For the 2018 Full, it looks like I need to choose run or bike focused. I did run focus for out season based on last ironman. Should I continue in run focus? Or am I missing something in the list of plans?
No that’s the right spot. The plan names changed when we updated the plans this season. We recommend that you choose the plan based upon your season with the team. Odd years should choose bike focused; even years choose run focused. So if you and your 13 or five, go bike. Make sense?
I have a few questions regarding the schedule. I see that this week is a test week. I just tested recently and I just started this plan last week, so I don't think I need to do that this week, and honestly with the way I've been feeling, it would be a crappy test week. I am travelling starting Friday for 10 days (so I'll be gone 2 weekends) without my bike. Can you recommend how I should work the schedule considering no testing this week and time without bike for 1-1/2 weeks?
As an update, this past week was really rough for me. I'm not sure of the explanation, but I know the current humidity situation in FL is not helping at all. I literally squish in my shoes both running and biking. I feel as if I aged 10 years over the past 2 weeks...
One final note - it seems that the IM schedule ends with the IM the final weekend, so I did put my end date as Sep 30. Can you confirm that this is correct?
@Christina Mitchell - sorry for missing this thread. Not sure how I did it...remember you can add a reply with @Coach Patrick And BUMP in the body of the message and it will put it in the top of my list (should I not answer you in a timely manner....AGAIN!).
I would like you to do the Bike Focused plan (got to get the bike volume up) for the Full plan. Yes to ending on 9/30 for sure.
On the road until 6/17 is no real issue. I'd like you to make sure you run frequently, making sure to include your Interval Run as well as your long run. You can split the long run into two 10 mile runs (Wed + Sat or Sun) for example. Then the other days are short 3 mile runs, very very easy. This will allow you to keep your run fitness up and give you permission to invest in the bike when you get back.
If you haven't already, please block out two weekends July where you can get in some bigger mileage to boost your bike.
1- This weekend I am supposed to do a swim/bike/run as part of wk8 of the IM plan. I cannot find a place to swim early in the morning. Being in FL, the earlier I get on the bike the better. I cannot start a workout at 11am, which is the finish time with the earliest pool opening I've found (10am). What are my alternatives to swimming first?
2- I have been getting in most of the workouts. The bike has been rough for me (as in I struggle to keep power on erg trainer, so it gets hard, and I feel weak...the I lose mental drive to continue), so for a week I lowered my FTP from 204 to 194, and workouts were much more achievable, both physically and mentally (wk 7). Today my test did not go well - it seems like on test days my Elite trainer stops working. I should have extended my warmup to get the HR back up before starting the test. My HR was low, and my power was low (FTP came back at 192), but it also felt easier than a test should. So my plan is to up the FTP by 2 each week (starting with the 194 from last week) until it feels challenging yet doable. Does that make any sense?
3- I am planning on doing the 5k time trial tomorrow instead of Thursday, since we don't have AM lap swim and there is a local 5K for the 4th. Not sure that I'll get a response in time, but should I run the run workout today? Or do the swim I missed yesterday?
4- I haven't signed up for IMChoo yet, but I did secure lodging. That's a step.
I did the 5K race on Wednesday. Couldn't hold the pace for 3 miles. It's getting disheartening, but I'm moving on. First 2 miles were right where I wanted them to be... https://www.strava.com/activities/1680131877
I'm also going to see if I can get swim bungees to do the weekend swim in my own pool. Not sure what people think of these. I posted in the general forum, but haven't heard from anyone who has used them. A couple of people responded who are interested in hearing about them also.
One. In your situation I recommend that you do the swim the afternoon of the day before, then just bike run on the day itself. If that’s not an option either, then you can bike and run early in the day, then do this in later on. Right now the goal is just to get a good amount of volume in across all disciplines, not to have it perfect.
2 - Yes, testing indoors is often play goodbye problems. I am sorry to hear this is happened to you as well. I think the idea of backing up the FTP And reverse engineering it based off of a nice progression is a good call.
3 and reverse engineering it based off of a nice progression is a good call.
4 - bummer to hear about the 5K, but testing in the summer is typically fraught with problems. Don’t be too hard on yourself! Sounds like you are pretty darn close regardless.
5 - I will take lodging first, nothing wrong with that! :-)
6 - swim bungees are used pretty rarely. I recommend you talk to Joe Hallatschek about his. Note he is heading out to race in Europe so I could take him a while to get back to you.
I did the sweat test on Saturday. I actually weight exactly the same before and after, drinking 39 oz over the course of the hour test. It was hot and humid on my patio, but I had a fan directly on me. What are the cold weather, hot weather fluid requirements with 0 weight loss? Would it be 31 and 39 oz, respectively?
I am now on Week 14 of the IM plan. I have not yet signed up for the race, and it's time to make a decision. I'm very tired, and I'm really starting to lack motivation. Do you find it typical that some athletes are in a slump at this point? I'm honestly thinking that I just don't want to be doing this for another 5 weeks...and I think it's mostly mental, and the attitude is not typical for me.
Yes, this is very common. Petitpas hired, so we need to wash recovery.
This means for us being very strict about your sleep and hydration all day. Make sure you’re taking in enough protein after each workout and potentially at night before you go to bed as well.
Welcome to your SECOND MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
To help you continue your progress, we have a few short questions for you. You can copy the questions and put your answers in your reply to this thread (no need to copy the questions, just keep the numbers the same!).
** Rankings **
Please rate the following items on a Scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Great!):
Swim Fitness:
Bike Fitness:
Run Fitness:
Weight / Body Composition:
** Subjective Information **
What is Your Biggest Improvement So Far?
In What Area Do You Need Additional Support?
Would You Recommend Endurance Nation to a Friend?
** Additional Learning **
Now that we are beyond the initial learning curve of Endurance Nation, it's time to give deeper into some additional resources that can really help you out.
You have several options:
Learn Big in our Video Course Section, where Coach Patrick is building our new library of EN Video Lessons to make sure you are 100% up to speed on our most critical topics.
Learn Deep by Exploring the EN Wiki, the repository of all things taught and learned by EN. There is more info in there than you could read in a year, so pace yourself! Worst case scenario, go to the All Pages section and use "Control +F" on your keyboard to search for the most relevant article.
So, I'm feeling better after the back issues - normal problems, but the big flare up is resolved. I still haven't signed up for the race. Leaning towards it, but when I start running in our extreme heat and humidity down here, all I can think is - I don't want 26 miles of this!!!
So, what am I fit enough to do?
Is there a place to explain what my fitness plots should look like? I never really paid attention to these plots, but now my running one is really scaring me - I didn't realize how I was sliding down... And I'm not sure if the bike has gone up enough...
Any thought about what I can realistically do? I guess a goal would be to execute better than last year - which I really screwed up. But I'll probably be a little sad if I execute well (loved reading Josh Church's race plan, and I feel much better prepared in this area!), but realized my fitness is just pitiful... I feel like I've done so much more this year, but maybe I'm just getting old!
@Christina Mitchell I don’t want to force you to do anything. I do know that you have done a lot of good work this year even if the individual metrics are not fantastic.
For me, having a race at the end of the season is a nice way to put a bow on the year so we can move on.
That said this is a very big race, and will undoubtedly be a challenge even for those who are fit and ready. I can’t guarantee what your outcome will be, but I can’t say that having another race under your belt is a great way to move forward in terms of learning and progressing. If you don’t do this race, we could always pick a different one later in the year.
At the end of the day, the swim and the bike or that bad, it’s really the one where things are exposed. If you have a good plan for managing your nutrition on the bike and replacing on the run I think you will be OK. Especially since all of that humidity Training has prepared you for the heart as possible run! Let me know.
Welcome to your THIRD MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
This month we focus on helping you become more independent as part of your growth as a Self-Coached Athlete. Whether you are planning your season, preparing to race or transitioning to a new endurance challenge...Team Endurance Nation is ready to help!
We consider anytime in your season when you are more than 12 weeks away from your event to be a training focus. There are different phases of training (OutSeason®, General Prep, Sport Specific), but they are fall under the same umbrella.
Now that you are through your first two months of Endurance Nation, You have learned a few key “rules” of how we play the game, and you are ready to take charge of your experience.
Training Lesson Recap:
No single workout is more important than your health, or your season goal.
Prioritize your “key” workouts each week, then fill the rest of your space.
We can always fix over rested. We can’t fix broken, exhausted or sick.
Have a specific goal for each training block - what is the desired end state?
Taking Charge:
You should be comfortable moving your own workouts around at this point.
You can change plan ability levels as needed to keep yourself on track.
You can use the Test Week at any time to confirm a fitness change.
If you want to take a different path that we suggest...do it and keep us posted!
** Racing Focus **
Once you are within the final 12 week window to your event, it’s time to really focus. From key workouts to nutrition to logistics, there’s a great deal to cover. There’s a fine line between a great day and a day where you want a total do-over.
Key components of your final push should include:
Simulation Workouts to replicate the mental, physical and nutritional scenario you expect on race day.
A tried and true nutrition plan for your event; this is your last chance to lock it in!
Draft and review of a Race Plan to make sure you are 100% ready to take this on.
Optional rest as needed, and a defined taper in the last two to three weeks as necessary.
13 Weeks out from your race you should be getting a race preparation email and an invitation to GroupMe - if you haven’t gotten that yet - let us know!
** Additional Support **
In addition to The Forums and other Team-related support, you still have the chance to connect with Coach Patrick across your first year. Right now it’s time for your three month call with Coach Patrick; and you can book it here.
Tip: Find all your other call windows across your first year, please visit the EN Staff page.
If you are looking for support above and beyond the traditional Endurance Nation experience, you can book a consult with Coach Patrick. These are billed at $100/hour and Can be on almost any training or racing topic. Please click here to learn more / get started.
Congratulations for moving forward with you training as you build to your race goals. We can’t wait to see what you are capable of this season!
You'll love this. I was assured that there will be spaces available for on-site registration at IMChoo. I now sit in Atlanta, and I finally learn that the swim has been cancelled! Not sure what I'll decide, but I have to laugh at myself that I finally decided to just go and do it, and somehow missed that the flooding was actually significantly impacting the city!
I'll let you know if I end up with a bib number!
I did FL70.3 last year with a time trial start, and that race ended up in a strange bike accident (rear tire blew, and in stopping I went a bit forward on the bike) that broke my second rib and did not allow me to run due to intense pain with breathing...
Love to hear your analysis. I really did a lot of research based on last year's error, and I thought I was on the right track. Last year I started the bike with a HR of 150 and then ended with an average of 139. This time I started a little too high (I was averaging in the low 130s over the first hour, and I really wanted to be in the low to mid 120s), so I tried hard to keep it down. I thought my power was good, but in the end, I biked abysmally slow with way too high of an IF and TSS... I was very well hydrated even though bottles were flying left and right over the bumps. I had to stop and pee 2X and again in transition.
Again on the run, I probably should have started a bit slower. I was able to run the entire course with the exception of walking through each water stop. Based on my late start I passed a huge number of walkers. At some point, my body stopped absorbing water, and I got sick at the finish and needed an IV.
Is doing the bike in 7+ hours what I should have aimed for?
This has been a very disappointing year in all. I feel like I did lots of good work, but none of the fitness has shown in races. Last year at this time I did a 10-mile race at a sub-8 pace. I just don't feel capable of that at this point, and I'm not sure what exactly happened to send me downhill so quickly. It's very frustrating this getting old thing.
Beautiful scenery, and I least I felt good on the bike and run!
@Christina Mitchell - every year is different; ideally you can build from year to year but that's not always possible.
Its MUCH harder to keep TSS (watts over time) and IF in check when you race a hilly course like CHOO. You rode .69IF which is PERFECT, and the 300 TSS is a function of the fact you were out there for 6h 25m.
I think the challenge was how variable your HR was; look how it swings up and down:
Also, it took 1h 6m to get your HR down out of T1. Better than last year at COZ but you can do better.
I think your ride was good but it was DEFENSIVE. You didn't build your HR / Effort partly because you weren't sure what you'd get. So consistent is good, but there's more potential there.
I think your run was spot on for HR; it's just your bike was so low (120s) that you were a bit out of sorts. Also, you suffered after the first hill go / around, another indicator of not great prep but that early run pacing vs bike pacing issue.
Takeaways:
You need to be stronger on the bike. That Threshold work Of the OutSeason® really matters, etc.
You need to lock in good Bike and HR numbers So you can be steadier and "on point" for race day.
We should review your nutrition for caffeine, etc, to make sure you have the support for what you are trying to achieve.
Well, I'm exhausted now from a weekend of camping with a huge group of kids, but I'm hoping to start doing some workouts this week to stretch out.
It is interesting - the Garmin numbers are very different from the Strava numbers. I'd like to understand why, so if you have any reading information on that, I'd be very interested. I knew my HR was "high" at the beginning, although last year my avg was 139, so I really didn't think my HR was too off. What was off was the IF. I saw it up around 0.76 at the beginning of the ride. My end numbers on Garmin are NP=143W, IF=0.739 (targeting 0.66-0.68), and TSS=351.5 (targeting <285). So I feel like I had good targets based on my research, but I definitely do not understand how to add HR into this, since my HR, in my experience was indicating a much lower effort. Are these Garmin numbers not accurate?
So I spent the ride trying to get my IF down (afraid I was ruining the run and not knowing how to stop it other than a slower than molasses bike), not trying to get my HR down (that was just a side effect of getting the IF down).
For bike nutrition, I drank a minimum of 1 gatorade bottle between every bottle station. I also drank some extra gatorade, moving to water as the second bottle as the race progressed. Frequently, that bottle got lost at some point. I ate 2 chews about every 30 minutes. I had a caffeinated get at the turn at the furthest out point of the second loop (~mi 80) and near mile 100. I had packed a third one but lost that as well.
@Christina Mitchell - thanks for the follow up and for waiting for me to get back to you. I’m very curious to know where you got those power numbers from as you affectively rode a .74 according to your data. That would be an elite level Iron Man effort that I would expect from someone who is trying to place top five in their age group.
My guess is that your power numbers have changed but you did not raise your FTP accordingly in Garmin before doing the race?
You are right to watch the IF to make sure it is on point, but according to our race guidance the number one factor out of transition is getting your heart rate in a good place. Once it is down to your “normal“ levels we can begin to get to work with Power.
Out of curiosity, with your intensity factor are you using an auto lab function to measure that? Or did you have “total ride intensity factor“ that was being accumulated across the entire day? I ask because the longer the interval goes, the more challenging it becomes to change that average number over time. This is why we recommend using a screen with auto lap on it for every three or five miles so you’re constantly creating the correct IF as you go.
This would explain why you continually had to ride easier and easier, resulting in a lower heart rate, as you sought to create a change in that IF number.
I think you’re basic nutrition is really good. I think the challenge becomes ensuring that you were getting caffeine towards for the most of the second half of the ride. This will help elevate your heart rate and also keep you mentally focused. I would suggest making sure that you get those three jewels in starting at the halfway point approximately every 20 mi.²: 56, 76, 96.
Lets file that away re fueling and let me know about your most recent FTP update as well as your data screens!
Comments
Thanks!
I have a few questions regarding the schedule. I see that this week is a test week. I just tested recently and I just started this plan last week, so I don't think I need to do that this week, and honestly with the way I've been feeling, it would be a crappy test week. I am travelling starting Friday for 10 days (so I'll be gone 2 weekends) without my bike. Can you recommend how I should work the schedule considering no testing this week and time without bike for 1-1/2 weeks?
As an update, this past week was really rough for me. I'm not sure of the explanation, but I know the current humidity situation in FL is not helping at all. I literally squish in my shoes both running and biking. I feel as if I aged 10 years over the past 2 weeks...
One final note - it seems that the IM schedule ends with the IM the final weekend, so I did put my end date as Sep 30. Can you confirm that this is correct?
Thank you!
I would like you to do the Bike Focused plan (got to get the bike volume up) for the Full plan. Yes to ending on 9/30 for sure.
On the road until 6/17 is no real issue. I'd like you to make sure you run frequently, making sure to include your Interval Run as well as your long run. You can split the long run into two 10 mile runs (Wed + Sat or Sun) for example. Then the other days are short 3 mile runs, very very easy. This will allow you to keep your run fitness up and give you permission to invest in the bike when you get back.
If you haven't already, please block out two weekends July where you can get in some bigger mileage to boost your bike.
Let me know!
~ Coach P
1- This weekend I am supposed to do a swim/bike/run as part of wk8 of the IM plan. I cannot find a place to swim early in the morning. Being in FL, the earlier I get on the bike the better. I cannot start a workout at 11am, which is the finish time with the earliest pool opening I've found (10am). What are my alternatives to swimming first?
2- I have been getting in most of the workouts. The bike has been rough for me (as in I struggle to keep power on erg trainer, so it gets hard, and I feel weak...the I lose mental drive to continue), so for a week I lowered my FTP from 204 to 194, and workouts were much more achievable, both physically and mentally (wk 7). Today my test did not go well - it seems like on test days my Elite trainer stops working. I should have extended my warmup to get the HR back up before starting the test. My HR was low, and my power was low (FTP came back at 192), but it also felt easier than a test should. So my plan is to up the FTP by 2 each week (starting with the 194 from last week) until it feels challenging yet doable. Does that make any sense?
3- I am planning on doing the 5k time trial tomorrow instead of Thursday, since we don't have AM lap swim and there is a local 5K for the 4th. Not sure that I'll get a response in time, but should I run the run workout today? Or do the swim I missed yesterday?
4- I haven't signed up for IMChoo yet, but I did secure lodging. That's a step.
Thanks!
BUMP
I did the 5K race on Wednesday. Couldn't hold the pace for 3 miles. It's getting disheartening, but I'm moving on. First 2 miles were right where I wanted them to be...
https://www.strava.com/activities/1680131877
I'm also going to see if I can get swim bungees to do the weekend swim in my own pool. Not sure what people think of these. I posted in the general forum, but haven't heard from anyone who has used them. A couple of people responded who are interested in hearing about them also.
Thanks.
2 - Yes, testing indoors is often play goodbye problems. I am sorry to hear this is happened to you as well. I think the idea of backing up the FTP And reverse engineering it based off of a nice progression is a good call.
5 - I will take lodging first, nothing wrong with that! :-)
6 - swim bungees are used pretty rarely. I recommend you talk to Joe Hallatschek about his. Note he is heading out to race in Europe so I could take him a while to get back to you.
I did the sweat test on Saturday. I actually weight exactly the same before and after, drinking 39 oz over the course of the hour test. It was hot and humid on my patio, but I had a fan directly on me. What are the cold weather, hot weather fluid requirements with 0 weight loss? Would it be 31 and 39 oz, respectively?
Here is your plan guidance from your Endurance Season Roadmap™ request just in case you needed it. No real changes here.
I am now on Week 14 of the IM plan. I have not yet signed up for the race, and it's time to make a decision. I'm very tired, and I'm really starting to lack motivation. Do you find it typical that some athletes are in a slump at this point? I'm honestly thinking that I just don't want to be doing this for another 5 weeks...and I think it's mostly mental, and the attitude is not typical for me.
only two more real weeks to go!
Welcome to your SECOND MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
To help you continue your progress, we have a few short questions for you. You can copy the questions and put your answers in your reply to this thread (no need to copy the questions, just keep the numbers the same!).
** Rankings **
Please rate the following items on a Scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Great!):
Swim Fitness:
Bike Fitness:
Run Fitness:
Weight / Body Composition:
** Subjective Information **
What is Your Biggest Improvement So Far?
In What Area Do You Need Additional Support?
Would You Recommend Endurance Nation to a Friend?
** Additional Learning **
Now that we are beyond the initial learning curve of Endurance Nation, it's time to give deeper into some additional resources that can really help you out.
You have several options:
Learn Big in our Video Course Section, where Coach Patrick is building our new library of EN Video Lessons to make sure you are 100% up to speed on our most critical topics.
Learn Quick in the Question and Answer Central, where your fellow teammates work together to give you the best possible answer to your questions (one at a time please)!
Learn Deep by Exploring the EN Wiki, the repository of all things taught and learned by EN. There is more info in there than you could read in a year, so pace yourself! Worst case scenario, go to the All Pages section and use "Control +F" on your keyboard to search for the most relevant article.
** Need Coach Input? **
Don’t forget you can schedule a check in call with Coach Patrick online here: https://calendly.com/pmccrann/15min
We are looking forward to your answers!
Hi @Coach Patrick
So, I'm feeling better after the back issues - normal problems, but the big flare up is resolved. I still haven't signed up for the race. Leaning towards it, but when I start running in our extreme heat and humidity down here, all I can think is - I don't want 26 miles of this!!!
So, what am I fit enough to do?
Is there a place to explain what my fitness plots should look like? I never really paid attention to these plots, but now my running one is really scaring me - I didn't realize how I was sliding down... And I'm not sure if the bike has gone up enough...
Any thought about what I can realistically do? I guess a goal would be to execute better than last year - which I really screwed up. But I'll probably be a little sad if I execute well (loved reading Josh Church's race plan, and I feel much better prepared in this area!), but realized my fitness is just pitiful... I feel like I've done so much more this year, but maybe I'm just getting old!
@Christina Mitchell I don’t want to force you to do anything. I do know that you have done a lot of good work this year even if the individual metrics are not fantastic.
For me, having a race at the end of the season is a nice way to put a bow on the year so we can move on.
That said this is a very big race, and will undoubtedly be a challenge even for those who are fit and ready. I can’t guarantee what your outcome will be, but I can’t say that having another race under your belt is a great way to move forward in terms of learning and progressing. If you don’t do this race, we could always pick a different one later in the year.
At the end of the day, the swim and the bike or that bad, it’s really the one where things are exposed. If you have a good plan for managing your nutrition on the bike and replacing on the run I think you will be OK. Especially since all of that humidity Training has prepared you for the heart as possible run! Let me know.
@Christina Mitchell
Welcome to your THIRD MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
This month we focus on helping you become more independent as part of your growth as a Self-Coached Athlete. Whether you are planning your season, preparing to race or transitioning to a new endurance challenge...Team Endurance Nation is ready to help!
If you haven’t done so already, please set up your Month Three Coach Call here.
** Training Focus **
We consider anytime in your season when you are more than 12 weeks away from your event to be a training focus. There are different phases of training (OutSeason®, General Prep, Sport Specific), but they are fall under the same umbrella.
Now that you are through your first two months of Endurance Nation, You have learned a few key “rules” of how we play the game, and you are ready to take charge of your experience.
Training Lesson Recap:
Taking Charge:
** Racing Focus **
Once you are within the final 12 week window to your event, it’s time to really focus. From key workouts to nutrition to logistics, there’s a great deal to cover. There’s a fine line between a great day and a day where you want a total do-over.
Key components of your final push should include:
** Additional Support **
In addition to The Forums and other Team-related support, you still have the chance to connect with Coach Patrick across your first year. Right now it’s time for your three month call with Coach Patrick; and you can book it here.
Tip: Find all your other call windows across your first year, please visit the EN Staff page.
Be sure to check out our Three Year Plan in Resources / Wiki so you can see how we recommend improving from season to season.
Coach Phone Consults
If you are looking for support above and beyond the traditional Endurance Nation experience, you can book a consult with Coach Patrick. These are billed at $100/hour and Can be on almost any training or racing topic. Please click here to learn more / get started.
Congratulations for moving forward with you training as you build to your race goals. We can’t wait to see what you are capable of this season!
~ Team EN
Hi @Coach Patrick !
You'll love this. I was assured that there will be spaces available for on-site registration at IMChoo. I now sit in Atlanta, and I finally learn that the swim has been cancelled! Not sure what I'll decide, but I have to laugh at myself that I finally decided to just go and do it, and somehow missed that the flooding was actually significantly impacting the city!
I'll let you know if I end up with a bib number!
I did FL70.3 last year with a time trial start, and that race ended up in a strange bike accident (rear tire blew, and in stopping I went a bit forward on the bike) that broke my second rib and did not allow me to run due to intense pain with breathing...
Looks like no race for you! So what do we go from here? 🤨
@Coach Patrick
So, I did end up doing it. Started at the very end - 2735. Somehow there was one number after me!
Bike: https://www.strava.com/activities/1876852118
Run: https://www.strava.com/activities/1877513313
Love to hear your analysis. I really did a lot of research based on last year's error, and I thought I was on the right track. Last year I started the bike with a HR of 150 and then ended with an average of 139. This time I started a little too high (I was averaging in the low 130s over the first hour, and I really wanted to be in the low to mid 120s), so I tried hard to keep it down. I thought my power was good, but in the end, I biked abysmally slow with way too high of an IF and TSS... I was very well hydrated even though bottles were flying left and right over the bumps. I had to stop and pee 2X and again in transition.
Again on the run, I probably should have started a bit slower. I was able to run the entire course with the exception of walking through each water stop. Based on my late start I passed a huge number of walkers. At some point, my body stopped absorbing water, and I got sick at the finish and needed an IV.
Is doing the bike in 7+ hours what I should have aimed for?
This has been a very disappointing year in all. I feel like I did lots of good work, but none of the fitness has shown in races. Last year at this time I did a 10-mile race at a sub-8 pace. I just don't feel capable of that at this point, and I'm not sure what exactly happened to send me downhill so quickly. It's very frustrating this getting old thing.
Beautiful scenery, and I least I felt good on the bike and run!
@Christina Mitchell - every year is different; ideally you can build from year to year but that's not always possible.
Its MUCH harder to keep TSS (watts over time) and IF in check when you race a hilly course like CHOO. You rode .69IF which is PERFECT, and the 300 TSS is a function of the fact you were out there for 6h 25m.
I think the challenge was how variable your HR was; look how it swings up and down:
Also, it took 1h 6m to get your HR down out of T1. Better than last year at COZ but you can do better.
I think your ride was good but it was DEFENSIVE. You didn't build your HR / Effort partly because you weren't sure what you'd get. So consistent is good, but there's more potential there.
I think your run was spot on for HR; it's just your bike was so low (120s) that you were a bit out of sorts. Also, you suffered after the first hill go / around, another indicator of not great prep but that early run pacing vs bike pacing issue.
Takeaways:
I hope that makes sense ^above^ .
How is the recovery going?
~ Coach P
Well, I'm exhausted now from a weekend of camping with a huge group of kids, but I'm hoping to start doing some workouts this week to stretch out.
It is interesting - the Garmin numbers are very different from the Strava numbers. I'd like to understand why, so if you have any reading information on that, I'd be very interested. I knew my HR was "high" at the beginning, although last year my avg was 139, so I really didn't think my HR was too off. What was off was the IF. I saw it up around 0.76 at the beginning of the ride. My end numbers on Garmin are NP=143W, IF=0.739 (targeting 0.66-0.68), and TSS=351.5 (targeting <285). So I feel like I had good targets based on my research, but I definitely do not understand how to add HR into this, since my HR, in my experience was indicating a much lower effort. Are these Garmin numbers not accurate?
So I spent the ride trying to get my IF down (afraid I was ruining the run and not knowing how to stop it other than a slower than molasses bike), not trying to get my HR down (that was just a side effect of getting the IF down).
For bike nutrition, I drank a minimum of 1 gatorade bottle between every bottle station. I also drank some extra gatorade, moving to water as the second bottle as the race progressed. Frequently, that bottle got lost at some point. I ate 2 chews about every 30 minutes. I had a caffeinated get at the turn at the furthest out point of the second loop (~mi 80) and near mile 100. I had packed a third one but lost that as well.
@Christina Mitchell - thanks for the follow up and for waiting for me to get back to you. I’m very curious to know where you got those power numbers from as you affectively rode a .74 according to your data. That would be an elite level Iron Man effort that I would expect from someone who is trying to place top five in their age group.
My guess is that your power numbers have changed but you did not raise your FTP accordingly in Garmin before doing the race?
You are right to watch the IF to make sure it is on point, but according to our race guidance the number one factor out of transition is getting your heart rate in a good place. Once it is down to your “normal“ levels we can begin to get to work with Power.
Out of curiosity, with your intensity factor are you using an auto lab function to measure that? Or did you have “total ride intensity factor“ that was being accumulated across the entire day? I ask because the longer the interval goes, the more challenging it becomes to change that average number over time. This is why we recommend using a screen with auto lap on it for every three or five miles so you’re constantly creating the correct IF as you go.
This would explain why you continually had to ride easier and easier, resulting in a lower heart rate, as you sought to create a change in that IF number.
I think you’re basic nutrition is really good. I think the challenge becomes ensuring that you were getting caffeine towards for the most of the second half of the ride. This will help elevate your heart rate and also keep you mentally focused. I would suggest making sure that you get those three jewels in starting at the halfway point approximately every 20 mi.²: 56, 76, 96.
Lets file that away re fueling and let me know about your most recent FTP update as well as your data screens!
~ Coach P