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TSS and pacing for IM- Friel chart???

Carole HarbisonCarole Harbison
in General Training Discussions
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/how-to-cheat-by-using-a-power-meter-in-an-ironman

This image below is from the above link (hope I'm not violating any copyright infringement here...)--I am struggling on how to read it. The instructions are to first pick your goal time, then follow across to find the correct IF to ride at, and I just can't wrap my brain around that. Especially since the table only goes up to 6h:30 minutes and many AGers are out for longer than that. Anyone know how to translate this to english?  Also, who except the pros is riding the IMLP course in 4h30 mins?? Short version of the question--what's a realistic TSS to shoot for and how do you know you're on track to not blow up your run. Or is TSS not a good way to figure that out?

Take my weekend ride as an example-- it was a 102 mile ride that took 6h20m at an IF of 0.77 (I think this is a little high, I needed to update my FTP  by ~20W or so in the TP software), and that gave me a TSS of 375. According to this chart I am so far off the "you are likely blown" scale that it doesn't even register. But...if I were to ride slower (at lower power and thus lower IF) the bike ride would take longer and increase the TSS--so even with the IF^2 component how could I ever significantly drop the TSS number down for a ride of that length?

Thanks for any input!!

 

 

 

Comments

  • Shaughn SimmonsShaughn Simmons

    Post your ride file link to this thread.

    In your case, I think it might be more beneficial for you if we could see your 6-hour power number then focus a pacing/fueling strategy around that.

    The below chart is helpful for those whom finish the bike split in 6 hours or less.

    SS

  • Mike RobertsMike Roberts

    Carole,

    You've hit on one of the reasons I think many people should avoid the really tough IM bike courses until they've established some serious bike strength. You're a good rider, so it's doable.  But if it takes someone 6:30 or longer to complete the ride, the TSS is gonna be high and there's really nothing he/she can do about it.  Except, of course, pay for it on the run.  My advice, for what it's worth, is comb through your data as you're accumulating your 60, 80, 100-mile rides and get a sense for your average moving speed.  I bet a lot of that 6:20 ride included stop lights, traffic, etc. - stuff that won't slow your average speed on race day.  So really get a sense of your moving average, if you can.  Are you a consistent 18mph rider?  If so, then you might add 10 minutes for the climbing at LP and take a swag at 6:20.  That means if you nail the race at 67%, you'll be in decent shape for the run.  If you're closer to 19mph and can do it in 6:10, then you've got 67% and 68% to play with.

    As for your recent ride, I suspect that your FTP settings were off my a pretty good margin.  77% for 6+ hours is a brutal effort.  If you were only 68%, then your real TSS was a more manageable number.

    MR

  • Edwin CroucherEdwin Croucher
    Carole, my first question is have you ridden the course? if not, I can not emphasize how important that is for this particular race. If you have registered for the EN camp, that is the best move you can make. Coach P gives a very detailed breakdown of the course and how you should ride it. If you are not registered, I strongly recommend that you pick a weekend and go ride the course. Seeing numbers on a page pale to the actual ride. Good luck
  • Gordon CherwoniakGordon Cherwoniak

    Carole,

    First off that chart you posted was I believe was first utilized by the coaches here as part of their training and racing with power piece that you could purchase for a few extra dollars.  So I think you are ok on the copyright seeing as it was an original EN power piece.

    Get your correct FTP dialed in.  If you are going to be out on the course longer than 6:30 your TSS is what it is and you just need to ride have proper gearing so not to spike your watts.  Use the race rehearsals late in the training plan to determine your number but target around .68 for 6 hours and see how you run off that.  For me I've done 7-8 hour rides on the LP course and can't hold .70 maybe .66-68 for a ride around 7 hours.   The last hour on the second loop I definitely fell apart.

    The other piece of information to look at is the VI.  If you are riding over 1.06-1.08 there is definitely spiking of watts while you ride, smooth this out and you save you legs.

    If you go to the wiki--biking, in the downloads section on that page there is a TSS calculator spreadsheet found  here:  http://members.endurancenation.us/R...fault.aspx  This is driving my calculations.

    If you have ~20 watts to update your FTP, positively I'm assuming then for example if your current FTP is 180 a 380 minute ride at .77 gives a normalized power (NP) of 139 watts and 376 TSS.  Adding 20 watts or a 200 FTP would make that same ride at the same watts of 139 a .70 IF and 310 TSS ride.   

     

     

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    Yes, this chart was developed by EN in 2007. There are extensive resources on race day execution, under the "Resourses > Master Racing Pages" in the menu bar above. Try this link for starters:

    http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/topic/Calculators/Default.aspx
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