JohnnyKay and Fred Doucette's HIM/IM focused Mentor group-CLOSED (Page 48)

Whew, I made it. Last 2 hour run of the plan in the books and it was my best long run yet. I felt good the whole time and even picked up the pace a little at the end. Still didn't manage 13 miles - just 12 but I really had to get home so my husband could get to work. I also didn't get the full impact of the heat since we ran so early in the morning.

I wonder if I am fueling enough? I felt fine and feel good now. I had one swig of my gel flask and about 12 ounces of gatorade plus about 12 ounces of water during the 2 hour run. My stomach just can't hold a lot at one time. As soon as I took the gel I felt really full, not bad just full. It is likely to be a lot hotter during the race since I'll be running several hours later than I was today. I guess I'm wondering what is the most important in the heat - more gatorade, another gel, just plain old water or maybe some saltstick tablets? You're probably thinking I should have practiced this already but it's just now starting to stay consistently in the 80's and get close to 90 here.

I'll be flying out tomorrow morning, and won't have access to a computer (and no, I don't have a Thunderbolt ).

Not sure what my race number will be, but my last name is Nakayama. 

Goals are to swim in the neighborhood of 40 minutes...38 being super good, but realistically, anything under 45 minutes will do the trick.

Bike - just ride within myself.  Let my HR settle down from the swim, then try to maintain about 145-150 bpm for the first 20 miles.  Miles 25-30 is the climb to Hawi, so I'll let my HR drift up to 155.  On the way back down, just settle back down to 150ish and try to stay fresh for the run.  My goal time here is very weather dependant...mainly the wind.  Hoping to ride around 2:50...but will honestly take anything under 3 hours if it means my legs are good for the run.

Run - Well...just see what happens.  I'd love to run under 2 hours...but I'm not sure it's possible.  That V-Dot chart says I should be able to run about 1:50-1:54, but I'm not seeing that on this course.

With about 5 minutes of transitions...I'm hoping to go around 5:45.  5:30 if the weather cooperates...and finishing ahead of as many of my training partners if the weather is brutal.  Either way it should be super fun.  There's about 14 of us racing.  A few will beat me for sure, and a few will most certainly finish behind me.  But there's a good chunk of us that will battle it out for bragging rights.

Agree with Fred.  As I mentioned above...my training and race results indicate that I should be able to run well under 2 hours for my HIM...assuming I pace the bike properly.  But none of my training or previous races were on a rolling course with no shade and 90+ degree heat...with humidity. 

So I'm trying to account for that.  Will I need to take in more water and a few more calories...sure...but I think a lot of people get caught up by thinking..."how much more do I need to eat or drink in hot weather"...when the question really should be..."how much do I need to adjust my pacing in hot weather".

Ok- good thing I don't have any trouble slowing down .

What do you guys think about detox and supplements? Here is the story:

I have a friend who I met through racing. She has lost over 100 pounds by diet and exercise. She (and her hubby) started racing triathlon last year and went full throttle. Racing a run event or tri almost every single weekend, bought tri bikes, race wheels, aero helmet etc. Over the winter she trained for a marathon which she finished in April. Now she is not motivated to race anymore. The latest thing is detox and vitamins. They both had a hair strand test somewhere and left the doctors office with (from her description) a bag full of vitamins. Plus she is doing a 20 day detox and taking 10 pills 3 times a day as part of the detox.

She is eating really healthy (fruits, veges, and a little protein) as part of the detox which is a good thing. I kind of wonder if just eating really healthy isn't enough to make you feel better by itself. Anybody have any opinions or tried a detox?

Reeks of 'snake oil' to me.  There's certainly no evidence this is even remotely useful.

I agree with this.  So, if the detox & pill combo helps get her to eat healthy, maybe it's still worth it in some sense.  I'd just jump to the eating well and skip the detox/pills, though.

Finally, IMTX photos uploaded...

A combination of my dad's photos and mine.

My fiance's sister's photos.

Signed up for three races over the last few days - two pacing jobs for the Morgan Hill Marathon and the Santa Rosa Marathon. Also, signed up for the San Jose Rock N' Roll half mary which I'll be training hard for to get a new PR (aiming for 1:35).

Good luck Jason! I'm sure you'll do great - looking forward to tracking you. When it comes to the heat, I find that keeping my skin wet is the best way to stay cool on the run. Dump cold water on your head/back/arms at every aid station.

It's ALL about bragging rights...enjoy!

I concur with snake oil.  I'm always leery of the diet-of-the-year plan or any type of quick-fix anything.  IMO, exercise more & portion control are the keys to weight loss.

@hopmann...great pix!

Today for me it was a good 90 minute tempo run.  It was a 2 part tempo with me going out a little too conservative in the first part.  Anyway, still a good run on a great summer (dare we say) day.

Sorry for the delay in getting back, but I've got limited internet where I am at athe moment.  My point was less to compare myself to Fred or his ride (since I simply don't compare to FFOP bikers), and more to say I still don't get why I seem to have not gotten fatser, even though I see power improvements.   My watts/kg has increased, but the speed doesn't seem to be there yet.  I asked this same question in Fred's last group, and the response was essentially the same, so I'm going to stop talking about it and just focus on improving my power and seeing what I can do about my position.

Wanted to run and swim today but I think my body is still telling me to take it easy.  Saturday will be 2 weeks since the IM.  Still sleeping more than usual.  Am I losing fitness or am I still repairing from the race?  Don't want to push it too early. 

Great pictures from IMTX! So did the swim buoys have any particular placement at all? Because in all the pictures that I have seen them seem to be floating around like they were all blown off course.

Have a great race Jason, you have had some really good training this spring so you should nail this race. I'll be sending good vibes your way and try and check in on the tracker.

Can only speak from my experience here, but after IMWI last year I took a solid 7-10 days off. I actually went on vacation to SF with my g/f and when I came back I really eased into things. I actually ran a HM in late October but only ran maybe 40-50 miles in October. I was pretty warn out for awhile both mentally and physically after IMWI lat year. But when I got back into the groove my body responded very well. It is different for each person, some people after IMWI run the Chicago Marathon, and I know a couple that did Kona! So like I said it is different for everyone and it is up to you to find out how your body responds.

Just my 2 cents here. I do not own a powermeter and really gauge my efforts on the bike by HR, speed, and mostly RPE. My speed has not made any drastic improvements since last year, however, I have moved and so my rides are on new routes. I did ride the IMWI loop over the weekend and PR'd by a handful of minutes. Even so riding here in La Crosse now the weather has constantly been changing, it's windy, etc so I have real no true way of testing myself. When it comes to RPE however, I feel much more stronger, both climbing and riding on the flats. I feel like I am getting more out of myself, and while my speed has shown minimal change, I know that soon enough I will breakthrough since I can feel it through RPE and just notice the difference in how I am riding.

With power improvements speed will come. But like stated weather is always a factor and testing inside is the best option for an accurate reading. You might not see the numbers you want now, but in due time they will come.

How are you measuring "not gotten faster"?  Again, speed is affected by many variables beyond your control.  You can control power and position (along with equipment choices--bike, wheels, tires, tubes, helmet, etc.).  If your power has improved, you should be faster in equal conditions/course as long as your position and equipment remain constant.  But change any of those position/equipment items and the results change.  And that's all without the non-controllables (like weather, course, traffic, etc).

Ha, funny you mention that. I thought the same thing when I saw the course. Turns out, in the water they are really easy to follow. The start "line" was marked by red bouys, then it was yellow going out, orange coming back, and I think the turn bouys were blue? With all the kayakers, it would be hard to get off-course.

In the pre-race briefing, they mentioned that the bouys are not set in perfectly straight lines due to the curvature of the lake. It really wasn't a problem for anyone as far as I could tell.