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Week 17... 4 to go!

Well Ladies and Gentleman, we have less than a month to go until Race Day! Getting nervous yet?

Today's swim was the shortest swim I've done in a month, but it wasn't easy. I think the accumulated fatigue is wearing on me. I got it done but the PE was high. I know that most of you are not testing tomorrow, I am although I usually wouldn't this close to race day. I think my FTP is higher than I have been riding lately as the ABP rides come a little easier than I remember. Hoping for a few watt bump after tomorrows test.

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Comments

  • Unfortunately I was unable to do the ABP ride yesterday. I hope it won't have too big an impact on my race prep. I am planning to hunker down this week and get some good quality final training and build some good mojo. My last FTP test I sort of botched by going out way too hard so I am hoping to nail tomorrows test.
  • Nothing like getting in the water and 5 minutes into the swim the lifeguards hear thunder and close the pool down! I will try again later today. I had to juggle this week's schedule around so I will be doing the long run tomorrow. I have been working hard on my nutrition since the temps and humidity have increased in TX.
  • Took a rest day on Sunday, and did last week's long run today. 2:30/16.5 mi A lot better mojo than last week.

    This is usually the biggest week on our schedule in terms of training hours. And the point of greatest fatigue comes in this next week. Always be willing to take a rest of 24-30 hours if you're not hitting your paces.

  • @Christina - I agree with you on the humidity here in Texas. it seems like (up in Dallas) the humidity jumped up about 8 days ago. I first noticed it on my long Sunday run at the end of camp week. I was up running before the sun came up and couldn't believe how humid it had gotten so quickly.

  • Last time I did an FTP test I completely blew up at the 10' mark. Here is the carnage:

    http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/926798-2014-Test-Power-5-min-20-min

    I was able to do the VO2 at 288 watts, which is 120% greater than 240, which I was hoping I could test at. At 240 I needed to hold just over 250 watts for the 20' which I attempted to do, but blew up big time.

    Should I make another go at it? My previous two tests both put me at 231.
  • Peter- How have your weekly rides been going? Have you hit all your intervals? Has the ABP ride been at .85? If you have been meeting your numbers for the weekly rides and your ABP rides have been in the mid to high 80's then I think you should test. Thats where I find myself. 

  • Peter - no comment about whether or not you *should* test … I advise watching Coach P's Coach Chat podcast on this very topic from one week ago for guidance on that question. But, if you DO decide to test and want to see if you can make 250, consider this protocol: Work the 5 minutes as a build up from 250 during the first minute to 280+ by the end. Then, after 10 minutes of rest ("free wheeling" is all you need to do), START your efforts at about 220-230 for the first 2-3 minutes, then build from there. If you just want to see what you can do, start at about 210-220 for those first 2-3 minutes, then build.

    The general principle in any TT like this is your first 10-15% (2-3 minutes in this case) should be done @ 10-15% BELOW your anticipated max effort. THis had been studied in the lab and shown to be the most effective way to do a cycling TT.

     


  • Posted By David Leventhal on 02 Jun 2014 03:26 PM


    @Christina - I agree with you on the humidity here in Texas. it seems like (up in Dallas) the humidity jumped up about 8 days ago. I first noticed it on my long Sunday run at the end of camp week. I was up running before the sun came up and couldn't believe how humid it had gotten so quickly.



    That's why I made a vow (one night in August while driving through Iowa) in 1972 never to live east of the Continental Divide. The only ting I miss is fireflies.

  • I did the power test this morning and got a small bump up from 225 to 228 and average 240 watts for the 20 minute test. Started lower for the first few minutes and then steadily raised my effort until the end. Mentally i think i locked onto the 240 number so I possibly could have gotten it higher.....but I'm pretty satisfied considering how tired my legs have been!
  • Just finished my bike test...the 5 minute VO2 test was at 330 watts and the FTP 20 minute test was at 293 watts. Deducting 5% would put my new FTP at 278 which is an 18 watt bump from my last test. Pretty happy about that since I've been so beat up lately.

    Here is my Garmin file.

  • No FTP test for me today. It would be futile at altitude. So I did 40' worth of FTP intervals. Three hill climbs of 700'/2 mi, 600'/1.9 mi, and 350'/1.2 mi @ 0.98, 0.95, and 0.93 IF. I realised that today - with short hard swim intervals in the morning, the FTP climbs in the PM - would have bee a hard day during the OS. I see it as the easiest day in this week's training. 

  • My FTP test went extremely well this evening. Thanks Al for the advice on how to properly test. I did 253 watts for the 20' for a new FTP of 240, up from 231! Starting out a little easy and then building over the course of the test really worked well. It was a nice psychological boost to be able to keep watching the number rise, instead of trying my hardest to keep it from falling. I also have to give thanks to the kind people that made Rocky IV, great movie to keep you going on the trainer.

    Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/513476855
  • Congrats on the hard work guys! Still truckin' along in my world, longest long run of the build tonight and looks like the weather will be beautiful!  Also, really excited that I was able to hit my TP on a run earlier in the week.  I thought that gear would have been long gone by now...  

    @ Peter I had the Rocky theme song as my alarm the ENTIRE year of my first IM.  Hubby was not amused...

  • Nice job on the FTP bump Peter! And you've still got two weekends to get used to the new effort so that should be good.

    Got my swim in this morning but opted to skip the scheduled 45 minute run (even though today is National Running Day). Yesterday I noticed some minor pain on the outside of my right foot. Not bad...but a little tender. I figured I'd spend the day icing it and resting it to get ready for tomorrow's RR run.

    Keep going!
  • Got my long run done this morning, i ended up at 17.7 miles in 2:43 so a 9:13 pace. I was a bit slower than i would have liked but I started at 5am and had some GI issues right off the bat. Guess I ate too much last night! I was getting a lot of sloshing around in my stomach so my fluids didn't seem to be absorbing fast enough. Kind of went through stages of feeling good and not so good stomach wise but just pushed through like i would on race day. Glad that one is done!!
  • Last "long" run is done. 18 miles in 2:27. Actually did 18, five minutes faster than last week. Felt good until about the last mile then the hip flexors started to get tired. Next weeks long run is only 105 minutes, not sure what I am going to do with the extra time next Thursday. I can feel that everything is coming together for a good race. Haven't ever had this smooth of an Ironman Build now just need to get there without getting worn down or injured. As they say the hay is in the barn, just need to maintain what I got. At this point I am not going to gain any speed, but I can loose it.
  • Knocked out the long run for this week. Slower than I expected but understandable given the foot cramping limitations I've been fighting. Everything went smoothly. I did learn that I do NOT like vanilla PowerGel.
  • Vanilla PowerGel is actually my favorite flavor! I wish it had caffeine!

    I did the long run this morning as well. Went great, really upped my fluid intake to match what I intend to drink on course and no issues other than having to pee which I guess is a good sign.
  • Great job everyone getting your long runs in. Did 18 miles in 2:27 early this morning. Drank almost every mile and no GI issues. Second half faster than the first. I'm using salted caramel gels currently but like the chocolate Roctane or gu the best. Last of the really long runs before race. I admit I've really enjoyed my Thursday long runs. A habit I think I'll continue post CDA.
  • Got my long run done as well - 18 miles in 2:39:xx and it was craptastically awful.

    74 degrees with 85% humidity at 5 a.m.....are you kidding me! Never really felt like I got into my groove - had to do a lot of self-talk to get through it - intentionally did not listen to music to try and mimic having to "suck it up" without the aid of some solid 80's hair bands to propel me to greatness!! I think this run may have helped me more mentally than physically.

    Took down 145 ounces of 50/50 perform/water and still lost 1.2 lbs...which I feel like is a victory considering I had to wring the sweat out of my shirt, shorts, iPhone armband, compression sleeves and socks!

    @Steve (Cummings) - regarding "I was getting a lot of sloshing around in my stomach so my fluids didn't seem to be absorbing fast enough" - the sloshing is usually a sign that you need more sodium to help move the fluids out. Do you take any salt tabs to supplement your fluid & GU intake?
  • @David Wow that is a lot of fluid! I read that article on the dashboard about what your body goes through in an Ironman and I was surprised to read that we lose ~20 pounds of sweat. I then calculated that I will end up drinking roughy 2 gallons of fluid on race day which equates to about 16-17 pounds of liquid! Crazy to think about consuming that much!
  • @David Yeah i did take a salt tab to start the run off but my stomach was upset before i even started the run. Probably too much info but whatever i ate last night didn't settle right. Glad you through your run...that mental toughness is what can make your race day.

    On another note, i'm jealous of some of these long run paces i'm seeing thrown around....keep it up guys!
  • opps "made it through your run"
  • Got up at 3:15 this morning and started long run at 4am.  Nice to run in the "cool" 70 degree morning air in AZ vs the afternoons for a change.  Had to get to work by 8:30 but got my 3 hours in, 17 miles, 10oz of perform per mile and felt like I could have drank a little more.  Sounds like a lot, but I seem to sweat it all out and more.  Felt solid entire run, and above stats include 30 sec walk ea mile to simulate getting something at aid stations although I will be carrying 60 oz of perform in camelback at CDA, I like drinking along the way I can get more down that way it seems.  Not sure I will do 30 second walks at CDA every mile, but I think good to have it built in, probably should not change my plan, but could skip a mile here and there if feeling good.
  • Also got up early to run this morning. I am a bit jealous of the temps people are training in - I am still running at 0 degrees Celsius in the morning and this is not helping my fluid intake. The run was good - I was a bit slower in the opening 6 miles, closer to pace on the next 9 miles and nailed the fast stuff for the last 3 miles. 18 miles in 2:43 makes me pretty happy as I start bringing the training volume down. Looking forward to a short nap before making dinner and thinking about how close we are to "go time" on June 29! Keep up the good work all!
  • I wish it were a bit warmer, I am afraid I am not training in quite warm enough conditions. It was 63 degrees this morning for me.


  • Posted By Peter Noyes on 05 Jun 2014 07:03 PM

    I wish it were a bit warmer, I am afraid I am not training in quite warm enough conditions. It was 63 degrees this morning for me.

    This question comes up about this time in every IM training group. I wrote a wiki post so I didn't have to keep repeating myself. The post includes a link to a summary of research on this topic. Key takeaway ... You only need two weeks , one hour a day, to get most of the effects possible to acclimate to hotter conditions. Truth is, it could be anywhere from 48 to 98 F on race day.


    http://members.endurancenation.us/R...matization
  • Got the long swim done this morning in 1:06:23! I've stayed pretty consistent on the three 4,200 yard swims so far 1:07:35, 1:05:43, & 1:06:23. I'm just hoping I can get to the front of the swim start on race day to seed myself right. Watching video of last years new start and it still looks crowded!
  • @Steve - We are twins today! I hit a 1:06 as well and went 4 minutes faster than last week - probably too fast, but there was someone else in my lane to play around with. I was at IMCDA last year for the new swim start and it was no problem getting into the right area for the right pace. It was a nicer swim with far less contact and fear of being swum over. It was a much better change from Penticton in 2011 when 3000 participants all started at the same time. That was like a cage fight in the water!
  • I'm jealous my swim times are around 1:24 how do you guy go so fast
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