Jeremy's 2015 Plan
I am entering my 5th year with EN. I have a pretty audacious and stretching goal of KQ at IMWI this year. I went 10:10 in '13 and. Missed by 1 spot (90 seconds) but it's so dependent on who shows us that sometimes a 10:15 is enough and other years it takes a 9:45. I think I could find 15-20 minutes if all goes according to plan.
Will be my 3rd OS (I typically take off every other year from tri for SAU).
My goals (in order) are:
1) to drive FTP toward 300 and w/kg to 4.0. I have biked less than 5 times this entire year so it will be my biggest challenge. My last peak FTP was IMWI '13 where I was around 275-280. I have no idea where I am now but guessing in the 220 range and as such my goals may be too aggressive.
2) improve my swim navigation. I had a 1:01 swim at IMAZ '11 but IMWI '13 was 1:07 even though I had more fitness. Will try for more OWS during training to support this. I have swam 3-4 times this year but just last week I did 1500 yards in intervals of 100 and 200 with an average pace of 1:30 so I am confident I can get my fitness and endurance back relatively quickly here.
3) focus on run execution. My running is quite strong right now as I just had a half Mary PR of 1:25:09. My previous IM marathon PR was 3:27 at IMWI '13. I hope to eek out some modest gains here but given my starting point and the need to focus disproportionately on the bike I want to be realistic.
I will be at the wrong end of the AG this year at 39. I just moved to Wisconsin and my company does summer Fridays which will give me an extra 5-6 hours a week free to be able to support training and family time.
I know my goals are stretching but I want to put myself out there and hold myself accountable.
Look forward to everyone's thoughts and input.
Will be my 3rd OS (I typically take off every other year from tri for SAU).
My goals (in order) are:
1) to drive FTP toward 300 and w/kg to 4.0. I have biked less than 5 times this entire year so it will be my biggest challenge. My last peak FTP was IMWI '13 where I was around 275-280. I have no idea where I am now but guessing in the 220 range and as such my goals may be too aggressive.
2) improve my swim navigation. I had a 1:01 swim at IMAZ '11 but IMWI '13 was 1:07 even though I had more fitness. Will try for more OWS during training to support this. I have swam 3-4 times this year but just last week I did 1500 yards in intervals of 100 and 200 with an average pace of 1:30 so I am confident I can get my fitness and endurance back relatively quickly here.
3) focus on run execution. My running is quite strong right now as I just had a half Mary PR of 1:25:09. My previous IM marathon PR was 3:27 at IMWI '13. I hope to eek out some modest gains here but given my starting point and the need to focus disproportionately on the bike I want to be realistic.
I will be at the wrong end of the AG this year at 39. I just moved to Wisconsin and my company does summer Fridays which will give me an extra 5-6 hours a week free to be able to support training and family time.
I know my goals are stretching but I want to put myself out there and hold myself accountable.
As far as plan...JOS in a couple weeks. Until then logging some saddle time to build up a bit of biking base. After JOS will do swim camp followed by the get faster plan then leading into the IM Advanced plan for the last 13 weeks. During the Get Faster Plan I will be headed to California for the TOC camp and loads of climbing/mileage. I'll also be doing the IMWI camp again. I haven't decided if I will. (Or should) do a HIM along the way but if I do the Door County Half is in mid July. Not sure if the race recovery time would eat too much into my training.
Look forward to everyone's thoughts and input.
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Comments
Focus on watts/kg is good. I think you'll be able to rebuild your FTP without any problem at all. I have no idea how lean you are but maybe you can focus on the kg side of the equation as well.
The half-day Friday is really awesome for you. I'm jealous!
Maybe we can meet a few times to train together on the course this summer.
Cheers,
Matt
Jeremy - in your AG, I don;t think there;s any advantage in aging up - it may actually be tougher in the 40-44, demographically speaking (1974 was the low point in births in the US over the past 68 years). AND, even in your late 30's, you should NOT be slowing down quite yet. Just focus on the times you think you need, and the fitness you need to get those splits, and as Matt says, let the participants sort themselves out.
Also, at some point, FTP becomes less important than the ability to sustain, say, 75% of that over 5 hours. You build that ability on those Sat/Sun rides, really hitting the numbers on the "intervals" during those rides.
I know I'm a bit of a one trick pony on this, but pulling together a toolkit of race-applicable mental skills, practicing these again again again and again, and then using them in a very controlled and disciplined way on race day is where the money might be. Read Mental Skills for Triathletes NOW and make the workup part of your season and your strategy. For a primer, look up "Prime Cycling" on youtube, and watch his presentation. then buy it on amazon. I don't get a cut.
other thoughts:
-the swim navigation is a one-session correction.
-within reason (ie, such that it doesn't impair downstream workouts), find some fast people to ride with for one or two of your weekly sessions during OS or Get Faster. The key is they have to be fast ... and have to be faster than you. You're seeking these out to extend your boundries ... 5 OS's is a gift, but it's also a curse, because you risk defining your capabilities in terms of past gains and progress, instead of what is REALLY possible. This is be revealed in group rides after a few weeks, I would guess.
And, I hate to say it ... but have a second race lined up. As someone who languished on the KQ bubble for a long long time, I schedule a 2nd chance race to make sure I can turn the fitness I've spent the last year into a multi-race campaign instead of a single shot. What about holding Lou as your fallback? And use every Compressed Work Friday to buy the required SAUs?
Also, way to put it out there. It's not trite to go through a goal-setting process and to make a public declaration of a very challenging goal.But as you know, that's the exercise that yields the kind of focus that you need to bring to the game for exceptional performance.
@matt - I am 6-2 and about 165 right now so don't think there's a lot of room to save on the body camp side. Maybe a few lbs that normally come off during the high volume training. And yes...would be great to find Some dates that work to go ride the course.
@al a the results over the past few years at IMWI have shown a 10-15 minute buffer on what it takes to get to kona as you age up to 40-44. That may be driven as much by the 'who shows up' factor as well though. Your point of sustaining the 75% is spot on. I have never blown up on the run (on an admittedly small base of races) so sustaining the effort and also understanding my true boundaries will be imperative. I am going to need everything to fall in place for this to materialize.
@dave - rich' points on this course are true, and this course sets up well for me. I do best mentally when I put myself out there. It's hard to go too far into that dark place for me without it. I will check out those materials as well. It's interesting you bring up the second race. I was just talking with a buddy that signed up for imky. I told him I'd be there to support him but in my mind I wondered if I could have as a backup. It could be nice and cool in Oct which really works well for me. I am a fop swimmer so a downstream and wetsuit legal swim may equalize things a bit though.
@ Jeremy...I like your focus on watts/kg. You know the IMWI course and those endless short, steep hills. So that W/kg is crucial to be able to make those climbs while holding your watts steady and still be fast.
I also like your run focus. It still comes down to being able to run well after you cross "The Line".
And training with faster guys always is a good idea. That's why I hang out with Matt Aaronson.
I'll shoot you an email once I see what Fridays I can take off this summer and we can go and chase each other around the course!!
I have always had swim navigation issues. I didn't focus as much as I should have and ended up wide right both out and back in Mont Tremblant. In Arizona, i focused on it during the swim. sight often enough to know I am pointed the right way. on the way out, i got a little bit right and used a long distance angle to get back in the flow, from the turnaround back, i swam the buoy line... I actually stopped way less, swam steadier and stayed on track better than before, just by staying aware of it. btw, it was a 6min IM swim PR...
Jeremy - Vital training time is 6 weeks to go >> 2 weeks to go. As long as the HIM is 8 weeks or more before the IM, it should not impact your training even if you *race* it and take 3-4 days after wards of easy days to recover. 7 weeks is cutting it close, there may be a small impact.
Door County is within a week and is actually a bit closer to me so that is what I have my eye on.
Is 295 by September realistic?
J - you should definitely set 4.0 w/kg as a goal, given your ambition and proven engine. It may take more than one year to get there, but it's really the minimum you;ll need to harbor KQ ambition. You can do it, its simply a question of how much work you'll be able to throw at the project. Don;t burn out on the way there, though.
On the run I'm looking to make modest improvements, so has taken a slight back seat to the bike. I came in at a 54 VDOT and am not having any issues hitting my numbers. In fact for my treadmill runs I typically go up one 'click' for the intervals vs. my target. Again I haven't missed any of the numbers so I should be seeing my target improvements here.
On the swim..I've been swimming once per week, about a mile at a time. I'm going to start twice a week here soon to establish more of a base.
Net, on track...still stretching but achievable which is the right friction for me.