The ‘not so’ Weekly Word:

Hi all – it has been a few weeks since my last Word. We can catch up on many open items listed below. I appreciate your patience with many delays on multiple items these past few weeks. I am still getting used to the new schedule of my life.

This week Word:
Aerobic pacing
Technique takes priority over endurance
Swim clinic
Run pacing

Quick hits:
Post IM Coaching strategy
FRS discount code
Intervals and Swims on aimpcoaching.com
Kits
Austin 70.3 group race and bike transport

Aerobic pacing – as many of you are hitting the heart of the season, keep in mind what got you this fit – steady aerobic work. Often times with races approaching we start pressing for the workouts to tell us something about what our race form is. This compromises not only your training, it compromises your upcoming race! How does this unfold? We push a bit too hard in the workout……”The watts feel good, how about I push just a bit more? Still feels manageable but I am pround of my effort to push a few watts higher – I am getting fitter!” Training is about being in control of your effort, output. In most workouts you could go faster, harder, more powerful…but that is not the stimulus we are looking for. It is more about how well you are absorbing the good training, recovering effectively, and able to repeat it! Stringing together 6-7, even 10 good workouts has more impact on your fitness and racing than the occasional fast training day. Everybody’s aerobic pacing is different of course – but the common theme is your ability to maintain control of your effort, knowing you have plenty of extra gears to push. An example may be riding 3ish hours whereby you hold steady upper Z2/low Z3 effort. Sure, you can creep higher into Z3, and it might even feel better there, but you don’t: instead good cadence, a good pedal stroke, relaxed position, and the ability to stay at this effort level uninterrupted for the majority of your ride. Now, you get off the bike, and while you could pop 7’/miles, instead you run 7.15’s longer, cleaner and more confidently – focusing on the form aspects you specifically might need to work on. Aerobic pacing: Not about what you CAN do…its about what you SHOULD be doing.

Which brings me to my next point: technique in training takes priority over endurance. If you can’t do it clean, effectively, with good form and technique – you are not ‘really’ doing it…sure we can keep riding while pedaling squares. We can keep running with heavy feet and hips falling on each step..or even swim with rubber arms, no real pull through. But if you can maintain form and technique WHILE going fast, while holding watts, pace or an interval, you know it feels right and you are getting stronger, fitter as well as building a capacity to maintain longer in races. Now, this does not mean break off workouts these next few weeks as soon as your form falls apart. The ability to know when form & technique fall off, and to re-engage a few times in your workout, will have a huge impact. Over the next few weeks try to notice when this happens and try to stick to technique first, not endurance, watts, speed, or an interval. You are better off stopping the interval or shortening until the next one if the form and technique fall off too dramatically. But you first need to be aware and feel this!

Swim Clinic – On July 22 I have the IVC pool rented for 4 hrs. Not only will we have our usual solid swim workout for all, but I would like to spend time with anyone of you going over technique. I will limit the ‘clinic’ spots to 10 participants. This will include stretch cord instruction, video taping, wetsuit tips and strategy, open water technique and more. We will start with a swim workout, and then swim clinic participants stay the additional time for us to work on your swimming. Lastly we will go to lunch after to go over any other items and questions for swimming in triathlon that you may have. Pricing will be $75 for all 4 hrs for AIMPers, $100 for non-coached atheltes that may want to join.

Run Pacing: I often read notes of athletes running too hard off the bike or even early on in their solo runs. I wonder why these athletes run 7:15s off the bike but are 1:45 Half IM runners. Or some even hit low 6’s yet do not crack the 1:30 mark for a Half. As mentioned above: if technique and form, as well as effort are in control, and we are still clicking out that pace, then you are racing too slow! But otherwise, try to run at a pace that is slightly faster than your GOAL RACE PACE (neg. split later on in the run is FINE!!). If you plan to break 1:40 at your next 70.3 run, then practice pacing a tight 7.20-7.40 pace, not 6.50s! Save the free speed for the races! Understand how it feels with all your body signals: tired, fresh, off the bike, stand alone. You start clicking slightly faster than goal pace at ANY time – then you will be able to confidently go into a race knowing you have prepped for all scenarios.

Quick hits:

Many of you wonder why I wait 1-2 weeks after your IM race to review your race write ups. IM is a very time consuming sport, we invest a lot of emotion, we sacrifice a lot of time. Therefore, how we feel immediately after an A race is not an accurate assessment of our race day. I like to always give you 10-14 days off, reflect on the day, your training and performance relative to each other, what the next steps might be according to your observations. It’s not that I am ignoring you!
FRS has sent us a generous discount code. Please use TriFrs30 for 30% off and free shipping.
Please remember if you need a swim practice or intervals for your own training – I post weekly on the aimpcoaching.com website. Under the athletes tab.
Kits: you have all seen them on Facebook. We finally have AIMP jerseys, vests and arm warmers. For now this is all I plan to do. I would like to get a good feel for how it went. Then we’ll look into race tops and more items. I did not do bibs because they are so specific in comfort and design to so many people. Please email Yi for any order questions, orders, sizing etc.
Austin 70.3 – so far we have 12 AIMPers racing. I would like to turn this into a season ending AIMP race. Nick and I will bring your bikes, and I will race too. I think it will be fun to have so many of us at a race, late in the season. A great town, a good race and plenty of fun to be had after our morning race!

Have a great week – hope to check in later next week again with some observations and lessons from the AIMP Mini Camp here in the Lou!