Home Group Discussion-Ironman Arizona 2010

IMAZ - It's TEST Week & only 9 weeks to go!

Last week was a big one for me:  216 miles on the bike, 35 running, 12100 yards swimming, and 50 mins in the weight room.  It was great to sleep in this morning, but I did the optional swim this evening.   We've got some tough sessions on the calendar this week but I think I'm ready.  

The Assault on Sugarloaf (112 mile ride at Clermont) was hot and windy...not to mention the toughest course I've ever done.  It was a nice 72 degrees when we started but the humidity outside of town was bad and the heat kicked up quickly as did the wind.  Three other guys stopped with me at the 95 mile SAG...and put their heads in a tub of ice water.  I poured it on myself but didn't need the brain freeze from an ice dunk.  At 102 miles it started raining and the steam was coming off the roads.  At 106 it stopped raining, but the steam was still there...awful, but at this point I was close enough to finish.

Time to get useful info from everyone:  What cassette do you plan to ride at IMAZ?   I haven't decided which bike I'm taking, but it will probably be "DragonFire" which has a standard 52-39 on the front and I'll use a 12-23 on the back with a HED Jet Disc.  I'm told there are no significant hills at Arizona so this should be enough gears.   Am I wrong??

 

 

Comments

  • Paul, great work! I suggest you look into a 25 just to have it there. The only reason I would say yes to a 23 on the back is if you are a vet and have gone sub-5:30 in an IM bike before. Who knows, could be wicked windy this year!

    P
  • Coach P - I've only done 2 IMs (much, much to learn), but went 5:06 at Florida in 2008 on the same disc wheel with a 12-21...great weather, flat, etc. I went 5:41 at IMCDA but had 2 mechanicals that cost me 5-10 mins. I figure the 12-23 gives me an extra gear for IMAZ over Florida. You've got me thinking - maybe I'll bring my 404s in case of wind. If you check in again, can you answer this for me:

    I'm thinking of doing the AquaBike at the Great Floridian on 23 Oct - 4 wks in advance - I just rode the new course Sunday and it is way tougher than IMCDA was! Then I plan to drive up to Gainesville for a century ride the next morning. Am I nuts? I thought it would be great training, but I read something from you or Rich that suggests not to do a monster weekend closer than 6 weeks out. So should I do both, just the AquaBike, or neither?

  • Nice work Paul.  Do as Coach P says with the 25.  I am taking SRAM red 11-27.  The Red cassette is really light and i defintiely use the 11 on the downhill portion.  i have raced with both disk and 1080 rear at AZ.  both times there was little to no crosswinds.  this year i am going with the 1080, just because i get nervous about inflating the disk with adaptors (zipp wheel and i use the crack pipe adapter) on the pump.  the 1080 doesn't require the adaptor, so one less thing to worry about.  oh forgot to mention that i have always used 808 front and never had any problems with control (knock on wood!  throw salt over the shoulder! and whatever other superstition exists to avoid the jinx).

    due to being a bit off with the schedule, i will test run and swim this week, but not bike (i.e. need these days to keep building as my bike training has been 'lagging' a bit).

    Vdot entering race prep period: 53  => vdot yesterday....56!!!!!!! yeah baby!  my plan was 1st mile: 6:07; second mile: 6:00; third mile: 5:45.

    actual:

    mile1: 6:08;

    mile2: 6:01;

    mile3: 5:52;

    total: 18:01.

    mile one was under control, i'd glance each lap of the track to make sure i was on pace.  mile 2 was ok at first lap, but then the pain started creeping in.  at this point, i just focused on technique and controlled breathing, although my breathing was definitely audible and this was making me nervous that i was pushing too hard.  mile three was super tough and i just tried to push when i could and then let myself recover a few seconds, then surge again, etc.  the cool thing was that i recovered rather quickly and was able to swim afterwards with pretty good effort in the water.

    also, this test was done in my IMAZ racing flats, so maybe that contributed to some increased speed.  otherwise same course as all other tests.

    wishing you all mental strength for the tests this week!

    sincerely, GH

  • ugghh!!!  just entered numbers into data tool and got a 53.9 vdot.  oh well, any improvement is good.  when i use the jackdaniels calculator from http://www.runbayou.com/jackd.htm, i get vdot 56.  

    anyway, will keep plugging away.

    over and out.

     

    GH

  • Gilberto - you are seriously strong dude...those days are gone for me...unless I lose a little weight (my current project!). I have a SRAM Red 11-26 on my Zipp 404. When I have time...maybe after IMAZ...I'll be rebuilding my other race bike with SRAM Red parts...sitting in boxes on the floor at the moment. That bike will have a compact crank for the hilly courses. BTW, no problems ever with the crack pipe...I just need one other person to help me and there's always another guy w a disc wheel within 10 feet and we take turns helping each other.

    I'm still trying to decide on what race shoes to wear. I used K-Swiss Kona for IMCDA but heard IMAZ has a lot of concrete. So I picked up a pair of the new K-Swiss Blade Light. They are a great light weight trainer but too heavy when they get wet/sweat even with the drainage holes. I've ordered a pair of Blade Racers and will test them against the Kona...it's going to be one of them.
  • hey everyone, what's the reason for using something more than an 11-23 on a fairly flat bike course? I've been training on a 12-28 (i believe), and I've never gone into the easy ring on the front crank...as you can tell im still a newbie and don't know the correct terminology. No Ironman before (only a half iron), but I've been training at a FTP of about 250-270. I imagine even if windy, I can always drop to easy gears on both the front and rear cassette, even on 11-23, right?

    Once again, a newbie at this, so would love more advice.

    Thanks,
    Adam
  • Paul:  SRAM red is soo ooo light.  you'll love it once installed. on a flattish course like IMAZ, you'll be fine with the slightly heavier stuff.  as for the crack pipe, i am most worried about a flat and the subsequent repair-when it is harder to find a guy/gal willing to help.  however, they do a great job of cleaning the streets and the roads have been great the last two years, i just worry too much sometimes. as for shorts, i really like the desoto 400mile short.  i am more aggressive now in my position and the extra padding really helps.  it also doesn't slow me down when i run.  it's a great short.  last year i raced in EN team shorts and they were fine, but with my new position, they might be too thin where it counts!  anyway, just a suggestion and if too soon before the race to test, consider them next year.

    Adam:  that's a strong FT.  nice job.  the coaches have a lot of material on the why for an 11/12-25 for most flattish courses, so make sure to review those materials.  the cliff notes version is that the 21 in the back limits you unnecessarily.  you can still maintain goal watts with a 25 in the back and the higher cadence is almost always leg saving for the run.  also, i have raced the AZ course when it is windy, the first year it was held and that was brutal!!!!!  better safe than sorry and you are not sacrificing any speed, so it's a win win.  i am going with an 11-27 mainly for the 11 and it's super light anyway, but if it happens to be windy (insert all superstitious anti-jinx measures here), then you'll see me pedaling 100RPMS holding steady watts with that 27!!

    Gh    

     

  • Gilberto - I'll be putting brand new tires on my race wheels. Old race wheel tires go to the training wheels. Traiing wheel tires hit the trash can before I blow them on a long ride (have done that several times)! If I do flat on my disc (knock on wood), my CO2 adaptor will fit right into the stem opening. I only need the adaptor for the floor pump.

    Adam - ditto on the FTP. I don't know mine...too old school to bother with a PM or heart rate. I just crank up the internal pain meter to "IM" and go! I really want to crack 4 hrs on the marathon at IMAZ. I was 4:07 at IMFL and 4:04 at IMCDA (tougher course). If the weather is right and I drop a few pounds then I should be able to get it.
  • Adam, 11-23 will be just fine for you i'd think.  I'll be using a 12-23.

    Paul, solid week last week, nice job!!  I did a half IM last week and just killed it, however i'm still recovering from the run, been suffering from achilles issues and have done only 1 run over 8 miles in the last 2 months(the race last week).  Things look ok now and have ~7 weeks to get up to 22 miles, it will be interesting.  My swim and bike are solid, but its all about the run...

    Wishing everyone higher Vdot and higher power tests this week.. 

  • @paul @gilberto @todd - thanks for the feedback. i will check out the wiki!i still struggle a bit on my bike. i've been cycling for about 1.5 years now, and i'm amazed that it's just harder for me to get better at it vs. running. I think i'll try my 11-23 for the next few weeks and see how it goes. i do a ride here that can have a good 10mph headwind straight for about an hour, so it will be a good test if i get enough gears. but I like the idea of better safe than sorry image

    also, is running off the bike similar to the race simulations we've done (the 1-4-1)? I'm able to run pretty hard off the bike in these situations, and maybe that's just because I've taken the bike pretty easy. In my half iron, I wasn't too much worse off then my typical half marathon pace (about 10% worse) and that was mostly from seriously bad blisters around mile 6. I must admit, i even look forward to getting to the run because I enjoy running so much more than cycling (am i the only one??)

    @paul, what's your typical marathon pace in a regular marathon to get those marathon times in the IM? I heard add about 40 mins as a rule of thumb?

    Good luck with your training! we're getting so close!!!

    Adam
  • Adam:

    review the coaches race execution-run section.  the EN way is to not run hard off the bike for IM.  in my experience, the most accurate representation of how your running legs will feel after the bike, is the race rehearsal.  In my best race, IMAZ2008, i passed over 300 people in the last 6miles of the marathon by following the EN way.  that year my stand alone marathon time was 3:35. 

    i am hoping this year i can go faster.

    good luck!

    GH

     

  • @ Adam - I was a runner for a long time. Did 10 open marathons (my weakest running event) between 2:29 and 2:53, and haven't done a stand-alone is something like 15 years. My biggest run issue off the bike is cramping, but I've made improvements there. Leg cramps have cost me a lot of time which is why I've been focusing on my bike fitness. But I do run more than EN prescribes cause I like it and I have an extensive running background.
  • @gilberto @paul - thanks for the info once again. I should clarify - when I say run hard, I'm able to hold my zone 1-2 pace, which is about 7:15-8:00 minute miles. what scares me is that it's still a good time if I can keep up 8 minute pace. so it's hard for me to gauge my time. my last marathon was a year ago, and it was a 3:36. I've gained significant speed and endurance since then and I think I could run a 3:10 marathon or so now. So i'm trying to gauge how to take my run off the bike. Go with my zone 1-zone 2, or go much slower and try to get to zone 1-2 at around mile 15 if I fee like i have it in me.

    and you guys are fast. that is an awesome marathon off IM time, and an unbelievable stand alone marathon time!!!
  • Hey Adam, I was good for about a 3:15 marathon, and ran a 3:38 at IM. Although i am using a power meter and came off the bike feeling like a million bucks. The bike pacing certainly was key for me.
  • @Todd - great to know! And nice work!
  • Dam is still on schedule...in fact, sounds like they are ahead of schedule. If they get approval they might be able to start filling the lake next weekend!

    Friday Dam Status Report: "All three bladders that are on site have been installed, inflated and safety tested. They are fully operational. A fourth bladder is being manufactured by Bridgestone and will arrive in October/November for installation. A coffer dam is being installed so that Town Lake can be filled once Arizona Department of Water Resources has given approval. The coffer dam should be finished next week. There is no date yet to release the water to fill Town Lake. "
  • What a week. Have not gotten a single workout in all week. Was in Philly on Monday and that was a rest day. Tuesday, was going to do my VDOT test in the evening at the local high school track. Got out of work late around 8:00pm but still pushing to do the test. Got the school and no lights on the track. Scratch that day. Wednesday up at 3:00 am for a day trip to Chicago. On way back from Chicago they close the Philly airport. I end up flying into BWI at midnight renting a car and driving 2.5 hours back to Collegeville PA. Make it to the hotel at 3:00am. Another workout deferred. Up at 6:00am to be on a conference call with my team in Asia Pac. Thursday night fly back home to Houston. Friday morning barely make it out of bed in time to be on a 7:00am conference call. Again no workout.

    Not looking forward to the bike test tomorrow, but it will be good to be doing a workout. Hopefully back on the training plan and ready to roll for AZ.
  • John, bummer about the week, the no problem though, you still have time.. Hopefully you'll have a break out FT test tomorrow. Lets see some good results!
  • The FTP test was a bust this week. Not enough recovery time after too much non-fitness stress on the body. Sunday was a different story. 3 hours of ABP workout felt great. Ready for the next week.
  • the new week begins!

    i did a 100k charity ride yesterday, which messed up my "big workout day" which i postponed today. legs were still hurting from yesterday, arms were hurting from using the road bike yesterday, but did my swim, did 40 miles on the bike, and legs just said no to the run, decided it would be prudent to listen to my body and made friends with my couch, eager to get going tomorrow, plus i start a "total immersion" swim class this week!

Sign In or Register to comment.