COACH FORUM: Training Questions About the Road Ahead with Matt Dixon
-
Official comment
Thank you for participating. This Coach Forum is now closed for comments.
Comment actions -
As a number of races are being postponed and some moving to November/December that many of us may race, any thoughts on changes to post season or how this season will progress? Also if our big goals are more on a 2 year+ time frame, ex. going back to Hawaii and being competitive should we approach this year differently?
-
I am sure everyone has different struggles in this COVID time. I'm currently struggling the most with swimming. Due to pool closures in my area for the foreseeable future and the fact that open water swimming is such a time suck. I find that swimming has essentially halted. The biggest driver of this is that I'm no longer able to get 2 workouts a day in. I used to swim almost everyday at lunch.
My question is two-fold1. How long can one go without swimming regularly before the loss is permanent? How much skill degradation occurs when regular swimming can't occur for 3..4..5 months?
2. I find myself prioritizing biking/running right now simply because of time economies. I can ride/run for an hour. Or, I can drive to the lake, look for parking, put on a wetsuit, swim for 40 minutes, get out of wetsuit, drive home. Should I prioritize swimming more or does it not matter much because there are no races on the horizon. -
B: Good question. I am going to add the roadmap from the Sunday Special, but in general there is going to need to be great flexibility in mindset over the coming months.
Plan to prepare, then we will need to adapt as we go. The ONE thing we absolutely know is that no one knows. We have to be OK with that. This video explains my sentiment around the whole thing very well...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWWO7F9kQY
While not sport related, it aligns with needs for businesses, athletes and more.
Specifically for you:
- Keep driving forward. The coming 8-12 weeks are super and high value. You can evolve without specific racing pressure.
- I EXPECT most PP athletes will be flowing onto race-specific training in August/September (instead of June)... and that Post Season will begin much later. Late season races (Nov, Dec) are ideal in this flow.
So B, you are ironically lucky. Just stay on track and keep doing baseline... and I wouldn't even worry about racing. Stay flexible and when it comes, you will be ready within weeks. It won't take long! MD
-
Chris:
Swimming: I feel your pain, and many many athletes in the same place. A couple of things:
1. You are FINE on comeback. AS LONG as you commit to the bands. 2-3 times weekly, those sessions are a godsend and will help resilience and bridge you back. I only have 2 of the pros swimming at ALL right now. None others are. If you didn't swim for a YEAR, it would take 21 days to build some fitness back, 45 days to bridge to where you were, 60 days to be excellent. That's with a YEAR. There is no permanent loss:)
2. OW SWIM: I would hyper focus on convenience right now -- with a 40-50 min swim every couple of weeks. IF the OW swim is in a place that's nice for a run then a harder 40 min swim followed by 30-40 min run is ideal as a double up (time allowing)... SOME touch is good.. but don't spend hours driving every week for 1-2 swims. That isn't a good yield. Hope that helps. MD
-
Brendan: Don't miss this:
Should help you with perspective also! MD
-
Thank you. I missed the Sunday Special this week so I went back and read/saw roadmap above. Appreciate the insight. I’ve been feeling a little beat up the last couple of weeks from some of the high intensity that i didn’t fully recover from. I need to put a check on myself at times but at the same time I need the exercise as a release. Taking a day here or there would probably be beneficial.
-
Hi Matt, with Ironman St George which I think is the first IM which will be held in the United States post COVA lockdown. Do you have any suggestions on when to start increasing the long rides if we can bike outside. Most of the rides have been planned for indoors and I know in past plans there were options for outdoor rides before COVA. Any other advise would be great!!!
-
Coach Matt, thanks for opening up this forum. With races being cancelled outright or postponed to later dates, which may, in turn, end up getting cancelled, I'm seriously considering just scrapping this race season. The alternative - - chasing the moving goal posts of rescheduled races - - does not seem appealing from a health or fitness (or mental health!) standpoint. So, assuming we are not looking to peak for a race season this year, but we still want to progress (and avoid sitting on the couch eating Twinkies all day), is there any tweaks we should make to our mindset or the baseline plan for the rest of the year? Thanks again.
-
Hi Matt, I am fairly new to the Squad so I apologize if this question has already been covered somewhere. I think I might be doing something incorrect as I am following the Squad plan which essentially has two workouts most days. I am ending up with 12-14 hours per week and a T score of around 800-900 per week, even in the transition week. My CTL and ATL seem to be fairly level and trending high (for me) and my TSB seems to be also fairly level and trending low. If I am reading the load chart correctly, shouldn't CTL/ATL increase for a while and then drop down, and at the same time TSB should decrease for a while and the go up when CTL/ATL are coming down? My question is, where is the recovery? Am I not supposed to do all the workouts? This might be a granular question specific to my situation but I figured I would ask anyway. Please, not too much laughter from the gallery as I am new to using Today's Plan (previously a Training Peaks user) and the associated charts. As an aside, I feel fitter than I have felt in years after being on the Squad plan for roughly four weeks. Just concerned about too much load without some recovery. I have always had a hard time taking recovery time but I think that I have just gotten to a certain level of fitness and then just been stuck there through a season. I would appreciate any help/advice. All races this year have just recently been cancelled so in holding pattern for races.
-
Darren: For ST G: I think it is a super time to sneak outside. The 'nice' thing about much of the program is that the intensity occurs in the week (bike).. leaving simple ramp of miles (exploratory, fun, endurance, less structured) over the coming couple of months. You DO NOT NEED IM intervals right now! we have plenty of time. Just add outside riding and go have fun... ALL my 1:1 athletes outside rides are 'explore' 'endurance' 'fun' at the moment. The intensity is in the week. I wouldn't even 'think' IM ST G until mid July:)
MD
-
Tyler:
A few things. First, I am glad you are feeling fit, but I think you are in a LITTLE edge toward a perilous situation. The intent is most certainly NOT to be a monkey, following blindly through every session. A few things.
Did you have an onboarding call? If you didn't you most certainly should. If you did.. I think there is some more foundational things to explore:
- Importance of the 'Sunday Special' planning of the week: looking at the training, identifying the KEY sessions and then the appropriate supporting sessions. What truly fits in life.
- MANY go too hard (get too excited) in the easy sessions. They let effort creep and run/ride too strong. For reference: tomorrow's podcast guest is Jesse Thomas. He ran ~ 5.15 pace per mile off the bike in a 70.3 His easy run pace was ~ 8 to 8.30 pace per mile. THAT easy:)
- There is a time-rich and time-starved view. I would be cautious of jumping into the program (mid-year remember) and adding more total hours than you were before. If you were used to doing 12... do 12 hours. Do it by:
* Executing the key sessions well.
* Nailing the endurance work and supporting
* Ensuring strength work gets done
* ANYTHING left over (if there is) are the lower stress and social supporting sessions.
Does that make sense?
ONE more thing: with a time-starved approach, I honesty think there are massive flaws with aligning training load and the typical used tracking measurements (CTL/ATL etc).. it is a nice start and certainly flags potential issues -- just as yours has -- but the over-obsession in the sports world is a net negative. I prefer ANY metric / tracking begin a backdrop and afterthought, with the daily subjective lens and global life stress/decision making being KING. I would urge you to simply on that, despite likely loving it as it aligns with your natural brain state (I assume;)
-
N:
Coach Matt, thanks for opening up this forum. With races being cancelled outright or postponed to later dates, which may, in turn, end up getting cancelled, I'm seriously considering just scrapping this race season. The alternative - - chasing the moving goal posts of rescheduled races - - does not seem appealing from a health or fitness (or mental health!) standpoint. So, assuming we are not looking to peak for a race season this year, but we still want to progress (and avoid sitting on the couch eating Twinkies all day), is there any tweaks we should make to our mindset or the baseline plan for the rest of the year? Thanks again.
To answer... great question and my counsel would be: THERE IS NO NEED TO DECIDE ANYTHING. I think 90% of athletes mindset should be this:
1. I am going to advance as an athlete.
2. The TRAINING right now can be really really productive as it is not interrupted by races!
3. I can actually evolve and grow -- simply by executing the baseline and staying committed. I am actually going to IMPROVE.
then -- in 6, 8, 10, 12 weeks.. - we will have so much clarity, at least more clarity, as to where races are at. THEN might be a time to say 'you know what, I feel great, I am going to do a 4, 6 week ramp into an event'. Guess what? I bet you fly! OR... 'OK, great stuff, but I am going to chill and not worry about racing until next year.. but I have seriously improved and am primed to be ready to put the racing hat back on in 2021'.
EITHER way... the performance journey has progressed.
I would decompress on the worry of race builds. In fact, almost every single athlete should do that. Stick to baseline, improve, have fun and little pressure and you can evolve! Make sense?
-
Liz:
My 70.3 is still scheduled for end of August. I have put a race build in my programme but will the current programme see me ready to step up to race build or should I be doing something else?
Thanks so much for this. SIMPLE. REMOVE THAT race build. It is too foggy and the work right now is SO aligned with needs, and helps keep simple. Follow the baseline. If good enough for my pros, OK for you! I honestly would not hit a race build. As I mention above, you can hit some outside riding... and add some running miles if you wish, but KEEP the central focus as the baseline. I am urging nearly everyone on this track. It will only take ~ 4 weeks to prime up to race in August (honestly;)!
MD
-
For those of us getting back to the pool, it is possible to start the artery swims from the beginning again or somehow adjust for the lack of swimming for two months? Just had first dip in the pool yesterday (and even with some bandwork with John), the triceps and the overall feel was rough. Definitely 10 to 15 secs/100 yds off. The thought of doing advanced artery work right now....
Maybe there is a more general answer to a more general question of easing back into swimming in the pool. For now I'm trying the time-starved versions to keep from fatigue spiral (especially with a run the same day(s)).
Thanks Coach!
J
-
Jeff: super Q. Your feelings are in line with universal, so no need to panic. BUT. it will only take 4-5 swims for that feeling to dilute, and the ramp back to feeling strong will be incredibly steep. That's a good thing. In the meantime, we are mapping a 3 week 'return to swimming' protocol. I decided to do it as an EDU piece and PDF, over implementing in plan format. The reason for this is that it is easy to print, share and navigate .. with so many in varying places relative to pool openings etc. Georgia: Come on in everyone! It's a pool party! California: We open in October, 1 person every 3 hours, with full car-wash disinfectant and 7 day quarantine following each swim.
Tough to plan for all that craziness, so an EDU piece better in my mind. MD
-
Thanks for offering this Matt! So, as a female over 40 I know it's important to lift heavy weights (Stacy Sims' recommendation). Can you recommend how to incorporate that into our existing strength sessions? I see a lot of what we are doing is body weight based (which is great), but want to merge the two. Also, what would be the key "lift heavy" moves you would recommend doing?
My other question just mirrors what the others have shared - anxiety about late 3Q and 4Q long distance races, and whether they will be held (i.e. when do we start worrying about them, training for them etc). :-)
Thanks!
-
Caldwellkall More than get the situation -- and the reason we built up the sessions as were is due to the situation. We are finishing up the next iteration of the strength program as we speak. It is brand new and still accessible for in-home, but adds Kettlebells, Dumbells etc. It is .. or can be.. tough. I think it provides enough load. BUT: The additions (if gym-able) would be:
* Weighted Squats
* Weighted deadlifts
* Upper body weighted (chest, lat pulls)
If in addition (or replace the squats in the program with weighted) then you are gold.
So far as racing: FAR from panic, lean in at this time. I have a sneaking feeling that many are going to race very very well... from an accidental build. It won't take long to emerge... and we have time. Enjoy the freedom for now MD
-
HI Matt,
I am expecting that I will not be able to race at all in the UK this year.
This is fine, and as a new squad member I am perfectly motivated to strive to improve things that I have neglected in the past, like strength etc. and so am loving the strength and swim cord sessions and certainly taking a long term view
However, as races may begin to re-appear on the calendar later in the year and over the winter months in other parts of the world, will we see the training plans move more towards a race build theme, and if so, will this fit in with those of us who will still be quite a long way from racing again.Thanks!
-
Tony: Super question.
From an IRONMAN standpoint (IM and IM 70.3) -- there will be NO international racing in 2020. That is pretty much confirmed (via my sources). With this said, 2021 may well open up. By then, we will have a MUCH clearer picture and the full allotment of RACE BUILDS will become more applicable.
Right now, I am staying VERY flexible in mindset and adjusting frequently based on most recent 'new truths'. I am asking the team to do the same. We will evolve around what happens, but the most important focus and endeavor is to maintain the baseline around global athlete development. Keep improving and priming, building resilience and capacity. As soon as races really open up, we will 'go', but in a smart race and that is most appropriate for the time it happens. If the World Champs truly do pop in Feb/March then we will DRIVE that way -- for those attending -- and build specific programming for it. We are just monitoring, waiting and priming:). Make sense? MD
Post is closed for comments.
Comments
24 comments