Thanks for sharing your day with ST. I always learn from reading your race reports!

How did the bike course from Nooga compare to IMMT?

Nice report, man. You heard right about the bike course being total carnage. I'm much slower than you (middle to back of the packer) and I couldn't even begin to tell you how many fallen cyclists I passed on the second lap. And the carnage continued well into the night on the run. That heat was some fresh hell.

Great race, though. Nooga is a great town, and Chickamauga is a cool little city too.

both fast courses. overall, i think they are equal, d/t the extra 4 miles. even at 20 miles per hour, you're looking at another 15 minutes.

if it wasn't for the 4 miles, the choo bike course is faster for sure.

both great events. i had one of the worst race days of my life and i still LOVED the city. generally when my race sucks i hate the world.... i came back out to cheer people on, had some buttermilk fried chicken, a few beers etc. great city... this is going to sell out year after year after year.

john

Yeah, I did it too. I'm from Atlanta and can be on the choo course by 8 am if I get up at 5 on a Saturday. I probably had an advantage because most the summer it was hot like that out there so I knew exactly what I was getting into. I rode a 5:12 Sunday and was curious about what I could expect on the IMMT course

i can't be 100% certain. but 44 miles in, my NP was 148 watts and i was averaging 22mph. average power at that point was 140watts. (read race report on why i fell apart).

at tremblant i rode a 5:21 doing 150ish ap and 160ish np.

i got a new aero helmet and went from conti 4000's to supersonic front and tt rear. between the helmet and tires i'm sure i saved a few watts.

immt i also held back, at choo i couldn't believe how easy it was to do 22mph over the first 44 miles. i did't feel the need to push more power just yet since i knew it was going to get warmer and i knew that 22mph would net me around 5:05 for the ride, which would place me in the top 5 bike splits of the day (for my ag).

equal effort at IMMT i say you would finish faster at IMMT. just pace well on the dupleiss (sp) climb and be sure you can handle a bike in aero, going 35mph down hill on sweeping bends.

john

Damn Dude... how much do you weigh?

I've done the race in 2014 and 2016 and both times that's how it's been. If you are a stronger cyclist the first lap is always faster because of the crowds but by the second lap you are pretty much solo. The math doesn't workout to a 5:05 averaging 22 on that course BTW. You need to average closer to 22.8. I'm in your AG and hit the first loop at that pace but slowed down the second loop. I watched my power, but more as just a reference to where it was and trying to hit any numbers. I could tell I was towards the front of the race and decided not spike the effort the last hour so I could hopefully run a little better. That didn't happen either.

right right, i get what you're saying. but i know that i can comfortably ride 160 watts NP for an ironman course. my training rides are often at 170-175np. i was holding back after the first 10ish miles. all in all, i'ts a fast course. i'm pretty sure i can hold 22.25-22.5 on that course with 150-155watts NP.


i weighed 123lbs the week of IMMT, i weighed 126.6 clothed 2 days prior to imchoo. i'm guessing race morning i was around 124.5lbs.

john

question related to your power. So you didn't necessarily have any goal power number in mind for the race? I only got a power meter a few months ago and only recently raced an Olympic distance with it. Mostly went by feel but knew recommended watts for that distance off % of ftp so I wanted to see if I could stay within that. I did but also paid attention to my RPE rather than hit some specific number that might leave me spent for the run.

cool! glad someone finds it helpful!

Sounds like a tough day with the conditions, I tip my hat to you for crossing the line. In reading your report you mention that you really struggled mentally once you realized Kona wasn't in the cards. Based on your race results though it seems like you aren't quite ready to attempt a KQ, so I am wondering if you have other intermediate goals? I only ask because it sounds like the Kona chase impacted you mentally on the run, when in reality it probably shouldn't have. For the record I am not saying you shouldn't aspire to Kona, but there are a lot of boxes to check, especially in the 30-34 AG, before it should be something you stress about. I think there is a lot to be said for improving in the standings YOY, in spite of the fact that we live in an instant gratification world.

So I'd describe myself as a strong cyclist. I've ridden that 45 mile ironman loop probably 15 times. I train with my power meter numbers and usually have one trainer ride a week that is strictly about hitting certain numbers then usually a chill ride during a week where I'm making sure I stay under a certain number. For my long rides I usually watch it but bike by feel and sometimes have some intervals built into a ride of a certain time.

I did Vineman on July 30th and tried to hit a certain power number based off training. I rode a 5:05 that day but after it looked at alot of times between pros and top AG who had done both Vineman and Nooga and figured that I could bike between 5:05-5:10 on less power than Vineman and hopefully save my legs for the run. I had gone up to Nooga on August 20th and rode 100 miles and it was stinking hot. I just remember thinking how hot it was coming off the pavement and I don't think Sunday reached that day.

Going into Nooga I knew that the first half was going to be fast based on the time trial start and the fact that took a while for the race to spread out. I had decided that I would hold off on trying to hit numbers on the first half if I felt like I was maintaining a pace that would get me into the 5:05-5:10 range. I hit the half mark right around 2:31-2:32 but by that time it was hot and my HR was getting higher. I was worried the most about riding the second half at an elevated HR and wanted to try to keep it low have a decent run. I think I averaged 21.6 the second loop and came in with the 6th fastest bike split in my AG which is right where I thought I'd be.

So in my head I had a goal power. I think at Vineman i biked 239 NP/232 AVP and I was thinking 233NP/227AVP. I think I ended up riding a 217 AVP but wasn't stressing about it because I felt like that was the correct move to have a solid run,but that didn't happen

From your information, your biking watts/kg is around 2.60-2.70 NP during the ironman events. I don't know what Kona contestants in your age group produce and maybe you can find out and post here for our information. Good luck. Make sure you recover fully before more of the same. Then again with your PhD in your field, maybe you can post your recovery methods.

Wait...you weigh around 125 lbs and consume 500 calories/hr during an IM? That's 125 lbs, not kilos, correct? If so, all I can say is wow. I know 180 lb guys that can't down 400 cals/hr in an IM. I race at 140 lbs and target 275/hr on the bike. You might want to donate your gut to science when it's all over.

Anyway, nice report and congrats on finishing that one. My day was similar, all aspirations flew away when my power dropped on the 2nd half of the bike and the heat just took its toll. 2nd half of that run was truly hell.

appreciate the read and feedback. i was looking to check off the sub 10 and kona slot. honestly, i was expecting 3-4 slots. had i known it was 2 slots pre race, i would have known i was out of the running. again, i do well in the heat. i absolutely love going out and running on a hot 90 degree day. physically i'm fine. haven't gotten back on the horse d/t my mom being hospitalized during the race and i've been focused on helping her out and making up some stuff at work.

don't base (i know, it seems silly) my kona ability off of my previous results. i mostly dick around training 10-12 hours with no direction for ironmans. this time, i actually had a decent plan and was at it for 25ish weeks. i'm confident that i had a sub 10 in me this weekend, but i guess we'll never know.


it seems like you're being sarcastic, i can't tell. i don't know what others produce, nor does it matter to me (too much). i just know that i need to ride around 5:15 or faster, with a 3:30 run or faster to have any shot at kona (almost regardless of course and weather).


yes, i do eat that much. i have no problems doing it. during a half i'll eat less, 200-250 calories per hour, once i figured out my nutrition my gi issues are non existent. it's GU gels and roctane that does me in.

i generally eat 4500 calories in the off season to maintain weight. peak training i'm doing 6-6500 calories per day to maintain weight.

500 calories is not that much... 1 cliff bar is 240, then a gel is 340, then some scratch and you're easily in the 450's... if the effort is harder, or it's colder, i need more calories or i start shaking.

it's an expensive problem...

john

You have a power meter and should be able to post data (wattage) in regards to bike performance. There is a pro in the immediate area that I live who rode this event in just under 5 hours and it would be interesting to compare your data with his since your desired performance is not much different than what he produced.

sure... i'm not exactly what point you're trying to prove here. but if you're trying to give me advice to become faster, i'm all about it.

i finished the ride 19.5mph at 115watts average power. 125 weighted average power from strava. for some reason i can't log into garmin right now. is that the info you're looking for?

He claims 240's watt average for the whole 116 mile bike ride. That would put him at around 3.55watts/kilo workload. This is for a pro rider, not age grouper. 19.5mph for 120's watt average is unreal and many of us can only wish for this.

what's your e-mail. i'll e-mail you my strava data if you don't believe me. (unless i'm reading it like an idiot...)

john

It's an exceptional speed for that wattage, but remember the dude is tiny and also must be super aero. I'd bet your pro is way bigger and heavier. And likely less aero.

I follow some really strong cyclists on strava and it sometimes amazes me how little speed they get out of all those watts. Seems it's us folks that can't push a lot of watts that find ways to get surprisingly fast on not much power.

so you think billy2k is saying that i'm bullshitting?

i mean, i'm looking at my strava right now. is garmin connect not working for anyone else?

i did turtle a whole lot more for this race, i also picked up a new helmet. went from rudy wingspan to poc. i haven't done any tunne testing, but the helmet just felt faster. between the helmet and switching from conti 4k to supersonic 20mm front and grand prix tt rear i think it's safe to assume that i was able to save 20 watts out of the combo (i'm assuming the 20mm was also more aero).

i'm not going to lie, even i'm a bit surprised by how little watts i was able to push. i did calibrate my power meter as well. i will say though... it's a stages and only reads left leg (my weaker leg). so perhaps it's wee bit higher.

also, i'm 5'3" 125lbs race day, wearing kiwami sleeved aero suit.

I don't think it's absurd. I did the race too and one thing you have to take into effect is the "pack" with the time trial start. The original poster had a MOP swim time and if he started on the later half of the swim line there's a good chance he was surrounded by people most of the day. Especially the 1st loop while your pro friend was riding solo the entire ride.

I started at the very back of the swim line and had somewhat of a FOP swim and was around people most of the day for the first loop. I averaged 22.8 mph on 228W AP(2.85 W/kg). The second loop I was solo the entire time and averaged 21.6 on 208W AP (2.6 W/kg).

Thanks for sharing. Great read.