Thanks for the swim advice. I did your workout this morning and it was much better. Steady for me was 1:43-1:45, Mod-hard was 1:37-1:38 and easy was 1:53-1:55. I did the full 2k without a fall off. I think that easy 100 helps a whole lot and allowed me to get some faster intervals in there.
You were also right about the scapula. I had the PT work on it this morning and I could barely stand it. She was saying that the muscles around my scapula basically had no give at all. They will keep working on this and I will foam roll and do some stretches at home for it.
I also set up a spreadsheet that is a bit of a workout diary:
Man, you are being too kind to me. You are lucky your coach is a clumsy fool....now just don't go break anything I haven't broken yet and we'll be fine.
Love how steady you are being with the workouts. Don't worry about the weight yet...focus on better food in, the weight we can get picky about come Mid-July. As your volume goes up it will come down naturally.
Quick update. I am starting to feel back on track. I logged 8 hours last week, 3 on the bike, 3 running, and 2 swimming. I feel like I am ready to maybe start integrating some more formal run workouts. I am averaging sub 7:00 on my long runs, and I did a mile at threshold last week. I was thinking 1 tempo run, 1 threshold run, and incorporating MP work into the long run. Any other runs I would do as easy. How does this sound?
For the bike, do you have any sort of swag calculation to figure out FTP based upon 2x12 and 4x4 numbers?
Also, I see coming down the road bike workouts with 25' FTP. Is that meant to be a 25' unbroken interval, or just accumulate a total of 25' of FTP throughout the ride?
Finally, we are trying everything but no baby yet. Priority #1 is get this baby out! (3 days overcooked)
Peter, no threshold yet on the run...I'd prefer HMP instead...ideally at the end of the runs...so build the effort, etc. Threshold can come in when you are in the IM plan come July. So all runs can move to MP-ish, and the "hard" run is more ABP style...
I don't really swag the FTP off those sessions...I just want those sessions to move up. If you are doing 4 x 4' at 290, for example, you are probably close to a 275/280...but you'll know when you hit GMR.
The 25' is just accumulated time...line up a nice route with a few strava sections (without turns or stop signs) and start hunting again.
The baby is born and everyone is doing great. The birth week was crazy and I only trained about 3 hours and had terrible sleep. My goal for the first week after the baby was born (last week) was to basically get back to where I was which I feel I accomplished. This is where I am at:
Running: 26 miles last week. It is coming back quickly, in the 6/6mi split run I did a 6:27 pace for the 2nd 6 miler. I think I lost a lot of running economy while injured and it is finally now coming back. On that run my plan was to target 6:50s but I did 6:39 for the first and it felt effortless so I just went with it.
Biking: I always struggle on the Tuesday 2x12', but nail the Saturday 2x12'. My best yet is (262, 266). For the 4x4' my best is going from 276 to 297 building each interval. I also did a sweat test resulting in 41oz/hour, is this reasonable? I am feeling pretty confident that my outside FTP is about 260-265, so I am thinking my Ironman target watts will be 190 (0.72 IF assuming 263).
Swimming: I am lagging on the yardage you outlined, especially with not swimming at all the Birth week. This week on Monday I did 2600 yards doing a 21x100 descending workout that I like. Today I did "Pink Mist" (10x300) and nailed it, the last 300 as the fastest and maintained form. I went from 1:45 down to 1:42/100yd.
The shoulder still isn't perfect, but it doesn't bother me while swimming. I am still compensating with my neck muscles doing some of exercises in PT. I see the Doctor again on July 20th.
Thanks for the update. I am pretty pumped with where you are at...considering EVERYTHING you have going on right now. The run is good; and economy gains will come but my guess is part of the speed was some recovery from not training the week prior.
Your bike is fantastic, so no changes there. The swim, remember I am not too worries about intensity (really until August)...I'd rather you get your sustainable stroke dialed in and we can work from there. IOW, know that I am not putting pressure on you to swim super fast / hard right now -- I expect that energy to go into the bike and run!
Another week has gone by, and it was the first week of Ironman Training. Here is the latest:
1. Collarbone - The Doctor says the bones are pretty much healed (If I were a pro football player he would want 1 more month). I still have some minor residual pain, mostly trying to sleep, which he thinks is some rotator cuff tendinitis. Overall the shoulder is good. I swim pain free. I have 3 more physical therapy sessions and then I think I am done.
2. Swim - I am slowing bumping up the yardage. I swam 3500 yards yesterday and tomorrow I will go for 4000.
3. Bike - The bike is still going strong. I did the 6 hours total last week and hit all my power targets. I did the 3 hour ABP on the trainer with a NP power of 212 which I am pretty happy about.
4. Run - I did 2x1 @ Z4 last week with both miles at right around a 6:00 pace so that was good. However, the Sunday split long run of 10/10 didn't go so well. I eeked out 10/8, but the last half of the 8 I was suffering. I was cramping, I was having vomit burps, and I lost the mojo to push. It has been uncharacteristically hot and humid around here so I am sure I was very dehydrated. I nailed my bike workout this morning (2 days later) and it went great so I think it was just a bad day.
5. Nutrition - I am dialing in my nutrition. On that 3 hour bike ride I had 4 bottles of Gatorade Endurance which is right where I want to be both in terms calories (240/hour) and oz of liquid. It worked out just fine, never even burped any of it up.
6. Body Comp - My weight is coming down, it looks like I should be back at race weight no problem. I am doing a 200 calories deficit, so very slow loss.
Peter, epic. I am following you on Strava, and it's great to see you on the move!
My thoughts for you:
1) Don't go to 4,000 yards...no need to go that long for two more weeks. Especially given your shoulder / rotator cuff. Think about it..last week you swam 8700, which was bigger than prior weeks...now you did 3500 which is 40% of that in one swim, now you are going to do 50% of last week in another swim...not worth it to me. Not yet. Plenty of time to go longer, I promise.
2) Your bike is great...success there will be about positional fitness (aerobar time) and ability to ride steady as you fuel around it. Never forget you are a runner, a killer on the IM course...your bike is all about setting that up. So practice both of those targets now, not so worried about watts.
3) Those long runs are hard...but a clear sign that you can fuel #1 better..and make better between run choices. FWIW I had falafel between runs Sat and thought I was going to DIE. Ugh.
4) Don't be afraid to drink a bit MORE than you want...if 4 bottle for 3 hours = 1 bottle per 45', try doing 2 bottles in first hour, then move to your target. This is good practice for post swim hydration if required, and in case it's hotter than normal. If it's cool, you are ready...don't prep like that and when it is hot you are SOL, or at least rolling the dice.
5) Body Comp. You So Funny. I weighed 13X in fifth grade. IIWY, I'd focus on quality recovery food, etc. You are pretty lean so you don't have a lot of bandwidth...the weight will take care of itself. But I encourage you to tell Coach Rich he looks like a fatty at every chance you get.
Thanks Coach. Per your recommendation I did not swim 4000 yards today. I did 3000. For swimming I have been doing Monday as short intervals, Wednesday as "Pink Mist" (10x300 descending), and Friday as long and slow such as 6x500. For the Monday workout I have either been doing the Monday from the plan, or just lots of 100s. For the Pink Mist workout I am increasing speed by a slight amount each week, and so far 3 weeks in I am keeping up.
How should I increase up to 4000? Originally I was going to switch from Pink Mist to Red Mist (10x400). My new idea is to keep Monday and Wednesday the same as I have been doing, and increase the long Friday workout until I get to 8x500. Or I could switch Wednesday to 10x350 as an intermediate step. Thoughts?
Peter, good call. Remember, part of your brain is the captain of that ship, managing fatigue / big picture stuff, etc. I like the idea of playing with friday. I would recommend playing with pyramids on that Friday swim. As in:
500 / 400 / 300 / 200 / 100 / 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 -- that's 2900 right there, and you'll get enough rest (10" per 100 swum) that your form will keep up.
Or you could do that ^above^ and add a few more 100s in the middle...like 5 x 100 at your threshold pace with extra rest...now you are at 3400...so you could build that up by adding a few more tempo 100s in the middle (work way up to 10 x 100) and you get both volume and distance!
I like that workout. I will give it a try. 500s are tough to keep doing week after week. I like keeping Wednesday locked in at 10x300 and play with Friday. I like chasing numbers so I don't want to mess with what I have been doing.
Quick update: Last week was good. 10k swim, 6 hours bike, 40 miles running. I finally had a good split long run. The first was 10 @ 6:45 with an average HR of 159. The second was 10 @ 7:02 (but with 600 ft of elevation, double the first run) and also averaged 159.
My should is pretty good now. I only have one more PT session which is just the admin closeout one. They can finally move my arm every which way and I no longer feel any catching sensations which leads me to be that the tendinitis is down.
This past week was tough. I went to a Dodger game Wednesday night, and then I had a big work conference Thursday - Friday. Wednseday night I only slept for 4 hours. I got a bike in early Thursday, and then I had to present for 5 hours to customers over the next 2 days, and mingle and schmooze at a cocktail reception. Saturday was my Dad's retirement party so I tried to wake up a 4:00 AM to get the 3.5 hour bike in, but I just couldn't do it I only did an hour. That night I tried again and got another hour in but I just wasn't feeling it.
Saturday night I slept for 12 hours and woke up feeling better. I got the 18 mile run in and did pretty well. This morning I finally swam the full 4000 yards and I actually felt great (It was 200s, 150s, 100s, and 50s). I was able to keep the form up the entire swim. I think that I am past my fatigue and should be good.
Should I change anything this week to account for the messed up bike day? I still want to do the 2 5 hour rides this weekend. Thoughts?
Wow, epic week! You are lucky not to be sick...your nutrition must be really good! I say that you don't make up the session, just plan on two really good rides this weekend. Remember, goals are steady riding and great nutrition. As much aerobar time as you can, get your geek on. Your fitness is coming around...as you build, just pause to reflect how you felt your season was over....OVER...just a few weeks ago. And yet here you are, peaking away. Keep your eyes in the boat (rowing expression, no distractions) and focus on making you the best you that you can be (take that GI Joe!) and your race will practically take care of itself.
Let's plan on connecting next week to recap the riding!
Today I did day 1 of the big weekend. I went 100 miles in 4:41. It went mostly ok. Here are my takeaways:
- I need to eat more. I ate 1070 calories and I felt the exact moment in time when I ran out of gas, it was around the 4 hour mark. I was actually planning to go the full 112 miles but I called an audible and did 100 because I could feel that I was behind. - I may need to drink more. I peed at the 28 mile mark and the 56 mile mark and that was it. I no longer had the urge to go, hours later I still do not have the urge. - I was in aero for 4 hours. When things started to go south I couldn't get myself to hold the aero position any longer. My shoulders were tired, and I felt like a newborn baby that can't hold its head up. Basically the last 40 minutes were all upright. - I think my watts were good. I did 194 NP which is 0.74 IF. The last hour of the ride were actually my strongest, even though I was bonking. In my brain I was just thinking "This sucks, I am hungry, there is no shade, I am alone, I just want this to end", so I basically hammered it back to my car throwing VI and IF out the window Or maybe I can just hold higher watts upright. Either way, I think the watts are good, when I had fuel in me it felt comfortably hard which seems about right, and my HR was perfect.
- Tomorrow I am going to try adding in an additional 500 calories via gels. I will target similar watts and see what happens. If I am feeling good at mile 78 (The turn around point for the century) I will keep going and try for 112.
Peter, that positional fatigue is normal...will take time, which is why you do this stuff now (foam roll that thoracic spine today!).
Across 5 hours, 1070 is 214 cals per hour. One 20oz bottle of Gatorade endurance has like 140 calories in it, so you have a magical 74 calorie something.
Bottom line, you need more than that much fluid (esp if you want to run) and you'll need calories (esp if you want to go fast). I'd rather see an increase in both (fluid + gels) vs just more gels...
Please write out what you are taking in per hour here so I can advise and we can make some tweaks over the final weeks...now is the time.
Ps great work this weekend and super good call on the audible, you avoided disaster for sure!
I mix my gatorade myself, and I have been doing 160 calories worth in a 21oz bottle, so a little more concentrated than normal. For the 2nd ride I did:
8 160 calorie bottles of gatorade (34oz / hour) 1 GU 1 Clif Bar 4 salt tabs = 1630 calories or 330/hour.
I felt much better nutrition wise on this ride. I might swap out the clif bar for some additional gels. The 2nd ride had the exact same watts as the first, 194NP, but aero was still tough. Hopefully I gained some positional fitness on these rides.
Yesterday I ran 20 miles and it went very well. I did 2 loops of a 10 mile course, on the first loop I averaged 7:3X and the next loop closer to 7:00 for a total average of 7:19 per mile. My heart rate averaged 150, which is awesome because at IMCDA my HR averaged 150 through 16 miles at an 8:13 pace.
Today I am taking a day off because my TSB is a -60. This is my first day off since June 26th.
MUCH BETTER! That said, let's go with PowerGels and PowerBars...they have more sodium in them...and if you are a coffee drinker, you should be thinking some caffeine esp in the second half of the ride via gels.
Peeing was much better. I only peed twice, but the 2nd time much deeper into the ride (mile 65). I didn't feel as dehydrated later in the day. I will do PowerGel Double Latte. I am a HEAVY coffee drinker. PowerBar is fine for me as well, I am used to eating those.
My biggest concern now is saying aero. I am just going to keep stretching, foam rolling, and practicing every opportunity I get.
Hi Coach, You had mentioned possibly touching base this week to talk about the rides I did. Are you still up for that? What would be the best way to get in touch. Thanks!
Hi Coach, Thanks for the phone call this morning, very helpful!
This week is a run focus week, I am shooting for 45+ miles, and the bike is light. For family reasons I will most likely just do a 3 hour trainer ride Saturday morning instead of another race rehearsal time effort.
Next week is the big bike week, where you had said that I should pretend I am a roadie and just go out and ride. I am wondering if I should maybe do that for 2 of the days, and for the other 2 days be on the tri-bike and practice aero some more. I could do something like:
Day 1: Fun climbing on road bike - 60 miles or so Day 2: Fun climbing on road bike - 60 miles or so Day 3: Aero Race Rehearsal - 112 miles Day 4: Aero ABP ride ~ 60 miles
Great call as always! The roadie thing was a figure of speech. But road bike would be a nice break at this point. So I say:
1) 60 mile hilly, fun SAFE not hard. 2) 30 mile FTP ride day. 3) RR day for you. 4) HIM effort type day, but negative split as first hour easy...then ABP.
I did the Race Rehearsal this morning and it went very well. I focused on relaxing my shoulders and hands, before I was gripping the aero bars the whole time. I also spent much more time looking down. I did take 400mg of Tylenol at 4 hours, and I think it might have helped. Here are the stats:
Time: 5:09 Power: 192NP IF: 0.73 VI: 1.02
Nutrition: 8 bottle Gatorade GE, 2 Roctane Chocolate Sea Salt Gels, 1 Cool Mint Clif Bar
I wanted to do a PowerBar, but the store had run out so I went with Clif. I think I will just do the Clif bar in the race in the spirit of not changing anything because it all worked out well.
The run I paced by the HR I was seeing the last hour on the bike. It was a little higher than expected, but it was also a hot day. I went 5 miles and the effort was manageable. Might dial it down just a notch on race day.
I also biked really hard the last 2 days prior. Ride #1 was 3 hours @ 221NP. Ride #2 was 25' of FTP. I think tomorrow I will just do all easy.
Peter, epic. All that data is huge...my thoughts for you...
1. Plan on 2 bottles first hour on the bike, probably first two hours..then it will taper off...2+2+1.5+1.5+1.5 is 8.5 bottles in 5 hours...
2. That relaxation is key...you'll be tempted to "work hard" early on the bike as you deal with others...don't fight your bike, work with it. Remember you, just being you, on that course, will cause most folks to fade away by hour 3...patience is key.
3. Managing the VI is still the key to your day...if you can ride a 1.03 or better on WI you will be very close to 5 hours there. But don't underestimate how hard it is not to push the hills too hard...and how much harder it is to push the downhills...but of course, safely as there are 2 (I think) 90-degree turns at the bottom of two steep hills. Rich knows them.
4. Yes to the tylenol trick...have some in special needs and maybe even tape back up to bike in case you drop your one.
Questions...
1) Any external salt pills?
2) Do you ride with arm coolers? I recommend if it's going to be hot...
3) I would plan on having 4 gels on race day, again, just in case. Better to eat a bit more on the bike if you feel good / peckish than to have to wait until the run!
I like the idea of front loading the hydration. It is definitely easier to stomach that stuff earlier in the ride. To me though, the GE is not as bad as everyone else seems to make it out to be, I actually like it better than perform.
I did not take any external salt pills. I could have some with me if it is really hot.
Also, I did not ride with the arm coolers, but I do own them. My plan is to wear them on the bike if it is going to be hot on the bike. Otherwise, I will have them with me for the run.
Good idea about having the extra gels, I have room for them.
Last week I only swam 7000 yards (Monday & Wednesday) because of all the biking. This week my swim just feels a little off. Yesterday was a struggle, and this morning I failed on the Pink Mist set I have been doing. Could missing just 1 swim do this? I don't think its fatigue because I had a killer run today after the swim failure today. I plan to swim 4x a week this week and next week. Is this normal?
#1 - yes to arm coolers if it's sunny and temps over 78. Just roll them up have them in your T1 Go Bag to put on as you walk to your bike. Keeping them wet, especially before climbing hills where you will slow down, seriously help...and they'll be critical if the temps really go up the last hour when you need to get soaking to keep your core body temp down. Now if it's going to be overcast or cool, fugghedaboudit.
#2 - totally...fatigue works in funny ways...more than anything else you probably just lost a feel for the water. It happens to me quite frequently. I have noticed with my week of Sun/Mon/Tues swims that even when I hit Tuesday and I am tired of swimming, my swimming is better (or equal) to the rested swim day b/c my feel for the water is high. Note to self, stay on top of swimming in your last 10 days!
Here is the latest. My swim is back on track. On Monday I did 4k, and threw in a 1000yd TT and did it in 15:42 (1:34/100yd) which is a 17s PR! Today I did the full Red Mist going from 1:39/100yd down to 1:36/100yd and I pulled if off. It was tough! My pecs, forearms, and lats feel like they are going to fall off. I will swim an easy 2k set on Thursday, and then do another Race Rehearsal on Friday.
I have entered all of my remaining workouts into Training Peaks. I actually peak today with a CTL just over 130. On race day I will have a CTL of 118 and a TSB of 30.
For IMCDA, I peaked with a CTL of 140, but let it fall all the way to 120, and my TSB was 40. I have struggled with tapering in the past, and always felt like I peaked too early, so I am feeling really good about how this is shaping up.
Thanks again for getting me to this point! The plan you set up for me seems to be working.
Comments
You were also right about the scapula. I had the PT work on it this morning and I could barely stand it. She was saying that the muscles around my scapula basically had no give at all. They will keep working on this and I will foam roll and do some stretches at home for it.
I also set up a spreadsheet that is a bit of a workout diary:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z7IZPbxPF7MQgpYD0_mZGSckJu8D4knRXi4sA8vC2ec/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks!
Love how steady you are being with the workouts. Don't worry about the weight yet...focus on better food in, the weight we can get picky about come Mid-July. As your volume goes up it will come down naturally.
Quick update. I am starting to feel back on track. I logged 8 hours last week, 3 on the bike, 3 running, and 2 swimming. I feel like I am ready to maybe start integrating some more formal run workouts. I am averaging sub 7:00 on my long runs, and I did a mile at threshold last week. I was thinking 1 tempo run, 1 threshold run, and incorporating MP work into the long run. Any other runs I would do as easy. How does this sound?
For the bike, do you have any sort of swag calculation to figure out FTP based upon 2x12 and 4x4 numbers?
Also, I see coming down the road bike workouts with 25' FTP. Is that meant to be a 25' unbroken interval, or just accumulate a total of 25' of FTP throughout the ride?
Finally, we are trying everything but no baby yet. Priority #1 is get this baby out! (3 days overcooked)
Thanks!
I don't really swag the FTP off those sessions...I just want those sessions to move up. If you are doing 4 x 4' at 290, for example, you are probably close to a 275/280...but you'll know when you hit GMR.
The 25' is just accumulated time...line up a nice route with a few strava sections (without turns or stop signs) and start hunting again.
Sending baby vibes to you guys!!!
Here is a quick update of where I am at.
The baby is born and everyone is doing great. The birth week was crazy and I only trained about 3 hours and had terrible sleep. My goal for the first week after the baby was born (last week) was to basically get back to where I was which I feel I accomplished. This is where I am at:
Running: 26 miles last week. It is coming back quickly, in the 6/6mi split run I did a 6:27 pace for the 2nd 6 miler. I think I lost a lot of running economy while injured and it is finally now coming back. On that run my plan was to target 6:50s but I did 6:39 for the first and it felt effortless so I just went with it.
Biking: I always struggle on the Tuesday 2x12', but nail the Saturday 2x12'. My best yet is (262, 266). For the 4x4' my best is going from 276 to 297 building each interval. I also did a sweat test resulting in 41oz/hour, is this reasonable? I am feeling pretty confident that my outside FTP is about 260-265, so I am thinking my Ironman target watts will be 190 (0.72 IF assuming 263).
Swimming: I am lagging on the yardage you outlined, especially with not swimming at all the Birth week. This week on Monday I did 2600 yards doing a 21x100 descending workout that I like. Today I did "Pink Mist" (10x300) and nailed it, the last 300 as the fastest and maintained form. I went from 1:45 down to 1:42/100yd.
The shoulder still isn't perfect, but it doesn't bother me while swimming. I am still compensating with my neck muscles doing some of exercises in PT. I see the Doctor again on July 20th.
Thanks!
Your bike is fantastic, so no changes there. The swim, remember I am not too worries about intensity (really until August)...I'd rather you get your sustainable stroke dialed in and we can work from there. IOW, know that I am not putting pressure on you to swim super fast / hard right now -- I expect that energy to go into the bike and run!
Another week has gone by, and it was the first week of Ironman Training. Here is the latest:
1. Collarbone - The Doctor says the bones are pretty much healed (If I were a pro football player he would want 1 more month). I still have some minor residual pain, mostly trying to sleep, which he thinks is some rotator cuff tendinitis. Overall the shoulder is good. I swim pain free. I have 3 more physical therapy sessions and then I think I am done.
2. Swim - I am slowing bumping up the yardage. I swam 3500 yards yesterday and tomorrow I will go for 4000.
3. Bike - The bike is still going strong. I did the 6 hours total last week and hit all my power targets. I did the 3 hour ABP on the trainer with a NP power of 212 which I am pretty happy about.
4. Run - I did 2x1 @ Z4 last week with both miles at right around a 6:00 pace so that was good. However, the Sunday split long run of 10/10 didn't go so well. I eeked out 10/8, but the last half of the 8 I was suffering. I was cramping, I was having vomit burps, and I lost the mojo to push. It has been uncharacteristically hot and humid around here so I am sure I was very dehydrated. I nailed my bike workout this morning (2 days later) and it went great so I think it was just a bad day.
5. Nutrition - I am dialing in my nutrition. On that 3 hour bike ride I had 4 bottles of Gatorade Endurance which is right where I want to be both in terms calories (240/hour) and oz of liquid. It worked out just fine, never even burped any of it up.
6. Body Comp - My weight is coming down, it looks like I should be back at race weight no problem. I am doing a 200 calories deficit, so very slow loss.
Here is my training diary: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z7IZPbxPF7MQgpYD0_mZGSckJu8D4knRXi4sA8vC2ec/edit#gid=0
My thoughts for you:
1) Don't go to 4,000 yards...no need to go that long for two more weeks. Especially given your shoulder / rotator cuff. Think about it..last week you swam 8700, which was bigger than prior weeks...now you did 3500 which is 40% of that in one swim, now you are going to do 50% of last week in another swim...not worth it to me. Not yet. Plenty of time to go longer, I promise.
2) Your bike is great...success there will be about positional fitness (aerobar time) and ability to ride steady as you fuel around it. Never forget you are a runner, a killer on the IM course...your bike is all about setting that up. So practice both of those targets now, not so worried about watts.
3) Those long runs are hard...but a clear sign that you can fuel #1 better..and make better between run choices. FWIW I had falafel between runs Sat and thought I was going to DIE. Ugh.
4) Don't be afraid to drink a bit MORE than you want...if 4 bottle for 3 hours = 1 bottle per 45', try doing 2 bottles in first hour, then move to your target. This is good practice for post swim hydration if required, and in case it's hotter than normal. If it's cool, you are ready...don't prep like that and when it is hot you are SOL, or at least rolling the dice.
5) Body Comp. You So Funny. I weighed 13X in fifth grade. IIWY, I'd focus on quality recovery food, etc. You are pretty lean so you don't have a lot of bandwidth...the weight will take care of itself. But I encourage you to tell Coach Rich he looks like a fatty at every chance you get.
How should I increase up to 4000? Originally I was going to switch from Pink Mist to Red Mist (10x400). My new idea is to keep Monday and Wednesday the same as I have been doing, and increase the long Friday workout until I get to 8x500. Or I could switch Wednesday to 10x350 as an intermediate step. Thoughts?
500 / 400 / 300 / 200 / 100 / 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 -- that's 2900 right there, and you'll get enough rest (10" per 100 swum) that your form will keep up.
Or you could do that ^above^ and add a few more 100s in the middle...like 5 x 100 at your threshold pace with extra rest...now you are at 3400...so you could build that up by adding a few more tempo 100s in the middle (work way up to 10 x 100) and you get both volume and distance!
Thoughts?
Quick update:
Last week was good. 10k swim, 6 hours bike, 40 miles running. I finally had a good split long run. The first was 10 @ 6:45 with an average HR of 159. The second was 10 @ 7:02 (but with 600 ft of elevation, double the first run) and also averaged 159.
My should is pretty good now. I only have one more PT session which is just the admin closeout one. They can finally move my arm every which way and I no longer feel any catching sensations which leads me to be that the tendinitis is down.
Here is this weeks update:
This past week was tough. I went to a Dodger game Wednesday night, and then I had a big work conference Thursday - Friday. Wednseday night I only slept for 4 hours. I got a bike in early Thursday, and then I had to present for 5 hours to customers over the next 2 days, and mingle and schmooze at a cocktail reception. Saturday was my Dad's retirement party so I tried to wake up a 4:00 AM to get the 3.5 hour bike in, but I just couldn't do it
Saturday night I slept for 12 hours and woke up feeling better. I got the 18 mile run in and did pretty well. This morning I finally swam the full 4000 yards and I actually felt great (It was 200s, 150s, 100s, and 50s). I was able to keep the form up the entire swim. I think that I am past my fatigue and should be good.
Should I change anything this week to account for the messed up bike day? I still want to do the 2 5 hour rides this weekend. Thoughts?
Thank!
Let's plan on connecting next week to recap the riding!
Today I did day 1 of the big weekend. I went 100 miles in 4:41. It went mostly ok. Here are my takeaways:
- I need to eat more. I ate 1070 calories and I felt the exact moment in time when I ran out of gas, it was around the 4 hour mark. I was actually planning to go the full 112 miles but I called an audible and did 100 because I could feel that I was behind.
- I may need to drink more. I peed at the 28 mile mark and the 56 mile mark and that was it. I no longer had the urge to go, hours later I still do not have the urge.
- I was in aero for 4 hours. When things started to go south I couldn't get myself to hold the aero position any longer. My shoulders were tired, and I felt like a newborn baby that can't hold its head up. Basically the last 40 minutes were all upright.
- I think my watts were good. I did 194 NP which is 0.74 IF. The last hour of the ride were actually my strongest, even though I was bonking. In my brain I was just thinking "This sucks, I am hungry, there is no shade, I am alone, I just want this to end", so I basically hammered it back to my car throwing VI and IF out the window
- Tomorrow I am going to try adding in an additional 500 calories via gels. I will target similar watts and see what happens. If I am feeling good at mile 78 (The turn around point for the century) I will keep going and try for 112.
Across 5 hours, 1070 is 214 cals per hour. One 20oz bottle of Gatorade endurance has like 140 calories in it, so you have a magical 74 calorie something.
Bottom line, you need more than that much fluid (esp if you want to run) and you'll need calories (esp if you want to go fast). I'd rather see an increase in both (fluid + gels) vs just more gels...
Please write out what you are taking in per hour here so I can advise and we can make some tweaks over the final weeks...now is the time.
Ps great work this weekend and super good call on the audible, you avoided disaster for sure!
I mix my gatorade myself, and I have been doing 160 calories worth in a 21oz bottle, so a little more concentrated than normal. For the 2nd ride I did:
8 160 calorie bottles of gatorade (34oz / hour)
1 GU
1 Clif Bar
4 salt tabs
= 1630 calories or 330/hour.
I felt much better nutrition wise on this ride. I might swap out the clif bar for some additional gels. The 2nd ride had the exact same watts as the first, 194NP, but aero was still tough. Hopefully I gained some positional fitness on these rides.
Yesterday I ran 20 miles and it went very well. I did 2 loops of a 10 mile course, on the first loop I averaged 7:3X and the next loop closer to 7:00 for a total average of 7:19 per mile. My heart rate averaged 150, which is awesome because at IMCDA my HR averaged 150 through 16 miles at an 8:13 pace.
Today I am taking a day off because my TSB is a -60. This is my first day off since June 26th.
How did you do with peeing?
My biggest concern now is saying aero. I am just going to keep stretching, foam rolling, and practicing every opportunity I get.
You had mentioned possibly touching base this week to talk about the rides I did. Are you still up for that? What would be the best way to get in touch.
Thanks!
Thanks for the phone call this morning, very helpful!
This week is a run focus week, I am shooting for 45+ miles, and the bike is light. For family reasons I will most likely just do a 3 hour trainer ride Saturday morning instead of another race rehearsal time effort.
Next week is the big bike week, where you had said that I should pretend I am a roadie and just go out and ride. I am wondering if I should maybe do that for 2 of the days, and for the other 2 days be on the tri-bike and practice aero some more. I could do something like:
Day 1: Fun climbing on road bike - 60 miles or so
Day 2: Fun climbing on road bike - 60 miles or so
Day 3: Aero Race Rehearsal - 112 miles
Day 4: Aero ABP ride ~ 60 miles
What do you think of this?
1) 60 mile hilly, fun SAFE not hard.
2) 30 mile FTP ride day.
3) RR day for you.
4) HIM effort type day, but negative split as first hour easy...then ABP.
Fueling will be CRITICAL!!!!
By the way, I did a swim RR this morning in 1:11:46, I am really excited about it! I have never broken 40 minutes in HIM, and I did 1:23 at IMCDA.
I did the Race Rehearsal this morning and it went very well. I focused on relaxing my shoulders and hands, before I was gripping the aero bars the whole time. I also spent much more time looking down. I did take 400mg of Tylenol at 4 hours, and I think it might have helped. Here are the stats:
Time: 5:09
Power: 192NP
IF: 0.73
VI: 1.02
Nutrition: 8 bottle Gatorade GE, 2 Roctane Chocolate Sea Salt Gels, 1 Cool Mint Clif Bar
I wanted to do a PowerBar, but the store had run out so I went with Clif. I think I will just do the Clif bar in the race in the spirit of not changing anything because it all worked out well.
The run I paced by the HR I was seeing the last hour on the bike. It was a little higher than expected, but it was also a hot day. I went 5 miles and the effort was manageable. Might dial it down just a notch on race day.
I also biked really hard the last 2 days prior. Ride #1 was 3 hours @ 221NP. Ride #2 was 25' of FTP. I think tomorrow I will just do all easy.
1. Plan on 2 bottles first hour on the bike, probably first two hours..then it will taper off...2+2+1.5+1.5+1.5 is 8.5 bottles in 5 hours...
2. That relaxation is key...you'll be tempted to "work hard" early on the bike as you deal with others...don't fight your bike, work with it. Remember you, just being you, on that course, will cause most folks to fade away by hour 3...patience is key.
3. Managing the VI is still the key to your day...if you can ride a 1.03 or better on WI you will be very close to 5 hours there. But don't underestimate how hard it is not to push the hills too hard...and how much harder it is to push the downhills...but of course, safely as there are 2 (I think) 90-degree turns at the bottom of two steep hills. Rich knows them.
4. Yes to the tylenol trick...have some in special needs and maybe even tape back up to bike in case you drop your one.
Questions...
1) Any external salt pills?
2) Do you ride with arm coolers? I recommend if it's going to be hot...
3) I would plan on having 4 gels on race day, again, just in case. Better to eat a bit more on the bike if you feel good / peckish than to have to wait until the run!
I like the idea of front loading the hydration. It is definitely easier to stomach that stuff earlier in the ride. To me though, the GE is not as bad as everyone else seems to make it out to be, I actually like it better than perform.
I did not take any external salt pills. I could have some with me if it is really hot.
Also, I did not ride with the arm coolers, but I do own them. My plan is to wear them on the bike if it is going to be hot on the bike. Otherwise, I will have them with me for the run.
Good idea about having the extra gels, I have room for them.
Thanks!
Last week I only swam 7000 yards (Monday & Wednesday) because of all the biking. This week my swim just feels a little off. Yesterday was a struggle, and this morning I failed on the Pink Mist set I have been doing. Could missing just 1 swim do this? I don't think its fatigue because I had a killer run today after the swim failure today. I plan to swim 4x a week this week and next week. Is this normal?
Thanks!
#1 - yes to arm coolers if it's sunny and temps over 78. Just roll them up have them in your T1 Go Bag to put on as you walk to your bike. Keeping them wet, especially before climbing hills where you will slow down, seriously help...and they'll be critical if the temps really go up the last hour when you need to get soaking to keep your core body temp down. Now if it's going to be overcast or cool, fugghedaboudit.
#2 - totally...fatigue works in funny ways...more than anything else you probably just lost a feel for the water. It happens to me quite frequently. I have noticed with my week of Sun/Mon/Tues swims that even when I hit Tuesday and I am tired of swimming, my swimming is better (or equal) to the rested swim day b/c my feel for the water is high. Note to self, stay on top of swimming in your last 10 days!
Here is the latest. My swim is back on track. On Monday I did 4k, and threw in a 1000yd TT and did it in 15:42 (1:34/100yd) which is a 17s PR! Today I did the full Red Mist going from 1:39/100yd down to 1:36/100yd and I pulled if off. It was tough! My pecs, forearms, and lats feel like they are going to fall off. I will swim an easy 2k set on Thursday, and then do another Race Rehearsal on Friday.
I have entered all of my remaining workouts into Training Peaks. I actually peak today with a CTL just over 130. On race day I will have a CTL of 118 and a TSB of 30.
For IMCDA, I peaked with a CTL of 140, but let it fall all the way to 120, and my TSB was 40. I have struggled with tapering in the past, and always felt like I peaked too early, so I am feeling really good about how this is shaping up.
Thanks again for getting me to this point! The plan you set up for me seems to be working.