arnold schmidt micro forum
Patrick, i have waited till now to write you because I wanted to get a few weeks of OS training under my belt, i have not made my initial call to you or Rich yet either, for the same reason. i am also not used to having a coach or asking for help.
you may recall i did the first Tour of California camp with you and Rich in February 2008, when it rained almost every day
anyway - i am now 65 retired and living on the beach in the naples fl area. I have done hundreds of triathlons, starting in 1984, but have not raced or run in over 12 years due to back problems. however I now feel ok and started running for first time on 9/13/16. all my runs are on the beach sand which has allowed me to ramp up my running quickly without injury because of the low impact. I have now run up to 40 miles in 1 week, over 100 miles in the 4 weeks of the OS and 28 miles this past week. my run mileage is posted on the Run Tracker. all my runs are in one mile segments followed by 30 seconds of walking - then another 1 mile run, including the walking segment, etc
I did the Hits Full distance aqua bike race in naples fl a few times, most recently in 2013, my swim was under 60', and my bike was about 5:40
anyway, I am now thinking about racing again since I can now run and which I am enjoying. I have not signed up for any races. I want to see how/if my running progresses and I would only race if I have a realistic chance of being at the top of my age group and if i decide i really want to race. i am still still undecided about racing. i think being part of EN might help me get to the starting line. I have done Ironman Hawaii, and it is not important goal for me at this time.
when Rich set up my schedule, he put me in OS-Intermediate, and we put in Ironman Texas as a place holder, but I am now thinking of rescheduling with him for a spring 70.3 such as Puerto Rico or FL, or gulf coast fl, with the possibility of an Ironman later in the year. i am not sure i want to train that long any more.
I am writing you for your suggestions on how to adjust my training for my specific situation as here described.
I have already moved my training to a 9 day vs 7 day schedule, consisting of 3 - 3 day sequences. I really like the idea of a basic week of training (9 days), which I repeat over and over again. I like to keep things as simple as possible. i like this schedule and i think it is working for me, but i would like your input.
i have read in the 50+ forum where Tim Cronk described his weekly volume and intensity limits and recovery days - see "recovery is the key for the old guy", his comments were point on.
I monitor my recovery daily. I use the Elite-HRV (heart rate variability) app every day when I wake up and only train hard if my score is "green" which is a 7-10 out of a max of 10, and if I really feel ok and don't have muscle soreness after 10 minutes of warmup. i have found using HRV very useful and an accurate predicter of recovery
my current schedule for the OS program:
day 1 - swim/off/core/strength - I just started swimming, after a long layoff - but I am a good swimmer having been an age grouper as a kid , I have only now done 5 swims but, after only 3 pool swims I was able to descend a set of 6x500 scy to 6:40 with no problem. today I did a 2.4 mile wetsuit swim in the gulf and swam the 1st 1.2 miles in 30:30, and came back, against the current, in 35:00 swimming very easy (my shoulder was a little sore) for a total time of 1:05:30 ( the distance was set by my running gps since I swim out and back parallel to the beach), I never swim hard or do short fast intervals, - in the pool I just swim 500's trying to swim an easy consistent pace and get my 500's down to 6:20-6:40 scy. I also swim easy in the Gulf to build endurance.
day 2 - bike intensity - I always bike outdoors, i don't have a trainer - I always do 2x20' (6') @ ftp (I started biking on 8/28, my ftp has gone from 190w to 240w to date (253wx.95, I have done 25+ - 2x20' ftp workouts since 8/28)), each bike is now followed by a 4-5 mile brick run on the beach
day 3 - long run - 60-90 minutes on the beach, my running pace has dropped from 12'/mile to under 10'/mile (including the 30" walk each mile. I have not done any intensity intervals yet, as I don't want to risk injury. I am just tying to build a running base at this point. i am confident my pace will continue to drop as i run more. i run with a metronome set to 180 bpm to speed up my cadence. i currently average a cadence of 80/leg/minute, including the 30" walking segment
day 4 - swim/off/strength/core -
day 5 - bike intensity - currently VO2 Max as per the OS plan followed by a 4/5 mile brick run
day 6 - long run - 60-90 minutes on the beach
day 7 - swim/off/strength/core
day 8 - bike intensity - 2x20' (6') followed by a 4/5 mile brick run
day 9 - long run - 60-90 minutes
thank you for your help
Comments
On a macro level as a couple things here I really like.
First you are very focused on recovery and listening to your body. You simply can't beat that level of attention. Some elite level young athletes do it, but I recommend that we all pay more attention to the current state of our body before we try to crush a workout.
Second, I also agree with your basic training week; the progression and option for "swim rest" make sense to me.
Third, yes to IMPR early in the year. I want to use a shorter event as a method of constraining your current training. Given your history of back issues, I am somewhat concerned by the drastic ramp up in all of your activity. Not just a run, but the swim and bike as well. I don't know what your training log looks like for the last six months as compared to the last month of training, but I am sure there's been a significant increase.
Your body will need at least 8 to 12 weeks of consistent training before you can begin adding more on top of it. In other words, I don't want you running more miles every three cycles in those long runs. I would rather you That Ron at 75 minutes, For example. And run the 75 minutes for 8 to 12 weeks according to your cycle. Only after those 8 to 12 weeks when we begin adding more volume or manipulating the training protocol for better results.
Just as you're being cautious with your daily recovery, I encourage you to be conservative with how are you are adding"work" to your training schedule. For example, there is no need for you to do a one hour ocean swim right now. You should totally somebody ocean, but you don't have to force yourself into an hour swim box. You are many, many weeks away from needing to swim that long to be successful on race day. Yes, I understand that this swim is"free" but the point remains.
Let me know what you're thinking!!!
~ Coach P
Patrick
I have signed up for Hits Naples international distance race on sunday 1/8/17
its only a few blocks from my house, so why not?
I think it will be a good test for me
my swimming and biking are ok, my run is still a work in progress,
I plan on sticking with the Nov OS plan for the race and my training as described above
do you have any suggestions?
As for the IMPR703, you can get ready for the hill, but honestly on race day you won't run up it. You'd power walk that short section and get back to a run-like effort over the top...gotta keep that HR down.
You can see that hill in this guy's strava feed: https://www.strava.com/activities/268924560 Two loop course but over/back that section twice. The mile 4.5 and 10.5 sections are the worst at a 1/2 mile duration.
That said, you can work in some stair climbs or strength work if needed...do you do anything strength related?
~ Coach P
new ftp today - on tri bike - (I ride outdoors in FL)
I switched from my road bike to riding my tri bike 4 workouts ago, which I hadn't ridden for over a year.
my power dropped off 30-40 watts immediately, my quads and back were sore in the new position - I just couldn't push the power up.
since my vo2max workout watts were high and rising, i hoped my ftp watts would come back with time
today, I knew I was on within 10 seconds of starting the first interval - high watts and good legs - I just felt fast
today - 2x20' @ 262w/267w x .95 = 254w ftp
started riding on 8/28 @ 190w ftp, week 1 of OS was 220w, now 254w, + 15% in OS
should i put ftp on maintenance mode, and add that energy to my running or just keep trying to push my ftp up higher?
Ps Nice work!!!
5K run test today - goal pace 8:00/mile
results - 3.12 miles, in 24:54, average pace 7:59, average hr - 160, max hr - 175, average cadence - 87, vdot - 38.5, vs 30 (week 1) 28.3% increase
pacing by mile:
1 - 8:00, ave hr - 147
2 - 8:02, ave hr - 162
3 - 7:58, ave hr - 171
I think my time today accurately reflects my current best effort
runners world age grading - age 65 male:
age graded score (world record age 65 male time (16:39) / my actual time (24:54)) - 66.87%
age graded time (my actual time adjusted to that of an open division participant time using a factor for age and gender) - 19:25 (6:14/mile)
age graded VDOT - 51.6
Have a great holiday!
~ Coach P
<p>please review my hits international distance race report. I am looking for guidance on my next race goal. I now feel that 70.3 Puerto Rico may be to soon to get me race ready to run a 2 hr run spit and that I would be better off going with 70.3 fl on 4/9 or 70.3 gulf coast on 5/13. I am also considering skipping 70.3 races sticking with international distance for now as that would allow me to train with less volume but higher intensity and focus on just getting fast.</p>
If we use my run pace from this race of 8:54/10k that gives a VDOT of 35.5 and predicts a 1/2 marathon of 2:02:45 or 9:22/mile
If we use my run pace from this race based on my gps watch of 6.44 miles that gives a pace of 8:37 and a VDOT of 36.9 which predicts a 1/2 marathon of 1:58.59 or 9:04/mile
In either case I am close to the 2:00:00 goal for a 1/2 marathon
What do you think? How many weeks of training do you think I need to get there?
Arnie
We're walking a fine line right now. As Al Truscott noted in his comment to you on your report, there's only so much intensity you can handle. And at some point being healthy is as much of a competitive advantage is being fast.
You are already putting up some incredible numbers -- as your performances have shown -- and I don't think we need to work hard to take you to the next level unless you're trying to be top of the world or something (if you are, that's totally cool, just want to put in perspective).
Personally I think transitioning to a little bit of volume will be a nice injection of variety into your training program. You been doing some good work and password for now. We shift the focus test slightly longer runs and bikes through may. Then you recover, and go back to the short course racing for the rest of your year.That way you have an incentive to go longer because of a race, and that volume, Applied correctly, will enable you to continue to see gains over the rest of the year even as you transition back to the shorter work.
Ultimately you aren't charge of your body. I'm not going to force you to do anything that you're not sure makes the best sense for you. We have to be careful for you not to try to run just as fast as you have been even as we add the volume. Why don't you think on and let me know how you like to proceed. If you prefer to talk on the phone I'm happy to do that as well: http://meetme.so/patrickmccrann (Please remember to include your phone number.)
~ Coach P
Great to talk with you today, Thanks again for your patience. I was reading through your micro thread above to learn a little bit more about where we started. Interesting to note that back in November I mentioned that your plan would only last 8 to 12 weeks… And here we are.
The most important thing to consider is just how fat you are. As we've noted, your swim and bike fitness are excellent, And not just for your own age group. The sole focus here is running improvement. Entity honest, you don't have that far to go from where you're at.
According to your three day cycle, you run onto of those days. My guess is in the tune of 12 miles (4 in the Brick, 8-ish in the long). So across any given week you are running between 24 and 28 miles. A great baseline.
So my suggestion would be to modify that cycle into something that looks like this:
Day 1: Run Long (after rest day) of 8-10 miles
Day 2: Bike Steady / Upper Steady (in the 75% to 85% range for 2 to 2.5 hours), Run 30 minutes max (before or after).
Day 3: Run Strength (box steps), then Moderate run of 5 to 6 miles.
Day 4: Rest day / Swim only
In this case, your run week on the low end will be 8 + 3 + 5 (16 miles), but done twice is 32 miles a week. I would rather see you stay at this low level for a few weeks, say four, to adapt. On the high end -- over a few weeks -- you could be closer to 10 + 3 + 6 (19 miles), which is 38 miles.
I honestly don't think you need to run that far. I think 30 miles a week will be a great place for you to stay and get fitter. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume you can run 13 miles with a weekly mileage that is doubled that target.
Let me know what you think, I know it's a big change!
~ Coach P
Favorable winds
Rode 70 miles today - 35 out and back
t - 3:21, (56 in 2:41) spd - 20.65, np - 183w, tss - 196, if - .762, ftp - 240w, hr- 137 average,only 7 additional minutes off bike for stop lights and nature break
Held aero position well - I did stretch every so often - feel good on bike
very windy today- lots of head wind and cross wind - used zipp 303's - no issues
Tried to follow QT2 talk nutrition guidelines
Carried and drank 3 water bottles (1/hr) @ 440 calories and 400 mg sodium each bottle, plus 2 salt stick tabs per hour (400 mg) for a total of 800 mg sodium per hour
used only liquid nutrition - I did have 6 power gels on board - but didn't use them
1+ hour before ride I drank 2 cups of coffee plus vegan protein shake w/ 400 calories plus 1 cliff bar (250 cal) - next ride I will also drink 1 bottle of Gatorade before ride
per my sweat tests I am losing 1 to 2 lbs per hour depending on temperature- today was up to 80 deg during ride - so somewhat warm
Sodium loss is therefor @ 300 to 600 mg per hour/lb or approx 600 to 1200mg+ total per hour
I replaced approx 800 mg per hour of sodium
i felt strong today and not energy or sodium limited -
and felt fine after ride
I would have liked more to drink - so I will use bigger bottles on next ride - and maybe carry a 4th bottle if I ride 70+
How long (time and miles) do I need to ride for 70.3?
is 60 enough? or is 70 enough?
or is 3hr or 4hr the maximum ride ?
i want to train enough - but not too much - I prefer minimalist approach
a good ride today
riding long again on Sunday
I really like the changes that you're making to your nutrition, I think there will pay off long-term. My only concern with what you wrote is the protein shake before you go. Typically we don't recommend protein just before a workout. If you mean like an hour before the training session that's perfect. If you need five minutes before, that's likely not ideal. It might not be a problem now, but not something we would want to replicate on race day!
I like it you carry more fluids to have them, especially as the weather changes.
I would suggest somehow staggering your rides as I mentioned in my comments before.... For two long ride sessions maybe just do them steady, and every third long ride you do it more in Zone 3/tempo.
PS - it will be great if you changed your forum picture...here's an image on how to do it!!!!
below are some training peaks charts summarizing my current training and fitness
i still have not signed up for florida 70.3 because i am concerned my running is not yet competitive for the 65-69 ag (2 hour 1/2 marathon). This week i just got my run up to 14 miles (split run) and today i did my fastest treadmill run of 10.1 miles in 90 minutes @ 8:52/mi (treadmill grade @ 1%), ave hr <140, peak 150
I have switched to treadmill runs from the beach runs so i could increase my pace
my swim and bike are fine (i am still averaging 2:40 for 56 miles @ 80% ftp/ave hr 128/z2
given the impact of racing at my age and the extended recovery time maybe i should defer my first 70.3 from 4/9 till 5/13/17 - 70.3 gulf coast? I do think i could be confident about my run by then ( i do have sore hamstrings and bike and run with thigh sleeves which seems to help)
A lot of what I do for people on the team is help them Target the run training towards that desired race pace... Maybe there's some modifications we can make for you.
That said, I do think it's funny that we're talking about your run fitness when comparatively speaking you are just SO FIT right now.
Let me know,
~ Patrick
rode 60 miles followed by a brick run of 6.55 miles (1/2 half marathon)
bike was ok - 56 miles in 2:40, 21 mph, if .72, Ave hr - 131
run was 1:02:30 for 6.55 miles @ 9:30 pace so it looks like a 2 hr HM is unrealistic- more like 2:10+
I did feel good on run - just not fast enough and heart rate got much to high
My run heart rate rose to 169 at end of run (85 degrees) which is not good - how can I keep HR under <160?
i was not dehydrated or low on sodium
Today
ave hr - 151 (too high)
max hr - 169 ( too high)
Use ice ? slow down, walk every mile for 30 seconds? - I didn't do any walking today
Did 45 min wetsuit swim in gulf on Sunday - 2100 yards <30 minutes
heart rate variability score for both Saturday and Sunday mornings - 10/10 - says I should be able to train hard both days - although I was tired on Sunday - but I did have a good swim
Thanks for the data and the check in...I'd like to see the ride and run files, horizontal view with power/hr and pace/r respectively. I am curious to see how the HR builds and evolves.
You say you weren't dehydrated, but a 56 mile ride does have costs associated with it (as compared to a stand alone run. To that end, what HR do you see in a "regular" 9:30 paced run without a bike first?
At the end of the day, we are comparing a 9:10 pace vs a 9:30 pace...not a terrible gap. I am curious to know:
- what was your cadence on that brick run?
- how does it compare to your normal cadence?
You can't assume the competition is a robot running 9:10s no matter what....you'll have to race the conditions, slowing early to keep the HR down so you can push it up over the second half. Walk breaks of 30" per mile are recommended on 80-degree plus days for sure. In temps over 80 you are racing the elements / your potential vs Others. Odds are 90% of the time they will get it wrong and crack.Let's keep digging!
~ Coach P
Run chart
red - heart rate
blue - pace
pace - fairly even
heart rate - rises over run
ave cadence - 82
Bike ride
30 mile out and back ride into a head wind, tail wind back
ave speed 0-30 miles - 18.2 mph
ave speed 30-60 miles - 24 mph +
ave speed for total ride - 20.8 mph
temperature rose from 60-80 deg
power in watts dropped over ride as speed increased
Bike chart
red - heart rate
blue - speed
Heart rate built into mid to upper 130's and stayed there override - even as speed increased and power dropped slightly
green - speed
purple - power
yellow - cadence
grey - elevation
Took Monday off to rest
today Tuesday - ran 6.55 miles on treadmil @ 1% - in 58:20 @ 8:54 per mile Ave pace:
Heart rate chart from 6.55 mile treadmill run
#1 - I love biking show some great pacing and patience... The graph is flat and I expect the numbers but I see there.
#2 - however, when I look at your run chart the heart rate almost always seems to be going up. In both the brick run and your standalone run, you can trace the line from the lower left to the upper right. It's a bit sharper on your standalone run because of the paces you chose. My guess is this is because you have a time goal for your performance whereas on the bike you are focused much more by maintaining a fixed speed that you know is "good enough" for race day.
The next time you get a chance, I'd like to see a run when you go out and just run nine minute miles for six miles. I need this data to see if your heart rate just increases naturally when you run, four because you are fixated on pace that it goes up in response to the effort you're selecting.
As a look at the charts, without thinking about your goals, we really want you to be in the upper half of that yellow zone... Somewhere around the 30 minute mark and then sustaining it.
Keep me posted (ps that second run was a great workout!!!!!)
~ Coach~ Coach P
i think the simple explanation is that my run fitness is still not strong enough and less then my swim and bike fitness
This is why my hr rate rises so much throughout the run
i am almost 66 and haven't run in 10 years. Since I started running on 9/13/16 I have run a total of 673 miles in 200 days thru today or an average of 23.6 miles per week
So I have a small base of running
Still - i am making good progress but have more work to do.
Also, I am still in the early stages of building run fitness where improvements are still comming quickly, if I don't get injured
I agree that am getting very fit and I am focusing on managing my fatigue and recovery
i still haven't signed up for 70.3 Fl next week on 4/9 because I remain concerned about my run and my heart rate getting too high given my age and heart disease.
i know I am running out of excuses not to race - but maybe I should just get a few more weeks of training and focus on 70.3 gulf coast on 5/13/17?
if I did defer should I focus on running at paces for training for a 1:50:00 HM - since you said in a recent podcast that people slow down in a 70.3 up to 10 minutes from an open HM?
i think my heart rates from the runs below are ok - but they were all done indoors @ 69 degree room temp
running outdoors adds lots of heat stress causing a HR spike
1 - here is the data on the run I did today that you requested (1 hour @ 9 minutes /mile:
i am looking forward to any advice you can draw from this data:
"Run on treadmill - 60 minutes @ 1% grade, 8:57/mile or 6.7 miles/hour, ran 6.7 miles, Ave hr 135 - z2 hr, max hr 148 - z3 hr " no z4 hr" room temperature @ 69 degrees"
Note my hr zones are not set up correct on charts below
Zones should be:
z2 hr <143 bpm
z3 hr < 150
z4 hr < 159
2 - Here is is another brick run I did on Wednesday this week
"Brick run on Treadmill @1% - 2 miles@ 8:27/m, 1.5 m @ 8:50/m - ave pace 8:41 - ave hr 141 - z2 hr, some z3 hr - "no z4 hr"
room temperature @ 69 deg"
3 - And here is a third 20' treadmill brick run from Saturday - 11'@7.1 mph/8:27/m,10'@6.8mph/8:49/m=2.43 miles, Ave hr 137
this entire run was in zone 2 - hr<143
Yet when I look at your stand alone and subsequent runs, I see a leveling off in the low 140s...about 4 beats higher than your HIM bike effort, which would be about right (IM effort would be same HR for both bike and run). Here's a quick compilation screengrab:
So part of that could be a lack of run base (time will tell). It could also be time of day -- a brick after a 2.5 hour ride is likely in warmer weather than a run only session.
But it could also be that you are not hydrating / fueling fully on the bike...and that the cumulative effect is that you "overheat" aerobically. You should have to pee 1x on your HIM bike (pull over, actually pee)...but your weight pre/post bike should give us more answers as to the adequacy of your fueling.
I think the "right play" here is to have you get off the bike and run 3 miles at that AVG bike HR....call it 138-140ish. Then pick it up to 142-145 and stay there...see what you get pace wise. As that pace drops on these brick runs, we'll know that you are either (1) getting fitter or (2) fueling better.
Thoughts?
On saturday I did another 70.3 race rehearsal trying to follow your suggestions from your last comment
i rode 63.9 miles @ 21.5 mph, tss 181.1, if .78, my ave hr was 126, but was running 137-142 at the end of the ride, temperatures rose from 50 deg to 72 over the course of the ride
- very pleasant ride - well executed
Time off the bike / not moving for stop lights and peeing was < 5 minutes
however all my 60 mile rides since mid January have been averaging about 21 mph and about 2:37 - 2:45 for 56 miles - I am not getting faster on the bike at this distance - I guess I would like to get it down to a goal of 2:30
my Ave power on these rides has been running 180-190 watts or IF 75%-80%, I haven't been able to get my IF up to 85% which has been my goal,
i also havent been been able to hit my 240 ftp numbers I set in the November OS - i should probably lower my ftp? I still feel a bit off/slower on the bike then I was in the out season
or - maybe i just have maxed out on the bike for now - so i should just try to maintain my bike fitness where it is - and move my energy and focus on just trying to get faster on the Run?
any thoughts?
Bike data
I then did a 1 hour / 6.55 mile brick run , with a goal of the first 3 miles @ ending bike heart rate, & last mile hr goal of < 151 bpm
my Ave hr for the run was 141, and it got over 150 only in the last mile as I tried to lift my pace and lost some focus on my hr -
I felt my pace for the run was the best I could do - I didn't feel like I had more speed in me
The temperature on the run rose from 72 to 75 degrees - much cooler then the last time - my Ave pace was about 10 seconds per mile faster (1.5 minutes) and Ave hr lower then last time - but i was somewhat disappointed - I thought I would be a little faster
i felt fine on run and fine when I finished
i drank 5 water bottles of Gatorade prior to run (400 Cal/bottle) and 1 400 calorie bottle on run - I peed 2x's prior to run
I forgot to bring a scale with me / so I didn't get my weight before and after the bike and run / I will try to remember to bring it next time
Run data:
Run data
Any further thoughts?
i think think I need to start running faster in training - intervals? - if I want to run < 2 hours off the bike
i only need another 10 - 20 seconds per mile to hit my goal
My fastest pace running to date in training has been a few 8:27 miles on the treadmill but the majority of my fast running in training has been 8:57 - 9:08 / mile on the treadmill
goal paces?
i did taper the last 2 weeks as if I was going to race 70.3 FL today - which I didn't do - because I don't want to race unless I am ready to compete - I would rather train and work on my running - the physical cost of racing is too high on my body @ 66
because of the taper / I am somewhat rested as I re-ramp up my training - I changed the end date on my 70.3 plan to 5/14- so I will be in week 16/20 tomorrow
i will now try to get ready for 70.3 gulf coast on 5/13 -
Sorry this took so long…I needed to gather some thoughts. So as I look at your ride, I think this second ride (as compared to the earlier long ride from 3/25) is much better. That ride you averaged 131, this ride you were 126..those 5 heart beats are CRITICAL to your run performance. Case in point that run on 3/25 had you at 151 Avg HR, but this run had you at 143.
Yes, could be part of that taper, but I believe your pacing had a strong role in that improvement.
Speaking of improvement, you want to get faster by 10 to 20” per mile. I am okay with that, acknowledging that speed work is the “X” factor regarding injuries. I say you use “Performance Run Walk” to get it done. What I recommend is that you run 9:00 pace for a mile with 50” of walking for your “race pace runs” for a week, then do 9:00/mi pace with 1’ walk for another week. And we can check in about next steps. This will allow you to stack several race paced miles at the new speed without true speed work…it will be harder than you think.
As an aside, I’d be curious to know what it felt like for you to run 8:40s with 30” walk break at 18:00/mi pace — that’s a 9:12 mile or a 2:00:34 half marathon. Do your own math here: http://www.runnersworld.com/pace-calculators/runwalk-pace-calculator
What do you think of that latter approach? We wouldn’t really “do” it until 3 weeks from now…
~ Coach P
i raced 70.3 gulf coast on Saturday 5/13.
I raced because i was tired of training and needed a break despite knowing that my run was not ready
this was my first 70.3 and second tri in over 10 years
results
i was 5th in ag65-69, my bike was ok , but my run was below expectations
in training i had run 9:20 pace for hour runs off 60 mile bike rides but my race pace was 11:30/mile. My race goal was 2 hours, but i knew i wasnt capable of that
The swim was cancelled, so we had a bike time trial start in race number sequence on 4" intervals, the first person started about 6:25am and as my race number was 1572 - i was almost the last person to start at about 90 minutes later @ 7:55 am. 3 of the 4 ag65-69people ahead of me had low race numbers due to AWA and started at the front of the line. During the race it did get windier and hotter. Paul hough was racked next to me @ #1568
nutrition - i never peed during race , despite drinking over 2 gallons of liquid during the race - dehydrated?
in recent beach runs here in naples fl i had lost 7 lbs/hr (excluding what i drank during the run) i think this liquid loss was far in excess what i could possibly replace by drinking and processing
i was fully hydrated before my bike , peeing right before my start
on the bike i drank 6 gatorade water bottles, approx 144 oz w/3000mg of sodium plus 8 salt tabs for 1600mg of sodium, or a total of 4600mg of sodium on bike
i dont think i could have drank more on bike
on the run i walked every aid station, i drank 3 to 4 cups of gatorade at each, say 10oz x13 aid stns = 130 oz and say approx 3200mg of sodium plus 4 more salt tabs for 800 mg of sodium . On the run i could have tried to drink even more
i ran with a bag of ice in each hand, which i refilled at each aid stn - which helped keeping me cooler then i would have otherwise been.
so in total i drank more then 2 gallons or 16 lbs of liquid and almost 10000 mg of sodium, yet i didnt start peeing until 3 hours after the race, despite drinking alot after i finished
my energy level throughout the race was fine, i dont think i needed more calories, i didnt bonk or cramp. I felt ok during race, just hot, and unable to run faster, i never walked except thru aid stns, i felt my run pace was consistent , but slow, during the race
My heart rate was 10-15 bpm higher on both the bike and run then in training. It was also higher then normal both prior to and on race morning
on bike hr 146 vs 130 in training, on run it averaged 160, which was my cap, vs <150 in training. As i have a stent in my LAD and CHD i am a little conservative on pushing my hr too high
My heart rate variabilty was running 10/10 before the race during my taper, but in the last 3 days before the race it dropped significantly and my resting heart rate rose 10+ bpm and i felt tired, yet my taper, i thought was ok. I cant explain the drop in my HRV readiness score or rise in resting heart rate, note my hrv was a 10 on sunday and monday following the race!
my TSB was 40+ on race morning - very good
my bike power was a little lower then on my training rides despite good training results and a good taper. Despite higher hr and lower power ride was ok, but below expectations
so i cant explain my poor run except due to dehydration and just being new to running since i only started running september 2016
i dont want to race another 70.3 until i am capable of a 2 hour run, which was my day 1 goal
- i have to have ran at that pace for at least an hour off of a 60 mile ride in t raining
i think i would/should like to focus on international distance triathlon to get faster, until my run improves
Maybe i should also look for a cooler temperature 70.3 race given my sweat rate?
what do you think of my race analysis and recommend for improving my run and race results?
Any suggestions?
Looks like you set out at your normal pace, but when you saw the HR roll up after 2 miles you dialed it back...by then it was kind of late -- pace dropping and HR skyrocketing. It's possible you could have run 10 to 10:30 if you were in a good place. Let's save it for next time!
As for Races This Season:
• Boulder 70.3 in early August should be in the 70s, but could be a crap shoot
• Calgary 70.3 in late July looks pretty cool!
• Lake Placid 70.3 in early September should be cool.
I can't speak to the TERRAIN of these venues, but they should keep you cool!
As for Training Now:
Given you just raced, let's take it easy for two weeks. No running for a week (yes, I know you can) and focus instead on getting recovered with easy swim and bike sessions.
By then you should have some clarity on your 70.3® plan for the rest of this year.
For your training, I would consider a bike boost as we discussed, not just for the bike but for your overall fitness. Your entire system is stressed and can improve, and it's fun to ride in new places, on a roadbike!!!
I have some other thoughts...but let's roll with this now!
~ Coach P
Patrick
do you think Mont Tremblant QC would be a good place for me to go for a triathlon training camp for a week or 2 and to escape the Florida heat?
I have never been there, do you like it?
where did you stay - hotel or condo? any recommendations?
I came across a Trisutto camp there in July, 7/2 - 7/8 and 7/9-7/15, see file attached below
do you think it would be a good use of my time, I know a lot of the other particpants will be younger and possibly less experienced? I thought some hands on coaching might help me
do you think at my age 65 - 1 week enough or is 2 weeks ok?
So the positives are the venue, and the opportunity to train in great conditions. Constraints might be limitations of the camp schedule versus your ability. If you can talk to the organizers and they're willing to let you maybe break out for a day to ride the course on your own that might be ideal. But you can't beat the running and swimming there in Lake or the roads.
Caveat - I will say that the highway 117 is busy although it does have a big shoulder. There's plenty of riding to do outside of the highway, but that is technically part of the course.
It might be worthwhile asking the team in the general discussions forum for other camp suggestions. You don't necessarily need to go to a triathlon one, you could do a cycling camp and then just run on your own.
i will probably either suspend or cancel my EN membership before the next biling cycle
i feel like it's time to focus on other things