Ironman USA Lake Placid : Official Thread (Page 18)

I will second that on staying in Plattsburgh if you want to get to LP on race morning....It is further than you think.

I weigh 150-155 depending if I've been swimming or not haha

I know what you're saying.  There are too many relative factors from race day conditions to how each person paced hill/flats/downhills but I will definitely take a gander around to see what I can find because anything to give me an idea is better than nothing.  I'm pretty sure that is doable for me, and is a conservative enough goal to allow for a decent run.

Ya, at that weight, if you get your ftp up that high and ride it around 180-190 watts, with a decent setup I'd imagine you'll crush 6hrs. 


There are other threads that are older but a recent one I looked at has some comparables for you...

link:

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Placid_watts_P3103917/

Hi Everyone!

Thanks again for your help with the new bike! I got fit and picked it up today. Really excited! I decided not to go with the Adamo saddle. It was very uncomforable in spots I thought... just too wide. The generic saddle it comes with even felt better. So I ended up with a Specialized TriTip saddle which seems to feel ok.

The only thing I'm going to be looking out for is shoulder discomfort from holding myself in aero for so long... I've been doing lots of planks at the gym for core work but they also require shoulder stability and noticed during the fitting that they were uncomfortable.

Some people were asking about what comes standard with the P1. Mine came with a compact crank and a 34/50 and 12/25 cassette. I have no idea if that is going to be ok given my power but should be able to learn that through trial and error.

So happy that is out of the way!

Ryan

Congrats Ryan!

New bikes are always fun..hope you have many fun and fast miles together

Have you ever ridden in aero position before? If not, there is some time to get used to the position. Shoulder discomfort should go away or you need to adjust your fit.  If you have discomfort middle of your upper back that is often from holding your head up to look down the road.

When I went from my Kuota to my Ordu, they copied my position but I knew something was off. Reach was a little to long by about 1.5 cms and also aerobar pads were bit closer together, once we fixed those things I was much more comfortable but I got injured and had knee surgery in the middle so it took longer to zero in position than I had hoped.

Compact is great choice for Placid..you may want to pick up another cassette either 105 12-27 or ultegra 11-28 for the race...another 2 or 3 easier gears might help.

Only 225 days and 14 hours until IMLP 2011, not that I'm counting

when climbing, the 34/25 is going to let you spin more than a standard 39-28, you will have PLENTY of climbing gears with the current compact setup that came on the bike.

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I agree. It is total roughing it out of boredom and it's fun to see what others are doing. Best way is to go up there and ride it in may and see where your at. At the end of the day your going to do what you can anyway so it doesn't really matter what anyone else does. That being said, if you ride that course at 150lbs at 190 watts I'd be shocked if you did t come in under 6.

I completely agree with both of you guys.  I also really enjoy discussing power and seeing how each person utilizes their resources.

Regardless of what anyone else does, I'm going to stick to my plan on race day, let people fly past me on the bike, and hope to pass them on the RUN when they are walking :D no shame in walking though.  I'll do whatever I have to to finish

On the talk of specific wattage, I'm thinking that 70% of FTP would be a conservative enough goal, and would leave me with enough legs to have a decent run.  I plan to do most of my long rides that that wattage though, just to fine tune my plan.  I'm not looking for a fast bike split, I'm just looking to not overcook myself.

And on the topic of aero positions for longer racing, I've been experimenting with my fit to get it dialed in and I think I've got it where I want.  Surprisingly enough, it is a rather aggressive setup, but I feel very comfortable, and my legs seems to respond very well in it.  I'm not sure if is due to flexibility or just the fact that I have an oddly proportioned body.

What IF you can ride depends how long you are on the course as goal is to keep your TSS in the 270-290 range. Fast guys can ride at much higher IF than slow folks....as it TSS is function of IF and time on the course.

My IMFL TSS was 280. My IMLP TSS from '08 was over 400 in part due to all the power spikes (my vi was horrible)  I did on the climbs since I didn't have right gearing for my ability for that race. The reality with the wrong gearing you have to grind up the hills, spike up power or effort level and each and every time you do it, it hurts your run.  I didn't know any better at the time and did the best I could with what I knew.

Guess what I walked last 20 miles in part due to asthma incident due to be in cold rain for hours, but bigger part because I was toast for riding to hard on the bike.

I want to have a different race in '11.....raise FTP, drop some weight, race more steady watts on the bike with different bike gearing, build up run durability with frequency and volume so I can have a good run for me.

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Great points again guys!  I've been re-reading Allen&Coggan  just to make sure I remember all of the great points they make and trying to figure out how they relate to my goals.

@Fred  I see what you're saying on position and nutrition.  I wouldn't be surprised if when the snow finally melts and I can get back on the road, I have to change my position to something less aggressive.  What works now on the drainer might not be what works later on the road.

Oh how I loathe drainer rides...

I just signed up for a tri camp in mid March...8 days of lots of riding in the warm sun with lots of hills to get some good miles in my legs before it is warm enough here in MA to ride a lot outside.

I find most years even with solid time on my CT it takes about 6 weeks of riding to get my FTP up to my normal summer high and feel strong on the bike. Hope this time in CA will push that ahead and help me in the last 3 months before Lake Placid.

I was even able to get free ticket to fly to Santa Barbara on US Air with miles.

My husband rocks! He will stay home and hold down the fort with the kids and all they do.

Awesome Kathy!

Congrats KathyG on the training camp, that will be fantastic.

Ryan thanks for the hysterical link and congrats on your new bike!

Thanks all for informative gearing posts (i need all the help I can get!)...I'm looking into getting "granny gears" as they say here. I signed up for that training camp in Lake Placid that will be in May.  

Happy Holidays! 

So.... has everyone made peace with the trainer, and the fact we'll be riding it for the next 3 months? 

I just came to terms with it.   And this is my 3rd winter on the darn thing!  I would have thought it gets easier, but this has certainly not been the case for me. C'est la vie.

If you guys and gals haven't seen this youtube video about Ironman training, check it out.  Warning, they drop the F-Bomb:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4

Edited by Dream Chaser 2010-12-16 4:19 PM

This year I seem to have adjusted to the trainer (I have computrainer) more easily than in past winters. It may be that I did an IM 6 weeks ago and am back training consistently faster than in past years where I would normally take 4 weeks off s/b/r. I even find riding in aero much more comfortable, easier and the norm on trainer than in past winters.

What plan are you guys following this off season? Working with a coach? Winging it?

I'm on a break from coaching but will start up after the first of the year when I'm ready. I'm trying to run 5-6x a week, swim 4x a week following an on line swim program that has me working on kicking and doing things I haven't ever done before so it's interesting; cycling I just started back and hope to ride 4x a week but will be away from my bikes for almost 2 weeks over the holidays. Running will be challenging when in MN as it is very cold some days high is not above zero.

DC - Just had my last long ride for a while this past weekend 5 hours in 28 degrees and wind gusting at 35 miles per hour. The good thing is that it only snowed for an hour and a half - the rest of the ride was just sleet.

That kind of weather is WAY not common here (Atlanta); usually if we don't like the weather all we have to do is wait a couple of hours and it will (at the very least) be different. If it is 25 degrees or higher I will usually roll no matter the length of the ride. Our biggest problem here is how much the temps can change on a long ride - 35+ degrees is not uncommon. Makes it a little difficult to dress is all. Of course in June I will be complaining about how hot it is...

A quick question, just how long is a "long" trainer ride for our more northerly friends?

KathyG, I am going coached for the first time this season. That, not the weather, has me on the trainer a good bit more than usual. My longer rides (no more than 3 hours for a while) will be on the road, but everything else looks like it will be on the trainer. I don't think anything over 1:15~1:30 though, and pretty specific reps and sequences. So far, that helps a lot in making the time go.

This weekend I have my first FTP20 test - can't wait for that!

Ive been on the trainer for about 6 weeks now and I honestly feel worlds stronger already.  Jorge's winter cycling plan is fun and challenging.  Next week is a test week, so I hope my numbers reflect how I've been feeling.

I also just spent most of the day fitting myself.  My fit didn't feel bad, but I just wanted to see what it looked like from a different point of view.  I just busted out a digi cam, tripod, and open source video analysis software.  It was actually very eye opening to see exactly how I was set up.  Based on what I've been researching, I think I have a pretty optimal setup in terms of aerodynamics and power.

Seeing yourself on film really clears up any doubts on position.  I no longer have to worry if my seat is too high or what if my stem was shorter.

Of course being on a TT bike and not going anywhere isn't nearly as comfortable as it should be once I can get on the road in the spring.  My body will adapt to the position eventually.

NO!

I've been on the trainer some and trying to get outside when possible. Today we had 2" of snow in DC... I rode my hybrid bike home from work but there is no way I would ever do any kind of real training on a bike in the snow... so the trainer it is.

I am actually starting my *official* training program on December 27th. It's a 30 week program. So until then I decided to take 2 weeks completely off from any kind of training at all... no running, biking, swimming, lifting, rowing or anything. Hopefully my body will feel rested enough to jump right back into base building... and it will be enough of a psychological break to feel ready to go come Day1 of the official training plan! Oddly enough I've been sleeping a lot more during this break so not sure what that is about.