HIM Bike - please help look at my numbers!
Hi guys - would love some feedback on my HIM bike leg pacing in 3 weeks time.
I have never raced with HR or Power before, but I am the proud owner of a new Garmin Edge 510 (HR, not Power), and I have some new FTP results to go by.
My recent 40min TT testing is giving me a threshold HR of between 140 and 145.
Just today I did my first ever Power Test which came in at 257 FTP and 271 Normalised. Average HR was 141. My test result charts are here:
http://perfprostudio.com/users/F955...yxezxs.htm
My HIM bike course is moderate, some hills, probably some wind, and a rough surface. I'm expecting close to the 3 hour mark.
My plan is to start the bike easy, settling into an HR of 125, keeping it there for the first hour, and gradually climbing to 130 during the second hour and 135 in the last hour.
So does this plan seem right given my testing numbers, and understanding I want to have a good run!
Any comments appreciated!
Chris
Comments
Chris...I have never raced with HR (have had PM since beginning really), but I'll tell you what I would do:
Put in your LTHR (140-145...you'll have to pick one number....based on your 20min TT graph, it looks like you went out a little too easy....you were able to push significantly harder the last 5minutes? I'd probably pick 145 if it was me) into the calculator (Training Plan --> EN Calculators). That will give you your HR zones. Then I'd read the bike portion of this: http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Race+Execution,+Half+Ironman
MOST importantly....if you have three weeks left, you still should have one more Race Rehearsal Ride (wk 18 I believe). After you've done the above, do your race rehearsal in this exact manner. See how the 6mile/1hr brick run goes and how the bike feels. Adjust if needed.
On race day, you'll have to watch your HR upon starting the bike, as your HR will likely still be high from the swim (in contrast to the Race Rehearsal). That first 20-30' is the time to really pay attention to settling your HR down....the temptation/natural response is just to ride along (with a HR that is too high for what you have left on your plate - bike ~3hrs and run 13miles) and it may "feel" easy. Everyone will be blowing by you, especially on climbs and into headwinds. They are either much stronger than you or are making a big mistake....either way, don't chase or get distracted. Get your HR down and then settle into high Z2/low Z3 per the HIM bike pacing recommendations.
That's my $0.02. Hope that helps. JL
I think you are right about my FTP test, could have started a touch harder. You can see on the cadence chart when I was able to change gear and ramp up the power.
I've pretty much followed your suggestion to come up with my HR plan for the race so I think I'm on the right track.
Next step will be to build the test of my race plan!
Thanks again.