IMTX Week 5 of 12
Happy Monday and welcome to Week 5 of 12 IMTX! That's right, we have about 6 more weeks of fitness building work left, 6 long rides, and 6 long runs.
Time to take that base we have built so far and put it to work! Clock is now officially ticking! 
Have a great week all!!
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Comments
@Tim, I truly hope the leg issue is nothing but a blip on the radar (ATC pun intended). As always, you treated the situation smartly.
@Jeff, re your TSS and IF questions. Coach and I chatted about this a lot on our Sat ride and Sun run. Because my (relative) strength is the run and my weakness is the bike, my initial thought about going 73-4% is a terrible idea on this course, according to P. The upper section of the bike will soften up the vast majority, with the run finishing them off. As he broke it down, I must survive through Osborne (40M) completely unharmed and fully fed/Performed. Our VIs will be elevated the first 40 due to all the riders and passing. Execute the top part expertly, preferably at 68-69% (yes, I'll be passed a lot). Then, if I can get past the last bumpy hill around 78 (gas station on L) with a total IF around 70%, I should be in a good position to attack the last (easier) 30 miles @ ~72-73%, but only if there's gas in the tank. If I have to back down and give up 5 minutes on the last 30 to keep legs intact, I'll get that 5 back in multiples on the run. 72% should land me right in the 268-76 range, very safely in green and ready to run. With all the stopping and drafting we did this weekend, I'm not taking much away from the data, and I'm sure your TSS was inflated. Over the next couple of weeks, I would gauge what speeds you're typically getting out of your IFs (i.e., 70% seems to generate a consistent 19mph). If you're consistently getting that 19mph and think 5:50 is a reasonable race target, then 70% is probably OK, but getting close to yellow. If it's 18.5 and your target becomes 6:00, then you may need to back it down to 68-69%. You could test your plan during a RR in Wk 15 (RR was originally on schedule in 15 before being replaced by Camp Week), then post your results and see what the smart guys (RnPnCronk) have to say. If you need to adjust, do so, and execute the new plan in Wk 18. Whatever you do, if a long-legged Texan on an old Litespeed passes you on Race Day, don't follow him and his 400 watts. I made that mistake many times this past weekend and paid for it.
@MR....thanks. That is very helpful. Plan to test in the RR rides, but need to find ~3K elevation I think.
Yes, that guy WILL pass me (assuming I get out of the water a couple of minutes ahead of him?)...and I will NOT chase him for sure!
Where can I find the information on the fueling that we spoke about. Also, Mike that TSS chart?
Thanks guys.
Chris
@ Chris - IM Race nutrition - http://members.endurancenation.us/R...ion+Review
Racing with Power link to Wiki: http://members.endurancenation.us/R...+Power+Kit
Go through this then ask questions to help make it clearer........
Great to meet you this weekend and strong work!
Coach P's advice is spot on!!! I got tons of info from P last year and then the IMTX webinar, I further educated myself on ST , with local Outrival racing vids, and then 2 weeks training the course solo... Texas is about surviving the swim and the bike so that you can somehow survive the run.....
Here are some more thoughts on IMTX bike course... It will most likely be a south wind and cooler on the first half which also has a lot more shade than the second half.... That means a much easier first half and an almost guaranteed much more difficult and hotter second half... Everything you do on the bike you must be thinking about the RUN! The RUN will be ridiculously hot no matter what with lots of sun exposure.... You must save yourself for the second half of the bike and the run...
Having said that ... Last year I made a tactical choice to ride the first half of the bike harder than the second half.... I was still within my abilities proven by my long rides but I wanted to put in the effort while it was during the cooler part of the day and as the bike progressed and I began feeling the heat I backed off... This was risky , but it made sense to me and worked... The reason I think it works for me is cause I am so small that the heat hits me a LOT later than the big guys.... So I really didnt start to feel the heat until the last 1-1.5hrs.... I certainly would not recommend it unless your racing for the Podium and your willing to risk it ....
I dug up my 2013 IMTX RR which details the entire race and how I rode the course.... I think there are some nuggets in there for everybody who maybe racing IMTX 2014....
http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/11885/Default.aspx
Great to meet you both as well. And you two put in some really strong work! I was just trying to hang on.
I'm thinking that I might try and skip out of work for a day or two and do a mini camp from my house in week 15. In the mean time I would be very happy to stack up a couple of more weeks like the last ones just keep my head down and crank the work out.
Interesting discussion on TSS, IF and speed. I don't look at speed. It isn't on my 510. Just power and lap time (to tell me when to eat/drink). Anything else takes me out of my box. Speed immediately takes me to "I am killing this race!" Or "I will not hit my goal times" and neither of those is helpful on race day. All I can handle is watching target watts, drinking every 15 min, eating every 30 and trying to to draft or crash.
The run is different because I don't have a power meter for my shoes. Yet.
I fully expect my time to be slower than IMFL. But it isn't really even a race for me till mile 20 on the run. Then I can get competitive with the people around me. And maybe the transitions. I would like to be lest of a tourist in t1 and t2 this time around.
Sure hope this south texas weather turns around. As soon as I get a good forecast, I'm calling in sick for a day or three...
was fighting a mini-flu late last week and (helped along by a major project at work) was able to stand down and adequately recover.
got up Saturday morning and jogged to the pool and back (~40', including 1xZ4 mile) and scored a new 1,000 yard swim PR (16:44 for 1:40/100yd T-pace)
Sunday, I got out on the bike in the chilly temps for 4+ hours, including 6x25' at 0.80
This morning, I wasn't able to hit my new t-pace in the pool, but I did put in my longest swim session of the season so far (~3,600 yds in ~1hr10min)
need to get back to my running frequency of a couple weeks ago pre-sickness, but otherwise feeling good about things.
have been following the camp reports -- great job all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzhzkKccBi8
“Think big, dream big, but start small… start where you are, with what you have, because what you have is plenty!”
“When you have some goal out here that you’re stretching for and reaching for that takes you out of your comfort zone, you’ll find out some talents and abilities you have that you didn’t know you have…”
“Unless you’re tempted to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you’ll never grow”
“Greatness is a lot of small things done well, day after day, workout after workout, obedience after obedience…”
It's time to keep moving forward peeps!
Might try and get in the pool and splash around a little at lunch.
Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Also realizing that now is the time to push because come early may it will be time to recover. And after May 17, I will have the rest of my life to life to live with the result.
Great Great Great stuff....Camp sounded awesome...and some great reports..Thanks....
I'm so busy just happy to be getting as much work in as possible...swim yesterday...feel like its gettting better....all about rythm...I'm not going to set any records on the swim course....Run this AM...skipping straight intervals...just did 1.5warmup Z1+...3 progressive miles Z2-Z4..1 mile cooldown Z1+
Looks like an indoor bike tommrrow and a wet weekend...argh.
Keep rockin everyone.
Trying to pull myself together today and get back on the horse after a successful camp.
Completed a Post Camp recovery/endurance swim over the lunch hour: http://www.strava.com/activities/123916183
Looking at the bike plan for the morning,
Not sure a 2X20 (5') 3X5 (3') 110% is going to happen but I will give it a good shot and that kind of intensity is great coming off of a long distance weekend....
Nice run stats Jimmy!
Nice swim stats Chris, Emily and Joe!
Tim, swim you posted this morning looked great!
Run = 40' overall, including 2x1 mile @ Z4 (first run intensity post "sick leave", so that felt good)
Swim = 45' for 2200 yards. didn't approach t-pace again, but good to get in the pool on consecutive days and build up the volume. Friday's swim marathon will be a nice combo of endurance and speed
Shaughn - were we instructed to forgo the Wednesday run?
MS1: 2 x 20' (5')
MS2 (Optional):3 x 5' (3') @ 110%/Low Zone5/Hard-Very Hard.
Thanks Shaughn. Should be interesting!
Not much to report here... Did some volume but low key trying to feel out my right leg ... So far so good... I'm prioritizing and dropping the hard intervals this week so I can hopefully do the priority long stuff this weekend....
Swim- 40min 2 x 1000 easy then a couple sprints
Bike- 2hrs with a power ladder up and down , 1 x 20' @ .75 , 1 x 19 @ .83 , 1 x 17 @ .95 , 1 x 18 @ .86 , 1 x 23 @ .80
Run- brick 2 miles EP --- felt a little in my right leg that caused my HM DNF but NO real pain.... will see on tomorrow's unstructured run... for now going for another massage
Now off to put the bike back together, put it on the Iron Maiden, and wait for tomorrow morning's torture session. But the real focus is Thursday's 15-mile run. If there's an A training session this week, that's it for me.
Keep up all the great work. Momentum is only building.
Tried to get back on the horse today....don't think I was recovered, but managed/survived!
4K in the pool, following the plan. Had trouble holding pace on the 500/400/300 sets (new TT pace + fatigue?). Felt good just to be doing something and getting long. Took me 1:26 including rest intervals and a phone call. The "60 min" thing is completely impossible from here on out for me I think!
Did the 45' Tues run per protocol (sort of). Post-camp fatigue, running too soon after dinner, and new paces lead to a real struggle. My HR was much higher than usual....probably due to all of the above. Managed the 2 TP miles at correct pace, but the Z2 before and after I could not manage. Oh well.... Before anyone from camp chastises me for running today, bear in mind I did not do the long run Sunday!
(note to self....allow ribs/baked potato/corn on cob more than 20mins before attempting a mile repeat EN run w/o 
....had to get it done while kids were at karate, but man was that a rookie mistake!)
@MR...I won't even see EB on race day once the gun fires. Does it count as being chicked if she never actually passes me?
@Tim...hope your leg thing is just a little tweak. Keep playing it smart and safe.
@SS...the adv plan bike w/o tomorrow is one of the many reasons I am glad I'm in the intermediate! 2 x 20' and THEN some 110% work? Why, just to see if your legs can literally burst into flames?!! Even if it were not post-camp week, that is just inconceivable.
Hope to ride and swim tomorrow. I'm planning to see how the legs feel before any Z4/VO2 work. Plan calls for 2x15' and then 3x5' 110%. I don't see that happening!
Keep posting, encouraging, etc. I am trying to send some warmer/drier weather up north and east coast.... It's got to warm up for you guys soon right?
I'm right there with you Mike. I got on my bike (trainer) at 4:30AM only to find out that my seat had somehow lowered itself. I guess it just vibrated loose from all of the traveling? That took me 10 minutes to fix and I'm not 100% sure it's the right height. Usually when I adjust it or remove it I mark it with tape. I had to get the bike in early because my wife went out of town and I had to finish, shower and get myself ready for work before my 2yo twin boys woke up.
I was somewhat successful with my 2 x 15' @ 95% as that's all I could muster 100% just wasn't happening. I can still really feel the fatigue in my legs as my HR wasn't that high. I attempted the 3 x 5' 110% but bailed. I'm doing a 60min Z2 -Z3 at lunch so we'll see how that goes?