was doing RR in pool, about half way through, got kciked out because people were waiting, now having a meeting with club manager to discuss their insane pool rules. tried to run, realized how trashed legs were and walked back after less than a mile..
Shaughn, very elegantly said. Strong work everyone getting the training in whatever the circumstances! And Shaughn, be grateful for your windy experience yesterday, just may prepare you for race day.
I had a realistic RR yesterday, starting with the fact that I agreed to get a friend to the start line of javelina 100-100k and 100 mi foot race in McDowell mountain park, fountain Hills-just west of the Beeline. (The president and treasurer of 'Norwas/Friends of the Tararumara' are local so they brought a group up from Mexico and I got to meet all of them). Anyway, up at 3:30, after only 4 hour sleep, race breakfast, picked up friend at 4:30 and off to race site, see friends, get the vibe. Then off to beeline, started about 6:45 as sun rising. I had arm Warmers on the first 15 min then didn't need them(David Ware's race day trick is tube socks with feet cut out, slip on as you get on bike and discard when warm). Temps were 60s to start and 80s at finish
I planned two 40 mile loops, starting at beeline and Shea, heading north to Bush highway 10 miles (road to Saguaro lake, one we can swim in if anyone is desperate to swim Friday, 11/14), and back downhill 20 miles to McDowell, turn and back up to Shea. And then a third loop Shea to McDowell and back, by the numbers about 106 miles. First loop was fine, I haven't reviewed my data but I know I was .69 -.70 IF consistently. Then at the second turnaround miles 50 to 70 going downhill I had the strongest headwind I've ever encountered on the Beeline. I was going slower by the time I reached McDowell than going uphill to Shea-the wind blew me up there quickly. Third loop down was almost as bad. This was the conditions for AZIM 2011. It was tiring and my IF was barely 60. I was hunkered down as low as I could go in aero. I also had my powertap aero disc on and didn't feel out of control-the worst was when big semi trucks passed I would feel the whip but that shouldn't be a problem on race day.
I rode exactly 6 hours. My joule said 100 mi and garmin 108-I like the latter since my race day goal is 6h Nutrition and hydration went well. Then I drove home and did 3 two mi loops, a different dog in tow each loop (two together is exponential energy and way too fast running!). I did the EN pacing and was finishing at goal pace. I did recovery well too-an hour in recovery compression boots at my bike shop then a massage for my shoulders.
Now I'm enjoying rest day at work. No extra hour sleep-AZ does not change the clock so now we are on mountain time.
I have no clue if this is good IM training or not, but the Sears Tower stair climb is in the books. 103 flights in 18:09. Passed many people. Never got passed. I think I'm getting the eye of the tiger back. Then rode on the trainer for 1 hour including 20' @ 180 w and 20' @ 205 w. Finished the day with 2 mile run @ 8:30 pace. Resting tomorrow as I'm traveling for work.
@Everyone - Super job of getting it done, very inspiring.
@Bruce, Nice job on the stair climb, seems like that would be a fun event. FWIW, I walked DOWN the stairs in the office building where I work (57 flights) many times while training for the 50K trail run I did back in June. Although I don't think it would help much for IM, that descending specific training was invaluable for the trail run where there were many thousands of feet of elevation change.
My RR went about as well as expected given the weather forecast. It was cold and cloudy with periods of rain throughout the ride. Oh, and there were 30 mph wind gusts on top of all that. My goal out the door was to get in four hours outside before I headed for the trainer. As the ride progressed I kept moving that number out based on how many of my toes I could still feel ;-). I ended up calling it a day at ~101 in 5:30:xx. Because I planned to cut this ride short, I intentionally rode harder (.74) than I plan to on race day (.70). Of course Garmin Express immediately lost my ride data, but as usual, Strava was able to import the corrupt file with limited success. I was slightly surprised at the amount of liquid I was able to take in given the cold weather. My race plan calls for 30 - 40 ounces per hour minimum and I was able to maintain almost 30 across my RR. Of course I had to stop for the bathroom six times... Other than the frequent bathroom breaks, I had no issues with my nutrition plan.
The run also went well, but with different Garmin issues. I got about a quarter mile into the run, checked my pace and found it to be zero! Check the distance and find I've only traveled 10 feet, WTF. I reset the workout and tried again but with the same result. Finally I turned off my watch and restarted from scratch. I lost about half a mile, but I finally got it working again. I've experienced Garmin fail on race day twice already, so I found this to be good practice.
The rest of my run was uneventful. The first four miles were all ~9:20 including walking and drinking at each mile marker and the last two were ~9:00, which is pretty close to what I want on race day. I set pace on a combination of HR and RPE with Garmin pace as a backstop. I was able to keep my HR low throughout and I had no nutrition or hydration issues.
In all, I'm very happy with the way the day turned out.
Fantastic RRs everyone, especially under the adverse weather conditions across the country! You have now officially made it to Taper! Try not to go stir crazy, and do not over-do anything this next two weeks! Tempations will be strong to get one more run/bike/swim in, to eat more, to stay up a little later….stick to the plan and stay the course. Congratulations!!!!!
Did a nice 3000 swim on Friday as 3x1000 repeats at race-ish pace. Felt strong and steady, but didn't want to overdo it after my RR on Thursday. Each 1000 ~ 15:40 so about 1:34/100.
Saturday the weather hit: rain, high winds, and cold temps drove me indoors to do my long run on the treadmill. I actually enjoyed it. Listened to pandora, didn't have to carry my hydration pack and could just RUN in the zone. Set the tmill to 1.5%. 14.2 mi in 1:45 with hr from 148-160 and pacing ranging from 7:50 to 6:40.
So, after I did so poorly on my RR on Thursday I was curious how my Sunday long run would go. It went well. I was able to keep my pace and was able to run 30-40 seconds faster per mile for the last 4 miles and felt good afterwards. So, even if my cycling legs feel like crap, I know I can still run. I had taken Friday and Saturday off although Saturday I coached 3 soccer games and spent most of the day on my feet, so it wasn't real rest. Looking forward to the bike this week to see how I feel.
Glad everyone braved the weather the last few days to get all the work done! Excited to ease off on this taper. I know I need it really bad.
Wow Great job everyone. The count down is on. Now it is time to rest and recover and get ready for business...
Some really inspiting RR this past week. Some adventures as well...
Rian: you are so ready, you are gonna rock that course
Al: Looks like your minimalist plan and fun RR at Kona are setting you up as well
Joe: Sometimes the recovery forced upn us is a blessing in disguise, can't tell you how many times I have heard people bemoan their injuries and loss of training only to have a stellar race
Shaughn: You have been a beast, I am sure the course fears having you there!
Betsy: You just keep getting stronger and better. You just have to believe in yourself
Mary: You are ready! Now it is time to give the body the chance to catch up
Bruce: This is the makeup for and the reason why Kona was not to your satisfaction. Go get it done!
Scott: It is your time as well. You have been putting in the work and now it is time to shine
Peter: We tear the body down to come back stronger. Recover and and you are there
congrats on getting to the taper! Sounds like everyone is ready to go!
Betsy, Could you clarify the schedule for race week? Brenda had the practice swim and 4 keys talk listed for Friday. The athlete guide states that the practice swim will be on Saturday. 4 keys still on Friday? or will that be on Saturday too?
4 Keys is definitely Friday AM-I thought 10am but document says 10:30. I will clarify ASAP. Swim is only Saturday am 9-11. You must have your timing chip and cannot enter the water after 10:45. There is no other time allowed for swimming in TTL. If a group wants to OWS Friday afternoon there are a couple of nearby lakes.
Well there has been a change in 4 keys this year. It always was on the grass just west of swim start at 10. I just RSVPd to find out it is actually in the theater at 5th and Mill, short walk south on Mill from tempe beach town park/IM village, starting promptly at 10:30, so plan on arriving 10:15!
I always throw out the suggestion of a breakfast at Chompies NY deli, and put Monday am on the schedule. But award ceremony is at 9:30 and roll down at 11, with a catered breakfast, all at tempe beach town park. So we have not done Chompies in the past. Anybody interested in planning a Saturday morning breakfast/brunch get together there?? You can get almost anything you want there
I have been more of a lurker than anything. First time IM. I just want to say thank you for your help regarding tires and clarifications about the race and such. I had a good ride/run Saturday, 107+ miles and 6 mile run. Lots of rain, wind, sun break, rainbow (that is for you Rich S), more rain, wind another sunbreak and rainbow, rosy clouds approaching dusk. Frankly beautiful! Felt happy for the good ride and run. Loved the Conti 4000 tires as well. Grateful for the training plan from Patrick and Rich. I believe it is going to work. Good luck to everyone. Your hard work will pay off on the 16th. See you in Tempe!!
@ Anita, I plan to go to the swim as well. I need to try out the stairs in and out of the water and check out the black lagoon and get a feel for the water temp.
You wont use the stairs to get in... just jump in and swim over to the start. On the exit, you swim to the stairs, look for the biggest guy you see and he pulls you out... The water does take a bit to get used to so I always find it helps to get in and get used to it about 10 minutes or so before the start.
@Anita, I'll be there for the swim as well. I expect a lot of us will be there. As for the race, focus on execution and you will be fine.
Would anyone be interested in lunch somewhere after the 4 Keys?
Other changes from past IMs, there is no welcome dinner this year, instead everyone is getting a $25 voucher for local restaurants. I see this as a positive change - the welcome dinner is always a bust. The other change I noticed is that 2015 registration is open for us all day Thursday and Friday. I think that's a nice change as well. I still have not decided yet, I'm putting that off until the very last minute.
Taper is only one day old and I'm already skipping workouts and cutting others short. I think I'm just still tired from Saturday, or at least that's what I'm going with for now. That said, I'm all set for the ride/run tomorrow.
has anyone thought about a group ride of the beeline? I Know Al T was thinking noon on Thursday... my flight gets in at noon, i need to register, pick up bike, get to hotel, etc... Figure, I can't ride before 3, which may take me out of the game...
the temperature isn't bad with a wetsuit. Mont Tremblant wasn't any warmer and I felt warm in a full wetsuit.. remember treading water for 10 or so minutes before the start won't be warm, but it will be once you get going..
I thought he vouchers for dinner is great, supports the local restaurants, which is nice. They are still doing the presentation though that they would normally do during the athletes dinner if I read correctly.
Actually, I'm not getting in until Thursday afternoon, so I am doing a ride on the Beeline Friday afternoon.
There are multiple opportunities for the Athlete briefing: Thursday @ 2 PM, Friday @ 11 AM and 2 PM, Saturday @ 1 PM, all near the transition area/IM expo site.
There's a "Welcome Ceremony" @ 6:30 PM Friday with the usual hoopla which used to accompany the dinner.
If this is your first IM, it;s probably a good idea to attend both of these. If you;ve done a few in the past two years, you know the drill, and can safely avoid, IMO, unless your OCD compels you.
This is the standard schedule for the IMs this year, same as IM CDA, and LP, etc.
I'm going to 4 keys Friday am and then ride with Al on Friday pm. Probably not going to the welcome ceremony. Will Swim Saturday am during the "official" swim practice time.
Comments
tried to run, realized how trashed legs were and walked back after less than a mile..
looking forward to dieting and tapering!
I had a realistic RR yesterday, starting with the fact that I agreed to get a friend to the start line of javelina 100-100k and 100 mi foot race in McDowell mountain park, fountain Hills-just west of the Beeline. (The president and treasurer of 'Norwas/Friends of the Tararumara' are local so they brought a group up from Mexico and I got to meet all of them). Anyway, up at 3:30, after only 4 hour sleep, race breakfast, picked up friend at 4:30 and off to race site, see friends, get the vibe. Then off to beeline, started about 6:45 as sun rising. I had arm Warmers on the first 15 min then didn't need them(David Ware's race day trick is tube socks with feet cut out, slip on as you get on bike and discard when warm). Temps were 60s to start and 80s at finish
I planned two 40 mile loops, starting at beeline and Shea, heading north to Bush highway 10 miles (road to Saguaro lake, one we can swim in if anyone is desperate to swim Friday, 11/14), and back downhill 20 miles to McDowell, turn and back up to Shea. And then a third loop Shea to McDowell and back, by the numbers about 106 miles.
First loop was fine, I haven't reviewed my data but I know I was .69 -.70 IF consistently. Then at the second turnaround miles 50 to 70 going downhill I had the strongest headwind I've ever encountered on the Beeline. I was going slower by the time I reached McDowell than going uphill to Shea-the wind blew me up there quickly. Third loop down was almost as bad. This was the conditions for AZIM 2011. It was tiring and my IF was barely 60. I was hunkered down as low as I could go in aero. I also had my powertap aero disc on and didn't feel out of control-the worst was when big semi trucks passed I would feel the whip but that shouldn't be a problem on race day.
I rode exactly 6 hours. My joule said 100 mi and garmin 108-I like the latter since my race day goal is 6h
Nutrition and hydration went well.
Then I drove home and did 3 two mi loops, a different dog in tow each loop (two together is exponential energy and way too fast running!). I did the EN pacing and was finishing at goal pace.
I did recovery well too-an hour in recovery compression boots at my bike shop then a massage for my shoulders.
Now I'm enjoying rest day at work. No extra hour sleep-AZ does not change the clock so now we are on mountain time.
2 more weeks!!!!
@ Betsy...Nice work!!
I have no clue if this is good IM training or not, but the Sears Tower stair climb is in the books. 103 flights in 18:09. Passed many people. Never got passed. I think I'm getting the eye of the tiger back. Then rode on the trainer for 1 hour including 20' @ 180 w and 20' @ 205 w. Finished the day with 2 mile run @ 8:30 pace. Resting tomorrow as I'm traveling for work.
@Bruce, Nice job on the stair climb, seems like that would be a fun event. FWIW, I walked DOWN the stairs in the office building where I work (57 flights) many times while training for the 50K trail run I did back in June. Although I don't think it would help much for IM, that descending specific training was invaluable for the trail run where there were many thousands of feet of elevation change.
My RR went about as well as expected given the weather forecast. It was cold and cloudy with periods of rain throughout the ride. Oh, and there were 30 mph wind gusts on top of all that. My goal out the door was to get in four hours outside before I headed for the trainer. As the ride progressed I kept moving that number out based on how many of my toes I could still feel ;-). I ended up calling it a day at ~101 in 5:30:xx. Because I planned to cut this ride short, I intentionally rode harder (.74) than I plan to on race day (.70). Of course Garmin Express immediately lost my ride data, but as usual, Strava was able to import the corrupt file with limited success. I was slightly surprised at the amount of liquid I was able to take in given the cold weather. My race plan calls for 30 - 40 ounces per hour minimum and I was able to maintain almost 30 across my RR. Of course I had to stop for the bathroom six times... Other than the frequent bathroom breaks, I had no issues with my nutrition plan.
The run also went well, but with different Garmin issues. I got about a quarter mile into the run, checked my pace and found it to be zero! Check the distance and find I've only traveled 10 feet, WTF. I reset the workout and tried again but with the same result. Finally I turned off my watch and restarted from scratch. I lost about half a mile, but I finally got it working again. I've experienced Garmin fail on race day twice already, so I found this to be good practice.
The rest of my run was uneventful. The first four miles were all ~9:20 including walking and drinking at each mile marker and the last two were ~9:00, which is pretty close to what I want on race day. I set pace on a combination of HR and RPE with Garmin pace as a backstop. I was able to keep my HR low throughout and I had no nutrition or hydration issues.
In all, I'm very happy with the way the day turned out.
Can't wait to see everyone in Tempe.
Fantastic RRs everyone, especially under the adverse weather conditions across the country! You have now officially made it to Taper! Try not to go stir crazy, and do not over-do anything this next two weeks! Tempations will be strong to get one more run/bike/swim in, to eat more, to stay up a little later….stick to the plan and stay the course. Congratulations!!!!!
Did a nice 3000 swim on Friday as 3x1000 repeats at race-ish pace. Felt strong and steady, but didn't want to overdo it after my RR on Thursday. Each 1000 ~ 15:40 so about 1:34/100.
Saturday the weather hit: rain, high winds, and cold temps drove me indoors to do my long run on the treadmill. I actually enjoyed it. Listened to pandora, didn't have to carry my hydration pack and could just RUN in the zone. Set the tmill to 1.5%. 14.2 mi in 1:45 with hr from 148-160 and pacing ranging from 7:50 to 6:40.
Glad everyone braved the weather the last few days to get all the work done! Excited to ease off on this taper. I know I need it really bad.
Some really inspiting RR this past week. Some adventures as well...
Rian: you are so ready, you are gonna rock that course
Al: Looks like your minimalist plan and fun RR at Kona are setting you up as well
Joe: Sometimes the recovery forced upn us is a blessing in disguise, can't tell you how many times I have heard people bemoan their injuries and loss of training only to have a stellar race
Shaughn: You have been a beast, I am sure the course fears having you there!
Betsy: You just keep getting stronger and better. You just have to believe in yourself
Mary: You are ready! Now it is time to give the body the chance to catch up
Bruce: This is the makeup for and the reason why Kona was not to your satisfaction. Go get it done!
Scott: It is your time as well. You have been putting in the work and now it is time to shine
Peter: We tear the body down to come back stronger. Recover and and you are there
Hi everyone,
congrats on getting to the taper! Sounds like everyone is ready to go!
Betsy, Could you clarify the schedule for race week? Brenda had the practice swim and 4 keys talk listed for Friday. The athlete guide states that the practice swim will be on Saturday. 4 keys still on Friday? or will that be on Saturday too?
4 Keys is definitely Friday AM-I thought 10am but document says 10:30. I will clarify ASAP.
Swim is only Saturday am 9-11. You must have your timing chip and cannot enter the water after 10:45.
There is no other time allowed for swimming in TTL. If a group wants to OWS Friday afternoon there are a couple of nearby lakes.
I always throw out the suggestion of a breakfast at Chompies NY deli, and put Monday am on the schedule. But award ceremony is at 9:30 and roll down at 11, with a catered breakfast, all at tempe beach town park. So we have not done Chompies in the past. Anybody interested in planning a Saturday morning breakfast/brunch get together there?? You can get almost anything you want there
I have been more of a lurker than anything. First time IM. I just want to say thank you for your help regarding tires and clarifications about the race and such. I had a good ride/run Saturday, 107+ miles and 6 mile run. Lots of rain, wind, sun break, rainbow (that is for you Rich S), more rain, wind another sunbreak and rainbow, rosy clouds approaching dusk. Frankly beautiful! Felt happy for the good ride and run. Loved the Conti 4000 tires as well. Grateful for the training plan from Patrick and Rich. I believe it is going to work. Good luck to everyone. Your hard work will pay off on the 16th. See you in Tempe!!
@ Anita, I plan to go to the swim as well. I need to try out the stairs in and out of the water and check out the black lagoon and get a feel for the water temp.
Would anyone be interested in lunch somewhere after the 4 Keys?
Other changes from past IMs, there is no welcome dinner this year, instead everyone is getting a $25 voucher for local restaurants. I see this as a positive change - the welcome dinner is always a bust. The other change I noticed is that 2015 registration is open for us all day Thursday and Friday. I think that's a nice change as well. I still have not decided yet, I'm putting that off until the very last minute.
Taper is only one day old and I'm already skipping workouts and cutting others short. I think I'm just still tired from Saturday, or at least that's what I'm going with for now. That said, I'm all set for the ride/run tomorrow.
has anyone thought about a group ride of the beeline? I Know Al T was thinking noon on Thursday... my flight gets in at noon, i need to register, pick up bike, get to hotel, etc... Figure, I can't ride before 3, which may take me out of the game...
the temperature isn't bad with a wetsuit. Mont Tremblant wasn't any warmer and I felt warm in a full wetsuit.. remember treading water for 10 or so minutes before the start won't be warm, but it will be once you get going..
I thought he vouchers for dinner is great, supports the local restaurants, which is nice. They are still doing the presentation though that they would normally do during the athletes dinner if I read correctly.
Actually, I'm not getting in until Thursday afternoon, so I am doing a ride on the Beeline Friday afternoon.
There are multiple opportunities for the Athlete briefing: Thursday @ 2 PM, Friday @ 11 AM and 2 PM, Saturday @ 1 PM, all near the transition area/IM expo site.
There's a "Welcome Ceremony" @ 6:30 PM Friday with the usual hoopla which used to accompany the dinner.
If this is your first IM, it;s probably a good idea to attend both of these. If you;ve done a few in the past two years, you know the drill, and can safely avoid, IMO, unless your OCD compels you.
This is the standard schedule for the IMs this year, same as IM CDA, and LP, etc.