IM Bike TSS question
So I did my RR1 this weekend followed by a 6 mile run. The plan called for: IF .72 & TSS of 294. However, it was a hot (90) and humid rr day and there was 5k feet of climbing (as planned). Actual TSS was 312. Ride time 6:09 / VI 1.06 - probably due to lots of hills on course.
My first thought was; I need to dial back IF in the race. But then the brick run went great. I easily held TRP pace & ran a negative split finishing 6 miles strong. VDot: 49
I will re-test FTP this week to confirm the numbers. Overall, I felt strong and steady all day. So, guys is 312 TSS doable, even though it's clearly in the orange on the IM TSS Table? Here are my RR files:
Bike https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1198144488
Run https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1198250593
Thanks!
Comments
One thing to consider is whether you expect to be faster on race day, and if so, by how much. Carrying extra bottles, slowing for traffic, being less aggressive on hills, less aero kit, etc. all add up. If you were 15 minutes faster at the same IF that would put you at 299 TSS. Still high but you would be closer to the target.
As I look at the HR trend on both the bike and the run, first I would say that I think you executed a really decent race rehearsal.
1.065 V.I. is not the end of the world. That will probably improve by race day, make you more efficient and get you more speed out of the same NP number.
For me, you averaged 140 bpm on the ride and successfully pushed that HR up on back half. On the run, you held the HR a little below 140 during your first mile and let it rise up to 140+ then pushed it on the back half. Looks like you were in total control and could have held that HR in the low 140s for the first 6 miles if needed....(recommendation on race day).
I am willing to bet that your FTP is really a bit higher (your IF and TSS a bit lower) given how well you executed and how stable your HR was throughout. If this were me, I would call it a successful RR, observe my 5 hour power and HR, and move forward to replicate that on race day.
SS
Josiah, I would add one more thought.
For RR2, can you do the full 3,800M swim before the bike? That changes a lot of things in terms of nutrition, focus and execution vs. performing the Bike / Run RR alone.
This will more likely align your RPE with a current FTP during execution. All that said, hard to go wrong focusing on your 5 hour power while staying in your box in terms of pace and HR running off the bike.
Race Rehearsals are there to help you practice executing your strategy and remind yourself what it feels like to bike/run a specific way at a specific effort level in order for you to NOT SLOW DOWN on the back half the run when things get dark and tough.
SS
I agree with SS that you had a good RR and have provided yourself with some excellent data to work with. These are excellent opportunities to learn where our fitness stands, practice race-day execution and experiment. Afterwards we evaluate the day, take notes, make the appropriate adjustments and begin to prepare our race plan.
The way our zones are set up is that we consider .70 - .75 the IM zone. Really, .75 is for strong, front of pack veteran IM athletes. As you approach 6+ hours on the bike, your goal IF starts to get under .70 to hit an acceptable TSS to run well. 6 hours at .70 is 294 TSS or the “You’d better be massively prepared” zone. Mike is right, generally we are a little faster on race day for a lot of reasons. I’m going to guess that if you backed off from .71 IF to .68 you are still going to spend the same amount of time on the bike but have a TSS (285) that sets you up much better to run strong.
IF and TSS are not the end all to IM racing. The last couple years race guidance within EN has evolved. It’s great that you are tracking HR and this will be an important metric to watch on race day. Specifically there are 2 things you want to look at; your avg. HR across the ride and your avg. HR for the last hour of the ride. As SS alludes to on race day the swim will affect you. Most people will see their HR elevated at least a few beats pushing the same watts. Depending on how significant that difference is, you may be inclined to balance your race day effort between the avg. HR you saw during your RR and the watts you planned to ride. Your avg. HR across the last hour of the ride is significant because the general perception is that if you paced your bike properly, this is going to be the ballpark HR number you will target for the run. It looks like starting at the 3.5 hour mark your HR starts to climb. This is natural and happens to everyone, and happens for a number of reasons. You mentioned that it got warm that day, that’s one reason. Training load is another. On race day, you’ll want to keep the HR flatter just a little bit longer, maybe another hour. This would occur naturally by backing off the IF or by using a HR cap on the bike to balance your goal watts.
It looks like your avg. HR the last 85 minutes of the ride is 150. Is that an HR you feel is manageable to run for the entire IM? It does look like you felt good on the run. You were able to increase the pace miles 5 and 6 which is a good sign. But…like Robert says, 6 miles really isn’t long enough of a run to tell you how you will feel at mile 13+ where things can start to deteriorate rather quickly if you paced your race wrong. The thing I note about your run is the trajectory of your HR. It starts climbing which probably has to do with your increased pace, and also with the heat. It can also be a sign that you overcooked the bike. That is not a trend you will be able to sustain on race day. I know Vineman can get warm (understatement). If that’s the case on race day, you will have to run slower than you anticipate and run by HR. You’ll want to try and keep that HR flat at a manageable level until the last 10k. At that point if you have the ability to open it up at all you can let it rip.
In my opinion, the answer to your question is, unless you have experience running a good IM marathon off of a 300+ TSS bike you don’t want to go there. Ride a little conservative, especially on a hot day, and use the marathon to prove to everyone that you could have/should have ridden harder.
Guys-
Thanks for all the input, really appreciate it. Summing up what I heard; I will swim the morning of RR2. Logistics forced me to do it the afternoon before on RR1. I plan to retest FTP, it's been 6 weeks so that number could be low. Finally, I'd say the rehearsal was a success, but I need to make sure I keep the TSS cleanly under 300. Just because 6 miles felt good it does not guarantee the next 20 will, the classic advice still holds; if you think you could have ridden harder, prove it by running well...
Cheers!
Josiah, that is the kind of attitude that eliminates competitors on race day. Now I am going to have to buy some popcorn, sit back and follow you on race day as the carnage unfolds.......
The final point is that if it is hot like that on race day (I'm also racing Vineman and am dreading a 90+ day), you WILL NEED TO SLOW DOWN ON THE RUN. Average HR for ~1hr of a post ride run is one thing, but you'll need a HR hard cap for your Max HR. If you start to go above that, you will need to slow down. Everyone's HR profile is different, but I can push above 150 even low 160's on training runs, but thing start to go bad pretty quickly after 3-5 miles there. For IM races, I have a 148 hard cap on my HR, and use this to allow me to keep running well into the marathon. It can also be used as a stick, because if I see it drop below like 140, I call myself a wimp and try to push harder. I had done 5 IM's before I was able to make my IM run HR profile be up and to the right the whole 26.2 and have my highest HR in the last 5 miles of the IM run. If you can do that, you KNOW that you had an appropriate bike leg.
Don't be shy about posting here what your FTP test results are. Or how much higher you are able to push your NP for your next several long rides relative to this RR.
If you do things right, you will feel better on race day than any rehearsal. I have learned not to worry too much if I feel a bit more tired or go a little slower than I expect. but you can't use that as an excuse to go too hard on race day.
John is wise to talk about the HR cap. If you have run some marathons and have HR data from them, you can look at those with information about how you felt that day. Find the most comfortable marathon you've done and find the HR in the middle of it...and then you have at least a ballpark. Of course Patrick has other very specific guidance.