I recently posted two training plans to TrainingPeaks.com: a cycling Base fitness plan and a 70.3 triathlon plan. Both are 13 weeks and cost $99. If you're interested in either, they are now available for sneak peeks and purchase. You can find them here.
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/training-and-nutrition-plans.aspx?c=246457
Some great race results coming in:
John Dang - 2nd at the Fontana National MTB XC race.
Jon Umlor - 4:53 Oceanside 1/2 IM. a Personal Best for that race by 17 minutes. Outstanding considering he dealt with bronchitis early in the season and was in a car accident this past week and had some back pain to deal with. Looking strong for IMSG!
Meanwhile, Kerry Waldman has been cleaning up the in Cat 3 Clydesdales with two wins and a 4th in the US Cup MTB series.
2010 is off to a great start!
E.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
I-Pod: Pump it or Dump it?
A while back, the headphones for my MP3 player stopped working. Tired of shelling out $15 every few months to replace them, I simply began training without them. While training was a little boring, at first, slowly the advice I had been ignoring about listening to breathing as an indicator of effort made sense. I began to notice how accurately I could judge my effort by the quality, rate and sound of my breathing. I no longer stared at my heart rate monitor, but only stole quick glances, confirming I was working at the effort my breathing indicated.
At my very next race, I ran my way to a PR and my first podium ever. Why? Besides training well, I realized training without headphones more closely mimicked race conditions. I developed a better correlation between my perceived effort, heart rate and my breathing. Without music to distract me, my heavy, labored, and ragged breathing during the race sounded just like it did during the high-intensity workouts I completed in the weeks leading up to the race. I knew exactly when I was going too hard or too easy, based on the sound of my breathing, and more accurately paced myself for the race without using a heart rare monitor or power meter. My training methods improved and, therefore, my racing improved.
Still not convinced you should stop training with an MP3 player? Worried you’ll be bored out of your mind? Here are more reasons for leaving it at home.
Safety – You can’t hear vehicles approaching you with headphones on; vehicles approaching from side streets are especially difficult to see as you cannot hear them until you are in the intersection; directly in front of the speeding car. When cycling or running in a group, hearing directions or warnings about hazards becomes difficult and you could injure yourself or another person. As such, my steady riding group has a moratorium on wearing headphones on group rides.
Hearing Loss – Long-term use of headphones at elevated volume levels has been shown to contribute to Noise Induced Hearing Loss [1]. If you value your hearing, turn it down (or even off!).
Headphones or headsets are banned at most races. At Ironman events, headphones or headsets are not permitted during any portion of the event. USAT rules also prohibit such devices, but leaves the ultimate decision up to the Head Referee at individual events.
“Rule 3.4 i. Unauthorized Accessories. No participant shall, at any time during the event, use or wear a hard cast, headset, radio, personal audio device, or any other item deemed dangerous by the Head Referee. Any violation of this section shall result in a variable time penalty.”2
Training is supposed to prepare you for racing. The more closely your training mimics your racing, the better prepared you are for race day. By constantly training with an MP3 player, you become reliant on it for pacing and motivation. When race day comes around, you may find yourself yearning for your favorite tune to get you through the tough patches. Better to get used to biking and running without it so you’re used to dealing with tough stretches on your own, without the MP3 player crutch.
The importance of correlating your heart rate, perceived exertion and breathing is worth repeating. Ironman and ½ IM competitors should consider racing with a heart rate device or power meter for accurate pacing during the event. For shorter events, line Olympic Distance, Sprints or Xterra races, chances are your heart rate will be higher than you’re used to and you’re likely to slow down when you see that high heart rate. As a result, I don’t race with one and recommend my athletes don’t either.
How well do you pace yourself? If you’ve been using headphones during your training, chances are you’ve been pacing off how your legs feel, wound up going out too hard initially and ran out of gas at the end. If you train without headphones, you’ll be used to what your breathing sounds like at given effort levels and heart rates. In this way you can adjust your pace based on what your breathing sounds like and accurately pace yourself without the inconvenience of wearing a heart rate strap or the wasted time in transition while you put it on. Moreover, you’re used to how awful your breathing sounds at the high effort levels required for short course or Xterra-type racing. You’ll also know exactly how to time that last surge to the finish and maybe, finally catch that competitor you’ve been chasing all season!
Eric Palmer is a USA Cycling certified coach and an Affiliate Coach for Training Bible Coaching. He can be contacted via e-mail at LyroVk@aol.com or through his coaching website: http://www.ericpalmerendurancecoaching.blogspot.com/.
[1] The Hearing Journal, October 2007, Vol. 60, No.10
2 www.usatriathlon.org
E.
At my very next race, I ran my way to a PR and my first podium ever. Why? Besides training well, I realized training without headphones more closely mimicked race conditions. I developed a better correlation between my perceived effort, heart rate and my breathing. Without music to distract me, my heavy, labored, and ragged breathing during the race sounded just like it did during the high-intensity workouts I completed in the weeks leading up to the race. I knew exactly when I was going too hard or too easy, based on the sound of my breathing, and more accurately paced myself for the race without using a heart rare monitor or power meter. My training methods improved and, therefore, my racing improved.
Still not convinced you should stop training with an MP3 player? Worried you’ll be bored out of your mind? Here are more reasons for leaving it at home.
Safety – You can’t hear vehicles approaching you with headphones on; vehicles approaching from side streets are especially difficult to see as you cannot hear them until you are in the intersection; directly in front of the speeding car. When cycling or running in a group, hearing directions or warnings about hazards becomes difficult and you could injure yourself or another person. As such, my steady riding group has a moratorium on wearing headphones on group rides.
Hearing Loss – Long-term use of headphones at elevated volume levels has been shown to contribute to Noise Induced Hearing Loss [1]. If you value your hearing, turn it down (or even off!).
Headphones or headsets are banned at most races. At Ironman events, headphones or headsets are not permitted during any portion of the event. USAT rules also prohibit such devices, but leaves the ultimate decision up to the Head Referee at individual events.
“Rule 3.4 i. Unauthorized Accessories. No participant shall, at any time during the event, use or wear a hard cast, headset, radio, personal audio device, or any other item deemed dangerous by the Head Referee. Any violation of this section shall result in a variable time penalty.”2
Training is supposed to prepare you for racing. The more closely your training mimics your racing, the better prepared you are for race day. By constantly training with an MP3 player, you become reliant on it for pacing and motivation. When race day comes around, you may find yourself yearning for your favorite tune to get you through the tough patches. Better to get used to biking and running without it so you’re used to dealing with tough stretches on your own, without the MP3 player crutch.
The importance of correlating your heart rate, perceived exertion and breathing is worth repeating. Ironman and ½ IM competitors should consider racing with a heart rate device or power meter for accurate pacing during the event. For shorter events, line Olympic Distance, Sprints or Xterra races, chances are your heart rate will be higher than you’re used to and you’re likely to slow down when you see that high heart rate. As a result, I don’t race with one and recommend my athletes don’t either.
How well do you pace yourself? If you’ve been using headphones during your training, chances are you’ve been pacing off how your legs feel, wound up going out too hard initially and ran out of gas at the end. If you train without headphones, you’ll be used to what your breathing sounds like at given effort levels and heart rates. In this way you can adjust your pace based on what your breathing sounds like and accurately pace yourself without the inconvenience of wearing a heart rate strap or the wasted time in transition while you put it on. Moreover, you’re used to how awful your breathing sounds at the high effort levels required for short course or Xterra-type racing. You’ll also know exactly how to time that last surge to the finish and maybe, finally catch that competitor you’ve been chasing all season!
Eric Palmer is a USA Cycling certified coach and an Affiliate Coach for Training Bible Coaching. He can be contacted via e-mail at LyroVk@aol.com or through his coaching website: http://www.ericpalmerendurancecoaching.blogspot.com/.
[1] The Hearing Journal, October 2007, Vol. 60, No.10
2 www.usatriathlon.org
E.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
2009 Wrapping Up
Sorry for the lack of posts. Since I only coach part-time, sometimes updating the coaching 'blog gets put on the back burner.
A quick note, I still have a few slots available for athletes interested in working with me for 2010. For cyclists, I recommend starting very soon if Sea Otter will be your focus in the early season. Triathletes still have a few weeks if you plan to race well in May and June, but wait too long and you'll be playing catch-up. Not a good situation to be in.
Some notable results recently:
Scott Holland finished his first EVER 50 mile MTB race at the So Cal Fat Tire Epic and put together a SOLID finish (3rd in Men's Cat 3) despite 3 flats and some nutritional issues.
Mykyta Urtyn leads the So Cal Triple Crown Series in Cat 2 25-29 and placed 3rd in Men's Sport this past weekend at the 12 Hours of Temecula. This was only Mykyta's 2nd race at this distance and thos of you in the loop know how stacked this race was.
Last, but certainly not least, Jon Umlor race IM 70.3 World's in Clearwater, FL and put down an amazing race finishing in 4:22 and exceeding my expectations. Jon came to me mid-season after an early-season DNF and I'm damn proud to have been able to help him make his season goal of qualifying for 70.3 World's. A 1/2 IM PR is a thick layer of icing on the cake, though!
Congrats to all my athletes! Seeing your accomplishments brings me such happiness, I cannot begin to describe it. I look forward to working with all of you (and you new folks) in 2010!
Eric (Coach Zippy)
A quick note, I still have a few slots available for athletes interested in working with me for 2010. For cyclists, I recommend starting very soon if Sea Otter will be your focus in the early season. Triathletes still have a few weeks if you plan to race well in May and June, but wait too long and you'll be playing catch-up. Not a good situation to be in.
Some notable results recently:
Scott Holland finished his first EVER 50 mile MTB race at the So Cal Fat Tire Epic and put together a SOLID finish (3rd in Men's Cat 3) despite 3 flats and some nutritional issues.
Mykyta Urtyn leads the So Cal Triple Crown Series in Cat 2 25-29 and placed 3rd in Men's Sport this past weekend at the 12 Hours of Temecula. This was only Mykyta's 2nd race at this distance and thos of you in the loop know how stacked this race was.
Last, but certainly not least, Jon Umlor race IM 70.3 World's in Clearwater, FL and put down an amazing race finishing in 4:22 and exceeding my expectations. Jon came to me mid-season after an early-season DNF and I'm damn proud to have been able to help him make his season goal of qualifying for 70.3 World's. A 1/2 IM PR is a thick layer of icing on the cake, though!
Congrats to all my athletes! Seeing your accomplishments brings me such happiness, I cannot begin to describe it. I look forward to working with all of you (and you new folks) in 2010!
Eric (Coach Zippy)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Rim Nordic #4
Congrats go out to Clint Campbell for taking the Cat 2 win at Rim Nordic this past weekend. Clint't win in round 4 netted him the overall series win for his class as well. Great job, Clint!
Vlad Popovic rode strong as well and finished 2nd in his class.
Great job, guys!
Vlad Popovic rode strong as well and finished 2nd in his class.
Great job, guys!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Race Results
Congrats to Scott Holland for taking 2nd place at Racers and Chasers this past weekend in his first ever Cat 2 race. Scott missed first by just a few seconds.
In other news, Jon Umlor finished the Lake Stevens 70.3 in 5:05 (a personal best) taking 20th in the 35-39 age group and qualifying for the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater this November. Congrats, Jon!
You guys are killing it!
In other news, Jon Umlor finished the Lake Stevens 70.3 in 5:05 (a personal best) taking 20th in the 35-39 age group and qualifying for the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater this November. Congrats, Jon!You guys are killing it!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Carlsbad Triathlon
Congratulations to Jon Umlor for placing 5th in the 30-34 age group and top 50 overall at the Carlsbad Triathlon this past weekend. I'm especially pleased since Jon is training for the 1/2 IM distance! Nice job Jon!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Big Bear Shoot-Out #2
This weekend marked the last race in the Mountain Bike So Cal Championship Series. Congratulations are due to:
Clint Campbell who finished 4th in Cat 2 40-45; placing him 3rd overall in the series. Great job, Clint!
Kris Hernandez: So Cal Series Winner for Cat 3 Clydesdales under 34. Congrats Kris!
Clint Campbell who finished 4th in Cat 2 40-45; placing him 3rd overall in the series. Great job, Clint!
Kris Hernandez: So Cal Series Winner for Cat 3 Clydesdales under 34. Congrats Kris!
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