FEEDBACK WANTED: Race Pace Plus Intervals
Hi,
This is post is for the IMTX athletes and probably the IMCDA folks as well: we'd like to get your feedback and notes on the Race Pace Plus intervals that we added to the IM training plans in our 2013 rewrite:
- How was the workload of these sessions compared to the Saturday rides we've scheduled in the past, which were a mix of FTP and 70-75%/Z2 riding?
- Did you find the intervals helpful / what observations do you have around using these workouts to refine your power and heart rate pacing for race day?
- How did your power numbers for your race compare to your RPP efforts in training?
- Any other observations for us?
Thanks in advance!
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Comments
We will soon have IMCDA peeps to comment as well - so patience for now. Just letting the Haus know there are people interested in their feedback!!
Workload-- I found very hard but , do-able.... I structured my rides as .80-.85 intervals at the beginning and finished with .75+ all the way to the end... I did a swim only day on the day before , and a long run the day after. Moving my Sunday ride to mid-week. While I hacked my plan quite a bit these RPP days were pretty close to as written in the plan.
Intervals Helpful--- YES.... enough rides to really nail down the numbers you want for race day and mentally prepare for it... I trained with HR but did not race with it so I have no comparison... Dont pay any attention to HR anyway.
Race Day Comparison--- All my RPP long training days and my RR's were done at .74-.77.... IMTX raced at .73 (my choice) making it the easiest ride vs. training(specially after the taper).
Observations--- I loved it but I hated it... these are just as hard as anything we did last year IMO... I found them to be very effective and had my best bike ever with probably my lowest effort , relative to the TX heat/humidity etc... I think anyone who follows the RPP will be extremely prepared for the IM bike... Another huge positive IMO is being able to replicate your nutrition , close to a race day effort... Completing a RPP day with good nutrition should translate into good nutrition on race day intensity....Every single one of these I did , I set up a buffet of Perform bottles, plate of clif bars , blocks , and gels, exactly as race day would be.
Feelfree to take a peak at my trainerroad.com career and scroll thru the longrides they are rather obvious. My user name is knorcmit I'm sure they will look familiar as I posted a lot of them to the Dashboard.
Hope this helps.
The main thing for me, as Tim mentioned, the long bike was very similar to the actual IM bike so fuel, hydration, sodium etc was practiced every week in very similar conditions as the actual race.
In the RPP intervals, I sat on 150 watts whereas in the race I sat on 140 watts. As a consequence, actual IM bike felt reasonably easy (well reasonably easy for an IM bike). Even the last 60 minutes weren't that bad.
So I was very happy with the change in plan.