2014 Plan for a weak biker hoping to move to FOP
2013 was my first season with EN and a game changer for me after plateauing for the past 2 seasons. I made big progress in spite of my first year of facing real hardship, and the gains are harder to come by at this point. My real limiter is the bike, as it has always been, and I'm wondering waht I can do over the season to have a bike breakthrough. I'm on the advanced IM plan, which I love, but I'm worried it's not enought to get me faster on the bike. Any suggestions?
My data from IM Canada:
- I raced at 6'2", 170-175lbs
- Swim: 1:00:43 (10th percentile) coasting the whole way to rest for the bike, probably gave up 2 min
- Bike: 5:50:53 (46th percentile, problem!) FTP 287, 3.6 w/kg.
I started the OS with an FTP of 251 (3.0 w/kg), and made some progress on the trainer, but still moved backward in the pack compared to IMMT last year, where I was 34th percentile in my AG on the bike.
- Run: 3:40:51 (19th percentile) vdot 53
Anyone have advice for someone willing to sacrifice both the swim and run to get gains on the bike? Add bike workouts? More epic weekends (I only had 2)? Lose more weight? (I already lost >10 lbs this year)
Comments
That said, cycle more
Getting stronger on the bike is just work and it's best applied through consistency over 2-3 seasons. Another OS, another round or two of the GF plan, race a half Ironman in route to an Ironman, etc.
Also, in my experience the best gains in raw FTP come when you keep the volume relatively low (about 4-6hrs/wk) so you can keep the intensity rolling while getting in the recovery required to turn that intensity into fitness gains.
No reason why you can't be north of 285 by the end of the OS, knocking on the door to 300w later in the season.
Moving this to General Discussion where you'll get more input.
You might want to take some time building more muscle in your legs on your on days training your legs. With regards to the training principle of specificity that basically says " you want to run faster ... run fast or bike faster, well then bike etc.
But the science also shows if you have some additional cross sectional muscle tissue to work with the body will be able to push that much harder and faster, to be clear here I'm not talking body building but specific weight training on your biking muscles and core work to round it off. You will be much stronger!
First, I ask about your body composition, because the FOP bikers are north of 4 watts/kg - loosing fat (not muscle) is just free speed for run and bike. A rule of thumb says that each 5 pounds of fat lost is worth about 16 mins in an ironman.
Second, to amplify Rich's answer, the OS usually gives an average boost to the bike of around 15 percent of your OS starting watts. This year I am having a couple of weeks downtime after the OS and then do 8 weeks of the Get Faster plan. Both the OS and GF plans use low volume to allow higher intensity and greater recovery.
Also, recovery is extremely important. I am almost 62 and so I took a full week off between weeks 7 and 8, as well as between weeks 12 and 13 of the OS to ensure that I fully absorbed all the work I did in the OS. I am on track to gain 40 watts over the OS to an FTP of 220 watts. You might also benefit from some judicious rest with the OS/GF framework.
Peter - Thanks for the thoughts! One of my priorities last year was body comp, which is why I dropped ~10lbs off my race weight from 2012. I race at ~8% body fat (if you trust my scale), and at 6'2", 175lbs, I'm near the skinny end of the field. Last year, almost 1/2 of my w/kg gains came from the kg side of the equation, but at this point it's like squeezing blood from a stone. I guess I could give up meat and alcohol and join a convent, but that's not going to happen.
I guess my big question is what changes once you get south of 10:30. In my experience, as I've gotten faster, I've had to shift my focus in order to keep seeing gains. At each stage it was a struggle to figure out what the next stage was, and I can't seem to see what the next one is.
In my IM experience, the layers have worked like this:
Sorry to mention body comp again, but going from 8 to 5 percent @ 175 pounds is around 5 pounds and 16 mins!
Don't know what your next season looks like but OS plus either GF or Bike focus (or both) should help you to get closer to 4 watts/kg.
Coach Rich will map out the season for you if you ask.
Just remember, building your engine is a multi-year project.
BTW, I wasted last year in a fatigue hole that had me going backwards for the first time in 4 years - I call it experience.
Sorry to mention body comp again, but going from 8 to 5 percent @ 175 pounds is around 5 pounds and 16 mins!
Don't know what your next season looks like but OS plus either GF or Bike focus (or both) should help you to get closer to 4 watts/kg.
Coach Rich will map out the season for you if you ask.
Just remember, building your engine is a multi-year project.
BTW, I wasted last year in a fatigue hole that had me going backwards for the first time in 4 years - I call it experience.
Thanks for the additional thoughts.
Re: OS marathon, I'm racing a local marathon as a fun weekend activity with a friend, but not training for it. I'm currently doing a bike-focused block until I start the Nov OS, so I'm hoping taking 3-4 days off for the marathon doesn't have a big impact on my training.