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2017 IM Louisville- Week 17 - Start thinking 4 Keys

Week 17

I have to say I am SO PROUD and EXCITED about all your hard work for your race rehearsals!!!! And races! And all the reflecting going on! MAN it's awesome!!

 And now we are 4 weeks out from race week! So let’s get chatting.  There are 4 Keys of Racing within EN. What sets EN athletes drastically apart from other athletes is the ability to know to race. You're putting in the training and doing a fantastic job of posting your information with the team to discuss but as you wind down your training in the next couple weeks you need to put your head in a space to have the 4Keys down pat. Even if you have been with EN for awhile, there is always something to learn or something you can teach to help someone else's race experience.

Not to reinvent the wheel here is a mixture of coaches perspective and a couple other race captains:

X - Race day is about execution NOT fitness

Theme for this week is important.  Start visualizing your upcoming RR2 and Race Day in terms of simply Executing your Fitness:

The majority of athletes on race day are fitness-focused (look at my T-shirt, look at my abs/veins/etc, look at how fast I can go in the first hour of the bike, etc.). They think of race day as the application of their fitness to the course, the distance. They are wrong. Race day is about the application of sound execution skills to a long day. Your fitness is just along for the ride. Through our observation of many, many races we can tell you that fully 90% of athletes out there do not understand this and do not know how to execute properly. For the Endurance Nation athlete then, race day is largely an exercise is doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing!

Easy to read/comprehend the above, difficult to actually apply on race day, when you feel rested, invincible with adrenaline and the best you have felt during the entire training cycle.  So important to start thinking and scripting this concept now.

Some other important notes- Check out the videos this week about sports specific tapering AND checking your gear! Start this  NOW because race week WILL sneak up on you!!!!

Good Job team.... keep chipping away, two more weeks left of fitness


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Comments

  • Note to self: keep doing yoga and core work
  • Business travel this week; second hotel stay in two nights.  I packed eight separate bags for this trip; it's entirely possible I have overpacking syndrome; or it might be Week 17

    Had a good swim this morning at the local rec center in Cleveland.  Passed on dinner with the client; did yoga and core work in the hotel fitness center instead
  • edited September 19, 2017 3:13AM
    zero last week, hero week in the works.. Secret training camp location reveal - Snowmass CO - trying to do mostly bike with some running & maybe one swim, soak up the light air altitude effect and come home strong and ready for the weekend.!
  • It's getting real! Yikes!  Bib numbers are out and I'm starting to draft my race plan.  I noticed in Coach Patrick's race plan example that he takes Tylenol in hour 2 and 4 of the bike.  I've not practiced this, but wondering if it's something I should in these upcoming long rides?  I've been taking Tums the last part of my ride and first part of my run in hopes to minimize the dreaded gassiness :#  I have Immodium in my pocket just in case, too.  Would Tylenol further aggravate any GI issues?

    Looking forward to this last push. I have to admit, these past two weeks have been hard to get excited for, but I'm starting to see the light.  Thanks for all of the mojo! 
  • Just did my first out of 2 "long run" today was to focus on execution and run at "could run all day at that pace". Tomorrow will be alot more challenging with a fast HIM pace.

    Felt good considering my last 2 weeks bike volume (might not be alot for all the animals here) but 11h-12h avg in the last 2 weeks for me is big bump, considering that 30% of it is zwift crazy races.
  • @Scott Dinhofer - did you guys tell @tim cronk that he's riding with a salad bowl on his head, or are
    you just being kind?

  • @Sabra Gonzalez The Tylenol is acetaminophen and is renowned for being gentle on the stomach.  It would not hurt to try IMO.  I may as well. 

    I'm getting excited!  Looking forward to tackling the last 2 big weeks.  I am getting over this cold, but not as fast as i'd like.  I did a test run yesterday everything felt good.  My legs are fresh from the time off.  I tried to hang with @Francis Picard on a Zwift race last night, but I was not quite ready for that.  Hopefully tomorrow!  I swam this morning and am looking forward to the run intervals tonight!

    @scott Dinhofer enjoy Snowmass!  Say hi to Al and Tim!
  • Another good week shaping up with a lot of strong work and and some fun extras on the side for some of you! Two more weeks of work left, hard to beleive! Keep grinding!
  • officialy now 10 days of work left ! cant believe it.

    When I got back into training 2 weeks ago, I was really in doubt.. I was even worrry about not finishing.

    But the last few days have been a confident boost for me.

    Since is back and even faster than pre-IMMT, I am not 2-3s/100m faster and hopefully that will reflect in the OWS, that will almost bring me to the 1h05 mark. 

    Yesterday I did the first of the 2 90' run (Patrick wanted me to split the 3hr into 2 X 90' on back to back days) and it went really well, HR was low. While running I made calculations in my head and realized that running at 5m/KM is a 3h30 marathon, which would be a IM Marathon PR.. (still far from my open marathon PR of 3:04) so that means no need to go crazy sub 5'/km on race day... I need to review my plan. I guess execution intel is finally entering my brain...

    good luck tomorrow for your long run !
  • edited September 21, 2017 1:34PM
    Back in my office today after a busy travel week.  Kept up the workouts but feeling fatigued this morning

    Will still try the long run but deferring to this afternoon.  Heat will be an issue so I'll stay in the shaded sections of the bike path

    Yesterday I did a 2 x 20' FTP workout on the trainer. I think it's the first time I've ever completed that workout. it was hard.
  • @Dave Tallo - I own the same salad bowl, so I am not goin gto tell him. 

  • 3 hour run in the books!  I wanted to get to 20 miles today to cross that mental barrier of a "2" in front of the mileage especially having never run a marathon before.  My main concerns today were 1) don't go out too fast and 2) don't crap my pants like I did last week.  I awoke with an uneasy stomach. Not sure if it was nerves or from what I ate yesterday.

    Anyway,  I was going to use Beet Elite but based on my stomach, I skipped. For breakfast, I had my usual Almond Butter and jam on GF bread.  I had GE in my hydration pack along with Base Salt, Clif Blocks, Tums and Tylenol.    Started off conservative...maintaining the after the bike HR of around 125-130.  First 6 felt fine. Still some uneasiness in the gut so I ate 2 Tums....a few miles later I felt somewhat better but not awesome.  Got to mile 10 and stopped. Used the bathroom and refilled my pack with more GE. Started back out again for loop 3 and felt meh...legs were starting to feel it a little.  Decided to take 1 Tylenol at mile 13. (There's also a big discussion going on the IM Lou FB page on this very topic.) Loop 3 done and I was starting to come around.  Ate 1 more Tums tablet, focused on making sure I was drinking and keeping the HR in check.  Loop 4 I got over the hump and felt "normal". Was able to push it the last 2 miles and let the HR creep up.  

    https://www.strava.com/activities/1194540787

    @Brian Hagan Glad I took your advice on the Tylenol. I think that really helped. I'm going to continue to incorporate that. Still going to do some more research on it.  It seems people have the most issues with taking Advil or ibuprofen. 

    Overall, very pleased with the run.  Let's just hope it goes this well on race day.
  • Excellent work @Sabra Gonzalez -- that is a perfectly-executed EN long run!!!
  • Sabra -- could the almond butter be a contributing factor?  Consider substituting applesauce and/or a banana instead of AB before a workout and see if that makes an difference.  Also, if you woke up with an uneasy stomach, perhaps try very simple carb-based meals the entire day before (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

    And regarding Tylenol ... acetaminophen is preferred because it gets metabolized in the liver rather than kidneys ... the kidneys have enough work to do on race day
  • Started prepping for tomorrow's workouts and just realized it's going to be very hot.  Maybe I'll shift the ride to the trainer; still feeling the effects from yesterday's hot run
  • Athlete Guide is up!
  • I was told "The athlete guide says this year it will be a self-seeded start with volunteers holding signs for where people should line up based on their expected swim times".  Interesting!
  • Yup, so its not a first in first served swim! 

    Did a solid 166KM on zwift.. avg speed was 37.8km/h. IF: 0.76 and VI:1.04.

    The good news about this ? When I look at all my "long ride" (means over 100KM) since IMMT. I was able to execute all of them with a VI under 1.08, the IF had been between 0.73-0.76. I really wonder if thats because I am finally understanding on how to pace the bike, more fit on the bike or everything I learned this year and its all getting clear now.

    Week 18 - I will do a full RR on Friday and try with those numbers again

    how did your long runs go ?

    @Sabra Gonzalez
    good job ! I know its late to change anything and dont know if thats available where you live but had you tried the maple syrup gels ? those are really easy on the stomach for running
  • edited September 23, 2017 2:44PM
    @Scott Dinhofer-report on Snowmass, and post-altitude training?

    This week was terrible.  Mystery Virus took me off my feet M-T, and now my back is full-on 10/10 spasms making anything but the sofa impossible.   Really trying to manage how discouraged I have felt - I have been very consistent in this build, and had been working up to this week as the culmination and consolidation of volume and speed.  

    Ok - putting my big boy pants back on now. 
  • The work continues...long run was a bit of a mixed bag with the humidity here in SC on Thursday, shut it down after 14.5 miles. Solid Race RXL swim yesterday and a broken 5 hours on the bike today. 3 hours this morning (trainer) with the brick run focusing on HR. Since it was at 11:00 am with the sun and heat, it was a bit slow so really focused on hitting all the shady spots along the way and walked a few hills to keep the HR low. Back on the bike this afternoon (trainer) for an additional 2 hours, all in all feeling good and carefully managing the fatigue buildup. Looking forward to the last camp week and some cooler temps on the horizon. Keep grinding everyone!
  • @Paul Curtin - read your post last night before the long ride today about eliminating the almond butter.  Ate a salted jelly sandwich, banana and applesauce this morning.  I have to say, I did notice a difference! Thank you!  Also, had Tylenol at mile 65 and didn't seem to have the "low" point I usually get around mile 80.  Maybe it was the breakfast, the Tylenol or my Garmin not working properly to know where I was in the ride. I had to keep asking people what mile we were at. Felt like my 5 year old on a trip in the car.  I think my cadence sensor battery is bad.  Will replace again and see if that works.

    @Francis Picard - I have used the Maple syrup gels. I need to use them again.  Thanks for the reminder!

    Keep it up everyone!  I'm going to log into the Sunday Zwift ride tomorrow.
  • Overall, a decent Week 17.  Didn't hit the planned duration, but business travel and Thursday's run in the heat impacted the remaining workouts

    Woke up Saturday and knew that 5-hour ride wasn't going down; I did Sunday's ride instead: 3-hours of ABP indoors; then a brick run in the heat

    Today was interesting: knew again that 5-hour ride wouldn't happen so hit the trainer this morning for a 3 x 20' Z4 session (about 2 hours or so); power was Z4 but HR stayed in Z3.  Hopefully I traded quantity for quality this week on the bike

    Finally got to the race rehearsal swim this afternoon but my swim form fell completely apart after 2500 or so; I shut it down at 3100 yards
  • @Paul Curtin, sounds like you made up for quantity with solid quality workouts, and probably what your body needed. 
    @Sabra Gonzalez, excellent execution on your 20 miler!
    @Dave Tallo, hope you're feeling better...
    "Jeff Kane", great job managing your run/bike workouts and the heat/humidity. I've learned it's not worth suffering through hot temps.

    I took my weekend training to Buffalo. Went to watch my daughter play two home volleyball at Univ at Buffalo. Thanks to member of the local Tri club, I found a good 40+ mile loop. Ended with 83 miles/4.5 hours on Saturday. Then did my 18 mile race sim early Sunday morning before it heated up. Yes, even Buffalo was hot this weekend. A few hours later (after IHOP breakfast) I drove 7 hours back to VA. That was rough on the legs. Good thing I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow! I didn't get in the RR swim, but had 3 good swims earlier in the week.

    I'm ready for week 18!
  • @Dave Tallo I am still getting over this cold / bronchitis as well.  I started to feel good enough to bike early in the week.  The Thursday long run really took it's toll.  I have an 8.4 mile loop and planned to do 2 with a little add on.  It was very hot and humid for the first loop and I really started to feel the congestion in my lungs on the second.  I started walking at mile fifteen and managed to get to about 16 and call it quits.  

    Pool swim Friday - not great.  I only did about 950 meters and left.

    Saturday - I had a great ride except for a mechanical that caused me to split it into 2 rides, but I did get about 5 hrs / 100 mile in for the day.  I was out of time and pushed the run to Sunday.

    Team EN Sunday ABP ride was awesome.  We had a few new people and lots of people on this week.  I rode for 2.5 hrs with lots of Z4/5 efforts on the KOMs.  

    Sunday evening I got in an hour run and things are really starting to feel better. Hopefully my lungs get back to 100% in a couple of days.  I'm looking forward to the long run tomorrow and am expecting to feel a lot better.
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