Go get 'em Team!
Just a quick cheer and check in to all of you! I know most of you will be doing your race simulations this weekend! Hope they all go well, and provide good insights into places to fine tune your preparation for the remaining weeks of our build to race day.
Can't wait to hear how it goes!
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Thanks Olivia! I have never posted about my workouts on here, but then again, I have never ridden 112 miles until today so I guess there's a first time for everything ; ) I did my race simulation with fellow Endurance Nation member Patrick James. We tried to pick a St. George worthy course, so we did four 28-mile loops around where we live and two 3-mile loops after that. Doing loops helped us have a makeshift aid station (and somewhere to drop off our clothes since the temperature ranged from 42 degrees when we started to 71 when we finished).
Overall, it was a gorgeous day and a perfect route (rural road for most of it, very few cars, creeks, trees, but no sand, rock formations or 14% grades like St. George). We had to do 5,592 feet of climbing on the bike and 610 feet of climbing on the run. I'm really glad I was testing out my new 50/34 compact cranks! ; ) I got to spin pretty fast on the uphills (95 RPM average for the entire ride), trying to keep my wattage in check the whole way. My normalized power for the four laps was 206, 206, 192, 184 (FT is 252), so I need to work on being more conservative in the beginning and more consistent throughout. Same issue I had with marathons when I started running, so I know what the culprit is (lack of intelligence). Overall, I was pretty happy though...TSS was 467.4 and it was my longest ride ever by 5 miles (training for my first Ironman).
The run seemed HARD compared to what I'm used to (including the transition runs and a duathlon I have done in the past). My heart rate felt like it was skyrocketing and the engine just wasn't working. Still, my legs felt okay and my pace wasn't too bad (7:30's on the flats, closer to 9:45 on the steep uphill...my VDOT is 56).
It was a lot of fun to get out there with an EN teammate who has done Ironmans before...he helped me keep a positive attitude and I'm pretty happy right now. I'll work on my nutrition (ate three Gu's, one Cliff Bar and had Carbo Pro...definitely too low on calories) and hydration (had four bottles of water and one bottle of Gatorade...also not enough)...same issue I have with marathons.
Looking forward to hearing everybody else's thoughts...we're just a few weeks away from the finish line!
Alright, just got the intervention phone call from Carrie. Glad we're doing another race simulation! ; ) I'll work on being less "stoopid" (lower TSS, 70% of FT, flatter course for a lower VI, more nutrition/hydration, slower run).
Nice to have these resources so we can make our mistakes during training instead of racing = )
So glad you got the call! You rode .81 (or HIM effort) for the first half of your IM race SIM!!!! No wonder the run was so fookin' hard!
ps if you have a powerfile, send it over to admin@endurancenation.us with your FTP, weight, and age and we'll do a review for you in THE CRUCIBLE!!!!
P
I kept my watts pretty even at about 190-205, even on the climb. I haven't downloaded my power tap info yet but I was watching the meter constantly and staying in the box. I used some formula I got at Nytro, other than Infinit, it has carbs only but it sustained me incredible well (can't remember the name at the moment). I also used Gu's, water and some intermittent Gatorade. I didn't feel any bonk issues and cruised well throughout the entire ride and run. I was able to hit my run pace right on without much effort.
I had a great experience and it was definitely a confidence booster. I've nailed the nutrition issue pushing down about 250 calories per hour and it feels like my fitness is right on for IMSG. I've had few workouts lasting over 6 hours where I didn't run into bonking issues. My new nutrition plan of mostly fluid calories has been the key and that new knowledge came directly from the race & execution forum in EN.
Did my RR on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and everything went well.
Really happy with the bike pacing V1 of 1.05 on a hilly course, and I knew I was pushing a bit on the last 15 miles or so (I just wanted to be done). The run also felt good, but I ran too fast. Given my Vdot, I should be at 9:52 pace (9:22 LRP + 30) and ran the following (note Miles 1, 4 and 5 are uphill with 2,3, and 6 downhill on an out and back course) 9:18, 8:49, 8:44, 9:13, 9:10 and 8:34. I even walked 30 or 45 paces with each mile. Felt great, but 6 miles is way shy of 26.2.
So, my question... is it better to walk enough to hit your pace rather than run faster? I was really trying to run at 9:52, but given the hills etc, was having a difficult time doing it. Also, should we be adjusting our pace for hills?
Thanks
Mark:
I'm working on the hill thing with pace myself. I'm still learning but I try to keep my effort fairly even and so that means I run slower up hills and faster down, tyring to get the ascents and descents to balance in the end. Depending on the grade of a climb that could mean I'll slow the pace by 10 seconds and in some cases on steep climbs slow the pace by 1:30. Just the opposite is true on the down hll, the pace increases anywhere from 10 to 90 seconds. Right now I try to base the pace change on the grade, it's a site thing without technical measure. I'm hoping I'll master the skill soon.
I think running would be better than walking unless it's a doosy of a hill. I'm curious what others have to say about this issue. The IMSG course is hilly but I think the entire course is runnable. We'll see on race day on the second lap. I'm sure we'll witness lots of walking but I'm confident EN members will shine on the run course.