Gray Guys/Girls Maturing Triathlete - Always OPEN (Page 29)

Rob,

Congratulations!  You're an Ironman.!  And you negative split the run!  That has me smiling.

You had a respectable time and there's lot's of room for improvement when you do your next one.  Yeah, I know, you said you're going to volunteer.  You've been bitten by the Ironman bug.  You had a good race.  I suspect we'll see you at the starting line again in the not too distant future.

Good Job!!!

     I am racing on Saturday in the Redman 70.3 in Oklahoma City.  I am about 3 hours from OKC so it is a short drive which makes logistics nice.  I noticed a few days ago that the Kids Zone (bounce house, games, free baby sitting, free snacks, etc.) was listed as canceled due to pending weather. So I looked at the forecast and it had a 66% of rain that looked like it would be light with 8-12 MPH wind.  On the way into work this morning the forecast for OKC on the radio was for 30% chance of rain after 2:00 PM today and flood warnings starting Friday morning ending on Saturday afternoon.  They listed 100% chance of rain with heavy Thunder Storms. 

     I don't know how, but I have been expecting this for 6 weeks.  Before Boulder 70.3 I was doing 5 miles recovery runs over my lunch break 2-3 times a week in 90+ deg. F weather and treated them like race day practice to see how slow I had to go to keep my heart rate from spiking.  It took me 2-3 weeks to dial into the pace and when I got to Colorado and we got rain the day before the race I felt cheated.  I knew that if it was not hot that I would loose my advantage of pace in the heat and all those Colorado guys that had been neglecting heat training would get a free pass on race day with cooler rain weather.  Fortunately the rain blew over and I got my hot day in Boulder and while others were cursing the heat I was smiling because I knew that even though it was crippling me it was crippling them worse.  After Boulder I stopped looking towards boiling hot days as race preparation. I was  envisioning a cooler day at Redman and started thinking about how pacing could be adjusted from a hot day to a cooler one. 

My race History:

2015 - Hits Marble Falls 70.3 - Hot, Hot, Hot (for day with temps over 90 degs of the year).

2016 - IM St. George - Rainy and 50 degs.  Yes I got Hypothermia on the bike.

2017 - El Reno Olympic -  This one also had scatted light rain with zero wind.  Perfect race day conditions (70 degs?, temp?)

2017- Redman 70.3 - This also was a day with scattered rain.  Wind was high in the morning and the markers some of the markers on the swim course blow away.  The sun came out mid morning and the run was actually pretty hot.  I think it was high 80's but don't know if we got into the low 90's or not.

2018 - IM Boulder 70.3 - Hot...This was as hot at the Hits race but since it was in August rather than April everyone had had time to acclimatize. 

So...I actually have had rain as a factor in the week leading up to or on race day for all my races since 2015. I was really confidant in the rain in 2016 because like running in the heat, I treated cycling in the rain as a race day preparation.   Rain or shine I was out doors on the bike.  I got the Kurk Kentics last fall and I have loved not having to ride with a head lamp and reflective vest at 5:30 AM  on my week days rides, but it has made me a little soft towards adverse riding conditions.  When I was doing my last quick bike ride out doors in Colorado the day before the Boulder Race I was not comfortable going down the big hills with the weaving back and forth and being wet and so I slowed down quite a bit on the hills.  Two Saturdays ago when I had a 3 hour out door bike ride on the schedule I opted to go inside and do it on the trainer since it was raining.  I had a nagging voice telling me that I should do it out side so I would be ready for rain on race day but I dismissed it.  So I am hoping I can remember how to corner and ride in the rain (and that it isn't so windy that I get blown over in the cross winds).  I am not worried about running in the rain or swimming in the rain (although high wind on the swim would be a problem).  

Looking forward to this.  Crazy days like I have coming up on Saturday is what keeps Triathlon from getting boring.

     Saturday was my 8th MultiSport event and my 8th PR.  The PR margin are getting smaller, but they are still moving in the right direction.  

     The weather was actually pretty good for the race.  The area did get a lot of flooding the day before the race that required some course changes on the bike and run to avoid flooded areas but it didn't rain on race day.  The rain lowered the water temps enough to be wet suit legal and the race temperatures were in the 60's which helped everyone's run times.

     The swim was the only part of the race that I didn't PR.  Reports were that the swim was about 200 yards long on everyone's GPS.  I didn't see anyone complain about the distance on the bike course but I came up a mile short on that so we added 4 minutes to our swim time, but then got 3 minutes back on the bike and since the Transition area was compact we probably got 30 seconds off each of the T's too to put us even with other 70.3 races. 

I forget something at every race.  Once it was my wet suit.  This time it was my heart rate monitor and my Cliff Bar.  I thought of Rob when I realized that my bike pacing plan would have to changed from HR to going off feel. 

My plan on the bike was to find someone that I though would slightly push me and to stay behind them (at a legal following distance).  I passed a lady about 3 miles into the bike course and she passed me a minute or two later.  I figured that anyone that was passing me when I was going 24 MPH was pretty confidant with their cycling ability.  I had passed her once already so I knew that she wasn't faster than me and that I would be able to hang with her.  That pacing plan worked well for me.  14 miles in I slowed through the aid station to get a bottle of gator aid.  She stay to the left and burned through the aid station.  I think I hammered it for 4-5 miles to catch back up with her.  She know how to ride a bike and wasn't giving up any time.  She never slowed down at a singe aid station all day.  At the 3rd and 4th aid station I stayed to the left so I didn't loose her.  I was pushing to stay with her the first 25 miles.  After that we entered lap two of an 18 mile loop on the course and we had people on lap one riding with us.  The lady in front of me seems to slow down a lot at that point.  I assumed it was because she was judging her relative motion to the people around her.  When everyone else was going 20-21 MP on lap one she was going 22 MPH to pass people.  When everyone was going 18--20 MPH on lap two she only had to go 21 MPH to keep passing people.  I felt real relaxed behind her and my legs got some recovery time.  After the 2nd loop she seemed to be slowing down even more.  With a few miles to the finish their was a small hill and I thought she was going to come to a stand still (the last aid station was at the top of the hill so after blowing through all of the aid stations on the course she might have done just that).  At any rate I felt it was time to pass my steady pace person.  I pushed it the last couple of miles and never say the lady I had paced off enter the T2 before I left.  I checked the results though and she was the overall fastest bike split for the women.  My split was two minutes faster than hers and my run split 30 minutes faster.  

After a great bike ride with lots of recover time between miles 25-50 so I got to the run feeling pretty good.  It was a overcast and a cool 63 degrees so I forgot to put sun screen but the quick transition got me out on the run course way ahead of the other two guys that came into the T2 the same time as me.  I went out at a fast (but relaxed) pace.  After running in 90+ degs all summer I knew that the pace that I had done in those temps would be too slow to a 63 deg day.  I wanted to establish a quick pace early so that I didn't feel sluggish trying to speed things up later one.  I hit the half way mark of the first out and back at 22:30 seconds.  I figured that was way to fast to be able to negative split so I tried to slow down, but I was already locked into my pace and so I hit the end of the first lap at 45:02.  Starting the second lap I did NOT feel like I had left any room for a negative split.  I decided that I would try one mile at a time as see how it went.  I hit the first mile of the 2nd lap pretty hard and took a little longer getting through the aid station to ensure that I was set for the next mile. I kept plugging the miles away one aid station at a time.  I was goring through the station slower on the 2nd lap.  I also go some cramping in my left quad on the run.  I got to the last turn around between 68-69 minutes.  The last stretch I got some cramping that required walking but I didn't walk any more that I would have through an aid station, so I felt I just handed two aid stations to my last few miles.  I didn't negative split the run but I did PR by 9 minutes on the Run and was the top run split in my age group.

Execution was much better than what I did at IM Boulder last month resulting in a 10 minute faster time going under 5 hours for my first time.

Race Results HERE

Hey Rob,

I saw this a couple days ago but I've been traveling and didn't have the opportunity to write a proper response.

The short answer - the best thing you can do is to take advantage of the fitness you have built over the season and do a focused 8-12 week cycling block designed specifically to increase speed and FTP.

Now a bit longer answer with some more detail.

My belief, based on years of experience both personally, with athletes I've coached, and observations of other athletes, is that you should take some time off after the last event of the season.  How much time?  At least a couple of weeks, perhaps as much as a month.  What should that break look like?  No structured training of any kind.  Preferably nothing triathlon related - that means no swimming , cycling, running.  Now, in reality, if you want to go ride a mountain bike, that would be fine.  If you wanted to do some easy runs, that would be fine.  But nothing structured to "improve fitness."  The idea is to take a break from structured training.  Will you lose some fitness?  Maybe.  More importantly however, you will allow your body to fully recover from a season of hard training.  Mentally you will be able to recharge your batteries.

After that brief break you will be physically and mentally ready to come back for a hard focused cycling block.  I'd recommend an 8 - 12 week block.  I don't know what the climate is like where you live but I typically suggest this cycling block be done indoors on a trainer (which conveniently takes weather out of the equation if you are in an area that gets snow).  I like to see three workouts each week - a threshold workout, a VO2 MAX workout, and a Sweet Spot or Tempo workout.  The workouts might look something like this (or variations of these):

Threshold -

10:00 EZ spin build to 65% FTP
5 x 30" at greater than 105% FTP,  30" EZ spin 
5:00 at 50% FTP
5 x 4:00 at FTP, 3:00 at 50% FTP
5:00 at 55% FTP
5:00 98% FTP
5:00 50% FTP

VO2 MAX -

10:00 EZ spin build to 65% FTP 
5 x 15" maximal sprint, 45" EZ spin 
5:00 at 50% FTP
5 x 4:00 >105% FTP, 3:00 at 50% FTP
3:00 at 60% FTP
5:00 at 98% FTP
5:00 at 50% FTP

Sweet Spot -

10:00 EZ spin build to 65% FTP 
5 x 15" maximal sprint, 45" EZ spin 
5:00 at 60% FTP
3 x 20:00 at 90% FTP, 4:00 at 55% FTP
10:00 at 95% FTP
5:00 at 50% FTP

Tempo -

10:00 EZ spin build to 65% FTP 
5 x 15" maximal sprint, 45" EZ spin
5:00 at 60% FTP
2 x 20:00 at 82% FTP, 5:00 at 55% FTP 
10:00 at 92% of FTP
10:00 70% FTP -> EZ Spin

While you are doing this cycling block is a wonderful time to also be doing a focused swim block that is addressing technique deficiencies while building speed.

As to the addition of a strength routine, I absolutely recommend adding a targeted strength routine during the off-season.  I'd be focusing on upper body strength (for swimming so shoulders, back, abdominals, and core), and legs/glutes.

At the end of these focused blocks I'd take another 1-2 week break before you begin your base work for next season.  Following that general plan will get you through the winter and into the beginning of spring.  Obviously you'd make any adjustments necessary if you have an early season race next year.

Hope that gives you an idea for the off-season.

Great race report Curtis.  It's always cool to have a "rabbit" on the bike that is riding at the perfect speed to pace you.

Ed,

Nice update.  Those Marathons are difficult races.  I remember marathons when I hit my 13.1 target dead on but still struggled in the last 8 miles.  In the beginning the miles seemed to fly by but at the end of the race every mile felt like it took longer than the entire race leading up to it.