Race Schedule 2016

2014 was about seeing if multisport was for me.
2015 was about seeing what I could do if I trained for it.
2016 is about seeing what I can really do with more serious training, with a key goal in mind.

After my first attempt at multisport in 2014, I came up with a 3 year timeline for trying to achieve something in triathlon. I just figured that it was reasonable to work my way up from being able to complete in 2015, being able to compete in 2016, and trying to take it to the next level in 2017. Whether that meant taking a run at Nationals (and thus qualifying for Worlds) at the Olympic distance, or tackling the 70.3 distance, I wasn't sure. But I figured the right path would become clear over the course of the next two years.

This year I've found it very challenging to get the training volume I want in for Olympic distance training. And I really do like going fast. So it's been becoming pretty clear that for now, the short course stuff is right for me. I could probably complete a 70.3 with my current training volume, but I don't think I'd be all that competitive. And I've found that the competitive aspect is really motivating for me. So my focus is going to be getting faster at the Olympic distance, which means the goal is making a run at Nationals.

My 3 year plan put this target in 2017. However, this year (and next year) Nationals are in Ottawa. So it really doesn't make sense to miss this opportunity to participate in this event when it's so close to home. In a way, this means my timeline has just accelerated significantly - what I hoped to do in 2017 I'm going to be attempting in 2016. Another way to look at it, though, is to think of this year as a trial run. I'll get the experience of the event and the course so that next year I'll be well prepared to really perform. But make no mistake - I'll be there to race, and I'm aiming to qualify for Worlds. It remains to be seen whether I'll actually go to Worlds should I qualify (the logistics of taking time off work, the expense of travel and racing), but the achievement itself would be a great milestone for me.

Leading up to that race I have a couple of sprints planned, both of which I did last year. They should serve as a great way to assess how far I've progressed from 2015, and will also give me some good race-specific prep for the big race in July. I'd also like to do the Thousand Islands race again, as an "unfinished business" sort of race. Coming off the bike in 3rd last year and then imploding on the run left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, so I'd love a shot to redeem myself there.

So the season begins in about a month at my "hometown" race in Perth. That's where I'll really get a solid idea of what I've been able to accomplish in the offseason.

New Shoes Part 3

The followup at Solefit didn't end up happening. A busy schedule and the 45 minute drive made it impossible to get in within the 2 week time period I had to test the shoes from Sports4.

In the end it wasn't really a problem. The Fastwitch was the clear winner. I couldn't really imagine going with the Mizunos - they just didn't fit as comfortably, and the stiff sole felt unnatural. In contrast, the Saucony's had a much more natural feel. Decent amount of flex in the sole, wide toe box - an overall more pleasant running experience.

I've been running outside in them, on the road and at the track, and still mixing in some treadmill work as I slowly transition into running outside (I did this too quick last year and it resulted in some injuries). So far so good. I'm also being more attentive to my running gait and wearing CorrectToes, and my toe pain is mostly gone. Hard to say if any one factor is more at play there but it''s reasonable to assume it's a combination of the three.

Once my transition to running outside is complete I'll be starting into some speedwork, so that will be another test.

New Shoes Part 2

After a visit to Solefit to solve the issues around the pain in my left big toe, I had a list of 5 shoes recommended by Neil to help fix my issues. I took the list to Sports4 - they have a reputation as arguably the best running store in the city and I've bought from them before. They also have no issues with you buying multiple pairs, trying them out on a treadmill, and returning whichever ones don't make the cut. So list in hand, that's where I went.

They didn't have 2 of the 5 shoes in stock, so it was down to the New Balance 1500, Mizuno Wave Catalyst, and Saucony Fastwitch. All lightweight shoes with mild stability control. I gave each model a few tries in the store going back and forth between each pair. In the end I left the 1500s - they seemed to fit pretty much the same as the 1400s I've been running in, and those shoes are a little tight in the toebox and have been part of the problem for me. I loved the way they hug my foot - it really seems like the shoe isn't there it just fit super well, but the other two shoes had noticeably roomier toe boxes and that was a priority for me.

So back home with the Catalysts and Fastwitches. I'll take them in to have Neil film me on the treadmill at SoleFit and see what he has to say about which ones are better for me, but for now I wanted to get some time in on my own and see how they compared.

I started with 5 minutes of barefoot running, did a dynamic warmup, then ran for 8 minutes each in my NB1400s, the Mizunos, then the Sauconys. The 1400s felt great as they always do, light and nimble, almost like running in nicely padded socks. Feet felt fine, as they always do.

On to the Mizunos. Two things were apparent immediately. 1: These soles are stiff and 2: These shoes are loud. It was like a horse on cobbles. The shoes also seemed heavy - they're a pretty lightweight shoe overall, so it could be the stiff soles just made them seem heavy, I don't really know. Pretty comfortable, though I did get a bit of soreness along the outer edge of my foot by the end of the run. I could see myself running in them as trainers, but I feel like I'd still want my 1400s for racing.

The Saucony's were another story. An even roomier toe box than the Mizunos, and they felt light and flexy - much closer to my 1400s. They didn't seem to hold my foot quite as securely as the Mizunos, but I could probably figure that out with lacing. Overall though they were much more enjoyable to run in than the Mizunos were.

So if it were up to me alone I would definitely go with the Fastwitch, but I'll be interested to see what Neil says. It's not all about what feels best - the most comfortable shoe in the world isn't going to do me any favours if it results in more foot pain down the road. So while I'm pulling for the Sauconys, I'm keeping an open mind.

Now it's off to Solefit for the final verdict.

New Shoes Part 1

Running injuries were a big problem for me 2 years ago. Seemed like I couldn't go more than a few weeks without one problem or another sidelining me for a while. Last year I really committed to staying injury free by incorporating strength work, stretching, foam rolling, and being very cautious about adding run volume gradually. It worked out well - I managed to avoid any real injuries all of last season and keep my training/racing on track.

However, over the past few months I've gradually been developing some pain in my left foot. Pain/numbness along the medial side of my big toe, but also some pain along my sesamoids. I've also noticed that I have limited dorsiflexion in my left big toe compared to my right. The left toe also seems to be angling in a little - not really a bunion yet but heading in that direction.

In looking for ways to treat this problem I found CorrectToes, which helps your toes splay out and can treat a variety of conditions (including all of my complaints in the left foot). The place to get them locally is SoleFit, which among other things does gait analysis. I've done the Retul fit on the bike, and have had my swim stroke analyzed using underwater video, so it seemed logical for me to try something similar with my run. Indeed, given that the run has been where virtually all of my injuries have occurred, a proper gait analysis probably should have been the first thing I did.

So I picked up the CorrectToes and made an appointment to get my running assessed. It's too early to say whether the CorrectToes are having any real effect, but they haven't been causing any discomfort, so we'll see.

As for the gait analysis, it started with an interview with Neil about my background, history of injuries, and what my training looked like. We then did a series of tests around strength, flexibility, etc. and Neil looked at my shoes (I brought in both my ready-to-retire trainers and my newer racing flats) to see what they could tell us about my running style. Afterwards, I ran on the treadmill in both shoes with video from the front, back, and side.
Based on the initial assessment (wear pattern on my trainers, flexibility issues, and injury history - particularly my torn hip flexor) I could already tell what some of the issues were and the root cause of my toe pain. The video evidence confirmed this - I overpronate in my left foot, and tend to overstride. My feet are landing too far in front of me, but they aren't extended far enough behind me. On top of this, turns out I'm a heel striker. I thought for sure I was a midfoot striker but the video was pretty clear on that. Shortening up my stride, upping my cadence, and working flexibility in my hips and calves/ankles will go a long way towards improving my efficiency and reducing the risk of injury I have. Incorporating barefoot running and doing a dynamic warmup before all runs (not just speedwork) would also help.

So I left with a list of stretches and warmups I should be doing, and things to work on in terms of my run form. What I was most interested in, however, was new shoe recommendations. I knew the trainers were due to be replaced, and I wanted to make sure I was getting the right shoe. Interestingly enough, the video showed my running form was much better in my racing flats (NB1400) than the trainers. So we knew I should be in something pretty light without being too cushy. The overpronation thing also showed I should have some mild stability control built into the shoe. Neil gave me a list of 5 shoes that would work, so next up is to go and try some on, buy a few different pairs and go back to SoleFit for another video session to see what works best.

Now it's off to Sports4 to pick up some shoes.

Performance Management

I think most triathletes understand the idea of "tapering" before a big race - basically reducing your training volume in the days/weeks leading up to your priority race in order to feel fresh and have good form on race day. And I think everyone gets the idea of "progressive overload" - that the volume and intensity of your training will increase over the course of your season in order to keep the body adapting to training stress.

In that sense, performance management isn't rocket science. You keep your training progressing, and then you scale it back as you approach a big race. You don't need any fancy analytics to do that, but there are lots of cool tools out there to help this process, removing the guesswork and ensuring you're in top form for your "A" race.

I'm reading Coggan and Allen's Training and Racing with a Power Meter, and they delve into performance management quiet a bit. Their process, which is based on your Training Stress Score (TSS) and how those numbers change over time, results in a cool graphical representation of how your fitness and form evolve over the season.

To this point I've only really looked at what TrainerRoad provides in terms of TSS tracking.

You can see that the overall weekly TSS gradually increases over the last 6 weeks before dropping down - the idea here was a recovery week at the end of my base phase, in preparation for a new FTP test to kick off the build phase.

Coggan and Allen use TrainingPeaks (online) and/or WKO+ (software) to track these metrics, but there are plenty of other sites/software that do similar things. Golden Cheetah is a free open-source piece of software that seems to pretty much cover all the bases. In it, you can see a different (and more detailed) representation of the same ride data that TrainerRoad was using.

Here you can see my Acute Training Load and Chronic Training Load increasing over the past few months as my fitness increases. You can also see the ATL drop off at the end as I scaled things back, actually dipping below my CTL, resulting in a positive balance (i.e. good form). This is the type of situation I'd like to create on race day, and in this case is where I would have performed my FTP test. Unfortunately a nasty stomach bug intruded on these plans - we'll see where I'm at when I get to it later this week.

I'm still in "Base" mode for my running, and will remain there until I can get outside and do some speedwork and longer runs. Then I'll get to tracking run and swim TSS and get an overall picture of my fitness. I don't see this type of software as a "game changer", since the fundamentals of performance management are pretty basic, but I like the easy way to visualize my fitness and using this will be interesting in terms of planning up to my races, and when I do my post-season retrospective.

The Stretching Debate

Stretching as a means of increasing flexibility and range of motion, and ultimately preventing injury, seems to be conventional wisdom. The number of articles and videos out there espousing the virtues of stretching (especially for runners) is virtually limitless.

As someone with a history of running injuries, I spent a lot of time looking into the causes of my injuries and how to prevent them. I'm not a flexible guy - particularly in my hamstrings (I've never been able to touch my toes) - and this tightness seemed to be the root cause of most of my running injuries. On top of this, my bike fitter seemed pretty dismayed at my lack of flexibility and suggested that this would be a limiter for how low I could go on the front end.

So I set about to rectify this issue with a diligent stretching routine. There are lots of great stretching videos out there - here's an example:

I stretched after every workout, as well as incorporating the foam roller. And it seemed to work. My injuries have been minimal since I got into this routine. But correlation is not causation. Was it the stretching that was making me less injury prone? Or was it some combination or foam rolling, strength work, and perhaps most importantly, being very careful and deliberate about adding volume and intensity to my run sessions? The reality is I can't say for sure what the cause of my injury resistance is, since I can't isolate the various factors. Still, if it seems to work, and certainly isn't hurting, I'd be stupid to stop, right?

The arguments in favour of stretching are numerous, and within the triathlon community it certainly has its proponents:

“The early season demand can have one negative effect, which is to make you stiff. Now is a great time to do moderate stretching to improve range of motion and reduce injury.”
- Mark Allen (from http://www.xtri.com/features/detail/284-itemId.511713592.html)

“If you stretch on a daily basis, even for ten or fifteen minutes, the muscles learn to adapt to that particular movement, and they learn to relax... You’re going to find that your range of motion is going to be enhanced and hopefully prevent some injuries down the road.”
- Dave Scott (from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaDXNjFjjnU

“Current thinking in the sports medicine world suggest the use of dynamic or movement stretching that mimics the athlete’s movement in sport before activity and static or sustained position hold stretching after training...Hip flexor stretching in combination with hamstring stretching may be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of running-related hamstring injury.”
- Joe Friel (from Triathlon Science. Human Kinetics, 2013)

“The solution to the problem of tight hamstrings is… to incorporate regular stretching into your training plan so that you can avoid developing tight muscles to begin with. A consistent and effective program of stretching can prevent or at least alleviate many such problems… A study of 1,543 runners in the Honolulu Marathon found that those who stretched regularly following workouts had fewer injuries than those who did not stretch… Stretching after workouts appears to aid the recovery process by improving the uptake of amino acids by the muscle cells. It therefore promotes protein synthesis within muscle cells, which is necessary for full and quick recovery, and maintains the integrity of muscle cells."
- Joe Friel (from The Cyclist’s Training Bible. Velopress, 2009)

Allen, Scott, Friel - these are big names in triathlon and trusted authorities on the subject. And the arguments for stretching are everywhere:

“Stretching post-workout can dramatically improve your flexibility over time, which is always helpful in preventing injury. Many athletes incorporate different types and forms of yoga into their existing exercise regimen especially during their pre and off-season workouts. Yoga helps increase flexibility and range of motion, improves balance and muscle strength and has the ability to relieve stress and anxiety.”
- Lava Magazine

“Most triathletes feel they should stretch more than they do. They are sold on the benefits of stretching, but not enough to actually do much of it. (TJ) Tollakson was one such triathlete until a couple of years ago, when injuries motivated him to finally make a serious commitment to stretching. Now, he says, “Every night I go through a 20-minute stretching routine before I go to bed. I’ve found that it helps a lot with my recovery as well as injury prevention. According to Rountree, stretching is like bodywork in that it is not strictly relevant to recovery. But, she said, “Stretching will keep adhesions from forming. It’s almost like massage from that angle. It’s going to make it easier for you to get into the next workout by keeping you from getting gummed up between the muscle fibers, and between the muscle fibers and connective tissue.”
- Competitor Magazine

But there seems to be increasing evidence against stretching. A Study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine said “Despite a few outlying studies, consistently favourable estimates were obtained for all injury prevention measures except for stretching. Strength training reduced sports injuries to less than 1/3 and overuse injuries could be almost halved.” So... strength training is highly effective, but stretching is useless. Other research suggests that stretching doesn't actually increase one’s flexibility, but “it may be that exercises such as reaching for your toes train the nervous system to tolerate a greater degree of muscle extension without firing off pain signals...In a June 2014 study in the journal Clinical Biomechanics, Tilp and colleague Andreas Konrad found no differences in people's muscles and tendons after six weeks of a static-stretching regimen." (from livescience.com)

“While it is true that stretching does improve both range of motion and flexibility, this has not been shown to translate to any other objective markers of performance. Specifically, large trials have shown that stretching either regularly, or before strenuous activity, does not prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Stretching after exercise also does not prevent or lessen DOMS. Worse, several studies have actually shown that stretching may be detrimental to performance. A great deal of evidence now exists demonstrating that stretching reduces both muscle strength and the ability to perform anaerobically—a condition that exists at higher levels of exertion such as when sprinting. These findings have been constant across numerous types of stretching programs and exercises. The most controversial findings though, relate to stretching as a means of preventing injury. While some early studies seemed to show that stretching could prevent injury, more recent ones have shown no such benefit.”
- from Competitor Magazine

And many of the most respected coaches in triathlon are firmly in the anti-stretching camp:

“Don’t bother stretching. At a minimum, don’t ever employ static stretching before workouts - and mos athletes do not need static stretching after working out. While the jury is still out on the specific benefits of static stretching, if any, for normal, healthy athletes, I have never personally seen any benefits from it. The sport of triathlon does not require a significant range of motion of the muscles or joints, unlike, say, ballet.”
- Matt Dixon (from The Well-Built Triathlete: Turning Potential into Performance. Velopress, 2014.)

“Stretching is not a matter of injury prevention, but a matter of range of motion. Athletes competing as sprinters or middle distance runners need a certain range of motion. As do hurdlers, who would be well advised to stretch regularly and intensively….But this is where the rubber hits the road. Triathlon does not need extensive range of motion. If taught properly, the appropriate body roll swimming needs uses little range of motion. I’ve seen Olympic champion swimmers with the flexibility of a steel rod. Bike riding requires absolutely none. Even our shortest triathlon event ‎has a minimum of 5km of running, which uses less than 50% of our range of motion. So when posed with the statement: ‘Stretching helps prevent injury’, my answer is in triathlon it doesn't. It creates injury opportunities that would have otherwise not been there."
- Brett Sutton (from https://trisutto.com/stretching-for-triathlon/)

“Stretching to improve flexibility is a waste of time, doesn't actually make you more flexible, and can have a negative affect on economy.”
- Joel Filliol (from http://trstriathlon.com/TRSForum/discussion/1401/joel-filliol-says-no-stretching/p1)

“But mostly, the research on stretching says that it doesn't make much difference with anything. If it's got a neutral influence, why do it at all? Of course there's a role for other types of stretching, mainly with injury rehab. But I don't think there's any value in the good ol' "let me stretch my hammy so that I don't get injured." A lot of the times, the static stretching is the cause for the injury."
- Paulo Souza (from http://trstriathlon.com/TRSForum/discussion/1401/joel-filliol-says-no-stretching/p1)

So what to make of all this? There certainly seems to be no consensus on this issue. I'm very resistant to giving up stretching - I really don't want to risk returning to that old injury-plagued version of myself. But I have to admit that stretching may not have played any role in my injury reduction. Ultimately, I'm not any more injury prone, so it seems as though stretching is not hurting me at this point. I'm still doing it, but not overdoing it.

A good summary of this debate can be found in an article from Triathlon Magazine Canada weighing the pros and cons of stretching. The conclusion: "We’ve now come to a point where the evidence has tilted towards the negative benefits of stretching for runners and cyclists. So, common sense should dictate whether we should stretch or not and how much we should stretch. Here’s what I mean. If you’ve been stretching and remain uninjured, then by all means continue your stretching program. If you’ve been stretching consistently, and getting injured consistently, perhaps you should back off the stretching or reduce its intensity."

Planning 2016: The Data

Last post I outlined my goals for 2016. Next up is looking at the data to help with the actual plan. I had looked back at my results at the end of the season (detailed in this post) in order to assess my relative strengths and weakness, with the hope of rectifying the weakness over the offseason. The data yielded few surprises, and my main offseason focus was on improving my run. Since then I've gotten back to a more even distribution of the 3 sports, starting my preseason in mid-November. Here's where I stand in terms of the data.

Swim
I've been swimming using SwimSmooth's CSS protocol. I've only been at it for about 5 weeks now, and it's up in the air whether or not I've seen any gains. My second CSS test showed a faster 200 but a slower 400, which resulted in a slower overall CSS. But then two nights later I was coming in on 200 repeats at about the same speed as my 200TT two days earlier, so perhaps the TT was on off-day. I'm going to keep one weekly session dedicated to CSS but get back to speedwork with the other session.

Bike
The power meter has given me good data, and after 6 weeks of base-building with Trainerroad, I did a second FTP test to see my progress. My FTP had gone up by 30W, which is a lot for 6 weeks. However, I'm sure a significant portion of that is me regaining my bike fitness after the offseason, so it's not a "true" 30W gain, more of a reflection of my poor fitness when I did the first test back in November. Still, the progress is encouraging and gives me confidence in the results I can get if I stick with the plan. 6 more weeks of base then into the build phase.

Run
Since my 5K in October, I haven't done any assessments, and have been running exclusively on the treadmill since I started my preseason. I don't really trust my treadmill's distance readout, and don't have a footpod, so there's no real way to assess speed. And that's not been my focus anyways. I've been strictly doing Zone 2 runs. However, I am seeing progress - I can run at higher speeds for longer while keeping my heartrate in the prescribed zone, so this is a sign that my body is adapting. Realistically it won't be until I get outside again (late March? April?) that I can really see my progress here.

The Plan
So the current plan is mostly based on last season's data, but I'm watching the numbers from this current pre-season as much as possible in order to monitor progress and make adjustments to my goals and to the plan itself.