Will do. According to my training plan, this week is supposed to be a testing week for me. Subject to the changes outlined in your July 5th post (On Monday we swim only. Tuesday run strides only. Wednesday, tell me how the bike goes (no run). Thursday we run for time, not effort, as Z1 effort for 80%, then z2 for last 20%. Friday Swim only....then we try Saturday's full workout...), should I drop back a week and do Week 11 - ending with a Big Day on Saturday?
Here is the update on my bike session today. Following the standard warmup (including 12' with average power of 198W - solid Z3 for me), I decided to flip the main set around and do the 20' interval first. That interval came in at 251W (98% of my 255W FTP). I went well beyond the prescribed 4' rest between intervals due to a much needed bio break. Then I did a 10' interval at 258W. After a 5' rest between intervals, I did 5' at 255W, 2' rest, 5' at 262W, 2' rest, and 5' at 267W. I did all of the intervals in the aero position.
I felt like I could've gone out for a run off the bike, but I must confess that I was pretty happy we had decided not to do that today!
Also, I have some work-related travel tomorrow, so I will probably get Friday's swim in tomorrow, do my long run on Friday, rest on Saturday and do Big Day on Sunday.
Thank you for your help, Coach P! One more question. Because I dropped back and re-did Week #11, I skipped over Week #12 - which means that I skipped over my testing week. Should I try and work bike and/or run tests in somewhere (and, if so, any suggestions on where)?
@KZ, you only NEED to test if you think your numbers are all jacked up. IF the numbers are consistent with the effort you are putting in then there's no need!!!
I wanted to touch base with you on a couple of things.
First, I had my bike test this morning and, although I saw a drop in VO2 max from my April 5/End of OS test, my FTP went up by about 4W to 257W from the same April 5/End of OS test. I'm happy to see my FTP go up. Using the EN calculator in figuring out a pacing strategy for IM Wisconsin, it looks like goal NP is going to be 180W, giving me an IF of .70 and, assuming I finish the bike leg in 5:50:00, a TSS of 286 - putting me squarely in the green zone as I lace 'em up for the run. Any insights, critiques or suggestions on this proposed pacing strategy would be greatly appreciated!
Second, following IM Wisconsin, I am signed up to race IM Arizona. This race was added after my season training plan had been formulated and my recollection is that Coach R and I had exchanged emails where he basically said "let's wait until after IM Wisconsin to lay out a training plan for IM AZ". That is fine with me. My only question is whether I should expect to take the entire week following IM Wisconsin off.
I look forward to meeting you and Coach R in Madison in a few weeks!
@Kevin, remember that # from your test MUST BE CORROBORATED by what you have been doing on your long rides. IOW, you can't take a test, apply an equation and defy the fact that you have been riding 165 W for the last 12 weeks on all your long rides. Just saying.
As for knowledge about racing you are about 5% there...all the info you need, esp the computer set up thread, etc, is in the wiki here:
Post race you MUST MUST MUST take AT LEAST TWO, 2, II, DOS, DEUX, DVA, IKKI weeks off per the Post Race Transition eBook...if you don't IMAZ will be a non started as you'll have to mail it in after the swim. Seriously (in like 37 dialects).
I wasn't sure from your post whether I should check back with you or head over to the macro forum and touch base with Coach R (or both). So, I thought I'd start here.
I have gone over the Ironman Revenge article that you linked me to, spent a considerable amount of time assessing what happened at IMWI/areas for improvement at IMAZ and, having concluded that I needed some help dialing in nutrition-related issues, I spoke with a dietician who specializes in endurance athletes. I think I've got myself properly oriented to get ready for IMAZ and I'm looking forward to getting back to swimming, biking and running.
From a training plan standpoint, my understanding is that I should follow the 2 week schedule laid out in the Ironman Revenge article and then switch to the final 6 weeks of the Ironman training plan.
@Kevin, yes yes and yes. Focus on nutrition starts now. The training can start by this weekend, and we can talk about how to handle the nutrition when we get there (via this thread). Thanks for working with me on this!
I just posted in the macro to get Coach R's input.
On the nutrition side, having gone through the EN nutrition forum and seen a lot of good information in her posts, I tracked down Penny Wilson (dietitian extraordinaire) and she was kind enough to go over my post race assessments from REV3 70.3 2012, IMFL 2012 and IMWI 2013. We talked about the performance and GI issues I had at IMWI and IMFL 2012. Her take on IMWI is that, at around 390-400 calories (97-100g of carbs) per hour - which is pretty consistent with what I did at IMFL 2012 (~400 calories per hour) - I had taken in too MUCH. She thinks that, for someone my size/body type (~160-163 lbs, 5' 11.5", low BF%), I should be closer to 240-270 calories (60-65g of carbs) per hour on the bike and closer to 200 calories (50g of carbs) on the run.
I asked about my inability to hold to my target power numbers on the bike (particularly in the last ~2 hours of the ride), which I had thought was a "bonk" due to insufficient calories. She said this is the classic effect of taking on too many calories and the body allocating resources to try to deal with that.
This would allow me to stick with 1.5 bottles of IM Perform + 2 Saltstick tabs/hour to hit calorie and sodium goals on the bike. I'm thinking of testing this approach as I get to the longer weekend rides.
@KZ, sounds good. I am NOT, repeat NOT a dietician. In my experience, however, eating too much usually expresses itself with digestive issues, not reduced watts. Inability to hold watts is a positional (can't stay aero), an execution-al (too hard too early?) or taper issue (as in not rested). In other words my stomach pushes back long before my legs lose their mojo as a result of any stomach issues.
That said, it can't hurt to try out that plan you have outlined to see how it goes. I personally like a diversity of carb sources (not just from perform) and I also enjoy some caffeine across my day......
So I'm back to training and following the two week Ironman Revenge "bridge" plan following a complete two week layoff after IMWI. I anticipated being a little bit creaky out of the gate, but I've noticed that, in addition to watts and pace being down from prescribed levels, my resting heart rate is a bit elevated. Typically, I'm in the 46-48 range and for this week I've been around 6 beats above that.
I thought I'd drop a line to see if this was an indication that I should take more rest or should I continue to train - albeit at the lower watts/pace - with the idea being that, through this training, I will shake the rust off.
@Kevin - if you can stand it, I would push off the real work for another week. You can do then workouts for time but not intensity, then try again Monday. Pushing through wont really happen at this point. way to pay attention to the important details!!!!!!!
Comments
65.37 miles in 2:57:15 for an average speed of 22.13 mph
Normalized Power = 213W
Average Power = 211W
VI = 1.01
TSS = 205.1
IF = 0.833
Looking at the blue MPH line on the graph really shows the portion of the loop where I had a headwind and the flip side where I had the tailwind!
http://tpks.ws/gFsw
Here is the update on my bike session today. Following the standard warmup (including 12' with average power of 198W - solid Z3 for me), I decided to flip the main set around and do the 20' interval first. That interval came in at 251W (98% of my 255W FTP). I went well beyond the prescribed 4' rest between intervals due to a much needed bio break. Then I did a 10' interval at 258W. After a 5' rest between intervals, I did 5' at 255W, 2' rest, 5' at 262W, 2' rest, and 5' at 267W. I did all of the intervals in the aero position.
I felt like I could've gone out for a run off the bike, but I must confess that I was pretty happy we had decided not to do that today!
Also, I have some work-related travel tomorrow, so I will probably get Friday's swim in tomorrow, do my long run on Friday, rest on Saturday and do Big Day on Sunday.
Thoughts?
I wanted to touch base with you on a couple of things.
First, I had my bike test this morning and, although I saw a drop in VO2 max from my April 5/End of OS test, my FTP went up by about 4W to 257W from the same April 5/End of OS test. I'm happy to see my FTP go up. Using the EN calculator in figuring out a pacing strategy for IM Wisconsin, it looks like goal NP is going to be 180W, giving me an IF of .70 and, assuming I finish the bike leg in 5:50:00, a TSS of 286 - putting me squarely in the green zone as I lace 'em up for the run. Any insights, critiques or suggestions on this proposed pacing strategy would be greatly appreciated!
Second, following IM Wisconsin, I am signed up to race IM Arizona. This race was added after my season training plan had been formulated and my recollection is that Coach R and I had exchanged emails where he basically said "let's wait until after IM Wisconsin to lay out a training plan for IM AZ". That is fine with me. My only question is whether I should expect to take the entire week following IM Wisconsin off.
I look forward to meeting you and Coach R in Madison in a few weeks!
As for knowledge about racing you are about 5% there...all the info you need, esp the computer set up thread, etc, is in the wiki here:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Race+Execution+(Ironman)
Post race you MUST MUST MUST take AT LEAST TWO, 2, II, DOS, DEUX, DVA, IKKI weeks off per the Post Race Transition eBook...if you don't IMAZ will be a non started as you'll have to mail it in after the swim. Seriously (in like 37 dialects).
My two week post IMWI hiatus from training is nearing its end! What's the plan as I turn my attention to getting ready for IMAZ?
Kevin
I say that because I want you to get your head straight before we start talking work...check back when done!
I wasn't sure from your post whether I should check back with you or head over to the macro forum and touch base with Coach R (or both). So, I thought I'd start here.
I have gone over the Ironman Revenge article that you linked me to, spent a considerable amount of time assessing what happened at IMWI/areas for improvement at IMAZ and, having concluded that I needed some help dialing in nutrition-related issues, I spoke with a dietician who specializes in endurance athletes. I think I've got myself properly oriented to get ready for IMAZ and I'm looking forward to getting back to swimming, biking and running.
From a training plan standpoint, my understanding is that I should follow the 2 week schedule laid out in the Ironman Revenge article and then switch to the final 6 weeks of the Ironman training plan.
Is that right?
Kevin
I just posted in the macro to get Coach R's input.
On the nutrition side, having gone through the EN nutrition forum and seen a lot of good information in her posts, I tracked down Penny Wilson (dietitian extraordinaire) and she was kind enough to go over my post race assessments from REV3 70.3 2012, IMFL 2012 and IMWI 2013. We talked about the performance and GI issues I had at IMWI and IMFL 2012. Her take on IMWI is that, at around 390-400 calories (97-100g of carbs) per hour - which is pretty consistent with what I did at IMFL 2012 (~400 calories per hour) - I had taken in too MUCH. She thinks that, for someone my size/body type (~160-163 lbs, 5' 11.5", low BF%), I should be closer to 240-270 calories (60-65g of carbs) per hour on the bike and closer to 200 calories (50g of carbs) on the run.
I asked about my inability to hold to my target power numbers on the bike (particularly in the last ~2 hours of the ride), which I had thought was a "bonk" due to insufficient calories. She said this is the classic effect of taking on too many calories and the body allocating resources to try to deal with that.
This would allow me to stick with 1.5 bottles of IM Perform + 2 Saltstick tabs/hour to hit calorie and sodium goals on the bike. I'm thinking of testing this approach as I get to the longer weekend rides.
What do you think?
That said, it can't hurt to try out that plan you have outlined to see how it goes. I personally like a diversity of carb sources (not just from perform) and I also enjoy some caffeine across my day......
So I'm back to training and following the two week Ironman Revenge "bridge" plan following a complete two week layoff after IMWI. I anticipated being a little bit creaky out of the gate, but I've noticed that, in addition to watts and pace being down from prescribed levels, my resting heart rate is a bit elevated. Typically, I'm in the 46-48 range and for this week I've been around 6 beats above that.
I thought I'd drop a line to see if this was an indication that I should take more rest or should I continue to train - albeit at the lower watts/pace - with the idea being that, through this training, I will shake the rust off.
Kevin