Week 8/12 To Go
Test week. This AM, I did the swim on a Monday! Usually, I go Sun/Tues/Thurs, but I raced a three hour Du yesterday, and needed to stretch things out. So I tried commuting by bike to the Y, about 7 miles each way, as I want to get back to the biking boost I used to get when I biked to work, back when I worked. Tues bike test, then Thirs run intervals. My run test this week will be the big (1000 runners) HM which starts a couple months les from my house, and goes over the Sound on the Narrows suspension bridge. Tacoma's version of the MYC marathon, appropriately sized for our town.
Uh, it's ok to start thinking about the IM now, so post away...this is I BIG group.
Uh, it's ok to start thinking about the IM now, so post away...this is I BIG group.
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Al, thanks for the thread. Good luck on the HM this weekend!
Bike test complete this morning. No matter how many of these I do, I always forget how truly tough they are, every time.
Results here: https://www.strava.com/activities/294175535
FTP test results are one thing, holding your 5 hour power with low V.I. is a whole different ball game.
Looking to test run and swim this week as well.
Have a great week all!
I have my RR this weekend and then will transition to the IM plan next Monday.
Oh crap! This is getting real!!!
Both bike and run test complete so far this week.
TG! Both tests resulted in material improvements over the last tests 7 weeks ago.
I was able to run over the lunch hour today, soak up some sun and get in a Z2/Z3 effort level wko. 75 degrees felt unusually warm but not too bad.
Going to test for swim tomorrow, run some hill strides and do a long bike/run brick on Saturday....(that's the plan at the moment)
Have a great week all!
SS
I'm working on my variation of the Test Week/Big Day. Tuesday, instead of the 5K TT, I did 3 x 1 mi (4'), on the treadmill just for fun. I got nice and sweaty, and felt nice and tired when done. Monday and Wednesday, I biked to the Y, swam per the plan, and hit the weight room. Thursday (I'd switched the run and bike days due to weather considerations), I tried a 2 x 20' bike test. After the first 25 minutes (I was actually doing a 25/2/15 d/t terrain), I was 10% below my FTP from last year, so I switched gears to making it a workout, taking 4' rest, and then doing some 5-15' intervals @ 80-90% IF. Then I ran 3 miles around the course where the US Open golf tourney will be held next month. Again, I gelt good, tired, and sweaty when done, despite being depressed over how slow/weak I have become since Glory Days. Today another weight room session, then a 4 hour ride (Big Day light). This weekend, swim and recovery bike Sat AM, and local Half Marathon Sun AM. IM training dosed;t really kick in for me for another two weeks, when I get back from the Tour of California. Hopefully, that will give me the boost I need for a decent bike FTP test.
Al, how did the 4 hour "light" session go? Good weather I hope? I'm signed up for that one tomorrow, heading out by 7 a.m. I hope....then maybe a run afterwards.....
I am mainly focused on riding steady at a low .71 - .75 IF, staying aero, low VI, nutrition practice and managing my desire to get off the saddle around the 3 hour mark.......
EZ early a.m. run w/ strides for me then a Swim TT completed this afternoon with same results as last test or a slow 1:56/100 yds.
....swam 3,000 total.
SS
Hi all!
Got the BIG DAY done yesterday. Albeit slow and no pressure = .677IF but did get the nutrition right with 21 scoops of Gatorade Endurance
, 2 Salt pills on the run, 1.5 PowerBars and 3 Gels for this one. No issues with the gut and good quality run with some heat.
Resting today to get ready for next week.
Looking forward to next week and reading more than just my boring posts!
SS
SS - sounds like you are getting into the IM training frame of mind, for sure. I wonder about the 4 dozen or so others whom we're NOT hearing from?
Today, I did my planned HM race. I notice that my TSB was negative 38.9 this morning - that might account for the 10-20 sec/ mile I slowed down on my pace in the last 3 miles, costing me both my sub 1:40 (1:40.24) and first place in AG. On the bright side, I confirmed the VDOT I've been using from 5 & 10K races earlier this year, and so can commit myself to following through at that pace on race day.
I skipped one swim session both this week and last, to do my Sunday races. Upcoming week: more Big Bike Days, Monday and maybe Thursday, depending on weather later in the week. Then, next Sunday, start another event - the EN Tour of Calif. I'm looking forward to the people and process of the Humongous Bike Week, but truthfully, I'm dreading a bit the expected effort. Bright side (there's always a bright side with me), my swimming and running are on target, my biking still needs work going into the final IM prep phase. So the ToC is exactly what I need.
It went well. I did 56 miles on the bike matching my best 56 mile time.
IF was .73, NP 158, FTP 216, VI 1.01
I think I need to be riding harder based on these stats. Thoughts?
I ran for 1 hour and only stopped at the 1 mile mark each mile.
It was the first time I've accomplished this after a long bike ride.
I am making a concerted effort to HTFU and run a full mile before walking 30 steps.
So far, so good. I hope I can keep it up the full 13 miles at Knoxville....stay tuned.
Al- Nice HM....TOC should be a blast !
Don - Yes you should be riding harder... BUT this is a big but only if you do it in training and you can follow it up with the run.... YOU CAN run/walk the full 13 at Knox and the 25 at IMLP but only if you bike correctly .... Dont get caught up in what percentage you can ride.... Instead keep focussing on what you should ride in order to run/walk the complete run on any distance! If you havent done so , now is a great time to review HIM and IM execution in the WIKI !
Mandy- sounds like your on fire
My update--- Just had an unwanted but probably much needed recovery week of 5hrs with 1 swim, 1 bike , and a few short runs.... Due to traveling 5 days from AZ to NH.... From mid Nov- Now I have racked up over 1000 miles run , 2900 miles biked, and 140k yds swim , but I have absolutely no idea where I really am since I've done very little intensity and ZERO tests.... Actually thats not totally true I do have an idea , I'm not as fast as I was at this time last year and I still need to lose 6-8lbs... Anyway I'm doing a HM next Sat and then a 21 mile uphill TT the following Sat (these will give me some very valuable numbers)... After that I will be applying much more conventional EN training to the remaining 10 weeks .... Included in those 10 weeks is the Quassy double OLY/HIM , Patriotman HIM , a hardcore IMLP camp 6/26-29 and then a big weekend with Scott Dinhofer in NH 7/4..... I will be ready !
1. Gotta lose a few more pounds. Squeezed into my size small EN kit and dear wife said, "Hmm, kinda sausage-y looking." Yup, a 142- pound sausage , that's me.
2. When I wear my EN kit after doing all my outdoor work in my training clothes, I need to add sunscreen to the newly exposed skin. Ouch.
3. Replace the batteries in the power tap right before race week.. It went all squirrelly on me five miles out, so I had to turn around and replace them.
4. Gotta get my bike fit tweaked again. After three hours in aero position, I felt like someone beat me on the neck and shoulders with a 142 lb stick. Also, for the first half hour of the run my testicles still tingled, which is not nearly as pleasant as it sounds.
Over all, a good opportunity to dial in my nutrition for an 80 degree day, and managed to hit a solid negative split on my run. The only residual pain is the sunburn. Thanks for getting this started, Al. I'll try to report more often between now and IMLP.
I'm just gearing up to enter the final 12 weeks of the IM plan. I'm looking forward to the training and taking some of my recent work stress as utilizing that to fuel my workouts.
Like Derrek, I've been on the HIM plan but switched to IM today, so I am officially in IM mode! Yeeehaa!
Been swimming twice a week on Mon and Fri most weeks and have been seeing steady progress in speed and endurance. Have not been following the swim workouts as written - I get too confused trying to follow all the different sets/paces etc. My hack has been to use CSS and swim intervals long enough so I begin to fade near the end of the interval. Over time I have gone from 100's to 1000's @ my CSS which has itself improved since the beginning. Really like using the Tempo Trainer. I know within a lap or two when I fall off the pace and need a rest interval. I have taken a full minute off my 1000yd TT since last year and may extend that more when I test again.
Run is fine, but I've always been a runner so nothing to report here. Just put in the time and hit the paces and let the plan do its magic.
Bike is in a very good place, especially after getting re-fit with Todd K. this past week. One change was to raise my front end from 13 cm drop to 10 cm drop. My position was too aggressive to be sustainable and was the cause of my shoulder and neck problems. After this weekends long rides of 68 & 50 miles all consistently at .88 IF (need to retest my FTP), I had no pains or discomfort like I was having before. Power was much more sustainable and felt much smoother overall. The other change was to shim my right cleat 5 mm because my left leg is quite a bit longer - particularly on the bike. Video taken from both sides indicates my left femur extends about 3 cm past my right. Part may be functional positioning but part is leg length. The other indicator was my foot angle at the bottom, my right was about 15* more than my left. At first the shim felt funny but now I realize I am on the center of the saddle and not shifted off-center to the right. He also put me on 165 cranks (I run 172.5) but struggled with them. Even after 20' of riding, I just couldn't get the cranks to go around in a circle smoothly. Felt to choppy and awkward. Todd said he could tell almost instantly that I would not like them..... says that people are like that - love em or hate um from the first few revs.
Power still has a way to go. Last test was indoors while mentally and physically fatigued at 202. After this weekends rides I am confident it needs a bump. Schedule doesn't call for a FTP test for a few weeks so I may have to go and do one anyway. My goal is to get back to 225 or better, but more importantly continue to improve my diesel abilities on longer rides.