Swimming good. No problems other than when getting deeper into the set I have to be somewhat attentive to how hard I am pushing off the wall as that seems to be a trigger to cause issues. Other than that, all good.
Running seems to be OK as a stand alone activity and at a moderate pace. Sticking between TRP to Z2 as a steady pace feels good. Speed work, particularly of any distance like the KM repeats is where it becomes a problem, so looking at likely just doing steady pace runs for proscribed amounts of time on plan vs the actual workout. And while the EN target on race day for half irons is Z2, being that Raleigh is run in 100 degrees, I would be beyond thrilled if I could hit TRP for that run. Would be a PR for the run leg.
Off the bike the past couple times were not pretty, so I stopped. Which doesn't bode well for next weekends races. Will just have to see how it goes.
The bike doesn't seem to be impacted by the calf in any way. The toe however can be another story. The firm nature of cycling shoes can cause soreness and pain. And while cycling is non-impact like running, in running I can heel strike (which is my natural style) and the toe isn't taking the brunt of the impact. On the bike however, the majority of the force is applied by the forefoot. Which stresses the joint. And my natural pedal stroke is toe down, complicating the issue, so been working more on dropping the heel. Which robs me of power. So its a balancing act of generating power in my natural fashion vs pedaling in a way that reduces stress to the injury.
And luckily Raleigh is not an A race like last season. While I had started the year with plans on PRing the race, which I believe may still be possible, the goal is to have a satisfactory performance, not embarrass myself, and have fun.
The Half Iron at White Lake NC in September is the A+ race where a well under 5 hour time is the goal. And while it is a Sept race, the potential for 100 degrees is still very real and mid 90s is almost a certainty. With exactly zero shade on the run. Went 5:03:59 there in 2016. The swim will be slow as the water is surely going to be in the upper 80's. Last time my swim strategy was to just get on the feet of whoever was the fastest swimmer and coast along with them instead of actually racing it. Hot water is horrible and a great way to blow yourself up with overheating and a sky high heart rate. You day can be done before its really even started. So gains will have to come on the bike and hopefully I can match the 1:44 I did for the run. And the strategy seemed to work last time. Stay on guys feet, smooth the bike at about 80% of FTP, then run as best as can be maintained. Won AG by 12 minutes. I think the only change I am going to make this time is to ride at a higher % of FTP. Its a fairly flat bike, but has a lot of long false flats. So keeping a low VI should be pretty easy.
My thoughts are that building power on the bike until September is going to be my focus. If runs have to be half assed, or just run slower than plan, that's fine. Just get in the time and miles as best possible. But treat the bike as my job. And getting stronger on the bike will allow a reduced effort on it come race day that will conserve energy and reduce physical stress, allowing a best possible run for the run training I was able to do. And with a season ending marathon on the schedule after the Sept half iron, almost treat running between now and Sept as a durability program and not a racing program so I am set up to attack marathon training out the gate if healed up enough to do so.
Update. Calf seems to be holding up doing steady pace runs between TRP and Z2. Did a couple Z3/4 mile repeats just to test it and it was goodish. Decided against a 3rd mile just to be safe and just smoothed out the run between TRP and Z2.
First races of the season this weekend. White Lake Olympic and Sprint. Met another EN member from Fayetteville NC, can't remember his name.
So, Saturday, Olympic distance with a 45K instead of 40K bike.
2 loop 1,500 meter swim, 22:01 official time (watch said 25:01, hhhmmm?). 1:42 ahead of 2nd fastest swim in my AG. 35 seconds behind the fastest overall swimmer, putting me 6th overall for the swim. 1:17:55 for the 45K bike. 225 watt avg. I'll take it after the layoff. 46:46 for the 10K. Very happy I was able to run steady and then accelerate the last couple miles and not fade.
Ended up 3rd in my AG (45-49)
Sunday was a sprint.
750 meter swim, 12:03. 2:33 faster than 2nd in my AG, and I need that gap. These freaks run sub 20 5Ks off the bike. I don't. 14.2 mile bike, 2 loops, 234 watts. Again, pretty happy. But what impressed me after reviewing the data, loop 2 was 5 seconds slower than loop 1. That is some smooth ass pacing. Loop 2 could have been faster but the end of the course is a hard right hand turn with the dismount line only about 10 feet past the turn. So you roll up to the turn pretty slow and break to a stop through the turn. So the last couple hundred yards was pretty much decelerating and slow rolling. I know I could have pushed the bike probably 10-15 watts harder but I kept telling myself I have to run and its not worth tweaking the calf or getting it angry, just relax and pedal steady. 5K run was 21:25. Which sounds amazing! Until you see its actually only 2.95 miles. But still a pace I was very happy with after not running for a while and doing near zero fast running. I'm not a speedster. I'm a long guy. As my wife says, I have one speed. Ended up 2nd in my AG, which was a big surprise as I had no plans on making the podium.
Overall a great weekend and happy with the results and pretty happy with performance considering I haven't done any serious training since mid/late Feb. Hopefully I can get back into full on training soon and get my endurance back, because it is gone. If I had tried the half on Saturday instead of the olympic it would have been a shit show.
6 weeks to IM Raleigh 70.3. I'd like to do well. But not embarrassing myself and bonking hard on the bike or run is probably the realistic goal. A Race is still White Lake Half Iron 2nd weekend of September and then Kiawah Island Marathon Dec 8th. Tips, tricks, and advice?
On Edit: I think finally 'racing' again kicked up my interest and motivation a little as the injury really had me down and disinterested. And knowing my endurance is way down, I decided to attack the one thing I can. The swim. On week 15 of the 2018 EN Half Bike Focus. Opening set was 6 x 300 2" to 3" faster than RR. So I decided to open at that pace and do them descending. Started at 1:21 and dropped each, ending at 1:15. Gotta work hard where I am able to. Ended up with an average pace of 1:19/100 for the 3,800 yards in todays swim.
Here is something I should have probably asked a while ago but never have. I'm a pool swimmer. 99% of my swim training is in the pool. When I swim in open water I have a horrible pull/drift to the left. I can site on the buoy every 4 or 5 strokes, which I do, but not matter what, I continually move off course left. What the hell am I doing and how do I correct it? My stroke and technique feels no different than in the pool. This adds yards and time. I've never been able to figure out why this happens or how to correct or compensate for it. Ideas?
@Brian Terwilliger - Congratulations on a double podium weekend! Can’t say I’ve ever had that happen to me. :-) Super impressed.
Even though your most recent training wasn’t successful, it’s in a lot of great work so I’m not terribly surprised. In fact sounds about spot on for me. The big thing that I am excited about is your even pacing, as you mentioned. And a solid run even tho you’ve been protecting your calf. Both are great signs!
Between now and your next half there should be no major changes on the run training. We want to still be studying smart as that’s how you will run on race day. I like how you’re attacking the swim, and I’d like you to consider attacking the bike a bit more on the weekend rides.
A personal favorite of mine is doing a Saturday ride split in half. We’re about 20 minutes and then ride 90 minutes harder than half fireplace to a coffee shop. Get off your bike, have a cuppa coffee and a scone. Chill for a total of 30 minutes. Get back on the bike, warm up 20 minutes and then crush the next 90 minutes back home. Two workouts in one, plus coffee.
Sunday could be a steady 2h ride after such an effort, and you could spice it up by doing standing intervals of 2 to 3 minutes in duration and the big chain ring at 60 RPMs with five minute recoveries in zone two.
I only suggest that workout above because it’s different than the hard work you’ve been doing on the trainer already. Variety is good.
As for the swim thing, that kind of crap happens all the time. The easiest solution is to figure out how frequently you need to place your right arm in the water at 2 o’clock on the Dial (your head being 12 o’clock). Placing your arm out to the side ever so slightly— and in a good rhythm — will offset that natural pull to the left. It’s basically using your stroke as a rudder.
Another painless solution is to analyze your breathing patterns. If you constantly breathe to one side you’re likely over rotating or swimming with an unbalanced stroke. So maybe by bilateral breathing you can eliminate the issue.
I know I should ride on the road, and I will do some, but honestly it has become scarier and scarier as of late. Saturday's race was the first time I rode outside since IM Choo back in Sept. My handling skills were certainly lacking. I'm going to ride outside as little as possible. Maybe once a week. But likely once every other for one of the longer weekend rides. Hell, one of my friends ended up in an ambulance two weeks ago because he got taken out by a cardboard box! Maybe my attitude will change as I get deeper into the season. Hopefully. But if not, Zwift it is.
One issue that I find both a blessing and a curse is none of my friends can keep up with me. So I do all my outside rides solo. Its great. I can put in my work as the plan proscribes and don't have to worry about waiting for people, or someone getting lost cause I drop them. But if something happens while I am out there, I'm all alone and that's dangerous. And I really don't like group rides of any size. I find them dangerous and often full of attitudes.
This weekend the training schedule calls for a race rehearsal. Gonna do the swim on Friday and the Bike/Run on Saturday. Will probably try to find an appropriate Zwift race if there is a 100km one available. If not, I'll just Zwift it on one of the courses then hop off and do a 10K around the hood. Sunday is listed as an off/recovery day. Wife is president of the chamber of commerce and is having board members over for a bbq. So while I'm doing my manly duties and working my smokers all morning, I'll probably put in an easy Z1/Z2 ride on Zwift to keep myself occupied and not waste the opportunity since I'm going to be stationary for a bunch of hours cooking.
I like the concept of a split bike. But not sure I can do it. Will try though. My problem is often once I stop, my body is done. Its very tough to get started again. After next weekend I'll give it a try. Probably on trainer. Knock out a warm up, 90 minute hammer fest, stop, eat, drink, stretch, then get back on and do it again. If I can find staggered Zwift races that will mesh up with such a schedule it will probably be a lot easier to have some motivation to get on for the 2nd leg.
Next weekend I am traveling and running a womens half marathon on Sunday. The Diva Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach. Wife wanted to run the 5K. I'm not traveling to watch a 5K. And a 5K is too short of a run for me, so I signed up for the half. Hoping to maintain Z2 for the 13 miles. Will see how it goes. Going to do Saturday's long bike on Friday, relax and rest up Saturday and run the half on Sunday.
I use Rotor Q-Rings on my P5. Regular old round rings on my B14 and Scott road bike. I like the Q rings. On the B14 and Scott, running 50/34. However, the Q-Rings are 52/36. We can ignore the little ring. I'm rarely if ever in it.
With the shape/design and theory behind the Q-Rings, the 52 acts like a 55 in the 'power' section of the pedal stroke for lack of a better term. I'm wondering, would I be better served swapping that ring out for a 50T Q-Ring?
While I think a lot of the marketing behind the Q-Rings is just that, marketing, I do find they have some positives that I can actually quantify. Such as I find it easier to hold a cadence with little variance, where with round rings I really have to focus and concentrate on holding a number. And their claims that it reduces irritation to the knees seems to be legit.
The comeback train is gaining steam. Race rehearsal today.
The bike. Knowing my power and especially my endurance are way down, and that I had to run, I wanted to push myself a little, but keep it realistic and not destroy myself. Set a goal of 210-215 watts. Came in at 212 with a NP of 214. If there hadn't been a run to follow and I was time trailing it, could have pushed quite a bit harder. This is my longest bike in both distance and time since IM Choo back in Sept.
The run. Knowing I only had a 10K and not 13, I went out faster than I would ever do on race day. Legs a little tight, but all in all not bad. 7:52 min/mi for 6.4 miles, 50 minutes.
Man, I love the heart rate on that bike! Like a metronome. We can bike like that steady on race day the competition is in trouble! I think the difference between a 52 in a 50 on those gears is pretty minimal. I personally have opted for the bigger size as I’d like to keep the speed up once I hit the down hills into the flats . That’s when the bigger front ring matters to me. I think you are similar in your desire for speed and relative strength, so I would look at that big ring as a tool for speed creation and maintenance on your rides.
Curious to hear what you think about the split rides if you can make them happen. And no worries about getting outside, I hear you on the safety issue!
Since I am traveling this coming weekend I'm hoping to try out the split ride the following weekend.
I think a Zwift race of appropriate length if available, or the Fire & Ice route for the 2nd half of the ride would be appropriate as it would require me to work and not just slack along for the 90 minutes. And if I slack on Fire & Ice, I'll be on there for well over 2 hours!
@Brian Terwilliger - If history is any guide, I’m sure we can find a way to make it happen. I bet if you issued a challenge to the team you could get a bunch of folks to do it with you. Make it social and a little more fun. But that’s also a great challenge for a time of the year when the weather really sucks. Hope all things are going well!
With Raleigh 70.3 approaching quickly and only a few weeks away (06/03), I've started to look past it at the proposed training schedule for my years road map so I can start to plan life, family, and other obligations and interests in accordance with my training needs.
Advanced Big Bike Week from 06/04 - 06/10. Then again 07/08 - 07/14. Bike Focus Block crammed between. You're out of your mind. While I am a sadistic freak, I can't be doing 80 mile rides on a weeknights. Even cutting back to "beginner level", 40 mile rides every evening is not realistic.
We need to recalibrate.
Raleigh IM 70.3 on Sunday June 3rd. Triangle Sprint Triathlon on Saturday July 14th. Followed by A+ race for the year, White Lake Half Iron Saturday 09/08.
We need to fill that gap between IM Raleigh and Triangle Sprint as Big Bike Week, Bike Focus Block, Big Bike Week (as currently written) just isn't viable. Plus taking that much time off from the pool can't be good, even for a swimmer like me. Plus its my only weapon! I need all the lead I can get coming out of the water.
Road Map calls for EN Advanced Half from 7/15 until 09/09. Which is perfect. Half Iron on 09/08, Sprint on 09/09.
So, what's your thoughts?
My random thoughts. Load up the Advanced Short Course plan through the sprint to bring the volume down a little and re-up intensity, then go into the Half plan as scheduled. OR, take a "fun" week after Raleigh 70.3 and do whatever I please. Take Monday after race day off, and do 3 or 4 Zwift races or challenge type rides and run a few 10Ks or so and then load up the Half plan, which would be week 8 of 20, which is a test week. Would probably be good to do an FTP test to reset zones that week in either the Short or Half plan. I'd skip the 5K test. There really is no reason to do one when its 90 degrees and humidity like a swamp. Plus I'm still just running steady around TRP or a little faster if capable, but usually TRP or a little slower for overall pace as these have been the first "hot" runs of the year and acclimation needs to take place.
All I was trying to do was to get you to call me crazy. Can’t believe it took this long! :-)
I like your final proposition there. Short course for speed, fun week with an eye towards biking as much as possible, and a half plan.
I respectfully disagree that you need to swim a ton to keep the speed up but I also appreciate that I am not a swimmer!
The only thing I see missing is a volume pop On the bike. I’m looking for a one week for you to break 250 miles. That becomes the anchor for your fitness for the rest of the year. Assuming you take one day off after Raleigh with a focus on riding...I think you can do it! Let me know what you think.
250 miles (36 miles a day) in a week will be tough with a full time job, family commitments and exploring a new business venture (brewery). Though I could cheat and do the London Flat loop so I have high average speed and pause my quest for the Tron bike. But you know what, challenge accepted. Maybe throw down on the Four Horseman on Sunday if I get to 200 on Saturday. That 55 miles will be like 80. Probably have to throw in some split bikes (like the famous EN split long run). And I most certainly need to up my bike volume. I've mentioned before that my endurance is totally shot. And that's 90% on the bike. Swim is AOK. The Run is what the run is with my issues, but I can still keep going forever. So after the 250 mile challenge the week following Raleigh 70.3, I'll load up the short course and attack the Tues/Thursday bikes with increased intensity, and add volume to Saturdays rides as needed and add a Sunday ride when I can as there are no Sunday rides on the short course plan.
On swimming to maintain speed. I don't. I could probably take 2 months off of swimming entirely and hop in the pool and rip off a 2,200 or 4,400 yard swim within a minute of what I can do it in today. The difference will be what I can do after getting out of the water. I'd be pretty fresh and ready to go today when I exit the water. After a layoff, while my swim speed would be near if not identical, I'd be gassed and possibly light headed, needing a minute or three to collect myself. And being a good swimmer I don't mind blowing off a swim to do something else in its place. I just don't feel comfortable going less than 2 a week after the week following Raleigh through the sprint.
I use my swim training as a tool to be able to go fairly easy on race day, which still ends up being a lot faster than 90%+ of the other people. And since I am going so easy, I hit T1 and start the bike relaxed, fresh, and not needing any recovery and my HR plunges to where I want it within minutes if not faster. Where as everyone else drags out of the water, tongue hanging like a panting dog, looking like death.
Thanks for the detail on the swim and fitness, and I One hundred percent agree with you. This announcer much the individual speed as it is your overall fitness. But all that some training does take up a ton of time.
I appreciate you taking the bike challenge. Worst case scenario you “only” do two hundred miles. That’s still a lot of biking in a week! And as you noted, if we can get one or two bigger days you’re golden. That means sucking it up on us super early Tuesday morning and a super early Thursday morning and then a normal Saturday for example. You can certainly find people to ride with you and Swift that’s for sure!
Ugh. Half hour into todays 3 hour ride my Kickr Snap stopped transmitting data! I can't get it to work. Beyond frustrating. And now its too late to go ride outside or swap to the dumb trainer. A wasted day and lots of lost training. I may have to go ride outside tomorrow and risk death. 3 friends in 3 weeks have been hit. I really don't want to do it. But may have to. Hopefully REI will take it back and ship me a new one. They are usually pretty good on returns. But it so frustrating to be behind on training and then lose a huge training day.
Update: Swapped it at REI. New one here the 17th. And another friend went down hard today. Not hit, but hard crash. I love this damn sport but I really think outside of race day, near 100% of my riding is going to be on the trainer. With planning on a full or 2 full irons next year, I know I will have to put in more outdoor riding. But with no more than a half this year I can get away with only the trainer. And hey, if Lionel Sanders can do 100% of his training on Zwift and destroy everyone on the bike, so can I!
Back on the dumb trainer for me tomorrow. Considered riding outside by I gotta knock it out with mothers day stuff to attend.
Now, when is that treadmill you can ride your bike on coming out! Add a Vasa and I may never leave the house!
Man, that is the worst! I’ve had a few couple close calls on my technology and they definitely drive me nuts.
Like you said, the safety is key. Not so much from a life or death standpoint, but more so from the training quality standpoint. If you were spending your entire ride fearing for your life there’s just no way you were going to get a good workout done. I hope this is resolved quickly for you so So you can get back on track.
The treadmill for the bike looks amazing but I think you’ll have to open a human performance lab to justify it! :-:smile:So you can get back on track.
The treadmill for the bike looks amazing but I think you’ll have to open a human performance lab to justify it! :-)
Alright, IM Raleigh 70.3 is basically 2 weeks away. Sunday June 3rd.
We know its going to be a shit show. Illness, injuries, etc... totally derailed training. I'm good with it and have accepted it won't be a stellar day or likely even a decent day.
So, now its time to decide what kind of Suck do we want it to be and develop some sort of race "plan".
The Swim: Straight forward, no issues. Conditions will determine methods. Jordan lake is a slow swim as the long arm of the triangle is against the current. If there is any wind, the lake gets real choppy. And being wave starts from oldest to youngest, there is a lot of swimming into, around, and over people. But the fitness and skills are there, so no worries. Just take it easy, don't blow up, or get kicked in the face.
Now, this is what we need to determine. The bike and the run training are lacking. The run will be 95-100 degrees and as always, will totally suck. So here is my conundrum.
Do we go easy on the bike and hope to be able to run somewhat decent? Even when very well trained, the Raleigh run is total BS. And this year it is even worse. A new run course that is a 3 looper with multiple out and backs on each loop! Its a rat maze and I am honestly worried about running it wrong and getting DQ'd. And so are a lot of others I have spoken with. Its horrible. Worst run course design ever.
Or, attack the hell out of the bike and then just run/waddle to the best of my ability with whats left in the tank?
We aren't PR chasing for sure. No designs on having a really fast finish time. Though I have found over the years, that my body will often respond best on race day when my total training volume is lower but intensity is higher. SO might surprise myself and do pretty well because of the reduced load I have been under.
So, easy bike and hope for the best on the run or attack bike and hang on for dear life on the run?
Man, I love questions like these! Since there’s nothing to lose and we have a lot of options. Assuming that it will be cooler in the morning on the bike starts, it might be strategically appropriate to push the first 25 to 30 miles before the temperature gets up there and then dial things back over the second half of the bike and be as steady as you can on the run.
Obviously at the end of the day there isn’t going to be no extra speEd at the end of the run. The run will be awful. Mitigating the heat and staying steady until you get close enough to the finish line and you can do some work. That would be my “I have no goals” strategy.
If you are going to hurt, it might as well be fun!
I have been leaning toward attacking the bike. The make or break will be around mile 43 at Lake Wheeler road which is a long never ending climb pretty much until the finish with a few flats and downs to give the legs and HR a rest. Lake Wheeler is known for ruining peoples day if they crush the first 40 miles. Its not a big climb, or even a difficult climb. Its just long. But realistically, I don't see my run varying too much on either toasted legs or semi rested legs. Its going to be a struggle either way, and for once, the time saved on the bike may actually outweigh the time lost on the run from overcooking on the bike.
But here is the factor that is really making me lean toward attacking the bike. Getting the hell out of the pack of riders and up toward the front for both safety reasons and to not have to work as hard through traffic later in the race.
I'm in the 6th swim wave. Waves 1 and 2 are pro men and women. Wave 3, all men 55+. Wave 4 all men 50-54. Wave 5 is my age group, 45-49, but letters A-K. So, being a T, I'm in wave 6. While the 50+ racers are loaded up with fast people, and my age group is nothing but speed demons, I suspect there are enough of them that I am faster than both in the swim and bike that will allow me to get well out front with an aggressive strategy and then just see how the chips fall after coming out of T2 and watch them all reel me in and pass me on the run.
It out of T to T1, and focus on getting your heart rate down right away. So the first 5 to 10 minutes are getting settled starting to eat and drink and some deep breaths. Once you are settled you’re going to push it for about 30 minutes At upper zone three. Keep an eye on the heart rate and make sure you can eat and drink but do some good work here.
Then you will settle back down now that you have moved up a bit into a more steady pace for the next 10 to 15 miles. Pick your way through the crowd be smart but keep that heart rate and track. This is essentially a recovery moment before the final push.
Then, at mile 40, you begin To attack. Do you want to have a bottle of water on your bikes you can portal over yourself and you will have want to have done most of your nutrition by the time you start this point. You will need to commit to getting soaking wet and T2 and really managing ice and fluids in those early miles of the run when you need to keep your heart rate down and try to eat in preparation for the second half of the death march.
Couple friends went and ran a loop of the new run course over the weekend. Reports are its a total disaster and the worst run course in the history of run courses. Some portions are on paths only 4 feet wide. How are people supposed to run in both directions? Some less than paved, gravel and pothole roads in the less attractive parts of downtown Raleigh. And there are not 1, not 2, not 5, but 9 u-turns. And the last 2 miles are up hill. Should be great!
The consensus seems to be that IM is giving Raleigh a big middle finger as they head out of town as this is the last one. They apparently did the same with the Rock n Roll half marathon recently as it was the last one in Raleigh and they designed a horrible course where previous years the courses were really great.
Settling into a race plan. Lake temp is already about 80. And likely to continue to climb. So swim may end up being a slow and easy one to not jack heart rate and overheat. Then take it easy for a couple miles on the bike as we climb out of the basin from the lake. Throw the hammer down and see what I feel comfortable holding and gamble. If the legs are there, great, if not, back off. Then just see what happens on the run. Been encouraged by my last couple runs from a pain and recovery perspective. So hopefully it will go fairly decent.
But having resigned myself to it not being an A+ day, I'm just planning on enjoying myself and having fun for the last go around for IM Raleigh and just doing what I feel I am best able to do on the day.
Following the race my plan is take a week and do fun and easy stuff on Zwift, get runs in, maybe swim a time or two. Then do the big 250 mile bike challenge the following week with some running, probably no swimming, then dive into short course for the Triangle Sprint on July 14 and then balls to the wall for White Lake Half Iron on Sept 9th.
Well, this throws a huge wrench into next years plans. A local full Iron distance tri. May 12, 2019. We shall talk about this in the future. Original 2019 plan had me ending the out season a week before with the Diva Half Marathon on the preceding Sunday. May have to go right from my 2018 season ending Marathon on Dec 8 into IM training after recovering until New Years. This is probably a great race to promote in the team, especially for those who remember the original Beach To Battleship down the road in Wilmington that went bye bye when IM bought the race.
I like finding the different and the challenging. My town has a great race the first Saturday in June every year, Run The Quay. But thanks to 70.3 on Sunday, I'm spectating. A 5K, 10K, and a 15K challenge. What makes the 15K a "challenge" is the 10K is at 7 AM and the 5K is at 8:30 AM. So you get to stand around waiting for the 5K giving your body a chance to lock up after you finish the 10K. And its hilly. My 11 year old will be running that tomorrow. Going for his 3rd consecutive 12 and under 1st place finish in the 10K portion. They don't age group the 15K combo. I look forward to being able to race it next year. And they are running a $15 special if you sign up June 3-5. I can't pass that up. And with Raleigh 70.3 going bye bye, next year I can compete in the NC Beer Mile Championship. Its always been the week before Raleigh 70.3 thus had to sit out last year and this. But came in 10th 2 years ago. Have a 6:34 beer mile PR. While I can drink a lot, I'm not a fast drinker. Gotta start training! And I do think we need to set up an EN beer mile challenge like the Ben & Jerrys challenge. Hit the local track, or measure out a course, film it and post it.
Well, Raleigh was a shit show. Swim 33, but 3rd in AG. Was long and strong current so no one really swam fast. Bike 2:44. 10 minutes slower than last year. 201 avg watts. But I think that is a bit inflated as there were some higher watt efforts on a lot of the climbs to push my larger butt up the hills. And Raleigh has a lot of hills. NP was 216. VI of 1.07 if I did the math right. Memory tells me it should be much lower. I in no way climbed the EN way. Now, neither of those were too bad. The run is another story. Came out of T2 feeling great. Strong, low HR, no pain, no discomfort, ready to rock. Stuck to my planned HR of 135-140, Mile 1, 2 and 3 stayed in range, pace in the mid to upper 8's. Then the wheels came off. My stomach turned off and said it was done for the day. If I pushed faster than 10 it told me I was going to have disaster pants or puke. So I had to slow jog it. Came in with a terrible 2:13 half marathon and a worst ever 5:36 for the 70.3 distance. Run course was terrible even on a good day. Lots of turns and hills. I think the math shows a turn every 1/3 of a mile. Bunch of out and backs, 9 u-turns. Bla bla bla.
I knew I wasn't going to crush it today and didn't plan on it. Just wanted to smooth the swim in 81 degree water and have a respectable bike. Accomplished both. But the run left me greatly deflated. But some days just go wrong and there is nothing you can do about it. Luckily it wasn't my A race.
Now, speaking of A race, White Lake Half Sept 8th. Current plan is to take this coming week and just keep moving and do a little running, zwift, and a swim or 2. Then attempting the big 250 mile bike week with maybe a little running and a swim or two. Probably no swimming or just 1. After that its Short Course plan until July 14th for a Sprint, and then right into half iron plan for the White Lake Half on Sept 8th. Question. 2017 EN Half Advanced vs 2018 EN Half Bike Focus. I'm leaning toward 2017. I think it works with my schedule better and my body seems to respond better. Of course, I could be imagining that. Is there a reason I should not do that?
Brian - yea, the results looked shitty. Let's break down what you ate on the bike; if it was "normal" food, it could be the HR. If you went off the reservation on both, it's anyone's guess.
I think that you are fine on the ADV 2017 HIM plan...that would be great. Schedule matters more than the new workouts.
What's the plan for body comp between now and Sept?
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Swimming good. No problems other than when getting deeper into the set I have to be somewhat attentive to how hard I am pushing off the wall as that seems to be a trigger to cause issues. Other than that, all good.
Running seems to be OK as a stand alone activity and at a moderate pace. Sticking between TRP to Z2 as a steady pace feels good. Speed work, particularly of any distance like the KM repeats is where it becomes a problem, so looking at likely just doing steady pace runs for proscribed amounts of time on plan vs the actual workout. And while the EN target on race day for half irons is Z2, being that Raleigh is run in 100 degrees, I would be beyond thrilled if I could hit TRP for that run. Would be a PR for the run leg.
Off the bike the past couple times were not pretty, so I stopped. Which doesn't bode well for next weekends races. Will just have to see how it goes.
The bike doesn't seem to be impacted by the calf in any way. The toe however can be another story. The firm nature of cycling shoes can cause soreness and pain. And while cycling is non-impact like running, in running I can heel strike (which is my natural style) and the toe isn't taking the brunt of the impact. On the bike however, the majority of the force is applied by the forefoot. Which stresses the joint. And my natural pedal stroke is toe down, complicating the issue, so been working more on dropping the heel. Which robs me of power. So its a balancing act of generating power in my natural fashion vs pedaling in a way that reduces stress to the injury.
And luckily Raleigh is not an A race like last season. While I had started the year with plans on PRing the race, which I believe may still be possible, the goal is to have a satisfactory performance, not embarrass myself, and have fun.
The Half Iron at White Lake NC in September is the A+ race where a well under 5 hour time is the goal. And while it is a Sept race, the potential for 100 degrees is still very real and mid 90s is almost a certainty. With exactly zero shade on the run. Went 5:03:59 there in 2016. The swim will be slow as the water is surely going to be in the upper 80's. Last time my swim strategy was to just get on the feet of whoever was the fastest swimmer and coast along with them instead of actually racing it. Hot water is horrible and a great way to blow yourself up with overheating and a sky high heart rate. You day can be done before its really even started. So gains will have to come on the bike and hopefully I can match the 1:44 I did for the run. And the strategy seemed to work last time. Stay on guys feet, smooth the bike at about 80% of FTP, then run as best as can be maintained. Won AG by 12 minutes. I think the only change I am going to make this time is to ride at a higher % of FTP. Its a fairly flat bike, but has a lot of long false flats. So keeping a low VI should be pretty easy.
My thoughts are that building power on the bike until September is going to be my focus. If runs have to be half assed, or just run slower than plan, that's fine. Just get in the time and miles as best possible. But treat the bike as my job. And getting stronger on the bike will allow a reduced effort on it come race day that will conserve energy and reduce physical stress, allowing a best possible run for the run training I was able to do. And with a season ending marathon on the schedule after the Sept half iron, almost treat running between now and Sept as a durability program and not a racing program so I am set up to attack marathon training out the gate if healed up enough to do so.
Update. Calf seems to be holding up doing steady pace runs between TRP and Z2. Did a couple Z3/4 mile repeats just to test it and it was goodish. Decided against a 3rd mile just to be safe and just smoothed out the run between TRP and Z2.
On Edit: I think finally 'racing' again kicked up my interest and motivation a little as the injury really had me down and disinterested. And knowing my endurance is way down, I decided to attack the one thing I can. The swim. On week 15 of the 2018 EN Half Bike Focus. Opening set was 6 x 300 2" to 3" faster than RR. So I decided to open at that pace and do them descending. Started at 1:21 and dropped each, ending at 1:15. Gotta work hard where I am able to. Ended up with an average pace of 1:19/100 for the 3,800 yards in todays swim.
Here is something I should have probably asked a while ago but never have. I'm a pool swimmer. 99% of my swim training is in the pool. When I swim in open water I have a horrible pull/drift to the left. I can site on the buoy every 4 or 5 strokes, which I do, but not matter what, I continually move off course left. What the hell am I doing and how do I correct it? My stroke and technique feels no different than in the pool. This adds yards and time. I've never been able to figure out why this happens or how to correct or compensate for it. Ideas?
Between now and your next half there should be no major changes on the run training. We want to still be studying smart as that’s how you will run on race day. I like how you’re attacking the swim, and I’d like you to consider attacking the bike a bit more on the weekend rides.
A personal favorite of mine is doing a Saturday ride split in half. We’re about 20 minutes and then ride 90 minutes harder than half fireplace to a coffee shop. Get off your bike, have a cuppa coffee and a scone. Chill for a total of 30 minutes. Get back on the bike, warm up 20 minutes and then crush the next 90 minutes back home. Two workouts in one, plus coffee.
Sunday could be a steady 2h ride after such an effort, and you could spice it up by doing standing intervals of 2 to 3 minutes in duration and the big chain ring at 60 RPMs with five minute recoveries in zone two.
I only suggest that workout above because it’s different than the hard work you’ve been doing on the trainer already. Variety is good.
As for the swim thing, that kind of crap happens all the time. The easiest solution is to figure out how frequently you need to place your right arm in the water at 2 o’clock on the Dial (your head being 12 o’clock). Placing your arm out to the side ever so slightly— and in a good rhythm — will offset that natural pull to the left. It’s basically using your stroke as a rudder.
Another painless solution is to analyze your breathing patterns. If you constantly breathe to one side you’re likely over rotating or swimming with an unbalanced stroke. So maybe by bilateral breathing you can eliminate the issue.
Keep me posted!!
~ Coach P
I know I should ride on the road, and I will do some, but honestly it has become scarier and scarier as of late. Saturday's race was the first time I rode outside since IM Choo back in Sept. My handling skills were certainly lacking. I'm going to ride outside as little as possible. Maybe once a week. But likely once every other for one of the longer weekend rides. Hell, one of my friends ended up in an ambulance two weeks ago because he got taken out by a cardboard box! Maybe my attitude will change as I get deeper into the season. Hopefully. But if not, Zwift it is.
One issue that I find both a blessing and a curse is none of my friends can keep up with me. So I do all my outside rides solo. Its great. I can put in my work as the plan proscribes and don't have to worry about waiting for people, or someone getting lost cause I drop them. But if something happens while I am out there, I'm all alone and that's dangerous. And I really don't like group rides of any size. I find them dangerous and often full of attitudes.
This weekend the training schedule calls for a race rehearsal. Gonna do the swim on Friday and the Bike/Run on Saturday. Will probably try to find an appropriate Zwift race if there is a 100km one available. If not, I'll just Zwift it on one of the courses then hop off and do a 10K around the hood. Sunday is listed as an off/recovery day. Wife is president of the chamber of commerce and is having board members over for a bbq. So while I'm doing my manly duties and working my smokers all morning, I'll probably put in an easy Z1/Z2 ride on Zwift to keep myself occupied and not waste the opportunity since I'm going to be stationary for a bunch of hours cooking.
I like the concept of a split bike. But not sure I can do it. Will try though. My problem is often once I stop, my body is done. Its very tough to get started again. After next weekend I'll give it a try. Probably on trainer. Knock out a warm up, 90 minute hammer fest, stop, eat, drink, stretch, then get back on and do it again. If I can find staggered Zwift races that will mesh up with such a schedule it will probably be a lot easier to have some motivation to get on for the 2nd leg.
Next weekend I am traveling and running a womens half marathon on Sunday. The Diva Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach. Wife wanted to run the 5K. I'm not traveling to watch a 5K. And a 5K is too short of a run for me, so I signed up for the half. Hoping to maintain Z2 for the 13 miles. Will see how it goes. Going to do Saturday's long bike on Friday, relax and rest up Saturday and run the half on Sunday.
I'm gonna look great in a tutu and tiara!
I use Rotor Q-Rings on my P5. Regular old round rings on my B14 and Scott road bike. I like the Q rings. On the B14 and Scott, running 50/34. However, the Q-Rings are 52/36. We can ignore the little ring. I'm rarely if ever in it.
With the shape/design and theory behind the Q-Rings, the 52 acts like a 55 in the 'power' section of the pedal stroke for lack of a better term. I'm wondering, would I be better served swapping that ring out for a 50T Q-Ring?
While I think a lot of the marketing behind the Q-Rings is just that, marketing, I do find they have some positives that I can actually quantify. Such as I find it easier to hold a cadence with little variance, where with round rings I really have to focus and concentrate on holding a number. And their claims that it reduces irritation to the knees seems to be legit.
Thoughts? Ideas on dropping to the 50T?
I think a Zwift race of appropriate length if available, or the Fire & Ice route for the 2nd half of the ride would be appropriate as it would require me to work and not just slack along for the 90 minutes. And if I slack on Fire & Ice, I'll be on there for well over 2 hours!
With Raleigh 70.3 approaching quickly and only a few weeks away (06/03), I've started to look past it at the proposed training schedule for my years road map so I can start to plan life, family, and other obligations and interests in accordance with my training needs.
Advanced Big Bike Week from 06/04 - 06/10. Then again 07/08 - 07/14. Bike Focus Block crammed between. You're out of your mind. While I am a sadistic freak, I can't be doing 80 mile rides on a weeknights. Even cutting back to "beginner level", 40 mile rides every evening is not realistic.
We need to recalibrate.
Raleigh IM 70.3 on Sunday June 3rd. Triangle Sprint Triathlon on Saturday July 14th. Followed by A+ race for the year, White Lake Half Iron Saturday 09/08.
We need to fill that gap between IM Raleigh and Triangle Sprint as Big Bike Week, Bike Focus Block, Big Bike Week (as currently written) just isn't viable. Plus taking that much time off from the pool can't be good, even for a swimmer like me. Plus its my only weapon! I need all the lead I can get coming out of the water.
Road Map calls for EN Advanced Half from 7/15 until 09/09. Which is perfect. Half Iron on 09/08, Sprint on 09/09.
So, what's your thoughts?
My random thoughts. Load up the Advanced Short Course plan through the sprint to bring the volume down a little and re-up intensity, then go into the Half plan as scheduled. OR, take a "fun" week after Raleigh 70.3 and do whatever I please. Take Monday after race day off, and do 3 or 4 Zwift races or challenge type rides and run a few 10Ks or so and then load up the Half plan, which would be week 8 of 20, which is a test week. Would probably be good to do an FTP test to reset zones that week in either the Short or Half plan. I'd skip the 5K test. There really is no reason to do one when its 90 degrees and humidity like a swamp. Plus I'm still just running steady around TRP or a little faster if capable, but usually TRP or a little slower for overall pace as these have been the first "hot" runs of the year and acclimation needs to take place.
On swimming to maintain speed. I don't. I could probably take 2 months off of swimming entirely and hop in the pool and rip off a 2,200 or 4,400 yard swim within a minute of what I can do it in today. The difference will be what I can do after getting out of the water. I'd be pretty fresh and ready to go today when I exit the water. After a layoff, while my swim speed would be near if not identical, I'd be gassed and possibly light headed, needing a minute or three to collect myself. And being a good swimmer I don't mind blowing off a swim to do something else in its place. I just don't feel comfortable going less than 2 a week after the week following Raleigh through the sprint.
I use my swim training as a tool to be able to go fairly easy on race day, which still ends up being a lot faster than 90%+ of the other people. And since I am going so easy, I hit T1 and start the bike relaxed, fresh, and not needing any recovery and my HR plunges to where I want it within minutes if not faster. Where as everyone else drags out of the water, tongue hanging like a panting dog, looking like death.
Thanks for the detail on the swim and fitness, and I One hundred percent agree with you. This announcer much the individual speed as it is your overall fitness. But all that some training does take up a ton of time.
When do we learn more about your brewery?
We know its going to be a shit show. Illness, injuries, etc... totally derailed training. I'm good with it and have accepted it won't be a stellar day or likely even a decent day.
So, now its time to decide what kind of Suck do we want it to be and develop some sort of race "plan".
The Swim: Straight forward, no issues. Conditions will determine methods. Jordan lake is a slow swim as the long arm of the triangle is against the current. If there is any wind, the lake gets real choppy. And being wave starts from oldest to youngest, there is a lot of swimming into, around, and over people. But the fitness and skills are there, so no worries. Just take it easy, don't blow up, or get kicked in the face.
Now, this is what we need to determine. The bike and the run training are lacking. The run will be 95-100 degrees and as always, will totally suck. So here is my conundrum.
Do we go easy on the bike and hope to be able to run somewhat decent? Even when very well trained, the Raleigh run is total BS. And this year it is even worse. A new run course that is a 3 looper with multiple out and backs on each loop! Its a rat maze and I am honestly worried about running it wrong and getting DQ'd. And so are a lot of others I have spoken with. Its horrible. Worst run course design ever.
Or, attack the hell out of the bike and then just run/waddle to the best of my ability with whats left in the tank?
We aren't PR chasing for sure. No designs on having a really fast finish time. Though I have found over the years, that my body will often respond best on race day when my total training volume is lower but intensity is higher. SO might surprise myself and do pretty well because of the reduced load I have been under.
So, easy bike and hope for the best on the run or attack bike and hang on for dear life on the run?
Obviously at the end of the day there isn’t going to be no extra speEd at the end of the run. The run will be awful. Mitigating the heat and staying steady until you get close enough to the finish line and you can do some work. That would be my “I have no goals” strategy.
If you are going to hurt, it might as well be fun!
But here is the factor that is really making me lean toward attacking the bike. Getting the hell out of the pack of riders and up toward the front for both safety reasons and to not have to work as hard through traffic later in the race.
I'm in the 6th swim wave. Waves 1 and 2 are pro men and women. Wave 3, all men 55+. Wave 4 all men 50-54. Wave 5 is my age group, 45-49, but letters A-K. So, being a T, I'm in wave 6. While the 50+ racers are loaded up with fast people, and my age group is nothing but speed demons, I suspect there are enough of them that I am faster than both in the swim and bike that will allow me to get well out front with an aggressive strategy and then just see how the chips fall after coming out of T2 and watch them all reel me in and pass me on the run.
The consensus seems to be that IM is giving Raleigh a big middle finger as they head out of town as this is the last one. They apparently did the same with the Rock n Roll half marathon recently as it was the last one in Raleigh and they designed a horrible course where previous years the courses were really great.
If you can position yourself such that you still have a little bit of energy left with 5K to go my money is on you. :-)
the bike; if it was "normal" food, it could be the HR. If you went off the
reservation on both, it's anyone's guess.
I think that you are fine on the ADV 2017 HIM plan...that would be great.
Schedule matters more than the new workouts.
What's the plan for body comp between now and Sept?
~ Coach P