I tore my hamstring March 15th so I deferred my May HIM. Did an OLY yesterday and gimped it out. So I signed up for 70.3 Steelhead August 9th. I'll train and do that 46 days from now, and then get ready for IMFL. Should we start a training thread? So we can keep in touch?
Agree with Gordon. Although we have 20 weeks to go, Coach R doesn't like the vast majority of athletes doing all 20 weeks of the high-volume plan. Our bodies (and minds) can only absorb and benefit from so many 80+ mi rides and 15+ mi runs. So, instead he has most doing Get Faster or HIM programs until 12 weeks out. Depending on your experience and fitness, athletes can easily build sufficient volume endurance over 6-10 weeks of work (before taper). This is IMFL #3 for me, and to me, this race is all about pure power, quality time in aero, and run durability. So, I'm doing the HIM plan until Steelhead 70.3 in early Aug with the goals of jacking my puny FTP up (goal is a lofty 270) and building up to 30-35 mi/wk of running through frequency and consistency. If in doubt, please post a question to Coach R in the Macro. Train smart, stay healthy, enjoy the journey.
Sounds like we are all on the right track with Coach Rich's guidance. @Mike, appreciate the feedback. @Stephanie, congrats on the comeback! Good luck to both of y'all at Steelhead.
I'm in the get faster plan right now and then will load up IM plan. I don't feel like I'm getting faster as I'm sick with the summer flu, but better now than close to the race. I just need to make sure I rest until I'm all better as I hate to go to long without doing some form or training!
I was in the GF plan. I was then supposed to do a short stint in the Short Course plan too. Sadly a lot of races in TX have been moved and or cancelled due to all the flooding. I also haven't ran really in over a year and a half due to a knee injury. So I made the decision to go ahead and switch to the IM plan on week 1. I need the volume and build. I can handle anything for 20 weeks, in a former life I spent time serving on submarines.
That said today's week 1 day 2 workout was 3 X 1/2 mile Z4 running.... And my KNEE was stellar for this workout. I'm totally pain free and excited to be training again finally! I have a long way to go, but I know if I stick to the plan I can get there. I was slow but since I haven't run in forever and I'm still 14 lbs heavier than my last 70.3, I know why I'm slow. I will fix those issues in short order. By week 7 I will be less weight than I have been since my last 70.3 and by week 20 I will be much lighter and faster for IMFL. See you at the start. Only thing I'm worried about is the 2.4 mi Gulf water swim right now. Not the distance but the Gulf itself...... I'm used to TX lakes, although I have done the Galveston 70.3 once.
I'm all for a training / support thread. Going to bed now so I can workout before work tomorrow since I'm going to a baseball game after work.
I officially started training for this race today! My schedule is weird (who's isn't?) but coach P is helping me cobble together a schedule. Today was 3.5hr bike as 20min warmup, 3hrs abp, 10min CD. Time to start thinking about sweat rate, nutrition etc. I am going with nuun tabs in water for hydration and part of sodium needs, Skratch Bites and honey stinger waffles for cal and salt sticks to bring sodium intake up to 1000mg. Still experimenting and logging everything. Today I had 5 bottles over 3.5 hrs and still dropped from 161 to 158.6 over 3.5hrs. Next week I will try and figure out how to get another bottle down. My problem is that I can only carry 3 on the bike. So I either need a shorter loop or I need to down one right before I get on the trainer to warm up. Who is race captain? Lets get the weekly threads going! Or am I too early?
Here's some motivation for you. Ironman Florida 2008 in timelapse....really, really cool. Plus, I'm in it...yeah, I'm the guy in black on the swim. This was my first IM and the weather was ideal compared to last year. Watch everyone on the left stand up as they go over a sandbar. Are you excited now?
@Paul, that was cool. I raced in '04, '07, and watched in '08 - all 3 years had really nice weather. Ocean is usually kind, but can have some chop, current and jellies. Bike is usually chilly to start, then getting into the 70s. The challenges on 2 wheels are avoiding the huge packs, peeing on the bike (only get to coast down the backside of a few small rollers and the bridge at 10 and 100), wind, and staying aero those last 30 miles (often into a headwind). Normally Daylight Savings ends the day after the race, making it a dark start and absolutely freezing sand (need to wear 2 pairs of throwaway socks for pre-race) and a 6pm sunset to use as motivation to break 11 hours and get a sunlight finisher pic. This year, however, DST ends the week before. So it should be warmer in the morning and early on the bike with a 6am sunrise. But the 4:52pm sunset means you've gotta go 9:52 (if you start in the front of the first corral) if you want to beat sunset. That should give guys named Knighton and Simmons something to shoot for. But for the rest of us, it means a LS shirt in RSN, as it will likely get chilly very quickly after sunset.
@Jimmy, it's never too early to start a training thread. And in my humble opinion, there is no better race captain than SS. When it comes to motivating, cheerleading, sharing of tips and experiences, and general production of mojo, he's in a class by his own.
As for me, my summer was going great until June when I got a sweet job offer out of the blue. Dropped out of two tris, went to Europe for two weeks with the boy, quit, renovated, sold, bought and moved. Just moved in last Wednesday and started training again the next day. Still haven't found a pool (next week). I know my CTL dropped from 101 to 56 in two months (ouch!), but tommorow I'm doing a 5.5-hour brick called Steelhead to see how much work reallyneeds to go into the next 13 weeks.
Florida will be #6 for me, following #5 at Mont Tremblant next week. I'm not sure what my training will look like, or exactly when the post IMMT beer drinking will stop, but I'm looking forward to racing with this crew! I'll definitely be needing everyone living in a warm climate to send their mojo my way... training for a November race when you live in Michigan can be a challenge!
Well guys I'm out. It's a bad deal, but I'm going to make the best of it. I've been gimping my training being really sick, turns out I have pneumonia. I'm going to be gimpy with low O2 for a while longer. Any time I try doing anything outside a moderate effort I have coughing fits and can't breathe. It's been terrible. I'm losing 4 weeks of training due to this. I'm going to lose or have a heavily modified 2 more due to work way too close to race day, so I'm throwing in the towel. No point in showing up for my first IM knowing I'm not ready. I've found a much closer to home half distance race I can do at the end of November. I'm going to put my efforts there.
If anyone knows any groovy way to transfer an entry to next year or to another team member, I'm all ears.
@ Tony - smart decision. I came down with a pneumonia 2 days before IM Cozumel in 2013 ... did the race anyway puking several times before and after. I finished in a Personal Worst and it took me a couple of months to recover from that beat down even though my wife had a doctor's appointment waiting for me as soon as we got back. Right now, a lot of rest is what you need.
OK, judging by the Steelhead experience I have a lot of work to do! Finish up my PT, lift weights, lose weight, and spend more time on the bike!! I look forward to it! Let's definitely keep in touch. I live in Miami and I'm going to make the 9 hour drive. Hopefully that will be the toughest part. 13 weeks. OMG!
@Jimmy - you use scratch bites and honey waffles for most all your calories? I have not tried those. But I am curious what other "solid foods" folks are using. I used powerbars in he half I did. I think they worked. But my nutrition was a wreck because I didn't take in enough sodium.
@gordon- I've used power bar before too. they worked fine for me. The key IMO is practicing during long sessions to see how you feel/ respond to various fueling choices. Some people fuel every session all week long for practice. For me, that is just way too much sugar. If the session is less than 90min, I use Nuun and water. Past that I start taking in cal. Last Nov @ IMCoz, I used a concentrated bottle of Skratch for most of my cal and ate just a little. This time I am going to try eating more. As I read more on the subject, it seems like there is good research around eating the cal. The act of chewing, the mixing with saliva, the stomach slowly emptying. At IM intensity it seems like that could work. So I am going to try eating more, taking salt sticks to get up around 1000mg per hour of sodium and drinking water.
Hi everyone, I've been trying to settle into a routine. I had a bike test this week that I had to postpone - I tried it on Tues night and failed. I guess trying an FTP test after fasting and blood work was not the best idea! I'll do it next week. I did get my run test in yesterday and considering the heat and humidity in Texas I wasn't that off of my last test. On Saturday's long ride I'm gonna try Tailwind nutrition for my drink, I still need to sit down and figure out my calories & sodium but usually I eat honey stingers. In the last couple weeks I have used Gatoraide but I just don't think I can stomach it for a whole 112 ride.
I have a question about wetsuits - are ya'll wearing a full sleeve or a sleeveless? I have read the post this last week on the forum regarding this but my concern is overheating. I have a full sleeve that I used in CdA last year and the water temp was 51 degrees so I was fine. I used my full sleeve again in a local half last November with a water temp around 70 and I felt hot and couldn't get comfortable. I know several people have done this race before so I would love your thoughts! Thanks!
Christina - you will rarely see a pro in a sleeveless...many don't even own them. Look at any wetsuit legal pro start for confirmation. For a pro, the speed advantage of a full is worth any heat build up they may suffer. That said, IMFL water is typically 70-72 that time of year. And because it falls a week earlier this year it could be slightly warmer than that if October turns out to be a warm month. If that's too hot for you and you aren't concerned over a 2 min time cost then by all means bring a sleeveless.
I am working through a couple more weeks of GF intensity then ramping with you guys on volume from there on in.
I have raced IMTX(2014) with both Jimmy and Mike as well as Paul Hough in IMCoz(2012).
This is #6 for me much like Rich S.
I don't race enough to be great at this long distance stuff but I very much enjoy the camaraderie of some really special people I find in a group like this one.
IF no one beats me to it, I will open up a weekly thread for all to comment, share or just LURK about Week 13 of 20 for this team. That's in two weeks.
The weekly thread is really important because this will be where you get the biggest value for your dollar with EN as we have some incredibly smart, seasoned vets in this group and they usually share invaluable information as well as provide a great deal of "Walking the Talk" leading from the front examples daily.
There will be no dumb questions to ask, all questions/comments and opinions are valued and important.
Look forward to melding this group into a team very soon! Until then, as always, no matter what,
Now it's official - IMF training can begin! Similar to SS, I'm slowly transitioning into the long stuff. Just started a new job and put kids in new schools, so I'm taking the Minimalist approach this time 'round and putting in quality face time at work and home. Next 3 weeks will continue to be building run durability (5-6x/week, 27-32 mi/wk) and bike power (FT on Tues, VO2 on Thurs, hammer 60-85 on Sat). Swim won't get much attention (still don't have a full-time pool), but it's a wet suit- and draft-legal swim. In Week 14 or 15, I'll devote a solid 4 weeks to volume (swim 4x/wk, bike 8hrs/wk, run 40mi/wk), swim a lot through the taper, call it good.
I've only done this race 2x, but know it pretty well. The last 30 mi on this bike course can be brutal, as you'll have been in the aero position literally 99.5% of the time and you'll likely be facing a steady headwind. So, I'm devoting extra time to building and stretching the lower back, hips, abductors, etc. I'll also stand and stretch at every 15-min Garmin beep on the bike during the race. They've changed the bike slightly since I last did it, replacing a crappy stretch of road with another crappy stretch of road. I think it's only 10 miles or so (Jimmy may have ridden this latest version of the course and have more intel). Swim can be rough or it can be smooth as glass. Ride can be cold in the morning, wind is usually a factor, a short bridge climb (piece of cake at Mile 10, strangely challenging on the way back at Mile 100), a few small rollers in the middle, and predominantly smooth, fast roads. If peeing on the bike is your thing, it's very difficult here, as you really never get a chance to coast. I finally had to stop around Mile 60, stood there as if adjusting my front brake, and let if fly. Lost 20 seconds, but better than a 3-min porto stop. Run is pancake flat, with lots of turns, but also long stretches of straight. The sun will go down at 4:51pm, with temps usually plummeting quite quickly (make sure you bring LS shirt for RSN). Be careful in the neighborhood sections at night, as some streets are pitch black, and I've seen (well, mostly heard) speed bumps take out a few runners. At first blush, this course doesn't look like one where EN strategy and tactics will pay big dividends - it's pretty easy to flatten a flat bike course. But 80% of the field will crush the first 40 miles on the bike, usually with a tailwind, a lot of them going 25-28mph. It gets comical after a while, but the real fun starts at Mile 80 when you'll re-pass half of them, and on the run where you'll pass re-pass the rest. I have never seen a higher percentage of IM runners walking as I do on this course.
Question for the veterans from a first time IM racer: at what pace do you swim an IM compared to your T-Pace? It may be good for 1000 meters and for guaging 300s or 500s. But I would not be able to maintain that pace for sure. My T-Pace is 1:50/100m for reference.
I am not a strong IM swimmer. I swim at about my T-pace +5-7 secs in the IM swim. But, My T=pace is done in a pool with no wetsuit, pool buoy or flip turns (as I don't flip turn) and My IM swim is always with a full wetsuit.
My pace is really defined by my long, 1 X 3,800M practice swims I put in as I get closer to race date which are in the plan. From those I can dial in better my stroke, and RPE (rate of perceived exertion).
Mike Roberts is probably one of the best resources in this group to tap for feedback in this area.
@SS, there are a ton of nice (and cheap) high-rise condos within 3/4 mile of TA. I'm at Shores of Panama, a huge, newer complex 1/2 mile or less down the street from TA. It's off season, so lots of availability, but I'm sure selection is a little tighter now given it's September and all.
@Gordon, yes, if I've done a lot of big swim mileage leading up to an IM, I tend to swim right around my T-pace. But the primary purpose of your T-pace is to ID it, then reduce it through lots of work (repeats of 200-400) at 90-95% of T-pace. Yes, you swim slower than TP to build TP - just like the 95% work we do on FTP bike repeats. Took my T-pace from 1:33 to 1:23 earlier this year during the IM build, then did a RR with a wetsuit knowing that it would give me 5 sec/100. Sure enough, the RR with wetsuit was at 1:18, and my race pace was right at 1:18. But I also swam 15-20k yards per week during my build, which is difficult for those without a pool readily available. Remember, T-pace is really just your threshold pace, which is the high aerobic pace you can theoretically hold for an hour, so it should just about line up with your IM pace. The RRs, however, are where you sort out the realistic paces and dial in a race-day plan.
I'm also in Shores of Panama. Easy walk to race site. I stayed there last year when I volunteered, with friends who were racing. Parking in the building garage also, which is nice.
I'm at a VRBO duplex type condo across the street from the beach at the corner of Thomas and Joan - half mile from The Boardwalk host hotel. I'm hoping it's far enough away from the chaos but within basically walking distance from the start. http://www.vrbo.com/58701
@Gordon, you're literally across the street from SS and me. Great location. Very easy walk to check-in and before/after the race. Yet far enough away from the epicenter.
Comments
I tore my hamstring March 15th so I deferred my May HIM. Did an OLY yesterday and gimped it out. So I signed up for 70.3 Steelhead August 9th. I'll train and do that 46 days from now, and then get ready for IMFL. Should we start a training thread? So we can keep in touch?
That said today's week 1 day 2 workout was 3 X 1/2 mile Z4 running.... And my KNEE was stellar for this workout. I'm totally pain free and excited to be training again finally! I have a long way to go, but I know if I stick to the plan I can get there. I was slow but since I haven't run in forever and I'm still 14 lbs heavier than my last 70.3, I know why I'm slow. I will fix those issues in short order. By week 7 I will be less weight than I have been since my last 70.3 and by week 20 I will be much lighter and faster for IMFL. See you at the start. Only thing I'm worried about is the 2.4 mi Gulf water swim right now. Not the distance but the Gulf itself...... I'm used to TX lakes, although I have done the Galveston 70.3 once.
I'm all for a training / support thread. Going to bed now so I can workout before work tomorrow since I'm going to a baseball game after work.
I am going with nuun tabs in water for hydration and part of sodium needs, Skratch Bites and honey stinger waffles for cal and salt sticks to bring sodium intake up to 1000mg. Still experimenting and logging everything. Today I had 5 bottles over 3.5 hrs and still dropped from 161 to 158.6 over 3.5hrs. Next week I will try and figure out how to get another bottle down. My problem is that I can only carry 3 on the bike. So I either need a shorter loop or I need to down one right before I get on the trainer to warm up.
Who is race captain? Lets get the weekly threads going! Or am I too early?
Here's some motivation for you. Ironman Florida 2008 in timelapse....really, really cool. Plus, I'm in it...yeah, I'm the guy in black on the swim. This was my first IM and the weather was ideal compared to last year. Watch everyone on the left stand up as they go over a sandbar. Are you excited now?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGOPn6CoOcI
@Jimmy, it's never too early to start a training thread. And in my humble opinion, there is no better race captain than SS. When it comes to motivating, cheerleading, sharing of tips and experiences, and general production of mojo, he's in a class by his own.
As for me, my summer was going great until June when I got a sweet job offer out of the blue. Dropped out of two tris, went to Europe for two weeks with the boy, quit, renovated, sold, bought and moved. Just moved in last Wednesday and started training again the next day. Still haven't found a pool (next week). I know my CTL dropped from 101 to 56 in two months (ouch!), but tommorow I'm doing a 5.5-hour brick called Steelhead to see how much work reallyneeds to go into the next 13 weeks.
If anyone knows any groovy way to transfer an entry to next year or to another team member, I'm all ears.
Some people fuel every session all week long for practice. For me, that is just way too much sugar. If the session is less than 90min, I use Nuun and water. Past that I start taking in cal. Last Nov @ IMCoz, I used a concentrated bottle of Skratch for most of my cal and ate just a little. This time I am going to try eating more. As I read more on the subject, it seems like there is good research around eating the cal. The act of chewing, the mixing with saliva, the stomach slowly emptying. At IM intensity it seems like that could work. So I am going to try eating more, taking salt sticks to get up around 1000mg per hour of sodium and drinking water.
I have a question about wetsuits - are ya'll wearing a full sleeve or a sleeveless? I have read the post this last week on the forum regarding this but my concern is overheating. I have a full sleeve that I used in CdA last year and the water temp was 51 degrees so I was fine. I used my full sleeve again in a local half last November with a water temp around 70 and I felt hot and couldn't get comfortable. I know several people have done this race before so I would love your thoughts! Thanks!
Hi Friends,
SS here (aka KMF Man on strava)
I am working through a couple more weeks of GF intensity then ramping with you guys on volume from there on in.
I have raced IMTX(2014) with both Jimmy and Mike as well as Paul Hough in IMCoz(2012).
This is #6 for me much like Rich S.
I don't race enough to be great at this long distance stuff but I very much enjoy the camaraderie of some really special people I find in a group like this one.
IF no one beats me to it, I will open up a weekly thread for all to comment, share or just LURK about Week 13 of 20 for this team. That's in two weeks.
The weekly thread is really important because this will be where you get the biggest value for your dollar with EN as we have some incredibly smart, seasoned vets in this group and they usually share invaluable information as well as provide a great deal of "Walking the Talk" leading from the front examples daily.
There will be no dumb questions to ask, all questions/comments and opinions are valued and important.
Look forward to melding this group into a team very soon! Until then, as always, no matter what,
KMF!
This is great! Thank you KMF.
Now it's official - IMF training can begin! Similar to SS, I'm slowly transitioning into the long stuff. Just started a new job and put kids in new schools, so I'm taking the Minimalist approach this time 'round and putting in quality face time at work and home. Next 3 weeks will continue to be building run durability (5-6x/week, 27-32 mi/wk) and bike power (FT on Tues, VO2 on Thurs, hammer 60-85 on Sat). Swim won't get much attention (still don't have a full-time pool), but it's a wet suit- and draft-legal swim.
In Week 14 or 15, I'll devote a solid 4 weeks to volume (swim 4x/wk, bike 8hrs/wk, run 40mi/wk), swim a lot through the taper, call it good.
I've only done this race 2x, but know it pretty well. The last 30 mi on this bike course can be brutal, as you'll have been in the aero position literally 99.5% of the time and you'll likely be facing a steady headwind. So, I'm devoting extra time to building and stretching the lower back, hips, abductors, etc. I'll also stand and stretch at every 15-min Garmin beep on the bike during the race. They've changed the bike slightly since I last did it, replacing a crappy stretch of road with another crappy stretch of road. I think it's only 10 miles or so (Jimmy may have ridden this latest version of the course and have more intel). Swim can be rough or it can be smooth as glass. Ride can be cold in the morning, wind is usually a factor, a short bridge climb (piece of cake at Mile 10, strangely challenging on the way back at Mile 100), a few small rollers in the middle, and predominantly smooth, fast roads. If peeing on the bike is your thing, it's very difficult here, as you really never get a chance to coast. I finally had to stop around Mile 60, stood there as if adjusting my front brake, and let if fly. Lost 20 seconds, but better than a 3-min porto stop. Run is pancake flat, with lots of turns, but also long stretches of straight. The sun will go down at 4:51pm, with temps usually plummeting quite quickly (make sure you bring LS shirt for RSN). Be careful in the neighborhood sections at night, as some streets are pitch black, and I've seen (well, mostly heard) speed bumps take out a few runners. At first blush, this course doesn't look like one where EN strategy and tactics will pay big dividends - it's pretty easy to flatten a flat bike course. But 80% of the field will crush the first 40 miles on the bike, usually with a tailwind, a lot of them going 25-28mph. It gets comical after a while, but the real fun starts at Mile 80 when you'll re-pass half of them, and on the run where you'll pass re-pass the rest. I have never seen a higher percentage of IM runners walking as I do on this course.
Train safely, stay healthy, enjoy the journey.
MR
But aren't you sad you missed the hurricane Ericka drama?
Hope all is well in the new home.
@ Gordon,
I am not a strong IM swimmer. I swim at about my T-pace +5-7 secs in the IM swim. But, My T=pace is done in a pool with no wetsuit, pool buoy or flip turns (as I don't flip turn) and My IM swim is always with a full wetsuit.
My pace is really defined by my long, 1 X 3,800M practice swims I put in as I get closer to race date which are in the plan. From those I can dial in better my stroke, and RPE (rate of perceived exertion).
Mike Roberts is probably one of the best resources in this group to tap for feedback in this area.
SS
IMFL accommodations.
By the looks of the spreadsheet, I see some have accommodations already.
Wondering what the undecided others are thinking? Endurance Sports travel package? Rent a house?
SS
@Gordon, yes, if I've done a lot of big swim mileage leading up to an IM, I tend to swim right around my T-pace. But the primary purpose of your T-pace is to ID it, then reduce it through lots of work (repeats of 200-400) at 90-95% of T-pace. Yes, you swim slower than TP to build TP - just like the 95% work we do on FTP bike repeats. Took my T-pace from 1:33 to 1:23 earlier this year during the IM build, then did a RR with a wetsuit knowing that it would give me 5 sec/100. Sure enough, the RR with wetsuit was at 1:18, and my race pace was right at 1:18. But I also swam 15-20k yards per week during my build, which is difficult for those without a pool readily available. Remember, T-pace is really just your threshold pace, which is the high aerobic pace you can theoretically hold for an hour, so it should just about line up with your IM pace. The RRs, however, are where you sort out the realistic paces and dial in a race-day plan.
I'm also in Shores of Panama. Easy walk to race site. I stayed there last year when I volunteered, with friends who were racing. Parking in the building garage also, which is nice.
Thank guys!
Just booked Shores of Panama checking in Wed 4th and checking out Mon 9th.....
Using Mike's credit card already on file really facilitated the process..........
SS