Got my first power meter 2 months ago and have a 70.3 coming up later this month. It will be my first race with it, and I havent gotten in any good race pace 50+rides, more focused on raising FTP and losing a few pounds which leaves me pretty shot most of the time. i am coming off an ironman end of october, so i should still have some fitness. that said, FTP is now 285, up from 265, and trying to figure out a pacing strategy. ive seen different numbers around 80%. curious what different folks pace at to still have legs for the run. i feel like id be shot for the run if i tried to hold 240ish. chime in with any strategy ideas that have worked for you.
Really the only reliable way is to do a couple race pace 50 mile rides with a short run after.
Maybe you only have time for one, but that still gives you a lot of good data, and is a nice specific workout.
So you have heard 80%, give it a try and see how it goes.
I had an FTP around 285-290 last year for Lake Stevens and rode in the 240’s range and a solid run. I’d go out do 90-120 minutes on the bike at that pace to see how it feels before the race though.
‘later this month’ is a bit vague, but assuming you’ve got three weeks, I’d try one ride at:
50 miles @ 80%Ftp (similar profile to race if possible)
Brick 5 x 1mile @ race pace
See how you hold those run repeats, if it’s too hard to hold rep #5 try at 75% the following week.
The 80% is a pretty good general rule, assuming your bike and run are both adequately trained. I suspect that for most people 75 is more realistic.
Good luck!
Sounds good, I do have 3 weeks so I could give that a shot. And if I can get thru at 80%, it’ll be easier race day after a taper. Regardless, excited to try it out in a race and have a baseline for the next
TSS of 185-190 if you have lots of races under your belt.
167-175 if you want to hold back some.
You can calculate your IF based on your targeted bike finish time and your FTP. Probably will be .70 - .80.