IMLP RR#1
I just realized that I should post this RR in this forum and elicit feedback. So fire away!
Breakfast: 1 Lara Bar, 1 Kind Bar, Large OJ, Banana, VERY Large Coffee, black - figure 800-850 calories
RR#1 - Farmlands century 100 miles in 5:50, then 60 min Z1+:30 run off the bike.
Felt solid the entire ride. New seat (Cobb Max) worked out well except for a bit of chafing. Was able to stay aero for very long stretches. I thought I kept watts under control, but TSS was 365, and should be 286. Clearly I have some work to do. Part of the overage was hooking up and riding with some bigger packs just to have somone to chat with. Another part were some stretches where I wasn't staying aero and using too much energy to keep forward motion. Both are mental discipline issues and are reflected in the VI numbers.
Fueling was pretty spot on. Took gel every 50-60 minutes, went through two double strength HEED bottles (400 cal) and two bottles of water. The double-strength HEED is REALLY sweet so I'm not sure I'll be able to deal with that mix on race day. I was teetering on the edge of under-fueling during the last hour of the bike, so I'll need to do the gels every 45 minutes. I ate one ginger-snap Lara bar at 4hrs, (190 cal) and that really felt good. I didn't eat the 2nd Lara bar I packed because I didn't want to futz with the wrapper.
Even though it wasn't hot, I did need Endurolytes to keep everything processing out of my stomach. I took 3 caps 3x on the back-half of the bike ride. All three times they quickly settled my stomach, so I'm 90% sure that lack of electrolytes have been one of the sources of my GI distress on events over 5 hours.
The run off the bike felt very slow, but I was forcing myself to follow protocol (Z1+30' per mile), even if it meant walking. It really worked, and helped shake everything loose and by the time the run was over I felt able to step up the pace to MP pretty easily. I did a couple of MP-HMP pick ups right at the end and those felt pretty solid. It was REALLY cool to feel my body settle in to running form instead of just pushing through stiffness & pain and blowing up in the first 10 miles.
By the numbers: TSS 365 IF .798 VI 1.11 HR avg 131 NP 168 AP 151 Cad: 89
Lessons Learned:
- Use gel flasks instead of single-serving packs. Less hassle
- Open Lara bars before race start
- Find different Liquid Nutrition or just deal with extra sweet HEED
- Don't get caught up in chasing groups on the bike. Ride my own ride
- Set up Garmin to beep when over my planned watts.
Comments
It sounds like your bike involved some sitting in and surges. Either that, or your FTP is undervalued. So it really wasn't a good trial of what the race will do to you. I've also done some RR# 1s like this, but RR# 2 really should be a solo, or at least totally non drafting, with emphasis on steady pace to truly test your ability to run after. I feel the primary value of RR is to prove your run and bike paces are correct for race day. If the bike has a solid VI (under 1.07) and the last three miles of the run feels doable but not easy, then you are probably set well for race day, and a bike time of maybe 10-15 minutes faster than the RR.
If you have not done an on the road FTP test within the past month, it might be worth considering doing that in a couple of weeks.
Also, while solid food is not the best option, if you are going to eat a bar, get it done within the first two hours, rather than towards the end. Sustained Energy from Hammer has minimal taste; I use their Perpetuem myself for IM race day fueling, along with 600 cals of Hammer Gel in a flask.