IMLou 13, Race Rehearsal 2 Plan
So that I don't get a WSM kick to the junk, I'm posting my Ironman Louisville race rehearsal plan for feedback / comments / recommendations.
Stats: 41, 6’3, 185 lbs, FTP=283 (2x20, outdoor on tri-bike), VDOT 54 (validated in half marathon), 5th ironman.
Concerns going in:
1. IMLou13 RR1 (13 July) was a fail. Started the day tired with dead legs and hoped they would liven up (they didn’t), RPE/HR was very high for given power, bagged the bike at 4:45 and did not run. NP for the ride was 185 (target – mid 190’s). I took three days following the RR totally off to reset/recover. For context: My usual Sat/Sun rides come in at assigned time with ride NP’s in the 220/230’s range with much lower RPE and my 2 RRs for Texas earlier in the year went exactly to plan.
2. The weeks following the 13 July RR have been not ideal from a fitness perspective, with a trip to Prague with the wife followed by her working long days at her job (impacting my ability to go long). I did exercise every day while in Europe (runs and gym stationary), focusing on just turning over the legs, not distance or intensity. I have not been able to get serious distance in on the bikes on the weekends the last three weeks. Again, it is what it is.
Bottom line: I’m keeping expectations moderate for this RR (and race in a few weeks). I am counting on some residual fitness holding over from my Texas build.
RR Plan:
This week: Modifying my training plan to incorporate: Swim M/W/F (F=4.3k yards straight), long run Tuesday, FTP bike and steady run Thursday.
Friday evening: Bottles filled and staged in fridge (half Perform, half water), nutrition: Stinger Waffles broken in half, Power Gels (w/caffeine) x4, Roctaine x2 , bike plus gear loaded up in the car, bike kit staged, in bed NLT 2100 (Fridays are family movie night).
Saturday morning (wx forecast looking not great: 40% chance of rain, it is what it is, wife has to work Sunday) – Up at 0500, Oatmeal, toasted bagel with peanut butter and honey, strong coffee (caffeine and to move nature along). Drive away NLT 06:15 to support wheels rolling at bike loop NLT 0700. Due to terrain at loop, I won’t make 112 for this rehearsal, so I’ll ride for 6 hours (ideal race time should be ~5:45 give or take).
Two bottles on the bike at any time, water in torpedo mount and perform on the seat tube. Gel on the half hour, ½ stinger waffle on the hour. Roctaine at 3:30 (I typically get my first dark patch ~ 4:00 on the bike) and 5:30. Alarm pings every 15 minutes to remind for hydration and nuitrition. Loop takes me by my car frequently so refilling hydration not a concern.
Power: 180’s for the first 1:00 and then 190’s for the remainder. This is intentionally low (70% of FTP is 198). As I have yet to run a good IM marathon, I am shooting low on the bike to try to ‘save’ extra for the run. I hit 190 NP for both RR’s leading into IMTexas and felt great on the RR runs. Auto lap set for 5 miles to track target NP.
Run: Target 8:30 to 9:00 miles with 30 step walk breaks every mile. Gel at 3 miles. This will be faster than I actually plan to run at Louisville, however, I won’t dial in exact game day IM pacing (heat impacted) until we get closer to race day and I can input an accurate temperature forecast into the calculator. My VDOT EP is 8:01; however, I know from experience I won’t be able to hold anything close to that during a hot IM run.
Thanks for any feedback / thoughts you folks may have.
Comments
"half water), nutrition: Stinger Waffles broken in half"
have you had any stomach issues that have impacted your run? You are taking half Perform, half water, and honey stingers (7 Grams of fat and lower sodium)
If it was me, and I was taking a honey stinger I would at least chase it down with the higher sodium content of Perform.
Where are you riding on Sat??
Roy
I know in the past you have had issues with hot IM runs but why in the RR in cooler weather are you targeting such a wide range? I say dial it in a +30 seconds for the 6 miles and see how the 180/190 FTP feels. When you get the weather info for IMLOU then you can dial in the temperature reduced pace.
Gordon
Roy -- you are younger, more fit, and a more accomplished triathlete than I am, so take my comments as those of a 51 year old Ironman "trainee" giving you feedback. I did my first Half Ironman this June and my first long IM RR this past weekend by doing a 100 mile organized ride. I ride with a power meter and run based upon my heart rate zone (not pace). I weigh right at 200 pounds, 6 feet tall, so I'm still a Clydesdale out there. I've listened hard to the podcasts that Rich and Patrick put together on nutrition and pace, including the one done by the owner of Infinit nutrition. A couple of things that I have focused on that have worked:
(1) Wake up at "IM time" for my rehearsals, which means getting up at 4 a.m. to eat and then killing some time.
(2) Eat about 700 calories at 4 a.m. I felt "full" but this was easily digestible:
two 4 ounce "cups" of unsweetened apple sauce (60 calories each)
a bottle of Ensure/GNC liquid "food" (170 calories and chocolate flavor)
one bottle of sports drink (110 calories)
a banana (105 calories)
bagel with Nutella (250 calories)
(3) 100 calorie gel 30 minutes before a swim.
(3) 250 calories of my "bike" specific Infinit formula (has some protein) per hour while biking. 1/2 of a Clif bar at 2 hours and the other 1/2 of the Clif bar about 2 hours later --- no other solid food for the day.
(4) About 200 calories per hour of my "run" specific Infinit formula (no protein) per hour while running.
Haven't had any stomach problems or any problems "bonking" with this plan. I do notice that when I start my runs after a bike that my heart rate is too high at my planned pace so I have to run slower for the first few miles, then my heart rate starts to match up with my planned "pace." Rich and Patrick recommend adding 30 seconds per mile for the first 6 miles of the run, and that does seem to "calm" my heart rate. This past weekend for my RR, if I ran my pace based upon time rather than my heart rate zone, I would have blown up. It's amazing how much you can recover by starting out the run at a "recovery" pace.
Take this for what it is worth,
Robert
@Nate, re:Sodium/stomach - No stomach issues thus far in my endurance career. I've found over the past years that I'm very sensitive to sodium. I started out racing taking tabs and drinking Perform only. I actually gained weight during races and got very puffy (shoes wouldn't fit, wedding band got tight, etc). I happens in real life as well. So I actually have dialed back the in take, while still taking in some via Power Bar Gels and alternating bottles of water with bottles of Perform. Route: I am leaning towards the Prince William Forest Park, but the Aden loop does keep calling to me. The traffic out there is the only thing keeping me from going out there.
@Gordon, re: Pace - given moderate temps on Saturday, I will probably trend more towards the 8:30's. I'll see what's happening when I hop of the bike.
@John, re: No historical HR data to gauge from. I cannot find a strap that doesn't chafe my chest after an hour or so of running. I've tried different straps and different home remedies (a la DCRainmaker) to no avail. I'm not really comfortable with RPE because I tend to find myself running sub 7's off the bike thinking I'm taking it easy. Then Roy go boom, in a bad way. FWIW with respect to cold vs hot races: after a moderately successful long run last week in moderate temps, I told the wife Texas would have to wait because I want to give Coeur D'Alene another try. So it looks like Idaho for me next year!
I'll probably see you out there on Saturday...