Wolf's Micro Thread
Hey Coach-
Here's the question I have: "Should I repeat the Big Day Protocol workout I just did this past weekend this upcoming weekend?"
Background: I'm in the Adv IM plan gearing up for IMMD on 10/3/15. Did the BDP (end of week 11/20) this past Saturday. Current metrics: Swim 1K time = 13:33; FTP = 287 (down from 302 last year 
); vDOT = 50.
I'm "testing" to see if I can do 200 - 210 watts for IMMD on the bike. Did the 4 hr bike (~81 mi) with NP: 206; AP: 204; HR: 138. Felt ok. Ran off the bike at my target pace/HR BUT it got really HOT/HUMID and I mindfully switched to heat pacing/mitigation protocol. By the time I got to mile 4 I was cooked and slogged my way through the remainder of the run. The heat/humidity did not play a factor for me during the bike (HR stayed steady, power didn't drop off, weather remainder cooperative/cloudy/comfortable) except for the last 30-45 minutes when the sun and humidity started to increase rapidly. Despite this, I ended up only about 20 sec/mi off my target pace and HR slightly elevated. Run felt like crap, though (but I think it was largely mental and not physical).
Caveats: Due to logistical/schedule conflicts, I had to do the swim the night before so I didn't do the BDP exactly as written so no energy expenditure and nutrition practice right before the bike. Also, in looking at the weather forecast and past data I'm not anticipating that I will be running in heat/humidity for this race.
Lead to Question above: I'm trying to see if a 210 watt for my bike is feasible/doable/realistic for IMMD. I was "testing" this target this past weekend to see how I would do on the run. I'm wondering if I should do the BDP again this upcoming Saturday because: a) didn't swim before the bike; b) head/humidity made my run feel like crap; c) my HR monitor started to flake out on me about 20 minutes left on the bike and was really sporadic during the run so I'm not 100% confident on the HR data. My feeling is that I'm somewhere around this number but not confident. Should I move on and then try to target this number in RR #1, or should I repeat the BDP again so as to have a better set of numbers to target going into RR #1?
Thanks so much for your time! I really appreciate it!
Comments
Hey Coach P, thanks for the reply! Felt like I was on top of the hydration/nutrition and was repeating what I had been practicing with for quite a while now with a modicum of success. Pee'd 1x during the bike but pee'd right as soon as I got off and before I started the run which is pretty normal for me (pee once around mile 30-40 and then again around mile 80-90). In retrospect (and what I'll work on this Saturday then) is that I will try to take in even more because I probably could have....
To be clear: the run wasn't that bad. As I mentioned it may have been mental because perhaps I was just thinking it should have gone better than it did. However, with your green light I will try the BDP again this weekend and will add the swim in beforehand as directed in the protocol.
Also, I'm shooting for the range of 200-210, not 200 vs 210. I'm just feeling like I'm good somewhere in that range of 200-210 for the bike and now want to see if it's correct. Thanks for any advice and input!!