Steve Beyer IMFL report
This was 2nd full IM, the 1st being IMFL last year. Aside from showing up happy and healthy, the big goal this year was to nail the nutrition, since I had horrible gut cramps start very early in the run (mile 2), and stay the ENTIRE way last year. This caused a 6:01:07 marathon split, when a 4:30 was possible based on fitness level.
This was definitely nutrition related, and not from overlooking the bike, so nutrition and seeing if I could actually run the marathon to my potential (ie...overcome the suck and push through the "non-gut" pain), was the real test this year.
Some quick stats for perspective:
2013: 2014:
weight- 175 167
FTP - 260 270
LRP- 9:37 9:07
Swim- 1:09:12 N/A...cancelled
T1- 5:44 N/A
Bike- 5:23:13 (179 NP/.69IF) 5:31:04 (185 NP/.69IF)
T2- 6:32 5:13
Run- 6:01:07 4:12:59
Finish- 12:45:48(1407 OA) 9:49:16(393 OA)
Overall my training went very well this year, with both objective improvements, and in generally feeling much more "durable" this year as compared to last. I feel like I "absorbed" the training much better this year, and can totally agree with and see how it takes a few years to really have the body adapt to the rigors of IM training. So here is some more detail on how the day went.
Morning of race:
As practiced not only in the two race rehearsals, but ALSO in every long ride in the plan, I had my B-fast of 800-900 calories 3 hours before. Since nutrition was the big issue to work out, I didn't want to rely on only the two RR's to have this dialed in. Another thing I "tweaked" in the plan(after talking with coach P)' was to NOT do a short run with some TP work in it before the long ride, but to follow all long rides with a 45'-60' run where the first half was LRP plus 30', and the second half was at LRP. I felt there was more benefit to be had in this type of run (getting VERY familiar with the pacing, as well as the mental confidence of a positive nutrition/no gut issue experience), than there would be in the little extra TP work the prescribed run would give.
Then a gel at 15' before start, but a difference in nutrition race morning was eating a bonk breaker bar 1 hour before start. I wouldn't do this before long rides(as I was sleeping), but regularly did this before training swims. It was right after taking in the gel that the announcement was made of the swim being cancelled.
Since by bib# was 2493, I had a long wait!! So about 8:30am I had a banana since it had been a while since taking in some calories.
BIKE: (5:31:04, IF .69, VI 1.01, TSS 258)
Don't know exactly when I started, but think it was about 9:45am. Goal was to do first 15' at 175NP, next 15' around 180NP, and third 15' at 185NP. This went as planned, and from there wanted to just steadily crank out 5 mile laps at 187-190NP, with the goal of being at overall NP of 185-186 at BSN, and then just maintain it from there, which I was also able to accomplish.
Power-wise, the big difference this year was that last year I had some trouble maintaining the watts the last 15-20 miles, whereas this year I was strong through the finish. I attribute this to both the cumulative effects of steady training over a couple years(ie..more "durable"), but also just plain more bike volume this year. Last year I had 4 weeks with a TSS of over 400, and the highest was a 438. This year I had 5 weeks with a TSS over 500, and the highest(camp week), was 629. And I can tell you I definitely felt the difference....in a good way??
Nutrition plan was 1 24 oz. bottle premixed perform per hour(8oz/15'), with a "block" of Apple pie Bonk Breaker bar on the 15' and 30' marks. I cut the bar into 6 pieces so each "block" is about 35 calories. Then on each hour mark I had a powergel rinsed down with some water. The only tweaks to this was the the first two hours I had 3 "blocks" instead of 2 to compensate for the decreased calories I took in in the first hour, where I only had 3/4 of the first bottle of perform due to the cold temps.
In my second RR, it was 45-50 degrees, and VERY windy. I was really disciplined in staying aero in the head winds and maintaining power in tailwinds. So the race was like,"just another RR" day
Couple last things....first pee was about 1:30 into the ride, and went a total of 5 times. The last one was about 5 miles from T2 and I STILL had to go again in T2??!! And lastly, after about mile 25 very few people passed me, and from about 60-65 on it was a constant steady stream of people to pass...I mean hundreds. And what really surprised me was how this kept up even when we got the tailwinds in the last part. It was as if most people were completely toast from battling the headwinds all day, but with steady power riding, going with or against didn't make much of a difference to me. I even kept repeating to myself.."speed is irrelevant, just keep steady power", and this definitely made a huge difference.
T2: (5:13)
Smooth dismount with pedals still clipped in, and was surprised I was able to jog pretty quickly through.....just got slowed up with another massive bladder emptying before heading out!
RUN: (4:12:59)
The run is by no means my strong suit.... I feel like I'm pretty even in all three legs....but what was different this year was how I was looking forward to the run. My mantra in training was "you're not fast anymore (ran a 3:13 marathon and a 16:30 3 mile run in the marine corps), but you're STRONG"!! And with multiple runs after long rides I went in very confident in the physical ability.
The big unknown was how my nutrition on the bike was going to work out on the run....you see I had not had any gut issues in the two RR's in 2013, and then had it come "out of nowhere" in the race. But I just tried to focus on being positive, like many team members recommended, and I think I was successful in this because I really was looking forward to the run in the race.
My LRP this year was 9:07, but my plan was to go via HR....keeping it under 140 the first 6 miles, in the 140's till 18-20, and push whatever I could from there. These zones were based on HR during both long runs and post long ride runs, where when I did that I was right around prescribed paces.
Well.....right out of T2, and for the first 2 miles, my HR was showing 180-200, which I KNEW was wrong. Sooooo.....plan B was to go by RPE and see what the splits are at each mile. Here's how it worked out:
1. 9:06
2. 9:04
3. 9:19
4. 9:24
5. 9:27
6. 9:54(stopped at family, gave wife a kiss??)
7. 9:25
8. 9:24
9. 9:38(pee break)
10. 9:19
11. 9:28
12. 9:37
13. 10:10(pee break)
14. 9:59(stop at RSN)
15. 9:21
16. 9:24
17. 9:30
18. 9:45
19. 9:53
20. 9:59
21. 9:55
22. 9:50
23. 10:05
24. 10:16
25. 10:13
26. 11:01
Even though the splits started slowing around 18, for me it got really tough around 20-21, which is interesting to me. Also, I just couldn't seem to pick it up to LRP(9:07), but think part of that was being worried about gut issues coming on, and/or my unknown HR being too high.
My nutrition plan was 3-5 oz. perform per mile, a gel with water at 4,8,12, 16, and 20, and coke once I got tired of perform.....shooting for 18 plus. I ended up taking in 3 instead of 5 gels, as I kind of felt a little "burp" up of stuff a couple times so I skipped a feeding 2-3 times, but feel like nutrition carried me through
But one last thing to report is related to the cool temps. On the bike I dresses perfectly....toe warmers, light gloves, and one kind of thickish high collared top. I took off that top and gloves in T2 and put on EN singlet, and had my wife at about 5.5 with arm warmers for me. Skipped the arm warmers at first pass but got them on way back, but I think it was too little too late. I was fantasizing about the gloves and top I wore on the bike from about mile 12 on, and even would have wore a stocking cap if I'd had it once the sun went down!
Once I crosse the finish line and they put that blanket around me, I remember thinking "man that feels good", which I'd never experienced before after finishing. I dropped it to take the finisher picture, and immediately after the picture.....about 2-3 minutes after crossing the finish line.....I break into uncontrollable shakes and hypothermic symptoms. I walk as quick as I can into the host hotel, find a seat and have my family drape everything they can over me. About 25 minutes and 3 cups of chicken broth later the shakes subside enough to make a go for the van my wife's waiting in a few blocks away. In the walk there they start again and don't go away until about 10 minutes into a hot bath back at the room....which felt like heaven!!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Feel very happy with results...steady paced bike, good nutrition plan, and able to actually "run" the marathon.....even with a bit of a fade at the end.
With the swim split of 2013 I would have had around a 11:05, so definitely shooting for, and feel it's very realistic to achieve a sub 11 next year.....doing IMMD.
Really enjoyed meeting some of the team at the dinner (Yvette....you're amazing, Juan....loved your super friendly entrance and greeting), and wanting any and all feedback on this report.
This was definitely nutrition related, and not from overlooking the bike, so nutrition and seeing if I could actually run the marathon to my potential (ie...overcome the suck and push through the "non-gut" pain), was the real test this year.
Some quick stats for perspective:
2013: 2014:
weight- 175 167
FTP - 260 270
LRP- 9:37 9:07
Swim- 1:09:12 N/A...cancelled
T1- 5:44 N/A
Bike- 5:23:13 (179 NP/.69IF) 5:31:04 (185 NP/.69IF)
T2- 6:32 5:13
Run- 6:01:07 4:12:59
Finish- 12:45:48(1407 OA) 9:49:16(393 OA)
Overall my training went very well this year, with both objective improvements, and in generally feeling much more "durable" this year as compared to last. I feel like I "absorbed" the training much better this year, and can totally agree with and see how it takes a few years to really have the body adapt to the rigors of IM training. So here is some more detail on how the day went.
Morning of race:
As practiced not only in the two race rehearsals, but ALSO in every long ride in the plan, I had my B-fast of 800-900 calories 3 hours before. Since nutrition was the big issue to work out, I didn't want to rely on only the two RR's to have this dialed in. Another thing I "tweaked" in the plan(after talking with coach P)' was to NOT do a short run with some TP work in it before the long ride, but to follow all long rides with a 45'-60' run where the first half was LRP plus 30', and the second half was at LRP. I felt there was more benefit to be had in this type of run (getting VERY familiar with the pacing, as well as the mental confidence of a positive nutrition/no gut issue experience), than there would be in the little extra TP work the prescribed run would give.
Then a gel at 15' before start, but a difference in nutrition race morning was eating a bonk breaker bar 1 hour before start. I wouldn't do this before long rides(as I was sleeping), but regularly did this before training swims. It was right after taking in the gel that the announcement was made of the swim being cancelled.
Since by bib# was 2493, I had a long wait!! So about 8:30am I had a banana since it had been a while since taking in some calories.
BIKE: (5:31:04, IF .69, VI 1.01, TSS 258)
Don't know exactly when I started, but think it was about 9:45am. Goal was to do first 15' at 175NP, next 15' around 180NP, and third 15' at 185NP. This went as planned, and from there wanted to just steadily crank out 5 mile laps at 187-190NP, with the goal of being at overall NP of 185-186 at BSN, and then just maintain it from there, which I was also able to accomplish.
Power-wise, the big difference this year was that last year I had some trouble maintaining the watts the last 15-20 miles, whereas this year I was strong through the finish. I attribute this to both the cumulative effects of steady training over a couple years(ie..more "durable"), but also just plain more bike volume this year. Last year I had 4 weeks with a TSS of over 400, and the highest was a 438. This year I had 5 weeks with a TSS over 500, and the highest(camp week), was 629. And I can tell you I definitely felt the difference....in a good way??
Nutrition plan was 1 24 oz. bottle premixed perform per hour(8oz/15'), with a "block" of Apple pie Bonk Breaker bar on the 15' and 30' marks. I cut the bar into 6 pieces so each "block" is about 35 calories. Then on each hour mark I had a powergel rinsed down with some water. The only tweaks to this was the the first two hours I had 3 "blocks" instead of 2 to compensate for the decreased calories I took in in the first hour, where I only had 3/4 of the first bottle of perform due to the cold temps.
In my second RR, it was 45-50 degrees, and VERY windy. I was really disciplined in staying aero in the head winds and maintaining power in tailwinds. So the race was like,"just another RR" day
Couple last things....first pee was about 1:30 into the ride, and went a total of 5 times. The last one was about 5 miles from T2 and I STILL had to go again in T2??!! And lastly, after about mile 25 very few people passed me, and from about 60-65 on it was a constant steady stream of people to pass...I mean hundreds. And what really surprised me was how this kept up even when we got the tailwinds in the last part. It was as if most people were completely toast from battling the headwinds all day, but with steady power riding, going with or against didn't make much of a difference to me. I even kept repeating to myself.."speed is irrelevant, just keep steady power", and this definitely made a huge difference.
T2: (5:13)
Smooth dismount with pedals still clipped in, and was surprised I was able to jog pretty quickly through.....just got slowed up with another massive bladder emptying before heading out!
RUN: (4:12:59)
The run is by no means my strong suit.... I feel like I'm pretty even in all three legs....but what was different this year was how I was looking forward to the run. My mantra in training was "you're not fast anymore (ran a 3:13 marathon and a 16:30 3 mile run in the marine corps), but you're STRONG"!! And with multiple runs after long rides I went in very confident in the physical ability.
The big unknown was how my nutrition on the bike was going to work out on the run....you see I had not had any gut issues in the two RR's in 2013, and then had it come "out of nowhere" in the race. But I just tried to focus on being positive, like many team members recommended, and I think I was successful in this because I really was looking forward to the run in the race.
My LRP this year was 9:07, but my plan was to go via HR....keeping it under 140 the first 6 miles, in the 140's till 18-20, and push whatever I could from there. These zones were based on HR during both long runs and post long ride runs, where when I did that I was right around prescribed paces.
Well.....right out of T2, and for the first 2 miles, my HR was showing 180-200, which I KNEW was wrong. Sooooo.....plan B was to go by RPE and see what the splits are at each mile. Here's how it worked out:
1. 9:06
2. 9:04
3. 9:19
4. 9:24
5. 9:27
6. 9:54(stopped at family, gave wife a kiss??)
7. 9:25
8. 9:24
9. 9:38(pee break)
10. 9:19
11. 9:28
12. 9:37
13. 10:10(pee break)
14. 9:59(stop at RSN)
15. 9:21
16. 9:24
17. 9:30
18. 9:45
19. 9:53
20. 9:59
21. 9:55
22. 9:50
23. 10:05
24. 10:16
25. 10:13
26. 11:01
Even though the splits started slowing around 18, for me it got really tough around 20-21, which is interesting to me. Also, I just couldn't seem to pick it up to LRP(9:07), but think part of that was being worried about gut issues coming on, and/or my unknown HR being too high.
My nutrition plan was 3-5 oz. perform per mile, a gel with water at 4,8,12, 16, and 20, and coke once I got tired of perform.....shooting for 18 plus. I ended up taking in 3 instead of 5 gels, as I kind of felt a little "burp" up of stuff a couple times so I skipped a feeding 2-3 times, but feel like nutrition carried me through
But one last thing to report is related to the cool temps. On the bike I dresses perfectly....toe warmers, light gloves, and one kind of thickish high collared top. I took off that top and gloves in T2 and put on EN singlet, and had my wife at about 5.5 with arm warmers for me. Skipped the arm warmers at first pass but got them on way back, but I think it was too little too late. I was fantasizing about the gloves and top I wore on the bike from about mile 12 on, and even would have wore a stocking cap if I'd had it once the sun went down!
Once I crosse the finish line and they put that blanket around me, I remember thinking "man that feels good", which I'd never experienced before after finishing. I dropped it to take the finisher picture, and immediately after the picture.....about 2-3 minutes after crossing the finish line.....I break into uncontrollable shakes and hypothermic symptoms. I walk as quick as I can into the host hotel, find a seat and have my family drape everything they can over me. About 25 minutes and 3 cups of chicken broth later the shakes subside enough to make a go for the van my wife's waiting in a few blocks away. In the walk there they start again and don't go away until about 10 minutes into a hot bath back at the room....which felt like heaven!!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Feel very happy with results...steady paced bike, good nutrition plan, and able to actually "run" the marathon.....even with a bit of a fade at the end.
With the swim split of 2013 I would have had around a 11:05, so definitely shooting for, and feel it's very realistic to achieve a sub 11 next year.....doing IMMD.
Really enjoyed meeting some of the team at the dinner (Yvette....you're amazing, Juan....loved your super friendly entrance and greeting), and wanting any and all feedback on this report.
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Comments
Steve: one line in your race reports says it all .... "... the race was like,"just another RR" day ....". Great meeting you as well and hope to do it again sometime soon. All the best and lets all keep working hard ..... IT WORKS!!! Juan