Welcome and no I haven’t - fatigue is a strange beast, this season I think I’m getting less fatigue by eating more frequently and particularly more protein. I wanted to include strength training but I haven’t had the time.
What’s the overview of the Fitzgerald swim and run plans?
My swim has been knocked out of kilter so I won’t be retesting until I’m back to 3/week. Fairly confident with circa 1:45-1:50 as previously mentioned though 
I’ve never manually adjusted ftp - I think test results should be simply accepted. However, I adjust the intensity or shorten the session quite liberally if I’m not up to it. If that’s two session in a week before I feel okay, that’s fine.
I also do ramp tests whenever I feel like it. I know the four I did a few weeks back was a little extreme but it’s only 30 odd TSS after all 
Bumping up FTP is absolutely possible and not a bad idea, if not done during a “recovery” week.
I was in the same situation as you mid plan and bumped up my VO2max intervals for several %. Felt great, so why not. Then I did the next ramp test earlier, because I thought my ftp was much higher now. But the ramp test gave me only a plus of 1%.
I found that feeling stronger/weaker in some weeks is just normal and not all VO2max workouts (especially Baird -1) are meant to be allout efforts. (I did Midway yesterday and didn’t think about bumping up ever, at all, no even 1 second… 
)
Glad you’re feeling more comfortable in the water. Now, if you’re not already, count your own strokes down the length of the pool and focus on making that consistent. Barring traffic or other issues, you should be within 1-2 each length. Counting the strokes is also a good distraction from the monotony of staring at the black line.
I think you said you had a Garmin. If you’re swimming alone, have you programmed the workouts into the watch? If so, it’ll count the swim for you and vibrate half-way down the last length to signal you to stop at the wall. You can also set the intervals as time-based or rest-based… 200s on 3:00 aiming for 2:50 so you’ll have 10s rest, or simply 10s rest if, for example, you’re in a shared lane and thus potentially inconsistency is ‘forced’ upon you, or if you want the ‘guaranteed’ rest. If you don’t know your interval, swim the first at a ‘sustainable’ pace for the effort you intend for the set then add the desired rest on top of that. If you’re doing this, then you won’t be able to program the watch but you can still use the lap feature to start/stop each interval. The download to Garmin Connect will give you your interval breakdowns and your SWOLF score, which is what you should be focusing on next as you get the stroke count under control.
If you’re swimming with a group or club, just use the lap feature and don’t bother with the programmed workout, unless you’ve made the workout and are leading the lane (even then, too many variables to make it not frustrating).
Also, make sure you’re practicing bilateral breathing (both sides) and breath control. Do intervals where you’re breathing every 3rd, 5th, and 7th stroke, changing by 25 or by 50 (or if you’re like me and simply cannot breath on my left without destroying my rhythm, then every 4th, 6th, and 8th stroke). This won’t be fun but it will help in several ways.
I would advise you sign up for Speedo swim analysis (OnSpeedo) for a deeper look at your swimming, for potentially helpful info, and technique drills. It syncs just like Strava and it’s free. It will, for example, give you SWOLF scores for your intervals so if even your time for each is off (traffic in your lane) you can still see if your efficiency changed. (For example, I swam 3600m yesterday with a main set of 6x500m pull. The times jumped around: 7:41, 7:25, 7:16, 7:26, 7:35, and 7:20 due to traffic but also fatigue. But I can see consistency with my stroke count (7:16 was 201 strokes, the 7:41 was 200) and the SWOLF scores were 31-33.
Keep up the good work!
On FTP, I adjusted my ramp-tested FTP upward 5% and may do so again as I found myself bumping up the workout power 5-10% for 20min blocks and even the 4hr slog. I guess I don’t test well.
Bilateral is fine for warming up or down in my book, but mainsets breath every (right or left) stroke. Alternate as much as you need to practice.
Well, I now have my left ankle strapped up to see whether it alleviates the issue on a test run this evening. Physio thinks it’s likely tibalis posterior tendonitis from a lack of flexibility and muscle imbalance on that leg 
I foresee lots of single-leg squats in my future 
I agree with turbo training, have done a few 4hrs and 41/2hrs trainer rides in the last 6 weeks on the mid volume full iron-man plan. Its tough, but as long as you prep before its bearable . have 6 weeks left of plan, and have only done one outside ride, and that was half ironman on the 2nd December. Its just easier and less hassle to get on the turbo
Hey rhere runners! Need your advice. What shoes do u use for running long distance? I doubt what to choose - Brooks or Asics https://oktoberfest5krun.com Both look pretty nice and suitable for me, but… What do u think? Share your opinions! Thanks in advance!
There’s no real substitute for trying them on and seeing which you prefer unfortunately. What sounds good may not necessarily be the best fit for you and vice versa.
I train in Mizuno Wave RIders but I like to race in a nice light shoe - my Brooks T7’s have finally bitten the dust after a few years use and aren’t available any more. I went to a local shop a few weeks ago so see what the Hyperion’s were like which are essentially their replacement and ended up with a pair of those for racing.
That may not be hugely helpful for you but try and find somewhere that stocks the shoes you want to try and see which ones suit you.
I don’t think you can reasonably choose by brand.
Different models/sizes until you’re happy. I got lucky with relatively cheap ASICS GT-2000, they’ve seen me good a few seasons a size larger than I’d usually get.
That’s a good point as well. I’m usually a 9.5 in running shoes and am for the Mizunos but both the T7’s and Hyperions were sized slightly differently and I’m in a 9 for those two.
I’ve been running in Brooks now for quite some time. I like their pure project shoes, now using the pure flow.
As others have said, try other shoes on. Last time i bought a pair was my first time at that specific shop so they had me try a few other brands i stuck with my choice in the flow.
Ended up having to defer IMTX to 2020, so just 3x 70.3 on the schedule. Life was just getting in the way too much to train for a 140.6 right now. On the plus side, FTP is up 10 points in 5 weeks (238 today) so I have that going for me!
Hi all.
A quick update and a few questions.
Heading towards my first triathlon, Staffordshire 70.3. Now in my 7th week of training and TrainerRoad, I’ve seen my FTP jump to 210 from 170 and have also lost 7kg, down to 66kg.
I was wondering at what percentage of FTP it is reasonable to aim for on the bike in a 70.3?
And following on from that. I don’t have a power meter on my bike. What is the best way to control effort without that? Would it be RPE or average speed maybe after calculating in something like best bike split?
Thanks!
It’s a function of time, so needs some thought. 3hrs at 75% does less damage to your run than 4hrs at 75%.
What I did in my first half which was at Staffs was make a route with a similar elevation gain (I did 3x 30km), refuelling each time. Did it at a time to avoid the worst of the traffic. I’d done so much outdoor training I kinda knew what was easy and what was unsustainable. I’d call it RPE 6. It’s going to feel a bit easier than Gibraltar or Polar Bear unless you’re Elite I suppose, but not as dawdling as Longfellow.
Then get off and run 10km 
Agree with all the previous responses by @JulianM @joex and @bioteknik.
Different feet, different running styles, means different shoes with different offsets. I’ve run marathons and even a 69-mile ultramarathon (80% road, 20% trail) in Saucony Fastwitch, a shoe recommended for 5 & 10k’s. I’m not biomechanically gifted and cannot do more than 4 days a week running (and 1-2 of those days must be on trail or I’ll get an injury). But it works for me. I also run in the more plush Saucony Kinvara, which fits but with a very different feel. But I used to be exclusively ASICS for years (which seemingly changed the size/shape of their models yearly), then it was Nike, and for a few years now it’s been Saucony. (For trail, it’s Inov-8 for me, and like my road shoes, I have two different models in the closet. I keep trying Salomon but they just don’t work for me.)
So, to reiterate the previous recommendations, you have to try several shoes, sometimes trying different sizes, and keep trying them and keep exploring other models. Unlike your bike, the shoes need to be replaced every 250 miles (give or take 100 ) so keep exploring. Models will change as will your requirements (change in running style, speed, seeking a different offset, better awareness of what you want/don’t want in a shoe, etc).
IM Texas on 4/27 for me. 17th IM overall, but first since 2011 (I feel like a rookie again!).
My build is a bit truncated due to the fact that I raced cross all fall/winter (final race was 12/8) and then got a vasectomy. So my lead in is:
First four weeks of Full Distance Base Medium Volume
All eight weeks of Full Distance Build Medium Volume with the Friday rides omitted in favor of an extra swim.
Final four weeks of Full Distance Specialty Medium Volume with Friday rides omitted.
My focus is on maintaining the strong bike fitness I got last year and bringing my running up to speed (no pun intended).
Woah! I’m looking forward to some sage advice now… 
hey guys. I’ve made a separate post but maybe some tri-specific advice might be required. I’d been making great progress on the 70.3 HV Build over the past months. yesterday, after getting fitted on a new tri-bike I started the short journey to where my car was parked and had an altercation with some traffic which has left me with a broken elbow and a very painful shoulder (not broken, thankfully).
So it feels right now like swimming and running are out for some time, but I’d imagine I can manage some sort of bike work on the trainer once my shoulder eases up a bit. Would you guys advise switching to a bike only plan for a while (ie replace lost run/swim volume with more cycling), or just stick to the tri-plan and miss the swims/runs?
A-race isn’t ill June (Staffordshire), but I’m not averse to turning that to a B-race if I need to and looking for another A race a bit later in the year.
I’m sorry to hear about your elbow! Were you on the bike or on foot?
Come and do Weymouth!