Hey Patrick - I have a question (let me know if it goes elsewhere)..
In situations where the HR distribution is pretty high and variable - is that undesirable just because that was lost opportunity for speed (ie, coasting on the downhills), or is there also a secondary negative effect of the HR being UP then DOWN then UP then DOWN instead of s-t-e-a-d-y? I would have originally thought that letting the HR come down would 'conserve' heartbeats and be beneficial in the long run - but it just occurred to me that maybe the body is more efficient at power output when things are steady, kind of like a car is more efficient at a steady RPM as opposed to starting and stopping.
For some reason I'm unable to watch the full file but have seen 4 minutes of it and spoke w/ George Smith and Bill WIseman who saw it and relayed the gist. The coasting periods are mostly explained by 4 Cat 4 climbs(really descents) where I coasted after 33+ mph (per EN protocol) and SIX, count 'em, SIX no passing zones. On my 2nd lap I was lapping people and getting stuck behind long lines of people who themselves were stuck behind maddeningly slow BOP'ers sitting up out of aerobars coasting. Just before exiting Hwy 95 I was trapped w/ about 2 dozen others for over a mile coasting at zero watts as all the people I worked to pass caught up behind me! Another reason my wattage/HR might have been low was that I was freezing cold and clinically hypothermic and losing my ability to push wattage. I was aiming for a NP of closer to 235 and a lower VI but the course dictated my VI, not my effort that day. Bill Wiseman and I both are very proficient in riding in the mountains of NC or hills of SC w/ VI in the 1.02/1.03 range and he also had a VI of 1.07 in CDA and felt that he had a "very steady" ride as well. Not sure how you can compare my ride to someone who rode a 90% different course in 2009. Just trying to glean some info here from my crucible file and not very clear what here I can utilize to improve my future IM racing. Based on my RR and FTP, I should have easily had a ton left in tank after that 1st lap of the bike course so it isn't like I went out too hard for my training/FTP. I was out of energy from freezing the 1st 100 miles of the day. Clearly, the course beat me IMHO. I made the proper decisions up until it was clear my tank was empty and I couldn't improve my position. That was at 10K of run and legs were simply, clearly, not there. I had the "IM racing" mindset all day despite the obstacles in the 1st 120 miles. I also know when to wave the white flag and not run into a brick wall. Unless you're in my shoes, no way to tell when is the right time to pull the plug. I'm telling you it was the right time. Is there anything I can/should apply to racing IMMoo beyond lowering my VI?
Comments
Cool analysis
In situations where the HR distribution is pretty high and variable - is that undesirable just because that was lost opportunity for speed (ie, coasting on the downhills), or is there also a secondary negative effect of the HR being UP then DOWN then UP then DOWN instead of s-t-e-a-d-y? I would have originally thought that letting the HR come down would 'conserve' heartbeats and be beneficial in the long run - but it just occurred to me that maybe the body is more efficient at power output when things are steady, kind of like a car is more efficient at a steady RPM as opposed to starting and stopping.
Thanks.
The coasting periods are mostly explained by 4 Cat 4 climbs(really descents) where I coasted after 33+ mph (per EN protocol) and SIX, count 'em, SIX no passing zones. On my 2nd lap I was lapping people and getting stuck behind long lines of people who themselves were stuck behind maddeningly slow BOP'ers sitting up out of aerobars coasting. Just before exiting Hwy 95 I was trapped w/ about 2 dozen others for over a mile coasting at zero watts as all the people I worked to pass caught up behind me!
Another reason my wattage/HR might have been low was that I was freezing cold and clinically hypothermic and losing my ability to push wattage. I was aiming for a NP of closer to 235 and a lower VI but the course dictated my VI, not my effort that day. Bill Wiseman and I both are very proficient in riding in the mountains of NC or hills of SC w/ VI in the 1.02/1.03 range and he also had a VI of 1.07 in CDA and felt that he had a "very steady" ride as well. Not sure how you can compare my ride to someone who rode a 90% different course in 2009. Just trying to glean some info here from my crucible file and not very clear what here I can utilize to improve my future IM racing.
Based on my RR and FTP, I should have easily had a ton left in tank after that 1st lap of the bike course so it isn't like I went out too hard for my training/FTP. I was out of energy from freezing the 1st 100 miles of the day. Clearly, the course beat me IMHO. I made the proper decisions up until it was clear my tank was empty and I couldn't improve my position. That was at 10K of run and legs were simply, clearly, not there. I had the "IM racing" mindset all day despite the obstacles in the 1st 120 miles. I also know when to wave the white flag and not run into a brick wall. Unless you're in my shoes, no way to tell when is the right time to pull the plug. I'm telling you it was the right time.
Is there anything I can/should apply to racing IMMoo beyond lowering my VI?