First race of the season and turning weaknesses into strengths

The race report for the Perth Triathlon is up. I had a good time and did okay. I didn't execute the race I wanted but the result was still good. Perth was my first actual triathlon back in 2015, and I've come a long way since then in terms of my fitness. Having not done the race last year (it was cancelled), comparing the two performances reveals some significant variations.

Here's my first ever triathlon.

2015	Time	Rank	Percentile
Swim + T1	0:10:33	25	26.88%
Bike	0:27:07	4	4.30%
T2 + Run	0:15:14	34	36.56%
	0:52:52	9	9.68%
	Participants	93
	% of winning time	117%

A performance I was pretty happy with, especially my bike time, finishing in the top 10%, and getting the AG win. I had about 6 months of swimming in me, and was just starting to develop my running ability amidst constant knee problems. The ranking of each discipline reflect this and I was far from a balanced athlete.

And here's me two years later.

2017	Time	Rank	Percentile
Swim	0:08:30	9	17.31%
T1 + Bike	0:27:10	3	5.77%
T2 + Run	0:14:03	2	3.85%
Total	0:49:43	3	5.77%
	Participants	52
	% of winning time	105%

The real standout is my running ability - from top 37th percentile to top 4th percentile is a huge jump. I'm not reading too much into time, since the run course was different this year and my Garmin has the new one as long by a few hundred meters. Also of note I actually did worse, percentile-wise, on the bike, though I was slightly faster in terms of time. Details on that in the race report. The swim rankings are always a little off in Perth, since it's a Stingrays fundraiser, they get a lot of "real" swimmers. If I average out the top 3 finishing times for 2015, I lost 2:26 to those guys on the swim, whereas in 2017 (when I was actually in the top 3) I only lost 2 seconds, since 1st swam a minute slower than me and second swam a minute faster than me.

So not only have I developed into a much more complete triathlete (something I noticed over the course of last season), but I've turned my biggest weakness into, at least in this race, my biggest strength. It's hard not to be disappointed with my lack of progress on the bike this year, but it's more important to work on your weaknesses than your strengths, and this result clearly shows that payoff.

When there's a discipline that's a point of pride for you, it becomes part of your self-image:"I am a strong cyclist." You don't want to let go of that. Being good at something builds confidence. I used to look forward to getting on the bike and chasing people down (just as I'd then run in fear since I knew many of those same people would pass me back). I knew I wasn't contending for an overall podium spot, but I was at the pointy end in terms of bike splits. That was my victory.

But triathlon is about who gets to the finish line first, and time invested into biking was not going to yield the same ROI as time invested in my dismal run. There was simply a lot more low-hanging fruit there. This result proves, to me anyways, that training to your weaknesses pays real dividends.

The Night Runner

It seems like most triathletes get their workouts done early in the morning. I've made a few attempts at this over the years, but it just doesn't work. You never really know when the kids are going to get up, but once they're in bed, there's a pretty reliable few hours in which to fit in some training.

So I'm a night trainer. This means that I can be found running around Metcalfe in the dark. It's nice and peaceful, I have the roads to myself, and I don't have to worry about sunscreen. And my running had been going pretty well. Swimming and biking seem to have stagnated, but running is really just a mileage game. Nice easy Zone 2 running so far, no speedwork, and no injuries.

Magic Shoes!

 

I think I finally know what I need in a shoe. Last year my Solefit gait analysis recommended some mild stability control in my shoes, and that they should be pretty lightweight. I ended up on Saucony Fastwitches, but the 4mm drop proved to be too much for my achilles (the New Balances I was on prior were 10mm drop).

So the conclusion was that while some stability is good, it's got to be with sufficient drop. In theory, a shoe with those properties should keep my knee and achilles issues at bay. A few shoes fit this criteria - the ever-popular Asics DS Trainer being one, but I've ended up on a pair of Brooks Ravennas. If I had one complaint it's that the forefoot is a little narrow, but they seem to be stretching out a little over time. And that fact that I'm running niggle-free for the first time ever is the key takeaway.

Another milestone: for the first time I'm running 5Ks under 25 minutes while staying in Zone 2. Not sure how this will translate into improvements in race speed, but it's a good sign of improved aerobic conditioning. The bad news is of course I've been sick again (a chest thing that isn't going away), but it's interesting that despite the constant illnesses and inconsistent training that I'm making gains in my run. Swim and bike are terrible right now, but both of those depend on being able to hit quality sessions, whereas the slow-and-steady approach to running seems sufficient.

Biking outside and abandoning the training plan

I finally made it outside for a ride this past weekend. It was overcast and windy but it felt so good to get out on the bike. Since my training hasn't really been adhering to a structured plan very well, it doesn't really matter that there's no power meter on my road bike. I just rode by heart ride and did 40km as tempo ride (so around 160 bpm).

It's still incredible to me how many workouts I've been failing to complete, either because I never start them or I can't finish them. I haven't experienced anything like this before. But given that I don't have any serious performance goals this year and have already established that I'm just going to try to have fun at races, I've decided to ditch the training plan. I haven't been able to stick to a structured plan since february, so I'm just going to wing it from here on out and do what I can/what feels right.

Last year I saw good gains in my FTP through TrainerRoad's 12-week Sweet Spot Base plan. After completing the 6-week Olympic Build plan, I was dismayed to see that my FTP had actually dropped. I chalked this up to a bad day, but didn't test again. I continued my training and adjusted my FTP based on feel... the session continued to feel as hard as they should have, and my FTP only really creeped up once I was through the race-specific phase and was doing most of my rides out on the road, either as endurance rides or as threshold intervals.

This year, once again, I saw nice gains from the Base phase, and things really seem to have stagnated since. Granted, my training has been totally inconsistent, and I haven't been able to string together 2 weeks without getting sick. This is surely contributing to my feeling of being  knackered on the bike, but it is interesting to see that once again, the Build phase seems to be a step backwards for me.

David Epstein's The Sport Gene is an interesting read, and one of the key takeaways is that everyone's physiology is different. Not everyone responds to training in the same way - what works for some may not work for others. Thus, it's essential to track what you're doing and the effect it's having on your fitness, and adjust your training in order to do what will yield the best results for you. There is zero chance that one rigid plan is going to be equally effective for every single person, so it's likely that following a Trainerroad plan religiously is not actually the most effective thing to do.

Thus, I've been looking at what's different about the Base and Build phases I've been following in order to get a sense of what's been most beneficial for me.

TR's Sweet Spot Base program typically consists of one 60 minute VO2Max session, one 60 minute Sweet Spot/Threshold session (95-99% of FTP), and one 90 minute criss/cross session (intervals that go back and forth over/under threshold).

The Build plans keep the VO2Max session, but swaps in a Suprathreshold (typically 108% of FTP) session midweek and then a longer Sweet Spot session on the weekend.

It appears as though the culprit may be the Suprathreshold sessions, since that's the key difference between the two plans. Basically I seem to respond best when my riding is mostly just below (or right at) threshold, or well above (like 120%). Those longer intervals at just above (108%) threshold seem to be taking too much out of me or just not yielding the results they should.

So, since I've more or less abandoned the training plan, I figure now's a good time to experiment and see what happens. The plan is to keep a VO2Max session, do either a Sweet Spot of Threshold session, and then get outside for a Tempo ride or maybe some Threshold intervals.

It won't make sense to judge the success of this plan based on my performance this year, but hopefully if I listen to my body I can get a sense if this approach is a better one for me. Regardless, I'm going to do my best not to feel guilty about doing a recovery ride instead of a hard session on the bike if that's what I feel I've got in me.

Struggling for Consistency

It's been a while since my last post, and based on the subject of said post, it should be fairly apparent why. And it shouldn't come as a surprise that training hasn't exactly been going well.

I managed to finish my Base training feeling pretty strong - I was running consistently, my swim fitness was approaching the form of last season, and I managed to set a new high FTP on the bike. But that was back in February. I began my Build in mid-February and everything fell apart in short order. It's now mid-April, and two months later I'm re-starting my Build - definitely the latest I've ever commenced this phase of my training. So what happened? The short answer is: life.

For a longer answer, here's my TrainingPeaks calendar for the past two months:

I got the first week of TrainerRoad's Olympic Triathlon Build done, but couldn't complete the weekend's long ride - life got a little crazy and I was wiped out for a few days (there's a recurring theme of 2 hours of sleep/night throughout this period). I elected to do some maintenance and attempt the culminating workout the following Saturday... which ended up being Sunday, and I still included my sunday "long" run on top of that. Everything seemed to be going according to plan for Week 2 but by the end of the week I was sick. I recovered from that with just a few days before some minor surgery that would necessitate a week off from training, and I still was not 100% so just some general maintenance work in the short time I had before the surgery.

Unfortunately yet again (due to no sleep at night and the dual germ-exchange programs that are Grade 1 and Daycare) I got sick less than a week into my reintroduction to training. Another few days off due to that, and here we are, the middle of April and I'm back where I was in mid-Frebruary.

The biggest hit has been to my swim fitness - it's amazing how quickly it declines. I've knocked a few watts off my FTP on the bike but it's held together relatively well, and the run is somewhere in between - I'm definitely running at a slower pace in order to hold Zone 2. On the plus side, I'm back running outside again which is awesome after the drudgery of the treadmill. More on that later.

As a byproduct of all of this, it looks as though I may end up with an "A" race this year despite my initial plan - it's unlikely I'll be in good race shape for the first few events of the season. It's kind of depressing that I was in better race shape in February than I am now, but this can't really come as a surprise given my life circumstances. So maybe I'll be able to plan for a peak in Brockville and make another attempt at going under 2:20. We'll see how the intervening months go.

Training with a newborn

We recently welcomed the newest addition to our family into the world. My wife and I are now officially outnumbered with 3 kids! Those of you who have been through the birth of a child will know that those first few weeks can be pretty rough in terms of energy and sleep. It's not a recipe for successful training - missed workouts and insufficient recovery are certainly less than ideal. But we do the best we can.

It can be very discouraging to read about the type of training volume one "should" be doing. Whether it's the notion that "Athletes should swim at least four days a week to see improvement in their fitness and form, and less experienced athletes will need to swim more frequently" or that running 50 miles per week (that's 80km) is key to becoming a good runner, the gap between the training I'd get done in a perfect world, and what I can actually do, is massive.

In the summer I'm lucky to get in 35 kms/week running, and for most of the year I get about 2 hours a week in the pool. Sometimes I feel good that I've been able to achieve the fitness I have on what would generally be regarded as woefully inadequate volume. Other times it's discouraging because I know this is likely one of the big differences between me and the guys who are podiuming (is that a word?) at my races.

But this goes back to what I talked about in my last post - focusing on self-improvement rather than comparing oneself to others. Who cares what other athletes are doing? They're not me. Just like there are single dudes out there with all the time in the world to train, I know there are also athletes who have bigger families, more demanding jobs, and less time to train that I do. We all show up on race day and do the best we can. If we make good decisions and circumstances allow it, maybe we can set some new PBs.

My biggest goals are to be a good husband and father, and to live a long healthy life. Being a triathlete is in service to those goals. So training can't interfere with family time, and if I'm wearing myself out trying to train on 4 hours of sleep a night, that's probably not good for my health either.

What I'm trying to accept is that success doesn't mean beating all of the other athletes I race against, it's doing the best that I can with the time I have. I've occasionally struggled with this, but I think I'm at peace with it now. And in some ways, having kids is an advantage. I mean, having your little ones cheer you on in a race probably counts as a performance-enhancing drug, right?

Goals and Plans for 2017

I've established my goals for this upcoming season, and have settled on a tentative race schedule. I was on the fence about a few races, but I think, in light of my goals, I've got it figured out.

Overall Goal: Have Fun

This is something I lost sight of last season. I was so focused on Nationals, that it was incredibly frustrating to injure myself a week before the race and then have the event itself not even be run as a triathlon. To have something I'd based my whole season around be taken away was really disappointing. I don't want to have all my eggs in one basket like that. So far I've always had one or two "A" races designated, but I'm not going to do that this year. I'll still plan my training around two "peaks", but I'm going to do my best not to put any pressure on myself to place well in those races.

Racing triathlons is fun, or at least it should be. That's what I'm going to focus on. No goals around placing - they're as much dependent on who shows up as they are on my own performance anyways. This is something I learned last season too - I found that hitting personal goals in terms of time-based milestones was so much more rewarding than any placing. So while I'm not going to stress about my performances, I do have some time-based goals in mind for this season.

1) Break 2:20 for an Olympic triathlon
2) Break 1 hour for a 40km time trial on the bike
3) Run sub-20 minutes off the bike in a Sprint triathlon
4) Run an open 10k under 40 minutes

Race schedule

It should be pretty apparent at this point that I've decided to skip Nationals this year. The goal last year was to compare myself to others, and that's not what this season is going to be about. I could race Nationals just for fun, but to be honest I'm not enthusiastic about the course. So in the interests of fun I'm doing races that I think I'll enjoy more. When I saw that they've moved up Nationals to June, that cemented my decision - it's perhaps the worst possible weekend in terms of how busy I'll be with work. So no agonizing over that decision.

The Long Sault Parkway looks like a fun course

I'll stick with the standards - Perth, Smiths Falls, and Brockville - and also add something new. I'm planning to head down to Sydenham for the race there, and if MEC puts on their "island hopper" tri down in Ingleside, I'd like to try that as well. It looks like a cool course. I'm also interested in checking out an MSC race, and Kingston is nice and close.

 No date yet for Perth, but this is my guess

It's 2017!

With the arrival of the new year it's time to get real. I've been on a steady bike/swim plan since mid-November but the run has been inconsistent. No more of that. My swim fitness is still a ways off from where it should be but I am seeing improvements. After 6 weeks of structured bike training I'm nearly back to where my FTP was at the end of last season, so I should some solid gains in that department this year.

I'm going to try a few different things this year. For the past couple of seasons I've logged my workouts on BeginnerTriathlete, and last year I analyzed my bike data with Golden Cheetah.

BT's Training Log

 

This year I'm trying TrainingPeaks. The free version does everything the BT logs did, plus tracks TSS as well as a few other metrics. You've got pay for the premium version to get the functionality of GoldenCheetah (for example, use of the Performance Management Chart to track things like Acute and Chronic Training Loads). At this point in my season I don't feel the need to do that but may upgrade closer to race season.

TrainingPeaks' Training Log

SWIM: Not much is changing here other than I'm consciously kicking less. This means not really doing kick sets (other than as part of my warmup), but also focusing on using my kick for body position rather than propulsion.

BIKE: Still following Trainerroad, but once I'm done my Base phase, I'll try the Sustained Power Build rather than the Olympic Triathlon Build I did last year.

RUN: I'm hoping to get more volume in this winter on the treadmill, and be smart about easing into outdoor running once the snow melts. If I can avoid injury this year (there's a first for everything) then hopefully I'll be able to get some good volume and speedwork in this spring and enter race season with some good run legs.

As far as race season goes, I've basically planned out my season, pending a few races that haven't had the dates officially confirmed. More on that later.