Training in the Outseason

Outseason Training Plan

What are you supposed to do in the outseason?  Do you log long slow miles?  Or is volume not very important?  Should you stay in aerobic zones and build an endurance base?  How about some speedwork to raise your pace?  But you don’t want to peak right now so is speedwork a waste of time at this stage of the year?  Do you spend time recovering from the previous season? 

There is so much information out there about training plans that take you from January to race day, but I could find very little on what to do between October and January.  When I did find something, there was little detail and often conflicting with other peoples views. 

A Coach?

I am not at the level where I would consider a coach to provide these answers.  My schedule for next year is such that a coach would probably tell me to scale back.  Whilst I want to do well in races, and improve on my current level, the experience of triathlon and the training involved is what I enjoy most at the moment.  Sacrificing the LEJOG trip might help my performance in Ironman UK, but I would miss out on an amazing experience.  Ironman Wales six weeks after Ironman UK is a bad idea, a coach would tell me.  I need to determine a training plan that allows me to fit all these things in.  When I'm ready to make sacrifices and focus on single races, then a coach might be the answer.

Training Plans

Last year my training philosophy was based on aerobic training.  Slow miles.  Staying at or below Zone 2.  However, now I have a bit of an endurance base, I want to increase my speed.  Having a higher top end speed will surely mean that my definition of slow actually increases.  For running, staying in aerobic zone (zone 2) meant that I was running 5.20k pace.  At the moment, following a conscious effort to increase my speed, I am running at below 5.00 pace for the same heart rate.  I want my slow aerobic pace to be closer to 4.45 pace.

My training philosophy for this year is to build on the endurance gains made in the year and add some speed.

I did a little research at the various coaches and training plans out there to see if there was something that fit with my current thinking and would help me get to the early part of next year in good shape and ready to train for Ironman.

I came across Endurance Nation – a US based coaching company.  Their philosophy is build speed now and increase the distance later (build fast, then far).  Their philosophy is not based on aerobic training, but is more focussed on training at a specific pace.  You train slow, you race slow.  They also argue that traditional models of training, increasing both the mileage and the intensity the closer you get to race day, is a high risk strategy.  Having had running injuries in the build up to both Switzerland and Lake Placid, I would tend to agree with them! 

They have produced an outseason training plan, which has a greater focus on intensity and speed for both running and cycling.  Higher speed and less volume in the outseason.  The plan makes more use of interval sets than I am currently used to – either as a complete short, sharp session or as a smaller part of a longer session.  The plan is not particularly exciting and is based on similar sessions each week.  Consistency.  I have purchased this plan and am broadly following it, being flexible enough to let life interfere.

The ‘No Swim’ Plan

My outseason plan does not include any swimming.  For me, the biggest gains are to be made on the bike and on the run.  This plan fits with my own thinking – I would have to work incredibly hard to drop my swim time from 55 minutes to 50 minutes.  Swimming is also very time consuming.  When you factor in all of the travelling time, a weekday masters swim session takes up the best part of 3 hours.  For the additional hours that I would spend in the pool trying to achieve that five minute gain, I would be better concentrating on the run and improving my 4.14 marathon at Lake Placid to something closer to 3.45.  Swimming will start again, probably in late January or early February. 

Early Results

Although it is early days, the signs are encouraging.  I can feel my run speed improving.  My October 10k saw me hit 39 minutes for the run – a massive PB.  I have increased the frequency of cycling and am getting to know my turbo trainer again.

Time will tell whether this approach will work – but I’m excited about giving it a go! 

2011 Race Schedule

Well, my 2011 race season looks like it is mapped out. 

Following two Ironman races abroad over the past two years, I have decided to do a UK based race for 2011.  The cost of the Lake Placid trip was ‘significant’ so Lynn and I thought we would scale it back a bit next year.  I had to decide between two July races - Ironman UK and Outlaw ... or so I thought.  All of a sudden, two new Ironman events popped up to make my decision that much harder!  Ironman Wales and Challenge Henley are both new events and both take place in September.

Like a greedy kid in a sweet shop I have opted for two races ... Ironman UK in July and then Ironman Wales in September.  The races are just six weeks apart!

Although Outlaw looks like a fast course, Ironman UK is in Bolton – less than an hour from home.  This event has had some mixed reviews - but it would be a shame not to do an Ironman that was so close.  We will probably only book a hotel for the night before the race. 

Following this race I plan to have two weeks recovery, maintaining swimming technique only, then three weeks proper training, one week taper ... BOOM!

Ironman Wales looks really nice, with a sea swim and then glorious views on the bike and the run.  Lynn and I have decided to make a holiday out of it, booking a cottage in Tenby from the Friday before the race to the following Friday. 

Added to these two races, Mersey Tri have two cycling trips in 2011 that I don’t want to miss.  The first is the club trip to Ireland at the end of May.  This will be a good training week, with a good mix of cycling, running and open water swimming. 

The second event is the Land End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) cycling trip.  This will be more intense than the Ireland trip, with daily miles averaging between 120 – 140 miles a day.  This trip takes place in the first week of July.

Training for the Ironman races will need to factor in these two trips, both of which are big cycling blocks.  The LEJOG trip will be ‘slow’ miles, often climbing – and not the specific TT threshold efforts that a ‘normal’ training plan would contain.  However, bike fitness and strength should improve considerably after this trip.

The plan for the year will look something like this:

• Conwy Half Marathon – 21^st November
• Helsby Four Villages Half Marathon – 23^rd January
• Liverpool Half Marathon – 27 March
• Mersey Tri Duathlon - April
• Ireland trip – 22-29 May
• Bala Middle Distance – June
• Liverpool Olympic Distance – June
• Lands End to John O’Groats – 1^st – 8^th July
• Ironman UK – 31^st July
• Ironman Wales – 11^th September
• Liverpool Marathon – 9^th October

Now I just need to create a training plan that factors in the schedule above!

Liverpool 10k

This month started off well with the Liverpool 10k race in and around Sefton Park.  Going into the race I had aspirations of a 42 minute 10k – which would be over a 2 minute improvement on my previous best (set two years earlier).  I knew I was capable of getting a PB (which was 44 minutes) as I'd been able to run 45 minutes off the bike during two Olympic Distance Triathlons this year.  However, when I set my Garmin to pace me at 4.12 k pace – this now seemed a bit quick and maybe a bit ambitious.

Starting towards the front of the field (of about 1600 people) in the rain and the mud of Sefton Park, the first 100m or so were a little treacherous with lots of feet slipping around me.  Once out onto the road, with a solid surface underneath me, the race really started.  I set off at what I thought was a comfortably fast pace.  However, I knew I was running a bit quicker than I expected as I could still see the leaders – very unusual - and the pace on my watch read 3.45!  That’ll explain it then!!  I managed to keep this pace up for the first couple of k’s - feeling pretty good too - but when I noticed my HR had hit 184 after 3k of the race I thought it was time to reign in the heroics and save a bit of gas. 

At the 5k point, my watch had me at 19.55 – a new 5k PB!  At the 7k mark, despite feeling the pace of the first few k's, I figured I could turn up the heat and let the pace creep up again – knowing that I had a maximum of 12 minutes until the finish.  After a few twists and turns inside the park, followed by a 400m dash across the mud to the finish, the race was over – in 53^rd place and in a PB smashing 39 minutes and 32 seconds!