I'm currently working on a structured plan (run)...pretending I'm prepping for a race in December (which I may do solo, anyway). I got plenty of smelling-the-roses time earlier in the year. I might even bust out the swim tether and see how long it takes to give that up.

I'm inventing a new cycling discipline called BRANDURO. It has a bit of enduro, a dash of rando, and a whole lot of brando. Branduro is perfect for getting fit, pedaling with panache, sending segments, planing climbs, and having a good time.

I might also try power-based running.

To paraphrase a coach I was talking to a few weeks ago

The training you do now will have ripple effects into next season.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

We might need a video assessment of your panache.

Doing a simple run training block I saw on letsrun awhile back: https://www.letsrun.com/...d.php?thread=9403641. Planning on 8 weeks of this, maybe 12. Will probably take 1 day off from running to do a long bike in this time and then two days double up with some relaxed bike rides

Then in fall I hopefully will have gotten a power meter and will do a specific power based training block for the bike while maintaining some run fitness I just gained

Take some time off around the holidays then get on a structured plan for a 70.3 in June and then potentially a full next September

No way, I don't want to become a "how he thinks he rides/how he actually rides" meme!

Yes it will.

The question is, what effects are those on physiological and psychological systems. Does doing unstructured faffing around get you to say 90% of what a structured base phase will get you to, but without the mental toll? Or is structured work easier mentally? I suspect it's all going to vary according to the individual.

No right answers here. Probably lots of wrong ones though.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I love me some panache, especially with a side of bacon and a good cup of coffee.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Exactly!!! Hence the thread. Throw us a bone DD....what would you focus on as a triathlete with all this time and no races to taper/structure for?

Whatever you hate. /pink-maybe

Training in a speedo in open water, bike trainer, trail runs, etc. Maybe even the odd trip to Walmart with my mask of course too. I plan to immerse myself and others in the sport for better or worse and see what happens.

I am training for my first 70.3 in October (Memphis).

The lack of communication from Ironman is frustrating, especially for a newbie just trying to get started.

I've been base training since January. I was going to start an 8-week build-up starting in August.

Honestly, I figured the race would still happen since it is Tennessee, but I hear you guys saying there likely will be no races in 2020.

Hard to know what to do...

A half assed plan followed pretty religiously will yield better results than an awesome plan not followed that much

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I've been thinking about this since I deferred my last hope for racing (in October). Training is motivated by racing for me (others, surely, too), so the planning isn't the problem, it's the doing. I'm pretty time crunched, so it's becoming easier to put this or that task ahead of my next ride or run. I've been toying with training for a solo 10k to break a PR - that's about as far as I'll go without logistics/help (other than running a 4 km loop around my house for a longer course - bleh). This is a great opportunity for Zwift / Sufferfest / TR etc. to develop some 'challenges' with a defined deadline and something to ride/run for. I've tried a couple of the virtual duathlons (one by USAT, a couple of other 'privates') and they are just not super satisfying in terms of competition - lots of 60 y/o men running 6:00 miles... So, I'm not adding much to this conversation, but I'm eager to hear if others have developed an approach to motivate training without 'normal' racing...

I've got that answered in the newsletter I'm working on for A3 athletes! And if anyone is interested in that newsletter I think we've got 2 -3 spots open between all us coaches.

I'll say this:
You'll (hopefully) never have a better time as a triathlete to turn your weakness into a strength then right now, swimming excluded.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Swimming in the Halifax harbor?

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Oh, hell no. (although it isn't as bad as it used to be when the raw sewage was all dumped into it).

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

And to extend that train of thought, a great plan that can't or won't be followed all that much isn't really such a great plan, is it?

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I'm taking the dates for my two "A" races this year (which were IM Mont Tremblant in late Aug and the rescheduled Oceanside 70.3 in late Oct) and doing two DIY International distance duathlons (10k/40k/5k). I've never done a duo before, and am pretty excited about it.

I'm reducing volume but increasing intensity, focusing on building more top end speed, which I think will serve me well going into 2021. It also preserves crucial SAUs "Spousal Approval Units" for 2021 or 2022, when I hope to race IM again.

Biking is my limiter, so I'm increasing my time on the bike and going to spend less time in the water. My pool just opened and I have a Vasa Erg. I plan to swim 1x week in water (either the YMCA or open water near my summer home on an island in Maince) and 1x/week 30 min Vasa session. Goal here is to preserve some baseline water feel and fitness. Swimming my strength, and I've found in the past that my swim fitness comes back pretty quickly, so I don't view this as a huge risk considering the logistical cost and health risks of time at the YMCA.

In lieu of my usual monthly-ish B or C race, I'm going to do a long 5-6 hour outdoor ride somewhere beautiful on my road or gravel bike, one in July, Aug, Sept, and Oct.

In lieu of my usual FTP testing and B/C races, I picked a 3.75 mile segment on Strava (a lap around the island where we have a summer home) where I will attempt to PB ever 8 weeks. KOM on bike is out of reach, but I'm just 15 seconds off the running CR and so have might sights on it.

I also plan to do a DIY 13.1 "B" race in late November, which will mark the end of my season. I keep Nov/Dec relatively unstructured to mentally refresh, then will get back at it with preseason in January.

Not sure what my plan is for 2021. I'd love to do another IM, but will be realistic about what's possible.

All I know, is I plan to emerge from 2020 a stronger, faster, more mentally resilient athlete.

Event Number 1: It is 563km going the length of Lake Superior, so I am targeting swimming the length of it in the second 6 months of this year. I should get 3 months in when I don't have to worry about pool access, but after that I need pool access the final 3 months to hit the total. I need to swim 3.1km every day for the rest of the year.

Event Number 2: On my 55th birthday in October will swim 14x400IM (5.6K). Target time sub 1:55

Event Number 3: Around Dec 31st, 25x400IM (10K), target total time 3:20.

I sent my entry into the event organizer (me) and I am set with a focus for rest of the year. Who else wants to join event 1 and event 3

I would have thought that a bunch of people who supposedly love the sport would have no worries about finding fun stuff to do without the need to follow strict workout plans and the stress of "performance anxiety". Time to go out and do fun sporty shit just because you want to and not because you think you have to.

Now THAT is misreading a room!!!

..

Not really as I see lots of folks having trouble figuring out what to do with "their training" now that they can't race.I often wonder if most triathletes actually enjoy training outside of a structured program with the M-Dot carrot dangled in front of them.

This.

From what I've seen on the FB groups for various races, training groups here in AZ & NC is a lot of people wondering do they train, if they train and the theme seems to be put it in cruise control. That also goes along with the complete, have fun training with friends, get through the race without shelling myself crowd growing while the compete & crush people's dreams crowd seems to be shrinking as a % of total entrants.

I'd say the average person on ST is more in the second camp, highly motivated, wants to do well, wants to improve (not saying the other camp doesn't want to improve it's just not their primary focus completing the event is), is willing to roll the dice now and then and either blow up or be rewarded nicely approach to racing.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta