I'm going to be Iron like a Lion in... Frankfurt

couerdelion

I signed up for Ironman Mallorca last year and to be honest it was going to be one and done. A couple of friends were entering Frankfurt and I decided to go along with them as I've enjoyed the process of training for the Ironman this year.

Mallorca happened and things didn't go to plan. I finished but was disappointed with what I achieved and feel I have a score to settle. I don't feel my time reflected where I was at the time fitness wise.

I swam a 1:09 and felt comfortable coming into transition.

The bike started well - holding back and letting others surge on racing my own race but I ended up over heating and couldn't take any calories down on the second half - pulling over several times to be sick finishing in 6:16 (I was over 3 1/2 hours on the 70.3 course I did in sub 3 in May). I was close to pulling out after the cycle.

The run was a bit of a disaster. I walked out of T2 to gather myself and then eased into the run. First lap went well, 2nd lap slowed to a run/walk, the rest was a slow walk as blisters appeared and I was in agony walking. 6:27.

Total was 14:08:11.

I shouldn't have been too surprised with the time. Regardless of gastric problems, I had a knee injury most of the season and only really started running in May a week or so before the Mallorca 70.3 - nearly a year out and nowhere near enough miles in the leg. I stopped swimming early in the year and the cycling I did wasn't specific enough, soon enough.

So this log is about putting the record straight, about doing an Ironman following a solid block of training and finishing the race feeling that I've done myself justice. I'm not going to make time predictions yet. I'll do it closer to the race dependent on training predictors.

Training will start again in earnest next week easing into a run focused base into the new year before I start a 24 week plan leading into Frankfurt.

tunney

couerdelion wrote: »

I signed up for Ironman Mallorca last year and to be honest it was going to be one and done. A couple of friends were entering Frankfurt and I decided to go along with them as I've enjoyed the process of training for the Ironman this year.

Mallorca happened and things didn't go to plan. I finished but was disappointed with what I achieved and feel I have a score to settle. I don't feel my time reflected where I was at the time fitness wise.

I swam a 1:09 and felt comfortable coming into transition.

The bike started well - holding back and letting others surge on racing my own race but I ended up over heating and couldn't take any calories down on the second half - pulling over several times to be sick finishing in 6:16 (I was over 3 1/2 hours on the 70.3 course I did in sub 3 in May). I was close to pulling out after the cycle.

The run was a bit of a disaster. I walked out of T2 to gather myself and then eased into the run. First lap went well, 2nd lap slowed to a run/walk, the rest was a slow walk as blisters appeared and I was in agony walking. 6:27.

Total was 14:08:11.

I shouldn't have been too surprised with the time. Regardless of gastric problems, I had a knee injury most of the season and only really started running in May a week or so before the Mallorca 70.3 - nearly a year out and nowhere near enough miles in the leg. I stopped swimming early in the year and the cycling I did wasn't specific enough, soon enough.

So this log is about putting the record straight, about doing an Ironman following a solid block of training and finishing the race feeling that I've done myself justice. I'm not going to make time predictions yet. I'll do it closer to the race dependent on training predictors.

Training will start again in earnest next week easing into a run focused base into the new year before I start a 24 week plan leading into Frankfurt.

I've done the 6:2x "run" in an IM. There is nothing worse that it. I will never ever subject myself to that again and I am sure you will never either.

But I bet you that you learnt more about yourself in that race than in any other event, or even them all put together?

Good luck with the training!

couerdelion

tunney wrote: »

I've done the 6:2x "run" in an IM. There is nothing worse that it. I will never ever subject myself to that again and I am sure you will never either.

But I bet you that you learnt more about yourself in that race than in any other event, or even them all put together?

Good luck with the training!

Thanks.

Yes, I never want to put myself through that again but it did teach me a lot. Mentally the toughest part was starting the run. Once I'd started I wasn't going to give up.

couerdelion

So after planning out my training for the last couple of weeks and then putting off starting back again I finally got the turbo out, loaded up TrainerRoad and did the first test to see where I am at the moment and to give me the zones to train against.

https://www.strava.com/activities/417520148/analysis

Up from this time last year which is positive enough. Now to get some consistent bike training up to push the figures in the right direction.

I then had the club run session and took it nice and easy. Roughly we did a 2.5km warmup, 10 x 400m w/ 1 min RI, 1km cooldown.

https://www.strava.com/activities/417599452

This morning I was wrecked. Really didn't want to get out of bed - after a few weeks of doing very little it will take the body time to get used to training again.

tunney

couerdelion wrote: »

So after planning out my training for the last couple of weeks and then putting off starting back again I finally got the turbo out, loaded up TrainerRoad and did the first test to see where I am at the moment and to give me the zones to train against.

https://www.strava.com/activities/417520148/analysis

Up from this time last year which is positive enough. Now to get some consistent bike training up to push the figures in the right direction.

I then had the club run session and took it nice and easy. Roughly we did a 2.5km warmup, 10 x 400m w/ 1 min RI, 1km cooldown.

https://www.strava.com/activities/417599452

This morning I was wrecked. Really didn't want to get out of bed - after a few weeks of doing very little it will take the body time to get used to training again.

The T20 is not fantastic for estimating FTP, it can be okayish
Its much better than a T8 which really tells you nothing and was just introduced so that the typical Trainerroad user could feel good about using the product.

Now given you are going to drive your Im bike leg off T8 FTP are you not running the risk (pun intended) of walking the run in Frankfurt again?

couerdelion

tunney wrote: »

The T20 is not fantastic for estimating FTP, it can be okayish
Its much better than a T8 which really tells you nothing and was just introduced so that the typical Trainerroad user could feel good about using the product.

Now given you are going to drive your Im bike leg off T8 FTP are you not running the risk (pun intended) of walking the run in Frankfurt again?

Yes neither are as accurate as a 'proper' test as both are too short to take into account production of anaerobic power but I really couldn't face an hours test at this time of year.

8 minutes tests precede Trainer Road though. Carmichael had them before TR was launched.

At the end of the day that test was just to get a number for me to use for base training so I can see if I'm improving - that's why I've made no mention of FTP. I'm not deluded enough to think a high (or low) TR figure mean anything in the real world.

There's still plenty of time to get a 'proper' FTP figure before Frankfurt and then to actually test that I'm able to hold it and more importantly run off it.
Although even then, unless we are all running off the same calibrated equipment who's to say how accurate an FTP figure actually is - it's still just a number.

MojoMaker

What was the TR figure - 204 or 304?