Tag: training

Take Your Training to the Next Level: The Power of Testing for Peak Performance

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Testing

We are testing this week!

It’s that time of the season when we need to retest or test for the first time if you did not aat the beginning of the year.
If you are not assessing, you are guessing, and testing eliminates the guesswork of knowing how hard to train in your intervals and races.

All of this makes you faster- which is what we all want, RIGHT?

This is how it should work.

1. Train for a minimum fitness level to avoid injury while taking your tests. This is typically a 4-6 week base/ build training program that focuses on technique, lots of drill work, and zone 1, 2, and 3 training- which means keeping intensity lower to help you build an aerobic base. If you already have a base, you  can test you right away.

2. After a recovery week, perform your swim, bike, and run tests. There are many options for different types of tests, but it is key to keep as many of the parameters the same every time.

For example, if you perform a 1-mile run test as your type of test for the run. AIm to have the same breakfast, perform the test at the same location on the same day and in the same conditions as the previous test.

It’s impossible to have everything the same, but as much as possible. Be sure to wear your heart rate monitor and Garmin watch for the run and swim tests, and use a calibrated bike computer for bike test to record the total time for the tests and collect all your data -the power, pace, and rpms all yield important information.

3. Create your training zones based on your tests. Most athletes don’t know how to do this, but I can help. This is the most important step because, without training zones, you are training blind.
If you only have three speeds—easy, medium, and fast—you are leaving a lot of guesswork in your training.

With precise training zones based on your test performance, you create specificity in your training, yielding repeatable performances for the distance of the race you are training for. It’s quite simple, but most athletes just wing it! I think it is a huge waste of time and energy when you can get the information so simply and then train accordingly.

This is how I help the FC athletes get faster race after race.

Are you ready to get serious about your training, stop wasting time, and start training like a pro?

Efficient, personalized training can transform your approach and help you achieve what once seemed impossible.

Curious to learn more about how we can help you reach your tri goals?

Take the first step by filling out our get-to-know-you form here.

Then once you complete the form, providing as much detail as you can so we can focus on the highest leverage tweaks to optimize your training and performance…

At the bottom of that form is a link to schedule a one-on-one session with me.

5 spots are available each month. Space is limited.

Simply select a time that works best for you! Talk soon. : )

Full Circle Coaching Training Tips: Are you in the Zone?

by fullcircle, posted in Bike, Blogs, Run, Swim, Testing


Are you using Training Zones to guide your training and racing?

If not, you are missing out on vital information to help you achieve your triathlon goals much more quickly.  Most triathletes spend 6-15 hours per week training.  You might as well have some focus and purpose for each and every workout so you can spend less time training, get better results and have a life outside of triathlon as well!  After a 4 to 6 week acclimitization period where you are getting the body used to training 4 to 6 times per week and working on skills in each sport, it is vital to perform some field and or lab tests to discover your training pace, heart rate and power zones.  Without these numbers you are guessing at where you should be spending time getting faster and most likely training in the “Black Hole” where many triathletes spend WAY to much of their time.

The black hole of training is the pace or speed where it feels hard but there is no real purpose to it.  By training in this zone you can only achieve a certain level of fitness.  To be able to get faster and stronger you need to spend time in all training zones in a periodized method to be able to peak for a specific race.  There are a myriad of different methods but picking one and sticking to it is the key.  Then if the results are achieved we know that it worked. If not we go back and look what was missing or needed and adjust and tweak and try again.  Every single athlete is different and it can take a little time to figure out the training zones that need the most work, but it is well worth it.

How we do it at FULL CIRCLE COACHING:

Swim: Pace tests for different distances (long course & short course), then train the paces specific to race distance with form work and speed work at specific times in the training cycle.
Bike: Lactate threshold field tests and or blood lactate tests, then train the most inefficient zones and zones specific to race distance.
Run: 5k and 10k races for field tests and or VO2 max or Blood Lactate testing, then train the zones specific to race distance.

After getting the results of the tests, we create the zones for training and then the periodized training plan to train certain zones for training blocks or set periods of weeks.  This is where it becomes an art and the better the communication between coach and athlete the better the coach can adjust the workouts and achieve the desired outcome.  This is what the upload function on Training Peaks and the Post Comments box in your workouts is for.  After you perform the work, you upload the results so your coach can analyze and see if you were successful. Then build upon success and keep moving forward.

Next Step:

We retest every 6 to 8 weeks, we tweak and adjust depending on the distance of the “A” race.  One of our motto’s is “Strong Before Long” and “Long is Wrong” even for my Ironman athletes! We prescribe minimalist training and specificity which will get you where you want to be much faster with less overuse injury and more power and strength!

Let us guide and coach you to success… Contact me today by email: info@fullcirclecoaching.com to get started on setting up your zones for training.

Are you training in the Black Hole?

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs

The Black Hole of endurance training is at about 75-85% of your maximum effort.

So many triathletes spend WAY too much time at this effort level and wonder why they are not getting faster!

One of the secrets to improving your performance is working at the 2 ends of the spectrum, on the edges of the black hole.

Low Aerobic Training or LSD, Long Slow Distance training and Vo2 Max or Speed work training.

Most of my athletes are doing exactly this right now in their training blocks and getting faster test and race times plus, PR’s (Personal Record’s).

This equates to training in your zone 5 energy system and requires a lot of recovery time in your zone 1. Staying out of the middle in the black hole!

If you don’t do the recovery interval at zone 1/2 effort you will not be likely to hit all of your intervals because you are not giving your body a chance to recover and go hard again, repeatedly.

This is a big fat mistake if you want to get faster.

Working these 2 ends of the spectrum is going to help you get the MOST our of your training!

Ready to take your training to the next level? Join me for my FREE 5 day Challenge – Triathlon Reset on July 12-16th, inside my private Triathlon Obsessed Facebook group.

You’ll learn exactly what you need to do to become the best triathlete you can be in 2021. There’s still time to finish out the year strong. See you in the challenge.

Share this information with a friend who might want to get fast too!

Also, Click this link: http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU to schedule a call. This is a complimentary 30 minute session to ask me anything about triathlon, health and wellness or holistic lifestyle/ nutrition.

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. Creator of the 16 week Triathlon Transformation. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, Mermaid and much much more.

The Time is…

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs

The Time is…

If you’re looking for a sign, THIS IS IT.

  • This is the sign you’ve been waiting for.
  • This is the sign to take action you’ve been delaying.
  • This is the sign that “I’m waiting for a better time” is nothing but a lie we all tell ourselves. 

So, I’m sorry (not sorry), to end the story of “I’m waiting for a better day.” There is no better day. Today is it!

You just got THE SIGN, after all…

Start right now. Take one step in the direction you want, even if you feel unconfident or anxious. Do one thing to begin reaching your goals. One action leads to another and another… 

It doesn’t matter what those goals are. Maybe you want to do an ironman or a sprint triathlon, get in better physical shape, start eating right, improve a relationship, or save more money.

The point is that all of these things involve a commitment of DOING – and a commitment of doing, again and again OVER TIME.

Time doesn’t start when you want it to, or when it’s convenient for you, or when everything in your life lines up in a perfect row. That’s what we call a fantasy.

The reality of living YOUR life on YOUR terms? That starts with action. RIGHT NOW.

If your best Triathlon is one of those things you are deciding to take on now, Please join me for my upcoming Free 5 Day Facebook Challenge . I’ll be addressing the 5 things you struggle with in training for Triathlon based on my latest survey.

Time Management
Overcoming and preventing Injury
How to get faster
What to eat, and when to eat it
How to deal with fears, anxiety and overwhelm and of course how to get started!

Click HERE to Get on the list NOW Starts July 19th at 11 am

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. Creator of the 16 week Triathlon Transformation. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, Mermaid and much much more.

Are you SHIFTING me?

by fullcircle, posted in Bike, Blogs

By Coach Erinne Guthrie

I meet with a lot of cyclists on a weekly basis, some during one on one sessions and some during our weekly group rides, and I am always surprised by how little new and even experienced cyclists shift their gears. The gears on the bike are meant to be used and shifted quite often during your rides. They are what allow you to keep pedaling with a smooth consistent pedal stroke whether you are drafting in a group, riding alone or climbing the bridges. By shifting your gears you can keep a given cadence or rpm (revolution per minute) so you can be more efficient (90 rpm) on a long ride or create resistance with a lower RPM (50-70) for a given interval to build leg strength while on the bike.  On your next ride I highly recommend playing around with shifting the gears on your bike.  Which gears help you get faster? Slower? More efficient? Tired?  etc. there is a time to use all the gears on your bike, start shifting today!