LIEBS' PLACID RACE REHEARSAL - WHAT DID I LEARN?
WARNING - this is long, and I tend to ramble.
Let’s start by saying that for the past few months with boards and residency and family stuff, I honestly have barely been able to get in the main set workouts each week, let alone peruse the EN forums like I used to. So there’s lots I have had to learn on the fly, some the hard way (like not eating solid food before and during a half-Ironman, but I digress). Fit and handling of a completely new bike and gear setup (thank you to my wife). So, I planned some hard core training this vaca week at the beach, culminating with this first (and only) Race Rehearsal 3 weeks before Placid.
So for starters, unlike my Eagleman fiasco I did not have any solid food past 2030 last night. I went to bed at 2130, couldn’t fall asleep until 2230, and woke up at 0130 and could not fall back asleep. Tossed and turned until 0300, then said F it and started packing my gear for the morning. Told myself wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to be operational on 3 hours sleep. Had “breakfast” of coffee, 2 plain vanilla yogurts, and a Gu packet (as Al Truscott says - nothing went in my mouth that couldn’t drip on my shirt.) It was perfect weather out, around 73 or so, overcast as the sun rose. As I got in the car to drive downtown it started raining and thundering. Great.
I parked my truck at Lloyd Hall on Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill, which would serve as my transition area. Still raining but no more thunder/lightning; got on the bike and rolling at exactly 0600. My nutrition plan was simple and automated. I would carry a 3-hour (3x concentrated) Infinit bottle on my hideously contorted frankendowntube, of which I would take a swig every 15 minutes when the timer on my watch sounded, and wash it down with water. Every 30 minutes I would pop a Succeed S-cap using the SaltStick dispenser inside my aerobar. This is totally new for me but I learned the hard way because my lytes were all screwed up at Eagleman. I have since calculated my sweat rate to be anywhere from 50 to 66 oz per hour, depending on the heat/humidity. So at the least, two 24oz bottles of water per hour plus the Infinit should suffice (it did - I peed numerous times on the bike successfully although that was coasting, non-power-generating time that the data below shows).
My first hour was half on the sidewalk paths around the Boathouse Row, until I remembered that West River Drive would be closed to traffic by now and crossed the Falls Bridge to the other side of the river. This road was indeed closed to traffic by barricades, and was relatively flat and smooth. There was a nice wind in each direction though. I found I could get aero for most of the 3.5 mile stretch of road, then just do a 180 and go back, so i decided to stay on this section of road. I hit the interval button on the Joule for each hour, forming 6 relatively even intervals (another idea gleaned from Al). The data for each individually and summed are below:
Today’s body weight: 205.4 lbs; body fat 14.9
Temperature: 79 degrees F; rainy/overcast
Distance: 112 miles
Course: Flat; windy on the Schuykill River
Elevation: 1692 ft of gain
Total elapsed time: 6:27:43
Total wheel time: 6:06:40 (note, these differ for two reasons. One, because I drank a ton of water, I stopped to fill my water bottle at the fountain every chance I got which was at least 8 or 9 times. The second reason is my planned “Bike Special Needs” stop at the 3 hour mark at my car was thwarted by me being a good samaritan and loaning my floor pump to someone with a flat. This took at least 12 minutes, when all I really needed to do was get more Infinit powder and salt caps.
Average cadence: 87rpm when pedaling; 76rpm if you include the coasting (peeing) breaks.
Average speed: 18.3 mph when moving
Total work: 3594kJ (justifying the big-ass meatball stromboli I made vanish before lying down to write this 
Average HR: 129bpm. Very happy about this; zone 1-2 for me. I was never breathing heavy.
My new (indoor) FTP as of yesterday: 257w. So I planned an IF of 68% of 257wFTP = 175 goal PNorm watts for a 6 hour “should” split and TSS under 285 (more on this later).
Unfortunately, however, my total ride Normalized Power was only 167w. Adding insult to injury, my total ride average watts were 154w for a total Variability Index of 1.08. Not very happy about this given it was a relatively flat course, but I’m not sure if this is because of all the starting and stopping to fill up my bottle, and coasting to pee. I noticed my watts would (relatively) spike then the most - during starting and stopping - which I plan to only do once on the IM course at BSN. Additionally, much of the first hour of data was during my version of Just Ride Along, with a low PNorm of 121w and a high VI of 1.11 because of the sidewalk paths.
Intensity Factor of total ride: 0.649; again, well short of my planned 68%. I am on the fence of calling it too conservative, which is fine because Placid is going to be HILLY!
Training Severity Score: 257.1, of which in retrospect I am happy about.
But the big question: Despite all this data, HOW DID THE RUN FEEL? (I am learning this is the whole point to training and racing with a powermeter.)
So I actually had to bike 2 more miles to get back to my car where did a quick transition, downed a salt cap and IM Perform bottle, grabbed another one for the road, and took off. I ran exactly 6 miles in 67 minutes. It was 92 degrees at this point, muggy and humid as hell, and the sun was beating down. Worse, the water fountain on the Kelly Drive side was out of order, leaving me to my one bottle of Orange-Mango IM Perform for the whole run. THAT lack of fluid I DID feel, and it sucked bigtime (this won’t be a problem on the IM course). Of note, for these first 6 miles I “gave the coaches back” their 30 seconds per mile on my long run pace of 9:26, plus added a whole extra MINUTE because of the heat and my size - I have learned multiple times the hard way that these two do not play nicely with each other. Soooooooooooo........drum roll....
I felt GREAT! Well, except for the heat of course - but for the first time ever, I came off the bike without any leg pain. My neck and arms and shoulders were stiff as hell, my ass hurt from the saddle, I was a little chafed from wet peed-in shorts, but all minor potatoes (damn - hungry again!. I actually think if I could have stayed well-hydrated and salt-capped, that I could have kept on running at that pace. Which is fine as I am trashing all time goals for my first IM. Even now, I don’t feel demolished or anything - my legs feel fine, like I said, just a little stiff in the upper body, that’s it.
WHAT DID I LEARN/ACCOMPLISH?
This was the longest I have ever ridden a bike in one day (let along the longest I have ever exercised continuously); now I know I can do it. I now feel my aero setup is dialed in perfectly. I feel more confident at speed on my new rig. I actually prefer the handling of the bike without the rear carrier, and so I am going to remain with a torpedo water bottle between the aero bars and my Infinit bottle on the downtube, that’s it. All tools/CO2 in a Bento box on the top tube. I feel relatively confident glancing down at my current watts and my PNorm on my PM every 5-10 seconds while pedaling.
I think I nailed my nutrition plan. Not ONE muscle cramp, GI cramp, or nausea wave. I tolerated 6 hours of concentrated Infinit then switched to IM Perform because that’s what’s on the run course, and I tolerated it just fine. THE SUCCEED S-CAPS ARE FREAKING MAGIC. I had no idea just how much sodium I *wasn’t* getting each hour with just my Infinit. I am now near 1000mg per hour, and it totally was the missing piece. Again, I had to learn the hard way I guess. In fact, I am loading up both my aerobars with SaltStick dispensers which hold 12 capsules total, enough for 6 hours of biking. PS - this setup not only looks totally trick but is waterproof! The caps were nice and dry, and spit out with a turn of the dial. Awesome.
I pee on the bike, on the fly, like a champ now, and it doesn’t bother me in the least (ps - does anybody know a good cleaner for carbon components? 
Lastly, I need to revisit the charts and the coaches/forums with my sim data. I feel that I just rode a 6:10 “could” split on this flat course, which probably means it would be a 6:20 “should” split. I would think factor in another 10-20 minutes when applying this model to Placid because of the hills? So I’ll need to revisit the TSS tables with my data. As always, your opinions are appreciated greatly!
“And The Capitol Of Nebraska Is Lincoln!”
Liebs
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Comments
I know you have "mastered" the art of pissing yourself, but consider taking a pee break on the bike. It takes 45 seconds (volunteers hold your bike) and the "rest" will give you back in spades later in the day. Not to mention 10-12 hours biking and running in soiled shorts is neither comfortable or healthy. At IMCDA last week I took a bike pee break (45") and a run pee break (30'), thats a total of 1'15". Guarantee I didn't miss those seconds the last 6 miles of the run. It's up to you, but since a Kona slot isn't on the line YET, consider giving yourself a minute 15 seconds.
The hills at LP will wreak havoc with your projected times; let them go and simply focus on correct execution. This will provide the fastest possible time given your fitness on the day.
The high VI is most likely a function of accelerating away from turns and stops. Real IM execution ninjas value low VI far and away over "getting back up to speed"; those accelerations will accumulate to burn you hard later on the run. Be patient! Excellent IM execution feels stupid easy for most of the day.
And yes, starting and stopping will definitely spike the VI - less of an issue on race day - but similar to the beginning of every hill. If you don't switch gears before the hill you end up spiking the watts early on the hill. Again the LP course is very distinct in that you'll know when your gonna go "up" vs "down" vs "flat" but its something I am still working on to "smooth" out the ride. Agree that come, race day, forget about time goals (which I know is hard for everyone). But just execute so you can enjoy the day and learn from it .
@Steve - point well taken. But I pee a LOT - I get uncomfortable in the aero position with a full bladder. There's no way I could only stop to pee just once or twice on the bike. But you are right, comfort (chafing) could be an issue so will take it under advisement.
@Bill - will concentrate on not spiking the watts!
@Coach Patrick - in this world full of speedy Ironfolk here in the Haus (hello Chris G?) as well as externally, the hardest thing for me has been to let go of time goals. Mostly because of my size. I know I'm not obese but I do feel I'm overweight, and certainly not "beanpole fast" like many triathletes. So when I originally undertook this whole triathlon "thing", which has now turned into a lifestyle and almost a calling card for those who know me, I only was concerned about completing the race. Finishing what I started, vertical with vitals, that kind of thing. But doing the work in my first Outseason made me see some monster gains and I NEVER would have thought I could pace in the 7's for a ten-mile race, let along run a sub-4 open marathon this season! So I guess I got sucked back into the time game. eg on Eagleman I think I'm having a great bike leg yet return to find 90% of bikes already racked, that kind of "letdown". I usually don't let myself get negative about it, but sometimes it's so hard to remember because of all the great execution that goes on here that I'm only competing with my *former* self.
@Pete - yes, crazy as it was, I stayed on that 3.5 mile stretch!. It was kind of mindless but it was closed to traffic which was what I needed at the time, just to focus on getting comfortable being aero for 6 hours and the handling on my new rig. I still feel very uneasy in the aerobars, mostly because I feel I am so top heavy that I feel like one wrong bump, pothole, or crack and I am going to lay the bike down. But I'm getting there. Yes I used to work in the city, now I drive around NJ to outpatient centers mostly. We should meet up for a ride sometime maybe!
"This was the longest I have ever ridden a bike in one day (let along the longest I have ever exercised continuously); now I know I can do it. "
This can't be overlooked. You are trained and ready for race day -- You did a solid race rehearsal in tough conditions. Weather conditions will likely be better in Placid for race day and you will be tapered and ready to race. Awesome that you had a good run despite the heat. Take care of your self the next few weeks (nutrition, recovery, sleep, etc.) so that you arrive in Lake Placid rested and ready to race.
Above all, when you get to Lake Placid take in every moment of the Ironman experience. You only get ONE first Ironman. Go there, do your best, race your plan, and don't get wrapped around the axel around time goals, expectations, etc.
Lake Placid is a phenomenal event and a special one to me. In 1999 while lying on the couch recovering from a marathon training run I watched Heather Fuhr and Thomas Hellreigel win the inaugural event in Lake Placid and thought; man, this marathon training is killing me but maybe someday I could do that. A few months after my first marathon I bought my first bike, a few years later did my first Ironman and finally in 2008 I finished my 4th Ironman in Lake Placid. I can't wait to go back and race their again.
Good luck!