Pace vs HR / RPE in the IM run
Folks- as I embark in the final weeks of my journey to my first IM (IMLP), overall fatigue is building, my runs (and swim/bike) are getting longer and many questions and fears are building. I look to you, the experienced, for some guidance in regards to how to tackle my IM run.
Background: 43 years old, FTP 49, 165 lbs, upper end hr's for run z1-130, z2-145, z3-155, z4-165, z5-170
In most of my training, stand alone run races, and most triathlons to date including four 70.3's (except with hilly terrain), I've been mostly able to manage my runs by pace. Now that fatigue and length have begin to set in, that seems to becoming an issue. Most often guidance in the wiki by the coaches indicate pace guidance in the IM (ie Z1 + .....seconds). In my run yesterday, which tuned out to be 17 miles (2hr20min), my hr and RPE notiticably increased over the second half making the final mile or two very tough as to the point where I was cooked and couldn't maintain pace. I imagine I overdid it on some of the miles, not by pace, but by hr and effort, and I began to hit the wall.
The last thing I want to happen on race day is to be forced to walk prematurely if necessary, and at Lake Placid, the hills can wreck havoc on pacing and heart rate if not handled properly.
Do you smart folks suggest managing the run by pace, hr, RPE or any combination of those on race day and on my final weeks leading of training leading to the big day?
Thanks as always -Brad
Background: 43 years old, FTP 49, 165 lbs, upper end hr's for run z1-130, z2-145, z3-155, z4-165, z5-170
In most of my training, stand alone run races, and most triathlons to date including four 70.3's (except with hilly terrain), I've been mostly able to manage my runs by pace. Now that fatigue and length have begin to set in, that seems to becoming an issue. Most often guidance in the wiki by the coaches indicate pace guidance in the IM (ie Z1 + .....seconds). In my run yesterday, which tuned out to be 17 miles (2hr20min), my hr and RPE notiticably increased over the second half making the final mile or two very tough as to the point where I was cooked and couldn't maintain pace. I imagine I overdid it on some of the miles, not by pace, but by hr and effort, and I began to hit the wall.
The last thing I want to happen on race day is to be forced to walk prematurely if necessary, and at Lake Placid, the hills can wreck havoc on pacing and heart rate if not handled properly.
Do you smart folks suggest managing the run by pace, hr, RPE or any combination of those on race day and on my final weeks leading of training leading to the big day?
Thanks as always -Brad
0
Comments
Hey Brad, although I don't qualify as one of the "smart folks," I have done enough of these things to learn what seems to work for me. First and foremost, the key to a good run for me is a bike ride that's as close to perfection as possible (good TSS, low VI, spot on nutrition/hydration/sodium). After that, I use pace as a ceiling, never a basement, to regulate my run. Right out of T2, my legs want to continue the 88 RPM's they were holding on the bike, so I find myself effortlessly running 7:30's the first several miles. Everyone else is doing it too. But it's a perfect recipe for a late-race walk/shuffle. So, I use GPS to keep that run pace down to Z1+30 for those first 3-6 miles. Then I (hopefully) settle into Z1 for as long as possible, but again, Z1 is my max, not my minimum. If I feel bad, I always slow down. And when I do slow (I'd like to say "if I slow," but it always happens), pace goes out the window, and my new ceiling regulator becomes HR or RPE. I've been at it long enough that I pretty much know when my HR moves into the 140's or 150's and I'm going too hot, so I tend to use RPE. But HR is always a good piece of data if you're not sure. Your HR will naturally trend higher over the course of the run, but the steadier I am at pacing the first 20 with minimal spikes in pace/RPE/HR, the better the final 6 have always felt.
BTW, with LP at the end of July, you must be in Wk 15 or 16 - right in the meat of the volume training. Those long runs should be tough right now, so don't be concerned about hitting the "wall" at this point. You've still got lots of solid work ahead of you to get you more fit. I'd be more concerned if your 17-miler felt easy. Best of luck in the rest of your training.
Brad...I was having the exact same experiences in my build to IMTX on the long runs getting closer to race day. The Z2/3 portions at the end became increasingly difficult/impossible to maintain. By the last 3-4 long runs, I could not hold the Z2 the whole time and usually the Z3 parts were Z2 (or maybe even slower). My understanding is that the point of this significant negative split format is to try to mimick the suck that is the last part of the IM marathon. As painful as it was, I think it helped tremendously. I think most plans' long runs are prescribed to be long and slow and steady. That is not how the IM marathon feels for most of us though....maintaining the first half pace hurts a whole lot more in the second half. So, as I understand it, the idea is that it should really hurt and be really hard to run faster at the tail end of those long runs. I was discouraged by my inability to hit those Z2/3 paces (as you are), but others in the IMTX group also had trouble and/or found it very hard (value of the forum!). So, I trusted the plan and just did my best to TRY to speed up. My HR would definitely rise gradually during the run and then precipitously as I tried to hit Z2/3 paces. These were killer long runs (I used to like long runs....but I began to dread these, knowing that the last hour was going to be extended pain!).
At IMTX, which was my first full, I was able to run the whole marathon, with only a slight positive split of ~8mins. I am not a seasoned runner either. So, I would just say that it sounds like you're doing it right and my experience is that this strategy works very well.
Here is the link to Al's thread that I believe introduced the description of Coach P's IMTX AG win run strategy that involved pacing by HR on the IM Marathon.
http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/14031/Default.aspx
I paced my first six miles by Z1+30", but paid close attention to my HR. If my HR had been much higher than my avg bike HR, I probably would have slowed down more or added some walking, based on this guidance. During the race, I looked at my avg HR for the bike as I approached the bike finish. My HR for those first six miles of the run was actually a few beats lower than my avg HR for the bike and I felt great. Interestingly, my HR did not rise much during the run later on, but I also didn't try to push it and didn't really speed up appreciably. It's really hard to speed up after 10-11hrs!
"In my run yesterday, which tuned out to be 17 miles (2hr20min), my hr and RPE notiticably increased over the second half making the final mile or two very tough as to the point where I was cooked and couldn't maintain pace." ---That's a major benefit of these long runs in training - to mimic what you will be feeling in the last 1-1.5 hours of your IM run. Good - you succeeded on this training day!
"The last thing I want to happen on race day is to be forced to walk prematurely if necessary" --- Mike is spot on - the primary way to prevent this is to have a properly paced bike and first hour of the run, as well as maintain sufficient hydration during that time.
Assuming you've done that initial pacing and hydration well, then the goal is twofold: try to slow down as little as possible, and manage the unique feelings which begin about 2-2.5 hours into the run. That;s where your final question comes into play
"Do you smart folks suggest managing the run by pace, hr, RPE or any combination of those on race day and on my final weeks leading of training leading to the big day? " --- I've tried all of the above, going back to the day when managing by pace meant hitting "lap" on your Timex every mile marker to see what you just did. My thoughts on each:
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to prepare for, though, is how to empty your mind of all except for process control. Expunge thoughts of how your body is feeling (it will not feel good) or how far you have to go or how you are doing relative to time or other runners. Think only about what's happening during the current mile: what you'll need to do at the next aid station (Ice? coke vs perform?, etc.), and how your HR/RPE/breathing is doing right NOW. If necessary, prepare a string of mantras to repeat to yourself to drive out other thoughts, much like counting strokes during the swim. This is where having multiple "One Things" comes in handy.
Practice all this on your remaining long runs.
Excellent thread!! Thanks guys.