C26 Coach Robbie talks about FTP and the differences between riding inside on the trainer and going outside.
You don’t change your power based on terrain, you change your cadence based on the power you’re supposed to maintain.
If you can get outside consistently with a power meter, it’s a good time to get out and readjust. Power outside, for many is significantly higher. The watts or zones of the effort level is much different.
It’s physically and emotionally harder to produce power inside.
Here’s a little look at what it’s like to ride in what we affectionately call “The Lab” here in Nashville. These athletes are all from our April 2018 Triathlon Camp and were taking part in a “Power Hour” ride before busting out a hard 5k off the bike. Everyone brought an unbelievable attitude and effort into town and then all left stronger and more confident. For more information on Crushing Iron Triathlon Camps, please see the “Camps” tab on this sight. June currently has a waiting list but August may have an opening. We also have openings in our swim only camps.
By Coach Robbie
Over the weekend I woke up super pumped for what I expected would be a harder than normal ride. However I was coming off an easier day just before so I “assumed” I would be fresh and ready for one of my harder main sets. Just because I assumed I was fresh made success inevitable right?
The main set was 7min at 100% FTP, 5min at 105%, 2 x 3:00 at 110% and then 2 x 2:00 at 115%. All on 3:00 very easy recovery. I thought I had it in the bag before I even got on my trainer. About midway through my first 7min interval I knew this would be much, much harder than I thought. Was it my ego or was it really that I did not have the mindset when I started?
The reality is that I just wasn’t ready to put up a fight when the pain came. I finished the first 7min interval barely hanging on for dear life and thoughts of quitting had already entered my mind. I took my 3:00 recovery and then proceeded to totally bail midway through the next 5:00 interval. I told myself “I just did not have it today” and just finished out my 1:30 in a zone 2 moderate effort a bit disgusted. It did not sit well with me the rest of the day. The truth isn’t that I “just did not have it.” Its that I did not choose TO HAVE IT.
I had told myself a story that it was my “legs that did not have it” and just move on to fight another day. Don’t get me wrong. That happens a lot and as you know I always encourage you to listen to your body. I was much more disappointed in my effort and mindset then my ability to perform. I went to bed that night and told myself that if I had the opportunity to do just the main set the next day I would take it. I would not obsess over the numbers but I did want a better effort.
The next morning I hopped back on the trainer with just my music, the baby monitor and a mindset that said ” No matter how bad it hurts…. I am ready for the pain and I will do this to the best of my ability.
About 50mins and a lot of pain later I had nailed every interval with a little extra each one just for good measure. Was I proud of my numbers? Sure. I was more pleased and proud of my effort and my mindset. You see, every single training session is hard. Every single one. The 25min chill runs, the easy rides, the interval sessions, etc. They all bring their own challenges and life, work, relationships just compound the difficulty. The fact is that every day we have to be prepared to meet the challenge and not assume we can just “do it”. We must be ready and expect it to be painful. To hurt. To be uncomfortable. If we do not, then we usually get beat and we throw away an opportunity.
When I was first getting sober a little over 4 years ago someone told me that it was not the really the great times or the roughest times that caused people to drink again. It was not the promotions, the parties, the trauma or the tragedies or even the triumphs that make people pick up. It was the Tuesdays that killed people. The days where you just “thought you would have it.” The days you don’t do all the little things you know will lead to success. Those are the days that kill us. Training and recovery have many similarities. It takes consistency, commitment, hard work and it must be done every day in order to be really successful. Never take anything for grated and always choose to do your best and be successful.
I’ll never forget the first time I was on a triathlon TT bike, I felt like an idiot. It was nothing like my childhood days of riding to pool. It was a stiff, awkward, and uncomfortable experience . . . never mind trying to lay down in the aero bars.
Eventually my body adapted and I learned to “tolerate” riding on my fancy new tri-bike. But I made a lot of mistakes that could have made my cycling a lot more enjoyable.
Cycling is probably the most complex of the three sports in triathlon. It also takes the most time, which is why it’s important to simplify as much as possible.
In today’s podcast we dive into the nuts and bolts of cycling in a way that helps you become a better cyclist without all the confusion.
For example, it’s not uncommon to spend hours researching and buying an expensive helmet that will do far less for you than getting a good bike fit. We also talk about a major mistake most people make when training in effort zones. There’s some good stuff that I think will re-callibrate your riding senses.
Also covered in this podcast:
– Choosing the right bike
– What results you need from a bike fit
– Solid Baselines for your training
– Understanding Zones 1-5
– Why you’re likely making a common training Zone Mistake
– Training with RPE, HR, and Power Meters
– Picking the right helmet
– Buying a suit
– Hydration set up
– Race Wheels
Let us know what you think at [email protected]. Also check out our popular series “How To Not Suck At Swimming.”
When I think back to training for my first Ironman, there’s one word that always pops up: uncertainty. It’s just such a great unknown that there’s no way to really assure yourself you’re going to finish. And yes, while I floated in Lake Monona that cool Fall morning waiting for the Ironman Wisconsin cannon there was a lot of doubt.
I mean, how can you know? I never came close to completing 140.6 miles in one day of training.
But there were signs along the way. Doing an Ironman 70.3 in Muncie definitely gave me a glimmer of hope. Even still, that was only HALF of the distance.
Then, shortly after that 70.3 I rode my first Century Ride to the tune of 120 miles on the challenging terrain of Natchez Trace in Nashville. It was also raining much of that day, and while I was absolutely fried, I began to “see” the possibilities in my mind.
And I think that’s the key. Something has to click.
Going into that first Ironman, my furthest run of my life was only 14 miles, but for some reason I instinctively knew that I could slog my way through the marathon. Especially if my legs were strong from riding.
I was still building base in every discipline, but spent a ton of hours on spin bikes and the trainer. Ultimately, I believe it was the purposeful 1.5 – 2 hour trainer rides that made the difference for me. The hard crunching big gears and the sweat dripping high cadence rides not only produced a strong bike at Wisconsin, but a solid run despite never coming close to a marathon beforehand.
I feel like the marathon looms in everyone’s head, but the true anxiety of Ironman is in the swim and bike. To me, that is the exact reason the swim and bike should be the first two priorities, especially for age groupers doing their first Ironman.
That’s exactly what we talk about with fellow age grouper, Blaik, who was the first guest on our Crushing Iron podcast (embedded below).
Blaik was training for Ironman Lake Placid (his first) and putting much of his faith in Coach Robbie, who didn’t seem to be prescribing enough running. Blaik isn’t a huge fan of running, but was still a little unsure why his training was so bike heavy with very few long runs.
As it turned out, Blaik ended up negative splitting his marathon at Lake Placid, and while it wasn’t his best time, he felt like it was his best marathon performance to date.
On this podcast Blaik walks us through how he responded to a full year off due to injury and turned up his swim and bike on the way to his first Ironman finish in Lake Placid.
Here are just a few of the things we talk about:
Here is your first Crushing Iron FRIDAY FIVE. Each week we will dig up enlightening reads and training strategies for Swim, Bike, Run, a Wild Card and Bonus. We’ll also embed a motivational video. Hopefully this helps you get through some of these long Winter training weekends.
The swim rarely gets the credit it deserves in triathlon, but it is by far the place people house the most anxiety. I’ve been known to hold onto a few kayaks in my day, but over time that can be “cured.” This article from Purple Patch Fitness outlines some good stuff so you can “Nail Your Swim.”
So many people I know get on a trainer with their headphones and just crank out the hours. But, like everything else in triathlon, cycling workouts should have a purpose. Here’s a good article from Trainer Road that looks at 3 phases of cycling work, what they mean, and how you should attack them.
From the article:
Like a puzzle, there are three training phases that fit together to illustrate an image of your fitness over the entire training season. Whether you have a goal event in mind, or you’d just like to become a faster cyclist, your training plan will apply the right type of training stress at the right time to make sure you can achieve both.
We talked about the coaching method of Ernst Van Aaken on a recent podcast (Running Slow To Get Fast) and it is changing how I go about my runs. Not only that, I’m really excited about running again. Here’s a link to the article on “Science of Running.”
In some way or another, most triathletes probably dream of Kona, and I’m no exception. I’ve also been fascinated by the conditions and why everyone I know seems to go there and struggle. Here’s a good story from Alan Couzens that explains exactly why racing Kona is so difficult.
“Kona really is an incredibly tough environment to race 140.6 miles in. From the high temperatures that reflect from the lava rock to the wind that sweeps relentlessly across the barren landscape to, perhaps the toughest element of all – the saturating humidity of the place . . .”
Coach Robbie is offering a free consultation ($175 value) to one Crushing Iron fan. To learn how to qualify, listen to our podcast 09-Break Through The Kona Ceiling. Oh, hell, actually, just leave us a review on iTunes and we’ll randomly pick one of you.
Email us: CrushingIron@gmail.com
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Crushing Iron Podcasts are now on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. They are also under the “podcast tab” at CrushingIron.com.
Happy Training.
Coach Robbie and I recently recorded a podcast on off-season training myths. Here’s a taste of the discussion in outline form.
Be sure to subscribe to the Crushing Iron podcast on iTunes.
1 . You Need to Do an Off-Season Marathon
• Marathon training during Ironman training is a surefire way to ignore swim and bike fitness.
• A marathon is harder on your body than a 70.3 and will cause more downtime for recovery.
• Exception: If you do a 2016 late summer, early, or late Fall Ironman, you can carry over the fitness to your marathon.
2. You Should Do Drills And Kicking In Every Workout
• Most triathletes have bad ankle flexibility and/or kick from the knees which makes kicking a waste of time and energy.
• Why spend 10-15 percent of your time reinforcing bad habits when conditioning and arm fitness isn’t there?
• Most triathletes simply aren’t strong enough to maintain good form.
3. You Should Cycle With Watt-Crushing Intensity
• Take a polarized approach. 80% of training should be at level one/level two zone. The other 20% on high intensity.
• Find ways to keep riding enjoyable instead of over-trained and fatigued.
• Think recovery for next workout AND long-term versus just this season.
Here’s the full podcast, which discusses everything above in more detail, plus simplifying swim workouts and post-Ironman Blues. If you have topics or questions, email us at [email protected].
I’ve had a lot of requests for a Music City Triathlon Course Preview so I thought I’d drive down to the river and take care of business. Now, I raced the old course, so my information might not be totally accurate, but really the only information you need is that it is supposed to be 100 degrees that day.
I’ve compiled three expertly crafted videos, one for each portion of the course: swim, bike, and run. Regarding the swim, I think you swim up about a 1/3, then a full length with the current, then 2/3rds back into the current… but please double check when you get there! The bike and run videos are about 5 minutes long, and I know that’s time consuming, but those minutes could save you seconds on this course!!
Please share with your friends who are racing. (That goes for you too Team Magic 🙂
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Music City Triathlon – Swim Course Preview
Music City Triathlon – Bike Course Preview
Music City Triathlon – Run Course Preview
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Even though I am one, sometimes I hate cyclists. Especially when I’m running.
I grew up in the day when you just road your bike and didn’t run into people or in front of cars. We sort of used . . . logic. Sure, sometimes we crashed and did stupid shit, but for the most part, we just rode our bikes and it was all good.
I live near a bike path, which is more often suited for walking or running and many times I will take off on a run. It’s really pretty serene and peaceful. I rarely listen to music and typically drift into a meditative state, at one with my breath.
It’s very quiet and I can normally hear a cyclist coming up behind me if they coast a bit or change gears or talk, etc . . . Sometimes you’ll even get the guy or girl who is hammering away at 17 mph and they just cruise right by you in peace.
I have no problem with any of those scenarios because I am just running on the right side of the path and for the life of me can’t remember the last time I suddenly made a direct left turn to chase a squirrel or pick a mulberry. I just go straight and if the bike goes straight by me on the left, it works just fine!
What I do have a problem with is the guy or girl hammering away at 17 mph who suddenly feels the urge to shout “ON YOUR LEFT” 10 feet away, subsequently scaring the shit out of me and forcing a quick right cut to the far side of the black top and further putting my tender Achilles tendon at risk.
Why???
Just make a little noise, coast, or shift your gears 20 to 30 feet back. Now, if I have a dog or a child or something, it’s different. But in that case you should really slow way down for your pass and use a normal conversational voice. Please don’t be this guy!
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If you’re into mountain biking, the Chequamegon 40 in Hayward, WI has got to be one of the coolest races around. It started in 1983 and over 2,000 riders tear off into the woods and end up 40 miles away at the Telemark Resort in Cable, WI.
I did it once, but have no clue when. Sometime in the late 80’s, I think. All I remember is that three-time Tour de France champion, Greg LeMond won it that year. I came in around 1,000th place.
It’s crazy to watch this and think about nutrition because I had absolutely ZERO plan the day I raced. I’m not kidding when I say may have eaten a bagel that morning and nothing during the race. I think I had two water bottles and that was probably all I drank over 40 miles, which I think took me 2:30.
It’s my last day of rest and this has me pretty pumped.
