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Akio Yamauchi's Micro Thread
Coach Patrick,
I have a question about this weekend's ride (week 14 of Advanced IMP), just in case. In the Video from Weekly Training Resources, you are saying I am (we are) having a Big day on Saturday, but in the List I am going to do a ride of 8 x 25' (5') @ 75-80% and the Big day happens the next Saturday. I suppose the video is from the last years plan (or older?) and I should ride as listed. Is this right?
Thanks!
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Coach Patrick,
No problem. So far so good with my training for IM Cairns.
Coach Patrick,
I need your guidance.
I am going to do the final FTP test as in the IM Plan list this coming Wednesday and the number will decide the Goal Watt for the race. My concern is that I might be tired from the Zone 4 interval on Tuesday and the number will be lower than it really is. Until now the previous days of the tests were all rests for the tests. Do you think I should do the FTP test even if am fatigued, or avoid it and do the other workout, for example, Zone 4 ride?
Thanks!
Thanks, Coach Patrick.
You mean I can just skip the Tuesday run? Should I make up for it some other day?
Anyway I will take Tuesday off and do the test!
Akio
Coaches
I'm having my second (and the last before the IM) Race Rehearsal day this weekend and I would like to have your thoughts about the execution. For RR, should I not do the run as in the race? I mean "walking 30 steps every one mile." In fact, they have aid stations every 2km in IM Cairns, so I am going to walk every 2km.
My goal pace for IM will be 7:48/mile by Vdot and goal time is estimated at 3:23. Do I have perhaps no need to "walk" if I run negative splits? I like the 30 steps strategy very much because I made my PR of run (3:22) in last years IM using the strategy, but on the other hand I am wondering if the day will come when I don't have to "walk" if I can run much faster.
The questions above may sound silly, but I am really at a loss with my A race close at hand.
Thanks.
As for not walking, there really isn't a point where we say don't walk the aid stations. You don't have to walk 30 steps...you can walk just 10 seconds while you drink, etc, but it's important. I have run a 3:15 walking 24 out of 26 aid stations (ran the last two to be competitive). If anything, once you have proven you can execute the bike and the run, we can talk about adjusting your pacing in the first 6 miles of the run to be more consistent with your overall pace (and not slowing you down by 30" per mile). But you need to have that "first" race first!
So, keep the walking to 10-15" and that's it!
Coach Patrick, thanks for your guidance.
I will try 10-15" walking every 2k (drinking/eating gels) at the run in RR this weekend and check how I feel about it!
Coach Patrick,
I'm leaving for IM Cairns today. The RR 2 weeks ago went well. I felt very fine even after I did the 10k brick run. (I walked 30 steps every 2k) My goal time is Swim 1:20 Bike 5:00 Run: 3:18. I hope I can go under 10 hrs, but the bike course of Cairns seems about 7k longer than 180k, so I am not sure I can go at 5:00, but I try my best.
I will report about the race after I come back home.
Thanks!
As I posted in Dashboard, I safely finished IM Cairns. The time was 10:19 (S 1:28 B 5:14 R 3:25). I swam 4.54km (by 910XT) drifted away by the current before I knew it though I did headup every 10 strokes. On the bike I kept riding my numbers against the Power Meter. My bike time was a bit longer than I expected probably because of several rolling hills, rough surface of the aussie roads and the strong head wind, but I felt my legs fresh when I got off the bike. On the run I also did the EN run execution.
I'm going to start training for my next A race from 7/1 again. Unfortunately I had to cancel IM Louisville for a family reason, so I entered IM Japan on 8/31 instead. I hope it can make my PR there.
Coach Patrick, thanks for your guidance.
I read the Official Ironman Revenge Protocol document, and had some questions.
To tell you truth, just repeating my plan (Advanced IM) gets me down because I had been training so stoically and faithfully to the list for the last Ironman that I am a bit fatigued both physically and mentally. So I thought I need some different set of training. I am also concerned that I can get all of the sets done as listed because it is going to get hotter (and hotter) from now here in Tokyo. The way to adjust my training plan written in the document sounds great to what I am now. I changed my next Ironman from IM Lou to IM Japan on 8/31, so I have 11 weeks to go including this week starting 16th. According to the road map you gave me when I entered the team, last, this, and next weeks are the transition period for loading up my next plan. So I start the adjusted plan on 7/1, and load up the normal IM plan from 7/22 (6 week out from the race), right? In this case, I have three Prep weeks and three Taper weeks.
I understand my biggest problem is swim. In IM Cairns, I swam 4.54km for 1:27:34, so It will be about 1:13 when converted to 3.8km. I want it to be within 1:18 by swimming as straight as possible in IM Japan, whose swim course is a lake.
About the run, there is no interval run (zone 4) in the adjusted plan, but "Up to 60', include stride for form" on Tuesday instead. At what pace should I do this run?
About the bike, what do you think of doing hill climb rides for either Saturday or Sunday ride as the bike course of IM Japan includes a rather steep hill climb? Or is it unnecessary?
Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thanks!
(Sorry for my English. There's so much to improve...
)
I think you should be okay to start on the modified plan tomorrow (Monday 6/24). That gives you 4 weeks of this training before you head into the final 6 weeks of your IM plan.
Right now I don't really want any run intensity (mostly Zone 2 pace is fine); if you feel good, then on Tuesday you can work in 4 x 3' (2') @ Z5 effort for that 45' run. If you want hills, put them in on Sunday's ride...remember we don't ride them "hard", just get really good at pacing them well.
In terms of focus, the next 4 weeks should include:
* Monitoring of resting / waking HR to make sure your recovery is on track.
* Swim technique and volume....you can push the swim here for sure.
* Close monitor of bike & run efforts...can you hit your zones? No? Whether or not you can is an indicator of your ability to train at 100%, so keep me posted.
Finally, the last 6 weeks will be your time to be in full race set up, etc. What changes (if any) do you plan on making to your bike fit or equipment?
One more note, if it's going to be hot, you will need to boost your in workout nutrition to make sure that you aren't bonking / crashing on low energy; that will take some work but you will need to get it right as bad sessions like these can set you back a few days!
Owing to your suggestions, I understand what I should or should not do for my next Ironman. I am going to organize my training based on the modified plan in the template from the Revenge Protocol.
My waking HR is already back to normal these days, so I think I have almost fully recovered. But I am going to carry on my training carefully for this and next week according to your suggestions.
As for swim, I am thinking of doing drill works in the eBook on the two optional days, and doing the regular sets on the other two days choosing from the three days in the regular plan. Is this OK?
I believe (at least feel so) I had had enough fitness for bike and run built up with the training until the previous Ironman, so I will try to regain my fitness tuning the intensity of bike and run (and hopefully build up more) by the final six weeks.
I will also train keeping your note about nutrition in mind. Here in Japan we are in the rain season from the middle of June to the middle of July, and have hot and humid days, and after that suffer killing hot days of summer (over 95F almost every day) through August. However, the venue of IM Japan is located far north of Japan and rather cool, so I think it would be important to go through July and August by dialing the intensity and volume so that I will not be knocked out from that summer heat.
Thanks!
Thanks Coach Patrick,
Just a quick question: What do you mean by "dial back the hard sessions or do them early"?
Do you mean "reduce the volume of the hard sessions or do the hard sessions in earlier weeks (say 10-7 weeks) of the plan?
@Akio, sorry for no context! I was referring to how to adjust your plans given the killer heat of your summer. Dial them back a bit (intensity) or do them super early in the day!
Thanks Coach Patrick. Now I got it!
BTW, should I do the FTP test next week (on Wed) or put it off until 4 weeks before the race as listed in the plan? I don't think I need to do the run 5k test for the present because I run at or under zone 2 until 6th week out from the race.
I did the threshold ride (10/15/20min@zone 4) on the day before yesterday and I felt very good. Actually I broke down or nearly did so during that ride in the last training period a few times. I think it was because of accumulative fatigue and the interval run@zone 4 done on the previous day.
Any thoughts about this? Thanks!
Thank you Coach Patrick.
I seem to have been in a hurry to make up for what I think I missed in the last IM. As you pointed out, I am going to start with that little things, and to focus on regaining and keeping my fitness. I will keep my updates posted as the weeks progress.
Thanks!
Coach Patrick, just to keep you updated about my training.
I spent the last week almost as the revenge protocol goes except the Monday run (I skipped it to give my legs a whole holiday once a week).
On Sunday I rode the hills. Check out this link:
http://latlonglab.yahoo.co.jp/route/watch?id=ea3735365af66e94983e78e21e3755ad
Sorry for mysterious letters (in Japanese) there. This is my favorite riding course. The elevation gain is 8068 ft for 76.6 miles. The road goes up with uphills and downhills taking turns little by little. I usually ride this course "hard," but this time I rode it as in the race by the EN race execution, that is, just like smoothing out the ups and downs. On the uphills I went slower, but after the crest I could easily accelerate. After all I made my PR on this course!
FYI, here is the IM Japan bike course:
http://latlonglab.yahoo.co.jp/route/watch?id=ba2427c945480afcb3f01f6a03bae40d
What is your thought? Do you think I should continue with my Sunday ride on the course above (on the hills) or do it on a rather flat course as ABP ride?
Thanks.
Thanks for your thought. I gained confidence about my hill riding. My revenge protocol is so far so good. But the rainy season was over last Saturday, which is 15 days earlier than usual, and the killer heat is here with over 95F every day. In this sense, when I do a long ride, hills (in the mountains) seem better than flats as it is much cooler.
Thanks!
Coach Patrick
My second "smooth ride" went very well. I rode the same course and my legs were quite fresh while the time was almost the same. I think I'm going to do this ride two or three more times.
BTW I have done the revenge protocol for 3 weeks, especially during the last weeks killer heat. Before I get back into the normal IM plan next week (starting from 29th), I would like to make this week (15th-21st) a "rest week". I mean, can I dial back both the intensity and the volume so I can recover from the cumulative fatigue of the last 3 weeks and get used to the heat? I am thinking of skipping the Wednesdays zone 4 ride and dialing down the volume of bike and run to about half. The only exception is swim. What is your thought?
Thanks!