faster, and smarter. "The Book" examines a wide range of topics crucial to Ironman and Half Ironman athletes including "Exercise Physiology and the EN Approach," "Long Course Execution and Strategy," as well as specific recommendations for effective swim, bike, and run training. An overview of sample training weeks, racing tactics, and a full-complement of case studies is also included.

I've read it, and it is one heck of a comprehensive, valuable tool. The whole experience at EN is like that. The forum is the best triathlon community I've ever been part of. The level of discourse is so high, and when you couple that with daily coaching input, athlete-to-athlete support, and a good dose of hilarity, I could not ask for more.

Get "The Book" here. You are going to learn A TON!

Up 40 Watts at Functional Threshold Since Training with Endurance Nation!

I really can't believe all this. I am stunned at how much stronger and faster I have gotten on the bike since I started training with Endurance Nation (EN) in October 2007 and their off-season program. Linking up with EN convinced me to dip into the world of cycling with a power meter, and it is the best, most effective thing I have ever done with my training. I did an Functional Threshold Power (FTP) last week, and was not really expecting much movement since I got a whopping 16 watt jump in July, only a month ago. The testing protocol is warm-up, then 2 x 20'  with 2' rest in between. Then you plug the results into WKO+, and the results for the the entire 42' range gives you your functional threshold. In four weeks I got another 9 watt bump! Unbelievable.

During the workout, the numbers looked good as I rode along, and I felt pretty good even though this test came on the heels of a 3-week "build" block of training. I rode consistently and was aware to keep my power up on the downhills (now known as watt killers in my book!)

Here's the recap:
October 2007 FTP--152 watts
April 2008--EN Off-Season Training into half Ironman training brought it up to 167 watts
July 8, 2008 test--180 watts
July 15, 2008 test--183 watts
August 20, 2008 test--192 watts!!!! Get. Out!

If I can make these gains, anyone can! Over at EN we train smart, sharp, and hard. We talk a lot about our training as "drinking the Koolaid." Slurp, slurp, slurp is all I can say!

If your season is over, or will be in a month or more, do yourself a favor and check out the EN Off-Season Training Plans for this year. Do it, and "watch out 2009!"

Pedal For Peace 2008 Makes It Home! 4,353 Miles Across the U.S.

Pedal for Peace 2008 made it home on Friday! Following his college graduation, my son Ryan pedaled across the United States for a grand adventure, and to raise money for the micro-credit organization FINCA International in Nicaragua. He will return to that country next month to put his funds to work for the most impoverished. You can read all about the trip and donate to the cause on the Pedal for Peace 2008 blog. Here are a few picks from his homecoming!

Cliff Notes of a few details:

Total miles: 4,353
Today Pedaling Days: 49
Average Per Day: 88.8 miles
Bike: Dad's 20 yr old Lemond road bike. When you are 22, and budgeting this on your own, you ride what you can get! Consensus--touring bike would have been better.

Best States: This takes in account weather, road surfaces, miles between services (they were self-supported), and terrain.
#1 Colorado
#2 New York
#3 Ohio

Worst States: Using same criteria:
#1 California
#2 Arizona
#3 Utah

Free Money and Swag: People being kind to travelers kicked in about $50 cash, free food, bike shirts, water bottles, and camp sites.

About 20 flats (Pete had one, Ryan the rest), many new tires, one new wheel, many truings at LBSs across the US.

Budget per day: $10-20, except for the occasional hotel room every 1000 miles. The sense of accomplishment and friendship between these two--priceless.

Keith and I met Ryan at then end of our bike path on Friday, and rode the last few miles home together to our house. First the road was empty, then there they were coming down the hill. Made me tear up for sure. It was so good to see them.

Pete and Ryan just arriving at the bike path. A note about the beard thing...(Doesn't that look awful???!!!) Unbeknown to me, he vowed not to shave until they made it back. Pete did that last summer on a salmon boat, and decided not to try that again. You just have to love boys. My son does not "give a what" that it looks so bad. It was part of the quest, so there you have it.

His brothers were so happy to see him! Here's Ryan and next oldest bro upon arrival.

The four bros.

Even the bros are horrified at the beard!

We had party after party! It was the homecoming that never ends! Friday night dinner for 12 at our house. Then a gathering at our summer pool where Pete and Ryan worked together for many years as lifeguards, and cooked up this whole adventure. It was the first ceremonial dipping of the wheels to end the trip.

On Sunday, we headed into Boston for the final wheel dip in the Atlantic to call this thing a wrap. Here are Pete and Ryan all decked out out for the final shirtless ride to the Charlestown Navy Yard and the dock of the USS Constitution. (Off they head down our ripped up road where construction never ends!) It was a beautiful day...

...beautiful day until we got to Charlestown! It was torrential for 3 full hours with cracking thunder and lightening like Armegeddon! Between Pete and Ryan, we had about 50 friends and fam there. It was great fun, but we were all soaking wet!

The wheel dipping in the Atlantic finally happens, and here are two soaked but happy guys!

Trip is done, bike to be racked for a while, and onto life's next challenge! Add to the equation, happy sets of parents that the boys are home!

Planning the Ironman Taper--Already!

Here I am in week 8 of 20 of Ironman training, and I've already planned out my taper! Now there's confidence that I will get through this whole darn thing again. Anyway, the beauty of training with power is that there is no more guess work about how hard you're training, and how well you're recovering--or not. Here's an example from my recent half Ironman (HIM) training cycle, and why I'm going to monkey around a bit with the Endurance Nation (EN) taper plan.

Here's my Cycling Peaks Performance Management chart through the HIM taper. The yellow line is "training stress balance" (TSB), and the pink line shows "acute training load (ATL). You can actually see the training "hole" you dig as you build the load. The bigger the "hole" between the yellow and pink lines, the bigger the training load you've executed. To taper, in simple terms, you want the yellow line to be above 0, and the pink line below 0 to be rested and ready to race. I will say that with the EN two week taper time frame, I was NOT ready to go on the day of the race--7/5. That was following the training plan plan exactly as written.

As you can see, a week out the yellow line was -18, and pooped the whole week. The day of the race I was at +8.4, still tired and not ready. It took me another another couple of days to get to +10, and begin to feel the inklings of being race hungry. By then I was getting ready to roll.

After experiencing the rhythm of EN race training, including the taper, I see how it all fits together. Training by pace and power and analyzing the data corroborates what I'm feeling, and allows me to replicate the load and the taper for future races. I'm quite sure I will likely do my IMFL "race rehearsal" long rides and runs a week earlier than indicated in the EN plan. I've futzed with the schedule back to front! I'm quite sure I will need 3-5 more easy days before FL than I would get if I followed the plan to the letter. Like EN Coach Patrick says, "don't run the schedule into your own personal brick wall!"

I love this PMC. It's like a crystal ball. Jump on the power bandwagon if you can. It changes everything for the better!