Dana Burns 2015 Macro
Because I have a gap in my racing : St. George 1/2 in May then IMAZ in mid-November. I'm thinking of adding either Santa Cruz or Superfrog 1/2 to my list. #1 Do you think either of these would be a good training race leading up to IMAZ? #2 Any experience with the courses? #3 If you suggestme adding either race, which one?
Both swims could be brutal, 4 loop bike in Coronado could weird and Santa Cruz could be major headwind...
After your input I can repost for anyone's input whose done either race.
Oceanside 1/2, St. George 1/2. IMAZ
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Santa Cruz would be better timing...and much less expensive, registration-wise. And I think Superfrog is going to be very, very crowded.
I believe this is a macro question if not please advise and I will repost to micro. (However I know you are familiar with the terrain).
My program has me running first and then biking on weekends (except this Saturday is a SBR). I've been biking down PCH in Huntington Beach to Newport, however by the time I get the accurate 130 or 150 minutes I've only ridden flat down PCH! I was wondering if I should bike longer to add hills to prep more for O-side and St. George? I can always load the bike in my car and head over to GMR or NPC (Newport Coast). If I added a little more time to either Saturday of Sunday, I can actually bike up NPC to add some hill work. The 150 minutes just brings me to about the bottom of NPC.
Dana
First of all, all climbing and hills are great, because it's easier to do more work on hilly vs flat terrain. But there isn't anything magical about riding hills. Or rather, don't think you're missing out on something by not riding hills.
So you'll want to find some rolling terrain, where you can practice our style of riding hills. Bonus if there are other riders around so you can see how to not do it and witness how well our method works. And you'll also want to find a couple climbs that help you redefine your perspective of what a hill is. For my money, Glendora Mtn Rd is great for this: 8 miles of a continuous 5-6% grade. Once you climb that...you'll never be skeered of anything ever again
It's going to take me a while to grasp the riding with power. On paper I get it...mostly. It's translating it to my body. I believe I'm strong and just need to learn to work with my strength (power). Along with setting up my Garmin screens correctly to display my power. I don't think the new 920xt is very intuitive hence the whacked-out training zones I've posted.
I am doing a RBS the weekend, however committed to making the trek out to GMR. I use to ride it years ago and stopped when my riding partner moved. Is it super busy with cars and moto's on weekends or do you recommend trying to ride it on a Friday?
Thanks for the feedback.
If you can get out on a Friday, that's best.
Busy on the weekends, sorta, more with motos vs cars, but usually pretty good if you're on the hill before ~9a. Lots of cyclists. Let me know if you come out on Friday, Dino and I could probably meet you.
I am going to work it into my work schedule for at least every other Friday and best case every Friday...especially for IMSG training. For sure I'd love to ride with you and Dino, however I need to get in better climbing condition since you guys climb GMR all the time and I haven't in many years.
Two questions:
1) Do you guys use road or tri bikes? I've got a great road bike but I need to have the crank arms changed. This way I will be able to switch my Stages PM off my tri bike.
2) If I am just riding to the tool shack and not all the way to the village, will I get cell phone coverage? I have verizon.
Thanks!
Within 8wks of the race you should pretty much be on your tri bike all the time.
I wouldn't count on having cell coverage, with any carrier, once you get up the hill a couple miles. You "might" be able to text at the top, at the saddle. We ride past the shack another couple minutes to the saddle at the top. That's the for real end of the climb
Nice seeing you in O-side! We briefly had a conversation on how you did not suggest I ride GMR every week leading up to IMSG. However, my bike in O-side was not good (3:11) and I served my first 5 minute penalty, which IM tacked onto my T-2 whereas Garmin/Strava shows it in my bike time. With all this said, IMSG has more than twice the climbing as O-side, so pedaling down PCH to get to NPC or Santiago Canyon is wasting a lot of time. Where do you suggest I ride between now and May 2nd?
Despite my swim, transitions came way down (minus the 5 minute penalty tacked onto T-2), run will keep improving. It's the BIKE! For some reason I get killed on the bike even looking in Athlinks at all my other races it's easy to see this is where I struggle.
Oh! But clearly I picked it up miles 41-45/46 and I stayed arrow the last leg as you suggested. So big help..thanks!
Dana
Sounds like you'll gain a lot of mental confidence and fitness by riding GMR so I think that would be good for you. Recommend you park at Encanto Park, ride to the base of GMR, go up, then east across the ridge a bit, flip it and come back. Park early at Encanto, as it gets busy on the weekends, and the front side of GMR gets warm fast. From Encanto to GMR is about 30'
Yes, absolutely
Okay, so I woke up @ 5:00 am to the morning news reporting an over turned semi on the 605. Therefore, I had to go all the way around via 22,57 and 210 so at this point I scratched the Encanto Park start and used my GMR dirt patch to start. I did go East Fork a ways as you suggested turned around and felt it was WAY easier than it looks ..... so I headed down again. Because I rode alone and had no clue where I was going, my Garmin only had about 27.7 miles by the time I reached my car. I feel like a slacker so I've decided to head back tomorrow and do it right :-).
I did some climbing though (3,760) in under 27.7 miles on my tri bike. This is more than I'd climb down PCH :-#
Dana
Ok, not really tracking the route you took. Check this out: Up GMR, down the backside to the cafe on East Fork, flip it and return. This will allow you to refil you bottles at the cafe on East Fork. There's a spigot in one of the planters in the front.
So I did go back yesterday and found Encanto Park. Got lost on the trail trying to find Sierra Madre but eventually made it to the bottom of EF and forgot if the cafe was on the right or left, therefore I just doubled back up EF. Felt like a great accomplishment doing GRM/EF twice in two days until I saw your ride yesterday ;-).
Looking ahead to week 18 you have me doing a RR bike 56 and 60 minute run. I was planning on doing GMR/EF 2 more times before IMSG. Do you recommend I go for a RR out there or do something local here in the LBC? I realize this is probably a Coach P Micro question, however you did pick my bike route and are going IMSG so I thought I'd ask you for advice.
Thanks!
Dana
Yeah, there's a kinda secret, local knowledge shortcut from Encanto to the Sierra Madre that saves you 2-3 miles of admin stuff. Let me know next time you head out that way and I'll describe it to you.
No, this GMR stuff isn't a good venue for you to do an RR.
Please read this wiki post and begin to wrap your head around the way we want you to ride a hilly bike course in a race. I'd like you to find a place where you can practice that, rollers are best.
Basically, GMR and other long climbs are good opportunities to do tons of work up a long hill, redefine your perspective of a climb, etc, but beyond that they aren't the best venues for race specific stuff because no IM course has that length of climbing
Oaky, so for my next two weekend rides (including RR), perhaps I will drive to Peterson Canyon and ride Santiago Canyon loops. Also, I've heard Modjeska Canyon is a good work out.
Thank you!
Dana
Great. Again, it's about learning this style/skill of riding hills smartly and steadily, and finding terrain that lets you practice that.
Chris K hooked me up with a ride for tomorrow.
I noticed there's a Big Day in my plan week 11 of 20. Didn't I just do that this past weekend on week 8? Or it was so much fun, I get to do it again? Curious, on week 8 you allow for the swim to be done the evening before, week 11 doesn't suggest that.
Side note, I'd be happy to post elsewhere but curious of your tri bike set up re: hydration. I should probably get that squared away as I'm 12 weeks out from IMAZ.
Thanks!
Dana
Okay, I figured it out..it's not a typo in my plan :-#
Still would like to see your tri set up.
D.
I'm still kinda sorting that out.
FYI, for several reasons I'm racing on Dino's borrowed P5.