I really like Kanute but I can't watch TT videos. He is too annoying.

---

http://www.sfuelsgolonger.com

In his reflections of the race, does he feel as though the profile of the course sapped his legs. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when mapping out this race were the numbers for the run below what was expected? I thought for sure Ben would have held on for a 1:12ish run.

Does Ben see himself going long after Tokyo, it seems like his consistency would play well over 140.6.

---

Team Zoot 2023

Thanks for posting this. Already someone is complaining. I don't see what people's problem is with taren. The guy is incredibly genuine and I really appreciate his videos even if they are a bit hokey.

Anyway, this is really cool data. Can't fathom spending that amount of time at 300+ watts.

What type of short interval bike stuff is Ben doing? 40/20s? How often? I'm wondering what he is doing to increase his max power and how often he's doing it? Or is this just a product of long workouts and lots of miles?

What were his key sessions in each discipline in the weeks leading up to the race.

---

Let food be thy medicine...

How did "Ben" think he did in this race? According to plan, or off the rails somewhere, and if so, where?

Many thanks for the opportunity Jim and for sharing the data. What does Ben's schedule look like for the rest of 2019?

Still doing run-walk sessions?

1. Where do you get this screenshot on TP? I am even struggling to locate my NP, it provides average everywhere and only in the analysis tab it gives IF (which I can use to manually calculate NP). And I have been using TP for a year!

2. 97 cadence? No way. I averaged 79, I am sure he had higher RPM as he obviously went faster, but not 97

Thanks

Do you see TrainingPeaks logo anywhere on that picture? There's other graphs and charts than those in TP, you know? This one is apparently from Today's Plan (https://www.todaysplan.com.au).

TP = Today's plan...it's the same platform I use. It drives me crazy trying to identify the same basic metrics that trainingpeaks provide, one of which being normalized power or VI. Almost nowhere to be seen, some of this stuff is proprietary. I was just wondering how Jim created the custom screenshot

Oh I see, shame on me then, looks like I am the one thinking of TrainingPeaks only!:)
Unfortunatelly I dont think said graph is a screenshot from Today's plan interface, it is a picture you get when you share an activity (there's a share icon in activity detail)

Same tactic as 2017 70.3 Worlds with a less favorable outcome...

1. How do his numbers (particularly HR and power on the bike) compare to Chattanooga?

2. Ben has incredibly high cadence on the bike, likely higher than his run. Do you consider it to be optimal for the 70.3 distance bearing in mind the similarity in his bike and run cadence? (effectively 3.5 hours at a similar cadence range).

What purpose would he have giving out false data? Odd thing to say the data is false.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I am saying the data is likely wrong, not false. Seems like a crazy high cadence so I wonder whether the cadence meter was defective etc. Just curious - or maybe was he pedaling all out on the descent etc?

Gotcha looks like ~ 8 mins of no pedaling if I’m reading that correctly.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Yes, I think every athlete would likely say the bike course sapped their legs. It was a very challenging bike course. The run was a bit of a disappointment, I thought we were prepared enough, apparently not. He did have a slight nutrition issue on the bike, and with them gaping him on the descent, he ran a bit aggressively early, paid for it. I believe Ben could have run 1:10, based on what I've seen in his training, but even if he had, that puts him about 4th again. It's just how the race and the descent played out. Hats off to GI, AB and RVB.

I can't speak to a specific decision or timeline for Ben, but in our discussions there is no rush to 140.6, post-Tokyo. He has hardly scratched the surface of 70.3, as this was just his 8th 70.3 race ever. Jumping to 140.6 at such a young age, (he's only 26), would prematurely end it, and limit his potential.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

It was a tough race, but like I said, it went about how we predicted it would output wise. In the video, the workout he did was....

3x10 mins with 3 mins recovery, first two needed to be aggressive, third one back off (395, 381, 350). Then he climbed Honey Springs Road, which was 371 watts for nearly 30 mins, then a descent down Lyons Valley technical road. Then another 10 mins strong at 360, 3 mins rest, finish with 45 mins steady at 300-310. Transition run off the bike was 4x10 mins at 70.3 goal pace, with 2 mins rest.

The shorter stuff with surges was definitely a part of what he has been doing, although not since Tokyo Test Event, as that is also how we balance it out for Mixed Relay, Super Sprints and 70.3. He was doing about 2 of those workouts per 3 week cycle. I didn't feel the need to do more, as he was showing great response from those and especially the volume work we were doing. For example, his Edmonton WTS race came right after a big volume block.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

See above for one of the key sessions I outlined. For his 70.3 specific phases and sessions, he was doing a lot of tempo run efforts, (up to an hour), and 15-30 min intervals on the bike at 70.3 watts, generally totaling anywhere from 1:40 to 2 hrs. For the swim, it's usually just maintenance for Ben, as he is such a solid swimmer. He swims 2-4 days in a week. Volume phases he swims more, intensity phases he swims less.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Are you at all concerned that the stated goals last year of getting on the podium at 70.3 worlds and making the tokyo olympics mixed team relay could leave him missing both since they are such different events?

Also, what were the deciding factors in Kanute switching from his old to coach to you shortly before 70.3 worlds 2 years ago? I may be mistaken but I think he was with the other coach for pretty much his whole life.

He was disappointed, for sure. We had a long chat about how it went, what the data showed, where the race was decided, and more. The bike and the race up to the run went about how we thought it would. We knew Josh Amberger would really push the swim, so Ben wouldn't have to. He got on the bike quickly took the lead, and we just wanted to make sure we were there for the Col de Vence, knowing that was were AB would go and want to establish himself. We figured the two Norwegians, AB, Rudy, Ben and maybe Heemeryck would be in the mix thru the top, with Kienle coming late. But in the end, before the descent, there were only 4 guys who really had a shot to win, and Ben was one of them. The descent was a huge factor in the outcome. Here's a comparison of Ben vs Gustav on the climb, and you can really see the descent effected Ben.



Ben tried to be prepared for the descent, but once he was alone, he was at a big disadvantage. And with the center line rule coming into play, he of course wasn't able to descend as fast as maybe some could or did. (Center line rule is a whole different conversation, and given that Ben's run wasn't up to snuff, it didn't really matter much to him).

In the end, this was the fittest Ben has ever been, and we expected it to go better. But as I stated previously, if Ben has the race he was capable of, he probably only finishes 4th, due to the descent gap. The bar has raised once again in 70.3 racing at the highest level, so we will get back to work, and continue to progress. I remember when he ran 1:16 at Chattanooga and that was his PR. Now his run PR is 1:12, and we're disappointed with 1:16 and finishing 10th in the world. We are still scratching the surface.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

97rpm isn't unreasonable. Just because you are a grinder doesn't mean everyone else is. And considering how much descending there was it would have been pretty easy to be 100+ rpm for a significant amount of time. You think the pros just coast down the hills? I didn't race this course but I consistently average in the 97-102rpm range when I race.

Just Super League, and maybe another 70.3 race, to qualify for 2020 Worlds. There's a chance at a World Cup, but I'm doubtful about that.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Absolutely. When you take risk in training that can potentially overload the athlete with fatigue, you have to find ways to reduce the training risk in other ways. Run-walk has allowed us to do that. All of his easy and maintenance runs are run-walk.

When I made the decision to have my athletes start doing run-walk, 90+% of the injuries went away.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

My thought/question as well. I really like Ben, and appreciate him and his coach coming on here. I'd love to here as much about their planning/ strategy as they are willing to share.

1. That's Today's Plan. It's an impressive platform that I helped bring from cycling to multisport. Team Sky/Ineos uses it, as well as Trek Segafredo, Matt Dixon and Purple Patch, and a number of other triathlon and cycling coaches. You will see them in Kona.

2. Yes, 97. Here's a breakdown of his watts, the Standard Deviation of watts per section of the course, and the avg cadence in each section.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Does Ben take any supplements? (basically does he consume anything outside of normal foods, sports nutrition such as gels, and caffeine)

Was is just a matter of consistent running and an extra year of training that took him from 1:16-1:12 or did the training change?

If the training changed some to shave those 4 minutes, what did you guys implement that was different then the lead up to 2016 (his 1:16)

Huge fan of you and Ben and always enjoy reading your articles.

In the deeper analysis tab, there's a "Share" button in pink in the top right corner. This blog post shares how to do it, and customize the metrics to share:
https://www.todaysplan.com.au/...es-activity-sharing/

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

1. Chattanooga and South Africa were both higher avg and adjusted/normalized watts. But that really isn't very indicative of the race for a few reasons...
- The big climb and the long descent made for very different race demands, and the goal on the descent was to pedal as little as possible.
- Standard deviation of the watts in Nice was 125w, South Africa was 95w, and Chattanooga was 82w. So 50% change in standard deviation of output from Chattanooga, and about 30% from SA.
- This race was a 2:20 bike split for Ben, South Africa right close to 2 hours, so about 15% longer of a race, so you won't hold as high for that much longer. Chattanooga was about 2:20, but it was also nice and steady after the early, shorter climb, since he was solo off the front.

2. Yes, I think Ben's cadence is excellent. Have you read my book, Triathlon 2.0? I have a big section on bike cadence and run performance in it, with some evidence from Kona. I am a big believer in high bike cadence.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Thanks Jim, very grateful for this. What an amazing aerobic engine he has, 97 is beyond comprehension. I bet you Daniela Ryf was not above 85.

Yes I know today's plan well - this is what my coach uses. Great analytics, unfortunately the interface makes me struggle with retrieving even very simply stuff such as NP and VI.

Thank you again

Well, the stated goal isn't just "making the Tokyo Olympics mixed team relay," it is winning an Olympic medal in the MR in Tokyo. And I would say Ben wants to win 70.3 Worlds as well, not just the podium. There is a balance between the two pursuits, yes. Did that balance effect the result in the end? I'm sure it does somewhat, but the focus on the short work has also probably helped him in the long run. He's only 26, so there's still a lot of racing years left for him.

I think if you look at Rudy, he focused on this race for 2 years, and it showed. He was ready and performed very well on the day. So he showed what a good focus on a particular event can do. For Ben, since 2016 we have made focusing on the MR as the top priority, and supplementing with 70.3.

As for the coaching change, I started working with Ben in October of 2016, so long before the 2017 Worlds. He had been with Adam Zucco for years, and they were collaborating with Ryan Bolton. Bolton took over the reigns about 8 months prior to Rio, and thru Rio. The deciding factor to switch is something he would have to share, as we didn't really discuss it much. But I think the results show his decision has paid off.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

I'm happy to elaborate on it. What do you want to know?

The plan is to write a book about it, if it all works.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

97 is beyond comprehension.//

You seem to be amazed at this number, are you not aware that most of the male pros are in the 90's now? You know what is beyond comprehension, the 120 or so that Cancellera rode when he won the world TT championship, now that was crazy turnover..


And yes, you can cherry pick some folks that still ride low 80's and do very well too, but the norm over the past 4 decades that I have been riding, is to ride higher cadence to get more power, not to push bigger gears at the same RPM...And I believe that if you average all the hour records set over a long period of time, that cadence is about 105 or so too.

No. He's very much about clean sport. He knows there's too much risk in taking anything as unregulated as supplements.



The consistency of running has definitely helped. In our 3 years together we have had one injury, which was a freak injury at Super League Mallorca at the end of last year. So yes, consistency of running has definitely helped. He has also gotten leaner, and we've worked a lot on the neuromuscular side of things, teaching his body to run more efficiently and economically. We've taught him how to jump, (he was an Olympian who didn't really know how to jump if you can believe that). Then we've also addressed the mental aspect of performance. Bobby McGee has been key in helping me design the run programming, and then my job has been to determine where and when to insert those programs.



Thank you.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

No. He's very much about clean sport. He knows there's too much risk in taking anything as unregulated as supplements. //

So no salt pills, or magnesium, or coffee??

Not sure if you're aware, but you can customize Today's Plan to see what you want to see very quickly and easily. Here I have Adjusted Power, (same as NP basically), and Power Variability, (same as VI basically), and Intensity, (same as IF basically). You can see I also have % of time of above threshold, No power duration, his threshold power, and the peaks that I want to see very quickly, among others. Just click on the gear button and set what you want to see.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

It's interesting that Ben is generally lauded as being one of the better cyclists in American triathlon but was significantly gapped on the descent. How will that technical deficiency affect Ben's training moving forward?

In this video RVB didn't obviously break centerline except when passing AB, so I'm curious if you have other video evidence of centerline violations.

This! Thank you both!! Cheers to the future, I feel it will be bright and i'm rooting for Ben!!

In what way have you addressed the mental aspect? What did he need to improve in his mental approach?

---

Group Eleven – Websites for Athletes / mikael.racing / @mstaer

Was there any discussion before the race to use his Madone disc and clip on bars?
Seeing the data on his descent (compared with Iden), Do you think the Madone would have been the better choice?

---

Alex Arman

Strava

I am quite certain he is not going to answer that. But doesn’t the video shows a violation? Passing does not provide an exception?

then don't watch....???

I didn't say the video I linked was an exception. I'm curious if there was a lot of complaining about centerline violations among the male pro field, like there was drafting violations last year.

Oh got it. Misunderstood your intent. Still don’t think he’ll go there, though

Follow Kanute's IG account. Even I can answer that one. :)

---

https://www.strava.com/athletes/23685202

Ironman, even at the pro level, is an amateur sport with the way they decide on and enforce rules.

One of the faster pro's at the race told me they all basically agreed to just ignore the rule when they felt they needed too. So yeah, same as drafting haha

What was the longest run that Ben had leading into the WC?

---

Chasing PB Podcast Latest interview with Eli Hemming on Targeting a US MTR spot in Tokyo

How do you structure the run-walk sessions for your athletes?

The technicality of the course and the handling was a weakness we addressed. Ben realizes and takes responsibility that he wasn't skilled or comfortable enough with the course for the descent, and we will address it further. He was not willing to break the center line rule to make up for it. Being solo on the descent didn't help him to judge corners, etc.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

So the descent was decisive. Were you guys threshold based in training for the climb or AWC based for the all-out sprints out of each hairpin after a long climbing effort? I haven't seen the course, and also assume that physiologically the descent was similar to a spirited ITU course with a lot of u-turns.

IOW, which did you weight more heavily, the climb or the descent?

---

Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

Well, there's a 10,000ft view of the mental work, and then the mental focus in the moments of racing.

The 10,000ft mental approach deals with consistent performance improvements, which lead to more confidence. That confidence led to more clear racing strategies and goals, race selection. This brought more positive thoughts, expectations, excitement to race, and more consistency of performance.

The focus in the moments of racing deals with the technical things he needed to execute, especially as he fatigues. His pacing and his arm carriage are two items in the run. He has a whole checklist to follow, and he executes and assesses himself on those as he races.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

There was no real discussion of using the Madone. Trek had his TT bike ready, with one small change, no disc. They went with a wheelset that could sustain climbing and descending better.

I don't know that a Madone would have helped, as I didn't ride the race. Ben may have some thoughts on that, but I haven't asked him about that yet. Maybe the ability for a supertuck at some times, but it may have also cost him a lot on the flats. Iden said a TT bike would have been better, and as I saw someone mention, if Iden had finished 2nd, he probably would have been ripped for not riding a TT bike.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

With warm-up, shuttles, tempo work, and cool down, 2 hours was common for that workout.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Recovery runs are all 4 min run, 1 min walk.

Maintenance runs are generally 9/1, if the athlete can handle it. If they haven't proven they can handle that, we do something in the middle.

Some intense runs also have walk breaks.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

We weighed the output of the climb, and the output on the descent, along with the ability to run off that, as the top priority. Apparently, I need to reassess what that preparation was. I can tell you he was fitter than 2017 and 2018, with more risk in the training, and yet had a poorer result. That's racing sometimes, as there are a number of variables which can differ from race to race.

2019 has been the best year of his career. He's disappointed in the race, but he's young enough, and I'm old enough, to know there are a lot of World Championships ahead, and other big races to be down about the result here, especially when his preparation showed him to be ready. And truth be told, there were only 4 guys at the top of the Col de Vence that had a chance to win the race, AB, RVB, BK and GI.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

That's racing sometimes, as there are a number of variables which can differ from race to race.

2019 has been the best year of his career. He's disappointed in the race, but he's young enough, and I'm old enough, to know there are a lot of World Championships ahead, and other big races to be down about the result here, especially when his preparation showed him to be ready.

------

Hats off to you, Jim, and Ben. What your juggling with short course ITU + 70's demands of competition is unreal. I think at the end of the day if you can look back and see/know that you did everything correctly to prep for that sometimes you just get that "meh" result. Leaves you a bit disappointed but also I think atleast confident that the "prep work" was there....the result simply wasn't. And yes at the end of the day it's about the result, but it's also about the prep and if you nail that consistently you'll have these types of results less and less.

So it seems like it was a race that everything gets a check mark except the race result. And I think in the high performance world, you can live with that every so often.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

What is his run power from 2016-17-18?

Curious if he is simply putting out more watts on the faster runs or if it’s purely efficiency (same watts but fast times) but I’d assume both?

Thank again for your time here

Thanks Brooks. Agreed!

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

What is Ben's background in swimming??? Did he swim D1??? Distance freestyler or IMer or??? What kind of time do you think he could do for the 1650 say in a Masters meet if he were rested??? Maybe around 16:15, e.g. about 59 per 100 yd???

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

This a goggleable question. But Ben was multi-Junior National Champion in triathlon. https://www.teamusa.org/.../athletes/Ben-Kanute

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Wow...

---

"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"

I did Google this but only got his tri accomplishments, nothing specific to swimming. He has no results listed in USA Swimming nor in USMS. Perhaps he just grew up as a straight tri guy. I saw that he graduated from U of Arizona in three yrs and won both the collegiate sprint and Oly dist titles in 2013. I wonder if he perhaps trained with the team at AZ, and maybe swam in a few meets??? Just curious. :)

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I wonder if he perhaps trained with the team at AZ, and maybe swam in a few meets??? Just curious. :)

-----

If you mean 'Zona D1 swim team, no and I'm pretty sure that would have been an ncaa violation for the team based on Kanute's "professional" status and/or not being an official team member. Could he have snuck in a few workouts etc, I'm sure it happens on campuses, but D1 sports are very heavily regulated that if your not an official team member, you aint practicing/racing/apart of said program.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

https://www.collegeswimming.com/swimmer/110247/

Dr. google to the rescue.

---

https://www.strava.com/athletes/23685202

Thanks for answering my first question. I haven't read your book. Found it on Kindle - will get to reading it.

What is a typical taper for Ben and does it differ much between sprint/olympic distance and 70.3?

Did Ben climb Col de Vence as planned? I can see that Gustav averaged 366 for that climb and they look to be almost the same weight, yet here we see that Gustav caught up to him on the climb. I was also noticing that these W/Kg numbers are pretty impressive for doing in a race. You had posted a blog a while ago about pro triathlete power numbers

Here: https://www.coachvance.com/...ironman-triathletes/

Have the athletes gotten that much fitter on the bike since you wrote this? Both Ben and Gustav would be near the top of this chart. Does Ben have much more room to improve on the bike or are you mainly focus on improving his run.

Ah, I see, had not thought of that angle. Thanks for this info. :)

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Ah, I was searching for "Ben" not "Benjamin" and USA Swimming was not showing anyone, but "Benjamin" worked. He was an all-rounder including a 2:01 200 yd fly. :)

https://www.usaswimming.org/...ividual-times-search

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Great question! It is part of solving the puzzle. Here's his data from 2017-2019 for all Ironman 70.3 races, (he didn't race 2016 70.3 Worlds).



Here's his run power file from Nice...

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

I hope you enjoy the book. It took me 4 years to write Triathlon 2.0, and I was excited at the time I wrote it. And it's amazing how much I appreciate that book more and more 4 years later. It really has been groundbreaking and unique. As Bobby McGee and Joe Friel both told me would happen, I now thinking differently than some things I wrote in the book. Example: I wrote one side bar in the book about the mental side of performance. Now it is the #1 aspect of performance for me as a coach.

Believe it or not, Ben doesn't taper much. 10 days into a World Championship, but usually we follow a 48 hour/2 day rule, where as long as we have 2 light days, we should perform well. If not, we realize we are overreaching. That is what has led to his incredible consistency. He loves it too, keeps him healthy, happy, motivated and excited to train. This is more of what I should have put in the book.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

You mentioned that Ben couldn't jump but that you have been working on it. Can you elaborate here? Do you mostly work vertically or horizontally, how many times a week, is this done in conjunction with strength training in the gym etc. Everything you think is of value here. And mostly importantly: is he a good jumper now?

Also, which power meter do you use?

Speaking of the cadence and watts output in races, here are Kanute's from the race. It's hard to dive in obviously from the image for the different sections, but thought this gave some cool visual representation of the race demands.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Great question. Yes, the sport has changed, and as I mentioned, the bar has been raised, again. We've seen in it with obvious amazing run splits, and some uber-bikers, but now you see Ben, RVB, GI, AB, all with w/kg @ FTP above 5.5, (Ben was at 5.6+ on race day), and they are second tier riders to guys like LS and Cam. I probably need to update that list, but that list helps prove it. I am not aware of Iden's mass tho, but either his bike was incredibly lighter than Ben's, or he is lighter, or a bit of both.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Sure. When Ben and I started working together, improving the run was a top priority, so I started with the basics. Running is just a series of hops, with the ability to apply force into the ground the key component. We were at the OTC in November 2016 together, we had just started working together, and I was running our National Junior Select Camp, Ben was a mentor there, and he did a bunch of testing with the USOC staff. I saw him do the jump test, and it was clear he was very uncomfortable with his jumping. It made me realize we had to address it. Fast forward one year later, and he does that same test, and it was over 20% improvement in the test. The USOC staff told me they never really see those kind of improvements at that level.

The next thing I added was a lot of jump roping. It started with single unders, and then moved to double unders. Ben was terrible at it to start, but now can probably do 100+ double unders without stopping. The coordination building and explosiveness of double unders is something I believe helps a lot. In the video by Talbot Cox, you can see Ben do them, as well as one of the videos Today's Plan had produced.

I put the jump rope after long runs, hard runs, etc. I believe that is part of the reason Ben wins so many sprint finishes, (Island House, Chengdu World Cup, for example), because he used to those high intensities when fatigued late.

Here's Ben's progression on his running in 70.3, prior to Worlds.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Is Ben a smasher on the down stroke or more of a 360 degree pedal spinner?

TIA

---

http://www.sfuelsgolonger.com

I don't think you can make this claim without equal variables. As you mentioned, he's just scratching the surface. For all we know, he could have continued to grow and develop under these coaches as well. I'm not saying that a change to your philosophy, etc didn't help him, but rather it's tough to compare vs his past work when the growth curve for someone his age is naturally positive.

Hi Jim,

Are you planning to write an updated version of Triathlon 2.0, to incorporate what you've learned in the few years since its release?

Thanks

Can you explain what this jump test or is there a link for it?

Thank you

---

blog

when the growth curve for someone his age is naturally positive. //

Would it be safe to say then, that he hasn't fucked him up?? Just from all the readings and transparency from this collaboration, I think they are a good match for each other, and both have benefited..But the real test is going to come now, because this was an unexpected result, and they have to try and make some sense out of some failures. He didnt add it in his 1/2 marathon Tri progression chart he posted up, but after that 1;12 has to be a 1;16 now. When you look at that kind of graph, it is time to hit the books and pavement hard again!!! (-;

To pedal at 100 rpm regularly, you have to be more of a "360 spinner". It's really about not fighting the upstroke, and then engaging the pedal as soon as possible thru the top.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

I'm not making a critical statement of his past coach(es). If Ben was injured all the time under me, or performing poorly, I think it would be safe to say that decision wouldn't have paid off. But as long as he is seeing success and improvement, then the decision to change certainly wasn't bad.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Maybe. I think I would likely just write a whole new book.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Sensors and video analysis. Here's a link to an Instagram post I did on it back in 2016.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Very true. It's been an interesting year. There were three results we didn't really like this year.

Abu Dhabi WTS - 29th (He was still returning to racing after the injury from Super League Mallorca, and he needed the Olympic points, but it was meh)
Challenge Championship - 12th (This went bad, we lost some of the strength from Oceanside prep, timing was bad with race schedule to be as prepared as needed)
70.3 World Championships - 10th (Won't say a top 10 is bad, but certainly disappointing)

Of course, we had to balance with the 3 goals of getting eligible for the Olympics, (Top 140 Olympic points ranking), his MR development, and 70.3 racing. And with that balance, it's been...

Super League Singapore - 5th
Abu Dhabi MR - 2nd
Edmonton WTS - 7th
Chengdu World Cup - 2nd
St Anthony's - 1st
Barbados Conti Cup - 1st
Oceanside 70.3 - 1st
Escape From Alcatraz - 1st
Tokyo Test Event MR - 3rd

Like I say, interesting year. A lot of highs, and a couple strikes. I feel better about next year, as the Olympics will be the focus basically thru August 1, then we have all the way until November 29th for 70.3 Worlds in Taupo. Will be much different than this year's approach, with focused periods, instead of balancing three goals.

Of course, this puzzle solving is the fun of coaching.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

I'm not trying to be an ass, so please dont read it that way. I understand that as a pro coach, and pro athlete, a lot of the money making is in the marketing and not necessarily the results

Do you see any conflict of interest in the following statement? "planning to write a book if it works"
If I was Ben and I saw that part of your plan was to write a book about these unique (and seemingly conflicting) goals, I'd be a little alarmed. Like, are you doing this because it's what in his best interests? Or because it's in your best interests? Has Ben asked you this? Are you and Ben looking to do something similar to Carmichael and Lance?
The number of times you've brought up your books in this thread alone would also lead me to ask those questions.

I ask this because we see a lot of pro's advertising things and using equipment that might not be the best on the market, but it must be in their financial best interests.

Fair question...

Yes, Ben knows about the book idea, as we discussed it in our first meeting to discuss me potentially coaching him. It's why I asked him to commit to technology and data. I presented to him a business strategy, on top of training strategy, to help him reach his goals and make a living in the sport. And of course, who do think would be on the cover of the book? :-)

There hasn't been any conflicts of interest, because we see us as a team. We have both greatly benefited from the relationship.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Thank you for being so open and honest and willing to answer harder questions.

If athletes and coach's were more open about why their doing what their doing and using what their using, I think i'd be more likely to look into what they are endorsing.

I can't remember how exactly it works but how does one qualify for the MTR in Tokyo? Does Ben need to qualify for the individual event to be considered for the MTR? If so, what does Ben need to do in 2020 to qualify for the individual event?

---

blog

Yes you have to qualify for the individual event (you don't have to race the individaul event, you just have to take the spot).

Ben's pathway to Tokyo (really anyone's at this point as no men have AQ'd and only 1 AQ is left out of the 2 or 3 spots):

-Finish podium at Yokohoma '20. Or be 1st American in top 8 and he's automatically made it.

- "discretion" pick based on MTR

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Fascinating to see that run-walk is incorporated at training for such elite athletes.

What pace / power or HR is targeted for the run portion of run-walk?

Also, could you elaborate more on the 48 he rule? Seems like a breakthrough workout followed by 2 easy days of training. But I suspect (I am sure) it is going to be more elaborate than that.

Thanks in advance

That would be because Sutto is far from sharing Jim’s enthusiasm for high cadence (for triathletes who do half the volume of bike training compared to pro cyclists, and have to run after).

Hey coach. First thanks for sharing all the information it's really helpful. I am curious about your opinion about cadence. One popular school of thought says low 80's to save your legs for the run. Another says pedal over 90 and another says self select. Whats you advice? Warning...there may be a follow up question. 😁

---

"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"