Ironman St. George : Official Thread (Page 19)

Wow, that hike looks incredible, but I definitely won't be there. I can handle the view from the top, but anything with thin little paths right next to a big drop off is too much for me. Plus I don't plan to be able to walk well enough for that!

Kind of.  Won't be doing any backpacking, but I was planning on driving around Bryce Canyon after the race, and then I'm taking the week after the race to visit a few other places.  Grand Canyon, Montezuma, Death Valley, and then 3 or 4 days in Vegas before flying back out.  I figure I'm going all this way, might as well enjoy the area.

It's similar to what i did for CDA in 2006.  Planning and thinking about the vacation afterwards really gives me something to think about while grinding out the miles.

I took the day off and knocked out a 3000/117/2.  Great day to train. 

I drove an hour to find the biggest hills I could fit in my ride.  Don't laugh!  I did 117.1 miles in 5:49.  Just a hair over 20 mph.  Tried to hold IM heart rate pace.  Total elevation gain per Garmin was 3,252 feet.  That's as hilly as it gets within 250 miles of me.  Did a quick transition run to check the legs and all was well.  Long run tomorrow.     

I'm still debating a trip to SG on 4/6-4/7 or 4/13-4/14.  If Garmin files are showing 5,000-6,000 feet of gain then I'm barely covering half the elevation.     

Nice work!

I'm heading on my first trip to Vegas after the race for 4 days!

Ryan

Sweet.  I'm going for 2 days.  Gonna be ugly. 

Had some time to think on my long run today.  For those of you that are climbing experts, riddle me these answers.  My ride yesterday had the most hills I have ever done.  Around 3,300 feet over 117 miles.  A couple of observations:

- I would have thought the sharp hills would have hit the quads, but I really felt the strain more with my glutes and hips.  Most of the climbs were seated, some in small ring with spinning to get me up.  The quads got hit more on the false flats and long straight/flat parts.  Do I need to get out of the saddle more to share the load? I don't think I was out of the seat more than 10 minutes total out of the 5:45:00 ride. 

- I ride with a 12-27 cassette with a standard crank.  I spun out around 36 mph on the downhills and on some steep stuff peaked around 38/39 mph with around 95/98 cadence.  I also had some steep climbs against the wind (3-4 total) and I actually struggled to get up a few sharp peaks at the end and had to get out of the saddle to make the climb in my 27 with the small ring.  I'd guess 12-13 degree peaks against the wind.  Do I need to get a 11-28 for the downhills and a little extra help going up?  I have no pride and will do whatever it takes to smooth out the torque load. 

- Heart rate was around 143 for the 117 mile ride.  Do you view heart rate the same way with tought hills.  Part of me was wondering if I should dial the heart rate pace back a few.  I shoot for under 145 on century rides.      

After screwing up my back taking a couple hard tumbles surfing a few days ago...  my wife has put a moratorium on all extracurricular activities.

I am only authorized by 'the boss' to swim, bike, or run, now until race day (although that does technically allow for MTN biking :^)

Thank god for IM putting on a race at the start of summer! Then I get the whole rest of the summer to play as I please, body be damned!

Yay for May!

Lots to ponder there so I'll throw in my two cents. 

Muscle groups and sharp climbs vs false flats. My opinion is the strain on the quads or hips/glutes isn't directly related to the degree of the climb, but how you climb it. If you put more effort into pushing a gear on the flats and false flats, your quads are going to feel it more than a steep hill if you're just spinning it. If you push the bigger gear up the steep and spin the false flats, the opposite will be true. 

In and out of the saddle. I think climbing style is just personal preference and what works for you, much like whatever your optimum cadence is for you. If you look at the pro riders in something like the Tour, some stay seated almost the whole time, some stand more than they sit, some mix it up. Personally, when I've done mountain pass climbs and lesser hills, I like to get into a good rhythm seated (typically 80-85 rpm), but I toss in quite a few short periods of standing just to use my muscles differently. Standing does use more energy (and raises the HR) so there has to be a balance. It works for me to switch it up for my legs. It's the same reason I walk through many aid stations on the run - my legs do better when I mix it up, but that's not true for everyone.

Gearing. Sounds to me like you're already thinking an 11-28 would suit you better. Since it would give you a bit more on each end, why not? I have a 12-27 on my road bike, but an 11-26 on my tri bike. I have to admit that 11 has been nice on certain downhills.

HR on hilly rides. HR is so wacky on a course with lots of ups and downs, especially short undulations as opposed to sustained climbs. The climbs make the average artificially high and the downs make it artificially low. So to answer your question, I don't worry about average HR on individual hilly rides, except to compare similar rides over time on the same course to gauge my fitness. For me, it's all about how my quads are feeling. For instance, last year in a hilly HIM, I was feeling the quad burn on climbs in the first five miles. I know from past races that will not end well for me with such a long way to go so I had to back it off on the climbs to get my quads to settle down. It didn't matter at all what my HR was doing, it was all about how the quads were feeling. 

Also, for what it's worth, given roughly the same total elevation gain, I find courses with constant ups and downs more draining by the end of the ride than ones with long, sustained climbs and long descents. I'm hoping that holds true for SG.

Cheers, Brad

Well done! Always nice to feel good about your long rides.

I am curious if anyone uses Perpetuem or Sustained Energy? I've been using INFINIT and I'm switching to IRONMAN PERFORM because it's at the race..... but I keep hearing that these HAMMER products are a whole different deal and that I should give it a try. I'd be interested in any thoughts.

Cody

Thanks for this update. Does anyone think we'll need a neoprene cap?

So did you premix for the whole ride at your first IM, or did you put the powder in a second bottle and add cold water at some point in the ride?

I agree about Perpetuem, especially regarding the heat. If it's cool enough, it works out well for me. It keeps me at an even energy level. I premixed a bottle for the bike at CdA last year and that worked out well. On some long rides later in the year when it was hot, uh, not so much. It's just not good when too warm, at least for me. I will bring it with me to SG as one of my food options, but whether or not I use it depends on the heat.

Brad