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2006-06-25 5:37 PM

Elite
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Laurium, MI
Subject: The Mike Ricci July Challenge

Every time I see the challenges to run or bike x number miles in a month I always look at my training plan and see how many minutes I'd be doing that month and pledging that.  I mean it's pointless to pledge more or less, because I have a plan and I intend on sticking to it.  Then I see a few people (I won't name names) that pledge a bunch of miles, then get off to a rocky start only to have to go out and either sandbag or do two weeks of insane workouts.  The result is still the same,  less then optimal results or injury.

So I'm proposing the July "STICK TO THE PLAN" challenge.  It's simple.  Create a plan for July and stick with it the entire month.  If you are a performance member (like you should be) this is as simple as importing a plan (if you haven't already) or creating your own on the "Planned" tab in the blog.  If you are not a performance member, either become one (bronze is dirt cheap and gold is a major bargain) or just write out your plan and follow it yourself.  We can check up on people with planned training in their blogs, as the calendar view shows planned Vs actual, but for those not willing to pull the trigger on membership, we will just have to take your work for it.

So who's with me???  Lets put an end to sandbagging the challenges, to waiting until the end of the month to put your time in.  In the immortal words of Mike Ricci, lets STICK TO THE PLAN!

I propose we look at time for running and riding and distance for swimming.  All the site plans are written in this manner and it just makes things easier.



2006-06-25 6:40 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Champion
13323
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Gold member
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
Count me in.  I still have to update my July planned training.  Any chance % workouts completed or % planned time completed can count too somehow? 
2006-06-25 8:39 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Extreme Veteran
466
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Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
Like you, I always pledge within a reasonable amount of my planned training so I can't play w/ the 700 Club.(A little over for cycling and a little under for running but within 10%). I don't use a BT plan but instead one from my coach, would I have to go through and input my planned training so it shows up in the left hand column in order to play in this challenge or would I be allowed to do it on honor system?

Yes, I know how to input my planned training- I did it for the mini taper leading up to the Mooseman HIM just to see how it worked and it didn't really provide me with any additional useful information since the comparison of planned to actual graphs didn't work. So I haven't spent the time since then to do it.

I mostly want to play in this challenge to keep me accountable for swimming. I do all my bike miles, almost all my run miles, but my swim yardage seems a little deficient from where it was at earlier in the year. I did do all 3 swim workouts as written this past week though but to keep the momentum on that through July... I'm counting on being able to use USMA's pools and maybe do some OW at one of the MWR areas.
2006-06-25 9:11 PM
in reply to: #465242

Elite
3650
200010005001002525
Laurium, MI
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge

well it's going to be almost impossible to get exactly 100%.  I always end up going a wee bit under or over ( 1 min or so) on my timed workouts so there will be some wiggle room.  I'd say going over isn't as bad as going under.  It would also be hard to look at workout type and hold you accountable for doing a base workout instead of a planned speed workout, so I say just keep it time/distance planned vs actual.

If you have a personal plan with a coach, I'd say just follow it and be honest about it for the challenge.  The whole point is to keep yourself accountable for you plan.

2006-06-25 9:34 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Extreme Veteran
466
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Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
Okay- 100% of plan for the month of July has me doing:

swim 30900 yds
bike 556 miles
run 126 miles

This includes the catered training day on July 16th, also known as the Musselman HIM. I will do my best to get all my workouts in and hit 100% of the distance goals while also doing the correct intensities which I need to work on doing. I tend to go a little too easy on the moderate days. That means I need to replace the HRM chest strap that broke during today's run- not the elastic part but the actual plastic portion of it. I wondered why it was either reading 200+ or 55 bpm- well, it was because it was in multiple pieces.
2006-06-25 9:55 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Science Nerd
28760
50005000500050005000200010005001001002525
Redwood City, California
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
I'm interested. I don't usually do enough miles to join the 700 club or the 100 mile running challenge, but I'm interested in a challenge that involves sticking to my plan.


2006-06-26 5:10 AM
in reply to: #465142

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Veteran
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Reading, Berkshire (UK)
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
Ron - 2006-06-26 12:40 AM

Count me in.  I still have to update my July planned training.  Any chance % workouts completed or % planned time completed can count too somehow? 


Agreed - this sounds like fun, but 100% of plan doesn't allow much room for "life". For example, I lost a week of June training to a throat virus, but caught up my pledged bike time by replacing my running time with bike time for 2 weeks (and ironically, I think it really helped me). If something like that happens in this type of challenge, it sounds like I'd be scuppered straight away, with no chance of recovery.
2006-06-26 6:05 AM
in reply to: #465097

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Champion
19812
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MA
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge

I only participate in challenges where my training plan will allow me to reach the goal either set by the challenge or me...so sticking to my plan is what is always about for me.

I like this challenge, but won't have my training plan from my coach until Friday for the following 4 weeks, so I can't say what I'll do just that I want to participate now.

Life, illness and the like gets in the way, not sure how to that should play in here. If I miss a workout for those type reasons, my coach has me skip it as piling on workouts isn't a good idea either.

2006-06-26 8:09 AM
in reply to: #465438

Elite
3650
200010005001002525
Laurium, MI
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge

how about this.  Days that are marked as sick/injured won't count against your total and you can alter/change your planned training in case of sickness/injury or family emergency as long as you aren't changing days that already happened.  So no skipping a workout and then making the plan match a week later.

If your coach isn't giving you workouts a full month in advance, if you are uploading them to BT, just make sure to do it in advance.  Again, this is almost fully self policed

2006-06-26 11:31 AM
in reply to: #465097

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Pro
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Vancouver, BC
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
Sure I'm in. This is exactly what I did for this month's bike challenge. Drew up a monthly plan and then tried to stick to it.
2006-06-26 11:39 AM
in reply to: #465097

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Giver
18427
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Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge

BUt if you just look at total time/distance, it really doesn't mean you're sticking to your plan. Just that you met a cumulative goal. Did you do it all in the last two weeks to catch up? Did you switch your days around like crazy?

If you're going to do a "Stick to your plan" goal, you should have to pledge a calendar, and then only get credit for the days where you did the mileage//time called for. You could then calculate a % of the total days where you met your goal and compute a winner that way.



2006-06-26 11:46 AM
in reply to: #465894

Elite
3650
200010005001002525
Laurium, MI
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge

well yea, but not looking at it for the whole month, but day by day. 

I say at the end of each week, add up how much you are short and how much you are over and report those numbers individually.

So if I run 5 mins short for 3 runs, then run over 15 mins my report for the end of the week would still show 15 short and 15 long for the run.  I guess we could add that up to be 30 min off plan and divide by the total planned.

2006-06-26 11:46 AM
in reply to: #465097

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St. Louis, MO
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge

I think this is a good idea... and I like it. I have a plan imported, but I've never planned to do all the workouts. Without going through and changing all the planned workouts (I like to look at them even if I don't DO them all), can it be something as simple as swim 2 days, run 2 days and bike 4 days, toss in core and strength...according to our personal plan?

Let's keep working on it...I like this idea.

2006-06-26 12:03 PM
in reply to: #465912

Elite
3650
200010005001002525
Laurium, MI
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
it can be whatever you want it to be.  The point is to make a plan and stick to it.  No requirement on what kind of plan it has to be.  You could plan to have 3 runs the entire month, and as long as you stuck to it, you'd suceed.
2006-06-26 12:09 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Veteran
242
10010025
Reading, Berkshire (UK)
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
So is this a "for the greater good" challenge, or does it involve any competition? [I'm just finishing the June bike challenge, so I'm kind of reeling with the fiercely competitive spirit.]
2006-06-26 1:14 PM
in reply to: #465959

Elite
3650
200010005001002525
Laurium, MI
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
it can be just as competitive.  The thing is that instead of waiting towards the end of the month to see people slowly approach their goals and finish off the last few miles, that competition happens all the time.  You gotta stay on top of the challenge if you want to come in with the best score.


2006-06-26 1:27 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Pro
4541
2000200050025
A farming town in MN
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
I'm in.  Awesome idea.  I do have to readjust my training to my races, but I'll have my goals to you by this Friday, after the mayhem at work settles down...
2006-06-26 8:41 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Master
1551
10005002525
Virginia Beach, VA
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
I like this idea alot; all workouts count. It is a great way to keep you motivated each day. I need to fine tune my July schedule a bit, but I'm in.
2006-06-26 10:11 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Master
1462
10001001001001002525
Michigan
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
vortmax - 2006-06-25 6:37 PM

Every time I see the challenges to run or bike x number miles in a month I always look at my training plan and see how many minutes I'd be doing that month and pledging that. I mean it's pointless to pledge more or less, because I have a plan and I intend on sticking to it. Then I see a few people (I won't name names) that pledge a bunch of miles, then get off to a rocky start only to have to go out and either sandbag or do two weeks of insane workouts. The result is still the same, less then optimal results or injury.

So I'm proposing the July "STICK TO THE PLAN" challenge. It's simple. Create a plan for July and stick with it the entire month. If you are a performance member (like you should be) this is as simple as importing a plan (if you haven't already) or creating your own on the "Planned" tab in the blog. If you are not a performance member, either become one (bronze is dirt cheap and gold is a major bargain) or just write out your plan and follow it yourself. We can check up on people with planned training in their blogs, as the calendar view shows planned Vs actual, but for those not willing to pull the trigger on membership, we will just have to take your work for it.

So who's with me??? Lets put an end to sandbagging the challenges, to waiting until the end of the month to put your time in. In the immortal words of Mike Ricci, lets STICK TO THE PLAN!

I propose we look at time for running and riding and distance for swimming. All the site plans are written in this manner and it just makes things easier.



I agree 100%, everyone has different goals. Swimming 10,000 yds in a month isn't going to do me any good when I am not putting in any time elsewhere.
2006-06-28 4:48 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Extreme Veteran
402
100100100100
Ogden, Utah
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
Well....I signed up for the 700 club, however this is the ideal month to do that, so I'll do both this competition AND the 700 club. I am going to be working out my plan over the next couple of days, I should have it done by Friday..

I am in.
2006-06-28 4:50 PM
in reply to: #465911

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Extreme Veteran
402
100100100100
Ogden, Utah
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
vortmax - 2006-06-26 11:46 AM

well yea, but not looking at it for the whole month, but day by day. 

I say at the end of each week, add up how much you are short and how much you are over and report those numbers individually.

So if I run 5 mins short for 3 runs, then run over 15 mins my report for the end of the week would still show 15 short and 15 long for the run.  I guess we could add that up to be 30 min off plan and divide by the total planned.




Perfect idea... it's basically a variance report. Today I run 10 min. short, and tommorow I run 5 min. over, which gives me a variance of 15 minutes. over two days, 7.5 min variance a day.



2006-06-28 4:53 PM
in reply to: #465097

Elite
3650
200010005001002525
Laurium, MI
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge

so lets see,

here's the list I have so far.  I only put the names down that either gave a firm "I'm in" or from the context of their post, I gathered as much.  So feel free to quote it and add your own name if you want to join or if I missed you.

 

Vortmax
Ron
xterratri
KathyG
jeng
sparco
PTinVA
TwoRiversTri

2006-06-28 4:55 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Extreme Veteran
402
100100100100
Ogden, Utah
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
Hey here's an idea...

I don't know if you want help keeping up on this or not, but you can simply have a Microsoft Access (or Excel) Page set up for each individual doing the competition. Everyone send in there calendar either once a week or for the whole month. Based off of your actual times (which are blogged), you can produce a variance report on Minutes, or miles, or whatever.

Since I am an Office geek, I could set up a spread sheet for ya! :P
2006-06-28 7:05 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Veteran
245
10010025
Washington, DC(ish)
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
Can we get a recap of the rules? Also, hate to get into details, but how do you plan to deal with pools closed due to weather?
2006-06-28 7:31 PM
in reply to: #465097

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Coach
10487
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Boston, MA
Subject: RE: The Mike Ricci July Challenge
vortmax - 2006-06-25 5:37 PM

Every time I see the challenges to run or bike x number miles in a month I always look at my training plan and see how many minutes I'd be doing that month and pledging that.  I mean it's pointless to pledge more or less, because I have a plan and I intend on sticking to it.  Then I see a few people (I won't name names) that pledge a bunch of miles, then get off to a rocky start only to have to go out and either sandbag or do two weeks of insane workouts.  The result is still the same,  less then optimal results or injury.

You do know that sometimes plans need to be adjusted due to life right? Also you do know that one of the best ways to build up a base on one sport is by increasing the volume in that specific sport right? I am assuming you also know that usually one month is just a piece of the overall plan towards your big race of the season right? Finally you do know that when you are focusing a bit more in one sport you STILL train in the other two right?

Maybe you should be a bit flexible and at some point increase your volume of your weakest sport even when it is NOT on your plan (since most online plans are very general anyway), you might end up surprised with the big gains and improvements 

Anyway, I apologize for jumping in this thread, I just want to make it clear for you or other BTers who have the wrong misconception of how to benefit from a specific challenge in order to enhance their training, not to affect it.

Have fun and train lots! 

Edited by amiine 2006-06-28 7:50 PM
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