robin sarner 2015 micro
howdy coach. some of us are sightseeing in N.Y. some of have a mini-build to plan. 
you might have noted, I have jumped into doing CDA a month after Texas. The idea came to me and it feels right.
For iron builds I continue to follow a schedule that is roughly the order of the Minimalist Plan. long bike Saturday. long run sunday.
so this last weekend (first weekend post Texas) I started moving with some light biking and running.
through this second post Texas week I plan to keep intensity low but increase frequency of workouts. this coming weekend plan on doing medium length bike on Saturday and medium length run on Sunday - still pretty low intensity.
through third post texas week I plan on increasing intensity and volume a bit. the third post texas weekend Saturday to be long bike and Sunday the longest run at at least race goal power/pace.
the next week, four weeks post texas, three weeks to cda, typical ironman plan week. the weekend of this week with Saturday longish bike and sunday medium run.
then the next week gives the two week taper.
does this all seem approximately ok ??? if not, broad stroke picture response is fine.
what should be my longest bikes and runs ??? for bike I will continue on trainer mostly. CDA bike goal 5:30. So maximum five hour trainer ride ? Or maximum four hour trainer ride with pushing the watts ? maximum 16 mile run which is 2 hours or better at 7:30 pace or better ? or shorter or longer run ?
thanks much.
Comments
As for your training, there is literally zero fitness you can build in just 6 weeks...but you can:
+ start swimming in your wetsuit and get used to that. I suggest between 10 and 12k a week...14 to 7 days out you can make that a bigger swim week of say up to 18k, but really that's it.
+ make sure you have the right gears for the hills so you can spin all of them without needing to mash or jam on pedals. You will also want gears where you can sustain your speed / mass downhill into flats. Only you know this on this course.
+ get the A2 to dial that into your training. Improve the hydration execution.
+ Focus in on bike and run HR (from both your last long efforts pre TX) and in the next 2-3 weeks...what numbers do you expect to see when the power is right (on the bike) and all day on the run (no real pace there).
+ I suggest split long runs...AM and PM equal times, both start smart and then finish at goal race pace effort (so you can see that HR and effects of good nutrition). Run with fuelbelt so you can practice 4oz (1/2 bottle) every mile....this will necessitate loops or early bottle drops, your call.
+ Also add caffeine to end of ride nutrition and practice banana while transitioning to a short brick run.
While you don't need more fitness, you will want to get in 2-3 x 5 hour rides to practice nutrition and A2. The runs I am not worried about and could be costly...I'd do the longest split as 70' / 70' for a 2:20 run time.
Feel free to draw up specifics, but again, I think you are 95% there and it's the small details that will make the biggest delta for you!
Awesome to see that you will be joining us at CDA ~ team just got way stronger!!
Mark
Coach P. thanks ever so much for the comprehensive review and recommendations. I will work them over. some things to put in place, some things I already do, some things to refine, and some things I have done.
Mark and Doug. Looking forward to joining the crew.
Saturday. May 30. 2.5-5 hour bike. Easy.
Sunday. May 31. 8-10 mile run. Easy.
Saturday. June
6. 5 hour bike. Race watts
Sunday. June 7. 2:20 minute split run. 18-20 miles. Race pace
Tuesday. June
9. 3.5-5 hour bike. Race watts+.
Saturday. Jun
13. 3.5-5 hour bike. Race watts.
Sunday. June
14. 10-13 mile run. Race pace.
Sunday. June 28. Ironman
cda
Does this look about right ? thanks.
Use these sessions to work in some of the improvements we have outlined here!
did texas as you know. just did cda as below. good swim and very solid bike (234 np. I do not feel I overcooked it despite the run. felt good second half of the bike. HR down to low 140s second half of bike. average bike HR 143). another hot day and another slow run due to the various factors (heat and dehydration (stupidly missed a couple aide stations) probably the biggies).
for texas to cda I had six weeks. for cda to whistler, if I decide to do it, four weeks. I have asked Jenn Edwards to give me her plan so I have an idea. but four weeks much different than six weeks between races.
currently almost one week out from cda three weeks to go until whistler.
at three weeks after texas, I was able to hit the long workouts as below. felt good. for whistler, three weeks after cda, will be one week to Canada.
at two weeks after cda, two weeks to whistler, would typically be the last long workouts, but will still be recovering.
so, when should I place the 1-2 long bikes and runs I would do before whistler? And what should be their length?
why whistler? easy logistics. feel pretty good. May not be able to do Arizona this year for various reasons. may be last iron this year before 50 yo next year. just another bonus race to hang loose and see what happens.
Robin, I love you big man. You are silent but your spirit, focus and determination speak volumes about your character. However I don't know that you are going to get out of all this racing what you want. Since you have signed up for Canada, we can tweak your workouts but it's more about nutrition and execution on the big day...there is ZERO FITNESS you can "add" to your repertoire over such a short timeline.
Please draw up a spreadsheet / table with the time you have left until whistler and attach it here or share with me so I can review and comment. Google Sheets work well if you have that.
You have ZERO room for missed bottles or nutrition...and no excuses having raced 2x already this year. Bullet proof race plan.
You will need perfect gearing for CA, what will you be using? I still recommend tri bike.
Any bikes should be ABP effort....you don't need any long rides at this point. I'd prefer 2 x 3h at ABP vs a 6 hour slog considering all the long stuff you have already done.
Let's fire it up!
coach Padraig,
thanks for the kind words.
I got some good stuff from cda:: proved to myself that I can do a strong hilly course bike. proved I can be competitive on the home course, brought a good attitude and came away with satisfied feeling. re-familiarized with the home course, etc.
what to get out of Canada::: whatever is fine. wife said "why not?" this will probably be last iron for a whole year. chance to re-familiarize with the whistler course because it may be my best bet for next year at 50 yo. do not really see a downside if I approach with the right attitude.
the long bike guidance is good. thanks for the detailed workout offer, but I will just adjust my workouts per feel and heart rate lability
just would like advice for my long run this coming sunday, two weeks from the race. 13 miles pushing the pace better than race pace ??? or a bit less mileage ??? so just need your thoughts on this one run for this coming sunday
running 50/34 and 11/28. worked well for previous whistler. 52 chainring in the mail. if get this in time, will install for help on the downhills with later spinout.
thanks much
I think a detailed race plan you are 100% committed to will be the biggest differentiator for you at Whistler...and that has no TSS associated with it!
2016 plan--------------------------
Hello coaches,
Putting this in both micro
and macro as it has elements of each.
2016 “A” race is Ironman
Canada. July 24. Will be first year in the 50-54
age group. Have a good chance at
the KQ.
September and October
2015. Perhaps some shorter triathlons. Organized bike rides.
November and December. Various. EN plan of some sort ???
January OS. 1/4/16 - 4/10/16. Work up to 4-5 hour Saturday bikes
rides and 13 mile Sunday runs. Running races.
February. possible Tucson bike week.
Four weeks of some sort of
transition. 4/11 to 5/8
2016. EN plan of some sort ???
Tour of California May
9-13. 2016. This is 11 weeks to Canada.
Iron
style plan starting 10 weeks out. May
16 to July 23. 2016.
Ideas for the ??? above ?
Other thoughts or ideas?
Thanks much.
1) Looking at this year, what leg of the race is your limiter?
2) Where do you honestly feel like the most gains can be had?
3) Where do you WANT to work? Bike? Run?
4) Have you done run durability in the past?
good questions.
1) swim is ok. a little more work on this will get me there. ///////// bike probably the limiter. getting close to 3 w/kg for race. I have to get a bit beyond that to overcome my large drag due to my body and legs. lowering my cadence and that seems effective. increasing my cranks from 170 mm to 180 mm per Todd Kenyon. loosening up the fit due to neck and heart rate issues. 233 watts NP at ironman cda this year at 183 lbs. have to get closer to 250 watts. or get to 170s lbs and 240 watts //////// need to get to my run potential. 3:25 last year at texas. I can do better.
2) probably the bike, as above. //////////// but, again, need to get run up to speed. last year I did a 5/10/15/20 km running race series and that seemed to help.
3) so i'd like to work on the bike AND run in different ways. my bike will continue to mainly be indoor Kickr. will get outdoors at times to work on descending.
4) not sure what run durability means to you - seems to mean different things to different people. but I don't think I have done it. it has been a few years since I trained for a standalone marathon. but that marathon training/racing definitely negatively impacted that year's ironman season. I would be up for run durability work because I do need to tune up my strength.
1) Here is the final year of the three year plan, which includes general notes as well as Run Durability Info: http://j.mp/1rDWTrN You would essentially be starting your 2016 season with RD plans #1 then #2 before the OS...this allows us to separate out the run from the work we do on the bike.
2) are you on best bike split.com? Would be interesting to see what your set up / weight / power "should" get you vs what you have been getting. I put in my info that I actually rode on race day and the TX course and it said I should have gone 4:43:xx and I went 4:44. Pretty cool. Anyway, worth checking that out...then dialing that in for CA as well to see what your "should" split is there on the bike.
3) your watts and weight would be great if you were me. But you are you....so yes, you need more watts. BBS would help, but I'd say 180 target weight with 242 NP is pretty close for everything. But it all comes down to how you ride that course...one thing that has helped me is having a bigger gear for the downs and into the flats...absolute watts wins, after all...there are plenty of places I rode well over 28mph in TX simply b/c I had a 54/11 vs a 53/12 (30.7 mph vs 27.7 mph). So with CA you'll need the gears to spin up but the gears to fly down as well.
4) I really want to see a bulletproof race plan from you...I can't recall if I have seen such in the past, but I remember you winging it in IM #3 this year and me calling you out. By race day I have every minute planned out, with exact nutrition/watt/HR/pace targets, options for adjusting based on temps/feel, etc.
5) I know you don't like the heat, but TX is the Nat Champs again, so mathematically more slots. Your 2014 time in M50-54 would have put you in 3rd place in front of Mr Tim Cronk. Your 2015 time, with the run you CAN do would have put you at 10:13 for 6th place AG, again, right there. In CA there might be 2 slots? Maybe three? I think in TX there were minimum of 4…but you might know better than me.
6) We are going to have to hack your FTP early (in OS) to get it up...and then do some key long rides (I like camp idea for you) to put it to your longer work...my guess is that a lot of HIM rides in the 50 mile range at .8 will be helpful to you, so .72 and .73 are more appealing to sustain...that's my current plan...
Let's keep this rolling!
thanks much.
1) eight weeks of run durability before OS sounds good.
2) yes have been messing with Best Bike Split. it estimated this year's CDA pretty good.
3) yes 180 lbs and 242 watts NP is in line with my calculations. yes have just rebuilt my light Cannondale including chainring changes and long cranks.
4) noted. though I always have a detailed written and mental plan. I never wing it. the only "winging it" is when nutrition plan starts to be not tolerated. - the adjustments we all have to do on the fly. though even then I practice a variety of nutrition plans.
5) yes I have looked back and forth at the numbers. texas does have more slots but this also brings higher level competition. it is tempting to keep banging on the texas thing and do it a fourth time. but the past performances of me and the competition at Texas and Canada seem to support me doing Canada in 2016 in the new age group. and I need to do Tour of California (same time as Texas). and maybe the big man flat bike course thing doesn't work for me with my large drag. I hope to get my watts/kg to be competitive. and some within EN have suggested that maybe I might do better in races with a tough bike. and the low stress of being able to drive to a race is huge.
6). right. get that ftp up. Tour of California. and between now and the end of outseason, lots of 2.5 hour rides at .8-.85 sounds good.
currently I am being pretty lazy. first long downtime in years. though still weekend warrioring. oly tri last week. 113 mile/7700 ft bike ride last week. this weekend 80 mile / 10,0000 ft bike. etc.
I like the rest / weekend warrior stuff...nothing wrong with staying fit, doing cool stuff and showing up on 10/26 ready to work. Seriously...your commitment and focus has a cost as well as a benefit!
On the BBS stuff, what does it say for CA, given that CDA was close? Would be interesting to see where that split would put you on race day. I hear you on CA over TX and I agree re the CDA.
Todd has spoken to me extensively re riding a bit more like TJ Tollakson with the hands up, etc...might try that for kona, might be worth bumping him on that. Not as aggressive as this pic but definitely ski bend aerobars, etc: http://www.tririg.com/articles/2014_10_Ironman_Hawaii_Race_Day/960/2014_10_Ironman_Hawaii_Race_Day_46.jpg
I think your ability to stay aero for a long time is huge, as well as learning when the right time is for you, as a big guy, to move from aero to seated on climbs, rollers, etc. Do you have DI2? Just curious...
What did you do last year in terms of hacking the OS etc, to attack that FTP?
For the
a bit confused. canada is end of july. was planning on eight weeks of run durability and then January Outseason.
but you are advising November Outseason instead (this new Outseason) ???
will get back to you when i mess around with Best Bike Split more.
yes had already been working toward a Tollakson-type front end fit.
I will be electronic shifting by Canada. probably sram wireless.
regarding hacking the Outseason for ftp. at 180 lb, 3 watts/kg is 245 watts which would be race goal. divided that by 72.5 % is 339 watts which would be ftp goal. currently ftp maybe 315-325. other thoughts on how to get there ?
thanks
Sounds good re BBS. I think it's very close (at least for men) and I'd like to see what your "predicted potential" is on that course vs what you have already done out there. I like it as a tool for closing that gap for you.
Good on Tollakson and again, can't say enough about riding like Dave Tallo (turtle, head down) vs riding head up. Your head position can make a massive difference...not sure how you normally ride, but I really like the A2 drinking straw as a marker to keep my head down. That's an easy 5' across an IM for sure. But we can get all geeky later on...
SRAM wireless sounds awesome...thinking of that for my road bike, want to know more keep me posted!
There are quite a few ways to get there for sure....here are some options to consider and we can dive in further as the year progresses:
I personally like the out season combination of fixed FTP intervals on Tuesday (say 12 minutes of work/6 minutes of rest, repeated twice) where you work to raise that FTP number every week. Then on Thursday you do four or five minute intervals at 110% of current FTP. That should be good for about eight weeks.
You also can't beat the in the season focus of riding at 85 to 90% value of riding at 85 to 90% of FTP. I think one of your big limiters has been frequent five hour rides when 2.5 to 3 hour rides are a great way to boost your power. Similar to the bike focus plan, I am joyed a period of about 8 to 10 weeks where I just went out and rode as hard as I could three times a week for distances from 30 to 50 miles. That not only change my fitness, but help me set a new mental benchmark of what is possible.
I know you have the tour of California camp on your radar as well. Simply cannot say enough about the value of that level of cycling in your program.
Looking ahead, I could see how we would plan out your season by using the tour of California and Canada build as two big benchmarks, then figuring out what type of higher intensity work we can fit in between and out season and a bike focus plan. All the while maintaining that swim and improving that run durability.