Coach & Athlete roles within TrainingPeaks

As we get going with TrainingPeaks.  A few principles and tactics:

*Principle: The plan works for you, you don't work for the plan.  

Tactically, if you need to move, modify workouts, please do.  Everyone has a busy, dynamic life; athletes can, and should, change TrainingPeaks as needed.   I don't pretend to know, or want to know, everyone's daily schedule (hell, I don't even know my own wife and kid's schedule!).

*On or by Sunday evening, I'll have your workouts in TP for the following week(s).  Sometime on Sunday or Monday, please review the plan and make any changes you need for your upcoming week.   

If, for example, the Day Off is on Monday but you need to move it to Wednesday, please do. Want to add a road bike because the weather is beautiful on Saturday? Go for it.  Yoga with your spouse? Add it. Last minute hike with friends? Yes!

The guiding principle for 'add on' workouts is that they don't affect the next 'primary' workout on your plan.  For example, an easy hour spin with friends on a bike will not affect your ability to do your interval run the next day. A 2.5 hour all- out, VO2 max ride with your buddies on Wednesday evening will probably affect your speed run the next day.  (If big group rides / runs are desirable, we can schedule them in.)

You are welcome, and in many cases expected, to change your workout calendar to best fit and integrate with your personal and professional life. Our goal is to provide customized, fundamental core programming (workouts/plan) to you.  Our goal is not to micromanage and run your entire athletic and recreational weekly schedule. You are in charge of you!

If modifications are made that may not be in the athletes best interest, I'll ping the athlete for discussion.  For example, if an athlete moves a speed run back-to-back with a tempo run, we may discuss or modify one of those workouts as we adhere to 'easy/hard/easy/hard' run training or other training principles.

In sum, by Monday, I'll review TP weekly schedule again after the athlete has made modifications and discuss / modify if need be.

Thus, three passes at the weekly schedule:

1) I load appropriate workouts for the time of year, training phase, goal based event, personal limiters, etc. into TP by Sunday evening.

2) Athlete reviews on Sunday/Monday, makes any necessary changes to TP.  In terms of efficiency, it's very important for the athlete to make changes in TP and not in email, text, phone.   

Training modifications will also occur during the week as life happens - that is expected.  We are seeking workout and training plan harmony with all parts of your life. It is understandable if there are green (completed to plan), yellow (modified workouts)  and red (skipped) workout boxes at weeks’ end as you integrate training into your full life.

3) I review changes and modify / discuss if need be.

TrainingPeaks is a collaborative, dynamic process between coach and athlete.