Cycling Volume pop two weeks before Ironman
Looking for what the haus thinks about me entering the Gainesville Cycling Festival two weeks prior to Ironman Florida. The Festival consists of the Santa Fe Century ride on Saturday and the HorseFarm 100 on Sunday. Saturday's century has only about 1100 ft net gain and Sunday's is about twice that.
Background: IMFL will be my 3rd time at Florida and 14th IM. I only entered because I received a completely 100% FREE entry and it's my hometown. I started an IM plan in week 13 of 20 after returning from the 70.3 WC in South Africa so I'm a little behind in volume but on the other hand, there's really nothing to lose here. Further, I've already done an IM this year and my ability to absorb the work is much greater than it was years ago. My taper would begin after Sunday's ride.
So what do you think?
Comments
I find that it usually takes ~10 days for me to absorb a Big Bike Week. But back to back century rides doesn't count as a massive workload, especially if you're really fit and are looking for a volume bump anyways.
You have a few yrs in age on me, so you'll have to use your own judgement for how you do with recovery. But I've found that big bike days (or back to backs) are MUCH easier to absorb than say a big Run weekend...
Yeah, I say go for it, just be careful about going deep into any holes effort-wise, especially on the first day. I myself am doing MiamiMan a week before IM AZ, so I really have no right to say anything else, I guess. After the two-day "camp", when in doubt, do less. You've got your legacy slot sewed up, so IM FL is just a "fun run" for you, anyway. There's is no value in getting yourself injured during this adventure.
I say go for it. Cycling is low impact, as opposed to running, and "only" two days of riding, even if a century each day, I don't see it as a huge impact.
From all the crazy ultra threads around here lately, this is a "do something cool with your fitness" event.
a summary of Couzens' research/findings, off the top of my head (I know ... again, with the Couzens ...)
-big bike work can be absorbed* up to 5 weeks out
-combined SBR may be absorbed up to 4 weeks out
-additional volume may or may not be absorbed up to 2 weeks out
*absorbed=fitness gains material to the race
Based on the above, I would say (and have evaluated the same question, and have said) 'no.' Little chance for the "absorbed" work to actually make an impact on race outcomes, plus a big fatigue cost at exactly the time that it should be going the other way), would point me there.
Of course Dave is right. But if you are doing IMFL for fun and this event is fun? Then fun+fun=more fun. SO do it. You are undertrained anyway.
Doesn't or didn't the IM plan call for 112 Friday and 112 Saturday and 56 Sunday at the end of week 18?
Do it. or Just Do It (insert swoosh here)
have more fun
@Robert Sabo - I'm using the run focused plan and week 18 ends with a 6 hr ride on Saturday and 4 hrs on Sunday. Seems close enough to me. If I'm tired on Sunday I can drop down to a 55 mile route they have.
@Brian Quarton - yes, it's my birthday weekend and "I'll bike if I want to!" :)
@Dave Tallo - I've never paid much attention to Couzen's and despite his credentials I frankly think he is wrong. I think 10 days is more than enough time to absorb just about any work...similar to what @John Withrow was saying above. But I would add that the ability to absorb work is something that takes time to achieve. That's why Gordo Byrn has stated that you have to train for a few years in order to be able to train properly for an Ironman ... meaning the impact of high volume training has a greater effect on newbies than it does on veterans of the sport. I certainly would not recommend it for anyone doing their first IM, but I do respect the counsel.
@Scott Alexander @Al Truscott - yes, I think I'm going to go for it as long as I can get my wife's buy-in. The SAU account has a high balance so I'm probably good there.
@Paul Hough ... fair enough. But just so it isn’t left where anyone is labour8ng under any misunderstanding, Couzens’ findings - and the advice - is his synthesis, as a credentialed expert, of the accepted body of knowledge of research and findings in the field of exercise science related to periodization. Pretty much from Bompa forward. So, it would not be disagreeing with him as much as the accepted knowledge of the field, arrived at with rigour.
i wouldn’t dispute work can be absorbed in two weeks as a general statement. However, the question is about two weeks when unloading should be occur8ng, and a 300tss bike day x2 at that time is a massive event at the exact moment where things - fatigue, tss/d, etc - should be heading the other way. Different story if this was months out. Or different stimulus.
The Gordo thing is on point, but I think should be seen in context. I’ll misquote, but his line associated with those statements was “crash train8g (or, “bumps”) are attractive to almost everybody, but appropriate to almost nobody.” He goes on to talk about volume event s like camps being suitable only for those with a history of big week or camp style training, as well as a big fitness base. The research that Couzens is citing, on the other hand, is generalizable to all athletes, regardless of age, base, gender, etc etc.
All of that said, it sounds like you’re set on it, but I think one would be hard pressed to find a legit coach who would green light it. Of course, whenever anyone has told me “there’s no way you can do that,” I redouble my effort and resolve to prove them wrong ... so consider this contra advice free motivation to crush it!
@Robert Sabo ... I think the plan had, at one time called for back to back rides Like that ... and the coaches “refined” it out. Iirc.