First off, way to gut out what sounds like a hard run for you. And then to have a great attitude about the day after the fact - you really showed all of us what tremendous grit and resiliency is in your RR. With your numbers, you undoubtedly have the horsepower to get to Kona - it's just a matter of executing on race-day and that'll come, probably soon.

I am not a coach and I don't have the knowledge to be able to break down your race to tell you where you went wrong. I can tell you about my experience though as I think it could be somewhat helpful to you. I'm an average swimmer (1:06-1:12 IM swims) and a below average runner (3:42 is my best IM run) but I've qualified for Kona 3x largely based on my cycling (5.2w/kg FTP). Per many people's recommendations, I should ride at 75% FTP, which for me would around 280w. I've found through trial and much error that in order to run to my potential and get to the finish line fastest, I actually need to ride at 250-255w NP (less than 70%). I think this is likely the case for many bigger athletes - we put out more watts and therefore expend more energy - even though our %FTP is relatively lower.

Either way though, it sure sounds like you're right there. Sign up for another race (Boulder was non-wetsuit last year and has a slightly longer than 2.4mi swim) and go crush it.

Cheers and good luck,
Mike

No excuses about being a big guy. I played this card too. I'm 6'2" and 188lbs. You need to work harder. There are plenty of KQs out there in the 180-190lbs range.

You need to focus on more bike volume so you can run to your potential. A 330w FTP is pretty good if you are doing a flat IM course. Next you need to focus on the run. Your half marathon time tells me that you need to get faster. I can run a 1:20ish half marathon at 188lbs and I think I need to get down to 1:18ish to make my chances of KQing realistic. Also, think long term. Sometimes it takes just lots of volume and time to truly get to your potential.

Thanks for the kind words....and holy shit 5.2 w/kg! your calves must be the size of melons. It may be that I need to dial back the ride a bit. Im signed up for Florida in November. Will do a few 70.3s before then and some local short stuff. I guess my fear is that it is hard to imagine a 5-10 minute slower ride giving me back as much as 25-35 minutes on the run which I would absolutely need to still just be on the bubble. 53, 5:05, 3:30 plus 8 min of transitions is 9:36. In M35-39 that is borderline at most flat courses....this sport is brutal!

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Definitely not using the big guy thing as an excuse...mostly Im just talking tongue in cheek. Two of the fastest guys in the world are Frodeno and Potts and they are 6'4 (albeit much lighter).

Im also not looking for a quick fix. This has been a pretty long term project for me. Texas was my 8th Ironman start (7th finish, I crashed out of placid once). Been doing tri's since 2007 and long course since 2011. I am committed to the long haul. I have a really great coach I have full faith in. We just haven't figured out how to get my run faster. I think I need high volume but life makes it difficult to maintain both high bike and run volume.....ultimately this sport isn't super complicated....generally speaking if you bike a ton and run a ton and stay injury free you will get faster. Its fitting it around life thats tricky part.

When I ran my half mary PR I was running 60-80 miles a week and not swimming or biking and I ended up injured...so that begs the question how do I do that plus swim and bike and get 4 minutes faster than I have ever been?

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/773280
http://imroycer81.blogspot.com/
teamemj.com
everymanjack.com

SO you and I had very similar race and we both came up pretty short in out KQ quest. So from one slightly pissed off athlete to another good luck using lessons from this (and of course everything leading up to it) to break through the ceiling...

Anyhow, just a 2 cent opinion: the 4 days of training you posted, to me, actually looks too hard. This could be shit advice and if you feel it is tell me and I'll shut it(!) but the one thing my coach drove into me was: I am not training for a 112 mile bike and a marathon. I am training for a 112 mile bike followed by a marathon.

I've actually heard this from a few of my friends as well. One of my good buddies who has KQ'd thinks that essentially I blew my wad on the gordo weekend and essentially gutted out race day. I'm not sure if this is right or not but it gave me cause to pause and think about it.

Good luck to you as well in the quest!

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/773280
http://imroycer81.blogspot.com/
teamemj.com
everymanjack.com

Most running injuries in my experience is from trying to run too fast and building volume too fast. Most of my easy runs are done around 7:45-8:15 pace. I really listen to my body so I slow down if I'm not feeling it. This ends up that there are at least 2-3 runs that are close to 9 min miles or slower in a week. I only have one hard run day per week and its usually short tempo/threshold intervals....nothing crazy. I try to run whenever I have a chance...sometimes it might be only 2 miles. I run more than once per day a lot and just squeeze in volume.

Nice report! I personally think Texas has to be one of the harder places for "bigger" people to run well. The humidity is killer.

Something you could consider is looking up Heath Dotson and spending some time at A2 to really get everything dialed in on your bike. Might be the best easiest, if not cheapest, way to find a few more watts.