Racing the EN way - Undercooking the bike and still run too slow
A longish message follows, with a few specific questions that I hope will help "focusify" my training and race prep for IMOO.
Problem: I raced the EN way last weekend and was pleased with my result, but despite underachieving on the bike by 20W, I wasn't able to push my run pace out of zone 1. This was my 3rd long course tri (half 2008, IMLP 2009).
- Bike results: 2:33, ave pace 35 km/h, NP 173W (my second gear is 194W), TSS 155, VI 1.02, Calories in 550 all liquid
- Run result: 1:55, ave pace 5:30 (NGP 5:09/km). Only walked through aid stations.
My box became very constricting within the first 4 km of the run, so I felt it best to modify the race strategy to avoid giving back more time if I pushed too hard early on. I feel safe declairing that I should run 1:45 on average. I believe my estimates of FTP and Vdot are correct. Tri bike FTP 240W, road bike FTP closer to 260. Half marathon (this spring) Vdot 47, 5k Vdot close to 50. My training has been lacking in long runs, and I didn't do very many brick runs.
Questions:
- I assume that FTP and Vdot "normalize" between individuals of varying skill and experience. Do noobies and veterans, beginer or advanced plan followers, achieve similar run results following properly executed bike splits?
- I know I should do more bricks. Is a TSS of a brick run equivalent to a TSS of a similar run not off the bike? Is this where the mental mojo is built that allows us to know when it is OK to push harder?
Comments
Initially your TSS looks really low (I can't access the HIM tables right now, but I'd double-check those) and your 20W underachievement makes me think you really should have been able to run well. And your VI is good which makes me think you didn't spike watts so much that you burned your run. But there are plenty of other factors. Do you have problems running off the bike, i.e. there are many that do very few bricks in training but there are some that benefit from getting that "feel" of running off the bike- where do you fit on that spectrum?
Also, you don't mention your run nutrition. Were you bonking and just not realizing it?
There is no doubt that long course requires a different kind of mental toughness and intelligence to get you to race at the optimum level where you are pushing hard enough but not too hard. A lot of that can be gained by doing the plan's long runs with the intervals, etc. which really tax you by the end of the run. So if you didn't have the chance to do many of those you may want to focus on those going into your IMOO training.
Thanks for your thoughts. I certainly will focus on the long run.
Re: the race run - my legs are fatigued, stiff and just didn't feel like picking up the pace. I noticed after the race that my saddle had tilted forward slightly, so I think part of the problem was the bike fit aberation. I thought I was relatively well rested. I think part of the problem is "between the ears" and part might be volume/electrolytes. The future long rides/bricks will involve some salt experimentation.
Chris