Run Power Based Training Plans Now Available on TrainingPeaks

If you've picked up my new book, Run With Power, or are using a power meter for your run training, and are looking to use it with TrainingPeaks, I have run power-based training plans now available in TrainingPeaks. 

These plans are from the book, and are in Appendix B, so they are available there, but if you'd like them pre-loaded into your TrainingPeaks account, this offers you the chance to do that.

The current plans are all 14 weeks long, and are for the specific phase, where the workouts are designed to simulate the demands of the race, not a base training phase. The plans are:

Sub 16 min 5K
Sub 18 min 5K
Sub 32 min 10K
Sub 40 min 10K
Sub 1:20 Half-Marathon
Sub 1:40 Half-Marathon
Sub 2:30 Marathon
Sub 3:30 Marathon

All these plans can be found here: https://www.TrainingPeaks.com/RunWithPower

Hopefully you'll have a great experience in using one or many of these plans, and your running power meter!

Coach Vance

Efficiency Index Apps - Garmin & Suunto

If you've picked up Run With Power, or been listening to me on podcasts, you know that speed per watt is the key metric for running power meters, or what I call, Efficiency Index, or EI for short. Chapter 5 in the book is devoted to this topic entirely, and I discuss how a rolling 30 second average of your speed per watt in a race or workout can give you a good idea of how efficiently you're running, or the speed you're getting for the watts you're producing.

In this technology age, we can create these metrics to monitor during a run on our watches or head units, and I have a couple of fans of the book who created the Rolling EI for Garmin and Suunto users. The Suunto apps were created by Toni Cumplido, (twitter: @tonicumpli), so thank you Toni for these! I hope to have more Garmin IQ apps coming.

Here are the links for each, if you're using these products and want to see...

Efficiency Index by itself, of the entire session
Garmin IQ App
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/0e5487bc-c147-48dc-8fbd-81d2caacc780

Suunto Moves Count App for Ambit
http://www.movescount.com/apps/app10924730-Efficiency_Index_(w)


Rolling Efficiency Index, just the previous 30 seconds within the session
Suunto Moves Count App for Ambit
http://www.movescount.com/apps/app10917000-Rolling_Efficiency_Index_(w)


Power Training Zones
Suunto Moves Count App for Ambit - Allows you to see what zone you are in while training, based on your rFTPw.
http://www.movescount.com/apps/app10917280-Training_Zone

Again, thanks for the help, and I hope you're enjoying Run With Power, and these metrics for training.

Coach Vance

Article from Competitor on Power for Running

Here's an article from Competitor on power meters for running, (written by Brian Metzler), which I contributed quotes for.

Since the 1950s, distance runners have trained by following structured programs and workouts backed by physiological testing and years and years of positive results.

Beginning in the late 1980s, heart-rate monitors added a new dimension to training, allowing for the advent of workouts based on specific heart-rate zones. Both methods have helped runners and triathletes of all levels improve their performance. By the early 2000s, GPS-enabled smartwatches made it easy to monitor pace, distance, elevation and other types of data.

As the modern age of wearable tech has started to unfold, a new measurement technology has the ability to revolutionize training for runners: the power meter.

Cyclists have used power meters since the 1990s to accurately measure how much power they’re outputting and how that effort corresponds with their physiology. Power is the primary metric for cyclists, although, granted, it’s a much simpler metric to understand on the bike—essentially a function of how much force is being exerted on the pedals, crank arms or rear hub to make it move.

Power meters for runners—and the corresponding training protocols based on power output—have only become available recently, so the art and science of using power for run training are still very much in their infancy. But those closest to the new technology—including pioneering coaches and elite athletes who are already incorporating power into their training—believe it can be a very important metric for running.

Read the rest of the article at http://running.competitor.com/2016/05/shoes-and-gear/power-might-ultimate-training-metric-runners_149697#Ua8CxoxTwPO6Ko01.99

Coach Vance

IM Talk Podcast - Triathlon 2.0

I had the privilege of being on another one of the top Ironman podcasts, IM Talk, which is based out of New Zealand. The topic was my new book, Triathlon 2.0, but we also just dipped into Run With Power, which they discussed having me come back on the show to chat about in the future as well.

If you're a long course triathlete, this is a podcast you certainly know. They are on episode 513!

Thanks and enjoy! The interview starts at about 44:00.

http://www.imtalk.me/home/2016/4/25/imtalk-episode-513-jim-vance.html

Coach Vance

Observations and Experiences at 2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials

I attended the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles, this past Saturday. It was an incredible event, and as much as I have been critical of USATF in the past, this is one event they do very well, and do it right. They are to be commended on their venue, sponsors, course, and coverage via TV, internet and media.

As I watched the event, and especially post-race, there were some things which really stood out to me that every athlete should take away, whether racing at the Olympic Trials, or simply going after a PR or some other major goal for themselves personally.

Watching the race on TV, or just reviewing it through the media, you'd think it was all celebrations and happiness. You saw the heartache of the 4th place finishers, and felt bad for them, I'm sure. But you walk away seeing 3 happy people and only 1 sad or disappointed athlete per gender. But that's not really what happens when you're there.

I was watching the race and seeing athletes who were DNF's, limping, crying, sitting alone with their heads down, before the races were even finished. I saw athletes cross the finish line in tears, realizing they hadn't run very fast in terms of time, which had a lot to do with the course and conditions. But they also hadn't been where they thought they might be.

I saw family members of athletes needed to be consoled. I stood with Luke Puskedra's mom at the finish line, who was holding his daughter, while she stressed about the fact her son was in 4th and trying to grab that last Olympic spot toward the finish from Jared Ward. It didn't happen for him.

There were 211 men qualified, and 246 women. You saw 3 finish and make the team. Think about that for a second. Over 450 athletes who qualified for the event, trying to live their dream and accomplish their likely life-long goal, didn't achieve it. Only 6 did. But if you watched TV, it was all about the fulfillment of an Olympic dream, as though each athlete was going to have that happen. But it doesn't.

Sometimes you don't get what you want. There are plenty of tears, plenty of upset athletes, but we highlight the few happy ones on TV. The truth is we call it competition for a reason. Someone loses, and usually more people lose than win.

You can do all the work and not reach your goal. You can do everything perfectly, and it can still not be good enough. This is hard for athletes to comprehend and understand some times but it is a reality of competing. And of course, it is very rare we do everything right in preparation and training, as well as execute a perfect race.

One can and should be happy to make the Olympic Trials, but telling these athletes that is like telling you good job after you fell short of a dream result at your key race. I'm sure it is little consolation if you really committed and cared about the result.

So what is my point? My point is that when you decide to take this performance journey, you aren't promised anything. You likely should be promised that you won't be successful, especially as the goals begin to reach elite levels. You might come close, but you aren't deserving of the result you want just because you work hard and are dedicated. Winning and high performance is about a combination of ability, fitness, coaching, strategy, health, commitment, race execution, and even luck. Many athletes think because they have some ability and commitment, they should see the results. But that's only a part of the high performance puzzle.

I'm not trying to push you away from trying, but I am trying to get you to not focus on the result. The process of going after your goal is the real rewarding aspect of sport.

Be patient, and don't expect anything. Have confidence in your preparation that you have the opportunity to perform at the level you want, or the goals you want, but to expect these to happen just because you worked hard isn't realistic. Yes, you likely aren't going for an Olympic team spot, so you're not competing against the elites, but you likely are competing against a much larger population base than the Olympic Trials athletes were. There's probably more than 200+ athletes in your category, or chasing the championship level you are.

You will have set-backs. You will fail and get beat at certain races. You might even hate the people who beat you, but it will happen. Does this mean you wasted your time? ABSOLUTELY NOT. You will learn more about yourself in the losses than the accomplishments.

Just keep in mind, it isn't all Olympic berths for everyone, or happy endings. You're taking on this challenge of sport because it isn't easy. So don't expect easy, promised results. But this also makes the great results you do have, that much more rewarding.

Coach Vance

Babbittville Radio Interview - Triathlon 2.0

Bob Babbitt this past weekend invited me to go on his radio show live and discuss a number of topics, from my new books, Triathlon 2.0 and Run With Power, to Triathlon at the Olympic Games, high school development of runners and triathletes, as well as USAT's approach to athlete development. Take a listen, as I think if any of these topics interest you, you'll enjoy the show.

http://www.babbittville.com/babbittville-radio/jim-vance-triathlon-2-0/

Coach Vance

Opinion: I Can't Celebrate Galen Rupp's Win at US Olympic Marathon Trials

In a continued theme of sharing my opinion on controversial topics of endurance sports, I will share my thoughts after attending The US Olympic Marathon Trials at Los Angeles this past weekend.

If you have read my blog recently, you know my feelings on *Ryan Hall. I understand and appreciate the commitment to performance at the highest level of sport. But once you cross into an area where you are trying to find loopholes in the doping regulations, you are becoming a doper yourself. If you can't sustain a level of training without medication designed solely and specifically to help you sustain it, you're cheating. It's doping. 

In the 2012 London Olympics, the men's 10,000 meter run was probably one of the most exciting races for an American I have watched in distance running in my entire lifetime. Galen Rupp, like *Ryan's great performances, had me in awe, excited about the future of the sport of distance running in this country.

But then the truth began to come out. And it is no surprise that Galen Rupp, like *Ryan Hall, is in the same category, training under Alberto Salazar and his Nike Oregon Project, (NOP), and has been a part of not just thyroid medication, but is accused and being investigated for a series of anti-doping violations, including testosterone treatments.

So I will now refer to *Galen Rupp with an asterisk as well, (as well as *Alberto Salazar), from this point forward. But even worse, as I watched a great race unfold in LA, I saw a winner of a race celebrated, as though there is no fire where there is smoke.

(Full disclosure: Meb is my friend, and I have known him for 21 years, since we were both 18, training some together in college, and racing each other a lot. I was obviously cheering for him, but he is on the Olympic Team, and that was the main goal, whether winning the race or getting 3rd).

Even worse, in what I can only describe as disgusting and disillusioned, is the response of much of the running community, toward those who are speaking out. One quick look to the YouTube video comments on Kara Goucher's post-race comments, and LetsRun threads on her comments, and you would think she was a doper, based on how they treat her. (It's one of the reasons I don't contribute to message boards like that.) To sum it up, they are burning her on the cross for even making the allegations, despite the fact she is supported in her statements by her own experience, other individuals and a lot of evidence. It's like Lance Armstrong, Part 2. To shoot them down is to treat them like Greg Lemond was treated, or Paul Kimmage, or others who tried to speak out but their careers were ruined because people didn't want to believe something so good could be so wrong. *Galen and *Salazar may be winning races, but they are not above the rules. And they are not above answering to the evidence. They are innocent until proven guilty, but let's not act like strong suspicions shouldn't be considered, when the evidence is mounting.

One can argue the timing looks bad, because she got 4th and it is at a major event. I think the timing is exactly the right time, when the sport is in the public's eye, and she can show she did things the right way and was still successful, while the ones we believe are cheating won.

I respect Kara Goucher. I respect her husband Adam. They were a part of Salazar's NOP crew, and left because they knew what was happening was wrong. Adam decided to walk away from the sport and keep his conscience. I wish I could say the same about others. I have heard some say they both did the things within the NOP, so they are guilty too. The difference is they left because of it. They spoke out against it. They didn't wait until it became news and then suddenly were against it. They've never once tried to defend it, or hide any of it. They didn't get caught and then have to apologize. They've spoken out from the beginning.

I hope this is completed and settled before the Olympics for *Galen and *Alberto, so if they are innocent, some can celebrate them. I won't be able to do so, nor remove the asterisks though, because they are just like *Ryan, trying to loophole the anti-doping regulations. To me that is doping. But if they are guilty of even more, I would rather have the clean athletes representing my country.

Coach Vance

TBC Podcast on Running Power Meters

If you're looking to learn more about running power meters, the boys from TrainingBible Coaching, Scott and Adam, had me on their show to discuss the new book coming out in May on this new technology. You can listen to it here:

Title: Part 3 Running Power Meters
http://trainingbible.libsyn.com

It was a great interview, where I begin to explain some of the cool features, as well as complexities of this new technology. The book will help answer more questions in depth, in terms of the application of how to use your running power meter to train more effectively. I even discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different products out there currently.

You can pre-order the book, Run With Power, here:
http://amzn.to/20YXfO5

I will be sharing more info on the technology and how to use it, at the TrainingPeaks blog, the RunwithPower.net blog, and here at this one as well. If you have specific questions you would like me to address or discuss, please comment here, or email me at j vance at training bible dot com.

Coach Vance

Triathlon 2.0 - Data Driven Performance Training Now Available

I am happy to announce that a book I have been working on for almost 4 years has finally come to fruition. Triathlon 2.0 - Data Driven Performance Training is a book for those athletes who want to use numbers, data and technology to maximize performance. If you use a power meter for cycling, and a GPS for running, this will help you maximize it.

The idea of this book is not to be a numbers drone, training without creativity. In fact, it's the exact opposite. This book is about identifying what metrics are most important to you, as an individual athlete, based on your strengths and weaknesses, and then following those metrics to see how you are responding to the training plan you create. This book will also help you set up some goal thresholds to meet, and ways to assess how you're racing, what your training might need to address.

There's never been a book like this. It doesn't have training plans, it lets you be the coach and learn to be better at coaching, whether coaching other athletes or yourself. I am sure you will enjoy this book, and learn at least a few things you can use and learn to better examine your power and run data. The better you train, the more confident and fitter you are at the start line. 

You can order the book by clicking on the image, or going to this link: http://amzn.to/1Kcgks3

Good luck! 

Coach Vance

Opinion: Ryan Hall Retirement

One of the things I have tried in the past to stay away from have been controversial topics and opinions, but I think the time has come where that needs to change. I will now occasionally use this blog to share opinions on things, because I need to be honest with athletes if I am truly a figurehead in the endurance sports world. Which leads me to the first topic....

Ryan Hall announced his retirement this week. At 33 years of age, a number of injuries and other setbacks, it seems we've all been a bit bummed that he couldn't return to the form he showed at Boston in 2011, and London in 2008, where he broke 2:07 at both. Boston was the fastest time any American had ever covered the marathon distance, at 2:04:58. It was amazing, in a word. But it was also not a World Record, as the course was point to point, with net downhill. And that asterisk on that performance is a metaphor for Ryan's career.

I watched Ryan grow through the sport, with some amazing races, going back to high school in Big Bear. At Stanford, racing Dathan Ritzenhein at the NCAA XC Champs, and then onto the track beyond that. His sub 1-hour half marathon is probably one of the most amazing American performances I will see in my lifetime. He has worked harder than most athletes, much less people, will ever know. He has sacrificed and made commitments, risked his health in training, and hoped for things to work out. But, there will always be an asterisk in mind.

When Ryan* became part of an investigation into a doctor, and Alberto Salazar, in regard to thyroid medication, I had to step back and reconsider my thoughts on Ryan*. I had to put an asterisk on everything he had done. (Sadly, for a publication like the NYT, I am disappointed they didn't even discuss the topic in the article, it's a critical piece of the full story.)

I was at a small, informal meeting of Ryan* and some high school runners here in San Diego a few years ago, and I had promised not to say or mention the thyroid medication at the event, as I was a guest of a friend, a local coach. Why did I go? I was hopeful he would speak to some of the decisions he had made, times in his life where even though it maybe wasn't "illegal" to take thyroid medication, he knew the difference between right and wrong. He had a chance to teach these young minds that performance is great, but being a great person is better. He didn't. No mention of it.

I'm not saying Ryan Hall* is a bad person, I don't know him. He probably treats the people in his life with much love and appreciation, as he interviews well, and sounds very humble. He probably gives a lot to his community. (But of course, Lance gave a lot to his community too). He is clearly a God-fearing man, but I wonder how he convinced himself that using a medication that was clearly suspect in its ethical use and promoted to him as a way to perform better, was ok. I wonder if he would stand in front of his church, or a group of students, or even his own kids, and say, "If you can find a short-cut in life, take it! If it's questionably ethical, who cares? If it's not illegal, do it!"

That's what Ryan* did. He took a shortcut, because Salazar and those around him told him it was ok, and he chose to be a sheep, rather than thinking for himself. He knew better. I've read his tweets and interviews for years, where he talks and preaches about being a good Christian man, and yet he can't find the difference between right and wrong when it matters the most to his passion and career? If he made a mistake, ok, then admit it and use it to better the world. Explain the challenges of being under pressure, trying to live as a professional athlete against the best in the world. But he didn't do that. He denied it was unethical. Claimed his thyroid just wasn't working right, so it wasn't cheating. This is like saying my adrenal glands don't work right when I am training 40+ hours per week, so I need testosterone treatments to help it. Sorry man, doesn't work that way. (Ironically, the NYT article link discusses this exactly above, as that has been his argument, which only disappoints me more, based on the hypocrisy of the original choice to use the thyroid meds. He knows right and wrong.) And is it any real surprise that after the thyroid medication exposure, in late 2012, he never achieved the same level as 2011? Maybe it was a performance enhancer after all? Newsflash: endurance athletes who train extensively affect their hormone levels. Those who want to off-set the negative effects of training take substances to off-set them. They're called DOPERS. They use testosterone or thyroid, or insert whatever drug here _____.

He and his wife Sarah have 4 adopted kids, and I have no reason to think they aren't great, loving parents, but I hope he uses this experience as a teachable moment for them. He has failed so far in doing that with the rest of the world.

So, sorry to say I am not celebrating Ryan Hall's* retirement. I am instead somber about a great talent and person who was tainted by the lure of the shortcut, of drugs in our sports. Some, (or perhaps many), will disagree, as he has accomplished a number of incredible things in running. But once credibility is lost, what can we really trust was truly accomplished by Ryan*, and not the drugs?

Ryan Hall* will always be the way I think of him. The asterisk being the symbol of an athlete who chose the shortcut. Please choose differently if you find yourself in similar situations.

Coach Vance

Finding Your Run FTP & Setting Up in TrainingPeaks

The first of many writings on running power meters, this one posted at TrainingPeaks....

Running With Power: How to Find Your Run FTP

If you are now currently using a power meter for running, like the new Stryd or RPM2 products, you likely are wondering how you can utilize the tool to maximize the benefit of the technology in your training and racing. Power meters for running are a very new technology, and there is still a lot to learn ahead. However, to begin using it effectively to learn about your training and training response, you should begin as you would if you were using a cycling power meter.

Collecting Data

The first thing you should be doing is simply performing your normal training and observe the data as you train. Track the data and see how the numbers fluctuate or correlate with different intensities, different inclines or declines, and more. Don’t try to control your training based on the power numbers, as you don’t have a baseline for what they truly mean yet. At first, collect the data from your normal training and see how the numbers are trending.

Testing

When you feel you are ready, you can then test for your run Functional Threshold Power (FTP). Now, if you’re a triathlete who uses power on the bike, this number will not likely be the same as on the bike for you. In fact, it is likely larger than your cycling FTP. So don’t try to use that value. Be specific and set your run functional threshold for power, or what I call, rFTPw. If you’re a runner, you likely already use threshold pace in TrainingPeaks, or what I call rFTPa. I use these terms so not to confuse them with cycling, and especially not to confuse both pace and power when comparing or discussing FTP.

You can read the rest here:

http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/running-with-power-how-to-find-your-run-ftp

You can also find more info on my book on power meters for running, at www.runwithpower.net

Coach Vance

Speaking on Running Power Meters in Kona 2015

While in Kona, I spoke at the Ironman Expo, for RPM2, (pronounced RPM squared), about the possibilities of power meters for running, as their product is one of this new technology.

Natural Running Network Podcast on Power Meters for Running

I recently did an interview on the Natural Running Network Podcast, discussing power meters for running, their potential, what we know so far, and more.

You can find the podcast interview here: http://www.naturalrunningnetwork.com/power-running-the-future-is-now/

You can expect a lot more posts coming soon on power meters for running, how they work, how to interpret the data and more.

Ironman and 70.3 Speed and Pace Charts

Many athletes want to achieve a certain split, either for the bike or run, but have little idea of how fast that split actually is. The following charts are little cheat sheets I created for reference of the actual speed/pace that correlates to the time/split. For running, we did it in both min/km and min/mile.

Special thanks to Dan Feeney, for his help creating these. Enjoy and feel free to share, but please keep credit label on the images.

 

Coach Vance

7 Pre-Workout Routines for Better Performance

Here's an article I wrote for TrainingPeaks, which discusses some great routines I use with my athletes.


7 Pre-Workout Routines for Better Performance

Have you ever stumbled out of bed and wondered why it takes so long for you to gain your balance or be able to walk straight? Or have you ever sat for so long in a car or at a desk that the first few steps you wonder if your legs are listening to what your brain is telling them to do?

These are just a couple examples of how the connections between our brains and our muscles are sometimes not functioning properly due to periods of non-use. In the world of physical therapy, it is called neuromuscular activation. “Neuro” comes from the nervous system, which sends the signals from the brain to the “muscular” system, to activate the muscles.

Physical Therapy

Many physical therapists work with individuals just trying to get them to utilize muscles which aren’t firing or being used in common movements which would greatly enhance the strength and stability of the person during the movements. Most athletes scoff at this idea, but the research shows significant performance differences with neuromuscular activation improvements and some simple routines prior to bouts of exercise can be very effective at improving activation. For example, most athletes have seen dramatic neuromuscular improvements in the weight room, just in the first few weeks of lifting weights. It takes six weeks for athletes to show muscle growth from strength training, so those first six weeks of strength gains from those routines is almost entirely neuromuscular adaptation and improvements in activation.

You can read the rest of the article here...

Enjoy and good luck!

Coach Vance

The 2015 Ironman World Champs - Women's Race Basic Numbers

Yesterday I posted the basic numbers from the top 25 men overall, and today I am sharing the top 25 women. More data and insight coming soon. (Click on the image to enlarge).

Coach Vance

The 2015 Ironman World Champs - Men's Race Basic Numbers

Over the next few weeks I will begin to really break down the men's and women's pro races in Kona, from the 2015 Ironman World Championships. So let's start with today's first numbers, the top 25 men's splits by each leg, and how they break down. (Click on image to enlarge).

***Realize, this is only those who finished the race in the top 25 pro men. Athletes who DNF'ed are not listed.

More data coming tomorrow, and the days ahead.

Coach Vance

The Ironman Marathon Execution

Many athletes I speak with like to tell me the pace they want to hit running off the bike in an Ironman. They say things like, "I will/want to start off at 7:00 min/mile and hold on. If I feel good after halfway, I will push the second half pace." Or they will say, "I am going to push hard from the opening mile, trying to stay with my competitors or pull away from them."

There are a few problems with this approach....

- This type of thinking is entirely RESULTS based, not PROCESS based. Athletes focused on a specific pace when they start the run, put their confidence in jeopardy if they don't hit that pace. They will judge their race in that moment. Just because your legs don't give you a pace you HOPE for right away, doesn't mean you can't get it, or that you still can't run well.

- If you've ever done an Ironman, you know there are peaks and valleys of performance and how you feel. Athletes must focus on being smooth and running easy early, seeing what the body gives them, not forcing it.

- Remember, conditions can affect pacing as much as anything. Cool climates, and you can run faster. Hot climates, and you will likely run slower. 

- Pacing on the bike must be executed correctly in order to have a good run. So much of your run success begins before you ever take the first step on the run course.

- Nutrition on the bike must be executed correctly in order to have a good run. So much of your run success begins before you ever take the first step on the run course. (Yes, that is the same sentence). But there is no nutritional plan that will make up for poor bike pacing for your run success.

- When athletes start their long runs in training, they rarely focus or care about what the first mile or two of the run will be paced at. They are just getting started and realize there is a lot of running to do. The same approach should happen for athletes when coming off the bike.

- Many faster athletes might think this makes sense for mid to back-of-the-packers, but not for elites or top age groupers. But actually, what tends to happen is those faster athletes are already running fairly quickly off the bike, even running relatively easy. Think about it, athletes who have a threshold pace of sub 6 mins, are easily running 7 min pace off the bike, with hardly any effort. Point? Don't rush the pace the first few miles, it will happen on its own.

- Recent studying I have done of paces for the first mile off the bike for pro men and women in Kona shows that if you run the first mile faster than 20 secs faster than the average pace you hope to REALISTICALLY run, you are likely going to pay the price. This is for the faster people, where it is especially difficult to run faster, but extrapolate it out and that means about 5% for the age grouper. Point? Don't be faster for the first mile than 5% of the average pace you realistically hope to run for the marathon, or you're committing a race suicide.

- When athletes run a marathon fresh, they can handle a little aggressive pacing early, but will still pay the price eventually if they do it too much. Now think about the difference when an athlete starts a marathon in an Ironman? They have very little reserve or leeway for early aggressive pacing, given the deficit they begin the marathon with. Add in hot and humid conditions, (like a majority of Ironman marathons are raced in), and you begin to see the need to be the best pacer in the race, to maximize potential. 

Stop focusing on the pace, and more on executing good pacing!

Coach Vance

You Can't Control the Conditions, But...

You can't control the conditions of a race or event, but you can plan for them. If you plan for it, you control it enough for your performance.

Stop worrying about your race and the result, and start preparing for it. You control the result a lot more than you give yourself credit for. Take control, prepare well.

Coach Vance

Stop It! - 16 Things You Likely Do and Need to Stop

1. Stop ignoring recovery. What you eat, how much you sleep, the beers, it all affects you. The intensity you go on easy workouts is also vital.

2. Stop doing everyone else's workouts, and start focusing on what workouts YOU need. Sometimes, (in fact many times), that means you need to train alone. Peer pressure is no way to train effectively. If you train with a lot of egos, let them go. Limit group workouts to those which are in line with your goals and specific needs. This especially includes recovery workouts. (See #1).

3. Stop sabotaging your training. When life gets stressful, skipping workouts because you're not in the mood only brings about more stress and frustration with training and lack of results. Training is your escape, keep it that way. Skipping that transition run because you think you're too tired, is a missed opportunity to build confidence with a great run, or to learn to better pace your bike.

4. Stop ignoring your weight. If you aren't thin, you aren't as fast as you can be. I'm not saying you should look anorexic, but to think those 10 lbs you could lose aren't affecting your performance, is ignoring the obvious. If you're 20+lbs over an ideal race weight, there is no training plan or lightweight bike that can overcome that handicap. The weight also means higher risk for injuries, which can sabotage your training. (See #3).

5. Stop ignoring your diet. (See #1 and #4).

6. Stop obsessing about volume. If it really mattered, the athlete who did the most volume would win every race. Ultraman competitors would be the best Ironman and sprint racers. It's about the quality of training you can do. You're not training for the Tour de France.

7. Stop ignoring the swim. The higher your goals, the more it matters.

8. Stop ignoring your warm-ups for your workouts and races. The older you are, and the higher your goals, the more it matters. It's like sabotage. (See #3)

9. Stop ignoring your cool-down sets, they are vital to proper recovery. (See #1) Poor recovery sabotages training and racing. (See #3).

10. Stop ignoring technology in your training. You use technology in every aspect of your life, from your iPhone/Android to your laptop and software at your job or at home. Why is it so hard to believe power and pace data can help your training and racing on a daily basis? (See #3).

11. Stop thinking you need a faster/newer/better bike. You need to get training right. (See #1 thru #10).

12. Stop paying a coach if you're not going to do the training as they write it. (See #3)

13. Stop being negative with yourself. There is nothing anyone or any coach can tell you that will supersede what you say to yourself. If you don't believe in yourself when you toe that start line, the result is pretty much already determined.

14. Stop focusing on the competition, and start focusing on yourself, and how to execute your training and racing better. (See #1 thru #13)

15. Stop doing the same thing over and over. The body responds best to variance in training. If you've been doing the same things over and over for years, and aren't happy with the results, or notice a plateau, it's time to address the real issue.

16. Stop thinking salt and electrolyte losses cause cramps, there's no scientific proof of this. The people who promote this are the ones trying to sell it to you. Get fitter, and you'll cramp less. Get training right, you'll get fitter. Stop shoving so much salt into your gut during races, and you'll likely get rid of all that GI distress you've been bothered by in races.

Bonus tip...
17. Stop thinking Ironman is the only important race in triathlon. It's far from it.

Coach Vance