Coach’s Email - Week 36, Welcome to Taper Vineman! (don’t rub it in too much)
IronStuds & Studettes,
We are reaching the pinnacle of our season and it’s time to soak up all that hard training you have been doing over the past several weeks. We are particularly proud of everyone who came out today to tackle the relentless climbs of the East Bay with such determination and strength. We had a fantastic day of beautiful weather and having the South Bay Ironteam join us was a welcome treat. We could not have had such a wonderful day without the dedicated volunteers who worked the aid stations in support of your efforts today. Wasn’t it just incredible to pull into that aid station at the end of the three bears only to find TWO tables of goodies spread out for you to enjoy??? And Chamois butter too. That was perfect timing for more than a few riders today. How about cold towels and cold orange slices by “Team Frankie” as the miles were really stacking up? What a treat to have them out there today with us. Special thanks go out for the South Bay support staff who swept the bike course, rode along side many of you, got lost together with some of you, drove SAG for everyone and provided aid station support along the way. There were a lot of stories to tell after the ride. It was so nice to return from the final SAG support run to find more than a dozen team members just hangin out, eating Sweet Affair sandwiches (and cookies too) and telling stories of their adventure today. While this stuff is fresh in your head, get it down in your Ironman Journal! PS - How many of you saw the Chicano Santa (Ricardo) running up the hill alongside you today when the going got tough?
Special note from one of our riders this weekend. We had a “learning moment” today that we want to share with the entire team. One of your team mates discovered she had lost a screw from her pedal cleat the hard way. When she tried to un-clip, the one remaining screw acted as a pivot point and the cleat stayed in the pedal. The result was a quick trip down to measure the temperature of the pavement with her butt. We can all take heed from this experience to go out to the garage and grab our cycling shoes and make sure those screws are nice and tight. The rattling your body takes every time you ride is transferred to your feet through those little screws so they get a lot of vibration over time.
In this message:
1) Taking the taper and recovery weeks seriously
2) The week ahead
3) Catfish Crawl and the Louie Bompua Memorial Run
4) Reminders (WORD & Photos)
1) TAPER AND RCOVERY - TAKE IT SERIOUSLY
Your coaches care deeply about you and want your performance on race day to be the very best you have to offer. A carefully planned and executed taper and recovery plan is essential to arriving at the starting line in your optimal shape. Stacking additional workouts because you have spare time or are feeling jittery during your recovery and taper weeks will negatively impact your ability to absorb fitness and prepare for another training cycle or your race day experience. Walk the dog a little longer. Have tea (decaf says coach Dave) with a friend you have not seen since training began. Take the kids to the pool or the water park and have a relaxing day. See a trend here? Yes, relaxation. Absorb all that fitness!!!
This week is a great time to schedule a mid-week massage if you can work it in. Give you body a couple of day to absorb this long weekend of training and begin to heal a bit before going in for body work of any kind. Keep in mind that, post massage, your body will be releasing a lot of toxins and you should probably not work out for at least 12 hours and you need to drink a lot of fluids as your body repairs itself.
Everyone is different and their mind and body react differently to decreased activity during the taper before a race. Some people get irritable and their fuse gets very short. Things that used to not bother them become annoying. Some find it harder to get to sleep. Many feel the need to exercise. Watch for these signs and let your loved one’s know to possibly expect them in the coming weeks.
Special note to Vineman Participants: YOU WILL NOT GAIN ADDITIONAL FITNESS DURING TAPER IF YOU WORK OUT MORE. Do not add additional workouts to your schedule with the thought that it will help you become stronger on race day. Your ATM machine you have been filling with “money in the bank” is primed and ready to begin the withdrawal process. Adding addition funds now will cause them to be taxed at the maximum rate of decreased fitness and lower withdrawal limits on race day. Don’t get denied at the checkout counter on race day.
2) The week Ahead:
MONDAY - OFF
TUESDAY - SWIM (Race Specific) & Spin (LOU Only)
SWIM (Vineman) - Refer to the taper swim attachment on this week’s Coaches email.
SWIM (LOU ONLY)
Warm Up
300 (G2=400, G3=500)
2×100 (CU,s,choice drill,s) 10” RI
2×50 (CFS,s) 10” RI
Main Set
500 L5
focus on long extended strokes (reach for the water 3” in front of your hand and find that rest moment while gliding on your side)
2×250 L5 20” RI
focus on angle of the pull – power – remember the lesson of the CFS in your warm-up
5×100 L5 interval that gives you 15” R
(G2 = 6×100 G3 = 7×100)
focus on maintaining pace @ L5 and swimming relaxed (no tense feet or face)
10×50 (alternate L4 and L7) interval that gives you 15” R on the L4
Warm down
200
Total: G1=2800 G2=3000 G3200
BIKE (LOU ONLY) - 60′ (TR-3 Speed Intervals) or road ride with 10 X 3:00 at 100+ RPM’s on flat terrain with 2 minutes rest between efforts.
WED - Captain’s Workout - RUN & STRETCH
· North Bay (moved to Thursday) - With Beau at Howarth Park in Santa Rosa @ 6:00 PM
· Napa - With Sedonia at Harvest Middle School @ 6:15PM
· SF - With Tom Phelan at Kezar Stadium @ 6:30PM
· East Bay - With Brian Hubinger (TBD) - He will email you guys with the details
RUN (VM) - 60′ @ lvl 5. Nice easy effort run. No marker set.
RUN (LOU) - 60′ @ lvl 5 with a 15′ marker run for distance after 30′ warm-up. Compare to previous attempts at this marker.
STRETCH (ALL). Pick 4 from the list below. Floor work using flexibility stretches (Yoga).
· Pigeon Pose - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVlX5HNKamw
· Hip openers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rost91LKcQ
· Lower back - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giWLeXbBBtY&feature=fvw
· Hamstrings (Downward Dog) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbJaj0Aqw5k&feature=channel
· Reclining twist - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Ief_QdEao&feature=channel
· Neck release - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mbdyf_H7KI&feature=channel
· Soft twist - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5bJolhNkUU&feature=channel
THURSDAY - BRICK
LOU - 30′ bike (TR-8 Progressive Load) + 20′ run @ lvl 6
VM - 50′ bike (TR-7 Pyramid) + 20′ run @ lvl 6
- 20′ Stretch (See Wednesday for instructions)
FRIDAY
LOU - Athlete’s Choice (90′) GO EASY
VM - Swim (See attachment for taper workouts)
SATURDAY - RUN & TEAM MEETING
RUN - Run 10 miles
- Athletes averaging above 12 minutes/mile in marker set runs (flat) start at 7:30AM
- Athletes averaging below 12 minutes/mile in marker set runs (Flat) start at 8:00 AM
- Meeting Place is the Sports Basement San Francisco (Presidio Store @ 610 Old Mason Street, San Francisco)
POST RUN - Team meeting in the Triathlon area of the store from 9:30AM - 11:00AM
- Transition bag packing discussion for both races
- Bagels, nuts and juice provided by sports basement
- 20% off shopping party for all in attendance.
- Please respond to the Evite sent out by Yi so Sports Basement knows how much food to buy for us.
SUNDAY - BIKE
LOU - Bike 60 miles (include at least one sustained climb of 30 minutes)
VM - Bike 45 miles on rolling terrain
3) Catfish Crawl Open Water Swim / Louie Bompua Memorial Run / Vineman Send-off on Sunday 7/26/09
We are encouraging all athletes to sign up for the Catfish Crawl Swim event at Steven’s Creek Reservoir in Cupertino. The reservoir is very clean and the swim is very well organized. This is the only time during the entire year people are allowed to swim in this body of water. Vineman participants are encouraged to sign up for the 1.2 mile distance while Louisville participants are advised to sign up for the 2.4 mile distance. Go here to sign up: http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1658981&assetId=0453fbe1-c0a3-4bdb-a387-dce2ccbf92d2 . Following the swim we will drive a short distance to the starting point of the Louie Bompua Memorial Run. This short run will end at Louie’s grave site for a moment of remembrance and affirmation of why we train to beat blood cancer. We will end the day with a celebration and send off party for the Vineman participants. Plan a full day on your schedule. Anyone who is doing the triple brick the day before and would like to stay in the East Bay overnight to avoid the long drive home, only to return the next day, a few people have spare rooms in their home they have offered up.
4) Reminders
If you have not sent your “word” to coach Dave, please do so before the dates listed below.
- As we approach the peak of our adventure together it’s time to reflect back on what the last 8 months have meant to you and recall all those emotions that bubbled up as we moved forward.
- One of the Ironteam traditions is for each team member to think of a single word that encompasses all that they have been through and all that they are feeling as we reach the destination of Ironman day. Your word is your heartfelt personal mark on the season.
- Please spend some quality time thinking about your ONE WORD.
- When you have it, please send it to Coach Dave. (Reply to this message)
- All Vineman participants WORDS ARE DUE BY 5:00PM ON 7/18/2009.
- All Louisville participants WORDS ARE DUE BY 5:00PM ON 8/10/2009.
Photos of the team in action:
- If you have posted links to your photos taken at team events and would like to share them in the production of the season video presentation, please send your photo site link to tom Phelan at tpel383@aol.com
Enjoy your week. Please contact a coach if you need assistance is working through any physical or mental roadblocks to reaching your maximum potential. We are here to help, all you need to do is ask.
Regards,
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