This grab-bag episode was packed full of a ton of fun topics! We dive into how to deal with very windy conditions in deep winter training, withholding judgment from workouts, re-evaluating your goals, how to track LSS over time, gels and carb intake, dehydration in the winter, whether you actually should do your pick-ups or not, 'strain' and 'body battery ' as made-up stats, how new athletes should approach Ironman prep, when and how to use SIM shorts, staying calm in the water, HIIT and endurance training, and more. Come for the insights and stay for the banter!
Mix of Coaching and Training Insights and Listener Questions
Thoughts on dealing with windy conditions in training (which I see as one of the most mentally tough weather patterns!)
A hack -- planning routes so you do intervals with a tailwind or even a point to point route
Related quick one - tip from an athlete to dress like you’re taking a chill walk in 20 degrees warmer than it is to choose the right apparel for running
Jim: Wind is mentally grinding. I use Airpods to block the noise (not safe in all conditions).
Coming back to an old insight from last year -- withholding judgment, i.e. don’t write the narrative of the workout before it’s even happened
Jim: When things aren’t going well I focus on “smooth” as it’s a feeling, not a HR zone, pace or watt.
Insight from a few athletes - it’s OK to change your goals! Re-asking yourself “what is my why?” and pivoting to fun > performance
Jim: I struggle with racing being a place to get me out of my comfort zone and show me what is possible, elevating my game AND a place that feels confining, restrictive based on I need to do something on THIS day and train a certain way for a very specific period of time.
Hot take - taking a gel is an effective solution to >80% of problems in training
Tired or low energy? Take a gel
Motivation low? Take a gel
Mood not good? Take a gel
I always tell athletes to start with taking a gel and then we’ll roll down other things that could be an issue, but sometimes it’s as simple as taking a gel. Try it!
Dehydration happens a lot more sneakily in the winter!
Anecdote from a recent early morning strength workout
Great question from an athlete: “I'm pretty lackadaisical with doing the pickups, but I know many coaches swear by them as ways to improve running economy/efficiency/a light way to add speed in the early season. Should I be more intentional about doing them (and not skipping them)? Normally I just either 1) forget or 2) feel tired and just want to get home rather than zoom/jog/zoom/jog”
My answer: They are definitely helpful (unless you have an injury/niggle going on), but I wouldn't push it if you’re feeling physically overtired or LSS is high. Start by asking yourself if it's your body or your mind that is tired/burnt out/not into it and if it's just your mind, but your body is ok, try a few! It’s not all or nothing either -- you can do 2 pickups and decide ‘that’s enough for today’ or maybe doing 2 pickups makes you realize you are fine to do 8.
Jim: We all struggle with things we are supposed to do, things that are good for us but there can often be a little voice in my head opposing it! When it does come up, I try to dig a little deeper in my subconsciousness about why I’m putting up that barrier. We are complicated creatures and often the answer is not readily available or straightforward.
The “sell” on pickups are they are the best return on your time investment. And you have already invested the time to schedule your workout, get on your running clothes, get out the door, actually go for a run. You’ve done all the hard parts so now you get to play a little with pickups and get speedy.
I like to make a game sometimes - run hard to that next telephone pole or intersection. Then start looking for the next feature up the road that seems interesting.
Strides are like compound interest, you get more and more rewards as you do more over time.
Another great question: are we more interested in time on feet or miles on feet at this point? My z2 pace is closer to 9:40 at this point (depending on weather/warmup/fatigue), so I end up getting a green box at 3 miles rather than 4 - worth adding a mile to my 4-mile run on friday, or chalk it up to "the intention was to z2 run for 35-45 min and we got close enough"?
Reminder to all of our athletes that TP makes us put in ‘planned’ pace values -- we don’t expect you to hit the paces exactly perfectly and yes, we are looking at the intention of the workout!
For this time of year, the relevant mantra is the OPPOSITE of ‘the devil’s in the details’ … rather it’s to not miss the forest for the trees. Base, base, base.
More bashing on data! Blog post: The Truth About WHOOP and Other Fitness Trackers: Part I
“New wearable fitness tracker companies like WHOOP and others are using made-up metrics to score your workouts and daily physical effort.”
“Strain is not a physiological measurement. It’s a made-up score from WHOOP. Similar scores from other trackers are also made up.”
“In some cases, these estimates are completely made up and cannot even be tested, for example: sleep quality scores, readiness and recovery scores, stress, body battery, Strain, etc. - stay away from all of these and don't let them mess with your head. They are not a thing.”
“These grand metrics are all some degree of wrong because wrist-based heart rate tracking during movement is some degree of wrong.”
“And even though I like WHOOP’s idea of adding life stress into Strain, we need to remember that not all changes in heart rate at “rest” are from bad stress. For example:
A higher heart rate at rest because your boss is yelling at you: probably bad!
A higher heart rate at rest because you’re laughing your ass off with friends: probably good!”
Jim:
Hot take: Most Ironman, especially Level 1 athletes, should focus most of their training on building big bike and swim fitness/durability.
They should aim to make 100 miles (or 6 hours on the bike) feel challenging but not devastating and a 4000 yard/meter swim feel like you can do A LOT of other exercise that same day (because you will)! If you need to spend the rest of the day on the couch after a 4000 yard swim then you need to build up your capacity.Running: They should aim for 3x per week running with emphasis with time of feet, easy running and some strides. Hiking and/or trail running with the goal of extending time on feet is just as important than the long run.
Spending time on run speed intervals is just draining your tank which should be spent building your bike and swim fitness. If you are going to shuffle/walk most of the marathon, there is no reason to work on run speed.
When should I use my SIM (neoprene) shorts?
If you are a new swimmer and your “A” race is wetsuit legal, it’s fine to use your SIM shorts for nearly every session. See point above, if you are a Level 1 athlete and swimming is new to you, SIM shorts will enable you to focus on gaining technique and helping you swim in a parasympathetic mode.
Pragmatism over perfection.
If you are a Level 3 athlete and are doing a mix of wetsuit and non-wetsuit races, or the chances of one of your races being non-wetsuit, you should spend at least half of your swim sessions in the Specific period in a regular wetsuit.
If you are feeling anxious or tight chest in the water, try these two things:
Kick on your back with fins. This will signal to your brain that you are OK in the water. Your face is up with all the air you want. You must get to a parasympathetic state first in order to incorporate new information / skills. No one learns in a sympathetic state - it’s fight/protect, flight or freeze.
During freestyle, focus on breathing out entirely through your nose.Think long, deep exhalation through the nose. This will lengthen your stroke and should eliminate tightness in your chest and even shoulders. By breathing all the way out, air will naturally flow into your mouth when you roll to breathe.
Swim to run faster
Athletes are starting to comment that the more swim fit they get, the easier running feels.
We see this every year; swimming is a high global, all body oxygen demand. It’s not a surprise we see this crossover over, particularly to running which is a high global activity, too.
Extra challenge: swim 200s with fins and paddles. This is a huge oxygen ask at even low intensity.
Nordic skiing is also a good sport for global oxygen demand.
How do I incorporate HIIT into my triathlon training?
You don’t!
99.9% of the time someone is doing HIIT workouts is because they have not been in a proper structured training program that prioritizes aerobic development, gradual musculoskeletal loading. These athletes tend to either be very overpowered or underpowered. Neither of those situations works well to perform in endurance sports.
Triathlon is an insane sport as you need to learn dozens if not hundreds of new skills for each sport - swim, bike and run. If you add in regular strength, that’s four sports you are now juggling. Given everyone is time crunched, this leaves very little room for other sports.
Caveat: If your HIIT class gives you joy, is a social, community event then keep doing it. Play is important for long term mental and physical health.
List your products/carbs per hour in TrainingPeaks
Keep a journal of products/carbs per hour for your longer sessions. Example, Hour 1 - 2 SIS gels, 1 bottle of LMNT, Hour 2 - 2 Fig bars, 1 bottle of LMNT, etc
And comment what seemed to work and what didn’t.
Then you have a reference for your next big day. Journaling will reduce decision fatigue and capture hard earned knowledge.
Do this for any ride / run over 75’.
General guideline:
Easy training days (Z1/Z2) under 1 hour, mid-exercise carbs are often not needed if you have a well balanced diet. However, when feeling a bit low energy take a gel or snack! (See Katie point above.) Snacks are always welcome especially before, during and after a swim.
On easy training days between 1 and 2 hours, 45-60 grams of carbs per hour is a fair guide. Above 2 hours, 60-80 grams of carbs per hour.
When in doubt, always fuel more such as 60 - 80 grams per hour. I personally aim for the 80 grams in BASE season to keep energy balance higher and recover quicker. Remember you are fueling for your current workout, your recovery and your next workout which may even be later that day or the next morning.
On easy/moderate long training where the effort is not purely easy (think intervals, hills, etc), fuel at 75-90 grams of carbs per hour no matter what the duration. Think long weekend rides with intervals, marathon / ultra training, etc.
Change hand and body positions on the trainer
As the rides get longer and/or more challenging in Base period, feel free to change hand positions on the bars - hoods, bars, down in the drops and feel free to stand up during some intervals. This will serve to take pressure off static body parts, encourage blood flow and engage different muscles.
Challenge of the Week
Katie: Set some hydration targets throughout the day (i.e. I want to finish X amount by noon, X amount by dinner, etc.)
Jim: Emphasize full nose exhale during swim
Gear Pick of the Week
Katie: Precision Hydration gels (30g carbs) + SIS beta fuel (40g carbs)
Jim: Weck Canning Jars 743 - ¾ liter - awesome for hydration goals, both cold and warm drinks.