Does this mean you want to be able to hold the same pace/effort for the IM? IOW your standalone bike effort is no different than your IM effort?
~Matt
It depends on how fit we get. For an average AG’r with a 11-12-13 hour goal, I’d say the IM bike ride should be at a slightly lower effort than the long rides had been. Guys pushing to the FOP will be able to ride as hard as their long steady rides. My last 5-hour ride before Davis was 162 average watts; I averaged 151 at Davis and was happy that I didn’t ride a single watt harder.
Rich Strauss and Gordo have written some good pieces on “race simulation” rides. Very valuable advice.
I’m glad I didn’t know this 3 days ago. I’ve never run a 1:40 half ever. My PR is 1:43 from a few years ago, before I started doing triathlons. 3 weeks ago, I ran 1:53 in a 1/2 IM, two weeks ago I ran 1:48 in a stand alone half marathon, and on Saturday I ran 4:01, finish time 11:45 in my first ever iron distance. Go figure.
Your race proves that, at the margins, people can do better with good fitness and superbe race execution. Not a lot better, but better.
In general, it’s a plus/minus 10sec/mile relationship that I rarely have seen broken in a well-executed race.
For those familiar with Daniels, the “E” pace in his VDOT tables is a good goal for an IM run pace. Some can do a *little *better; most do much worse due to biking too hard. I have yet to see somebody do a lot better, including elites.
Don’t put too much pressure on time goals for the marathon in an IM. Did my first IM a month ago, and although I’m considered a decent runner (<1:20 Half-marathon), it still took me 3:50 for the IM marathon…although I didn’t feel like I pushed hard on the bike. I simply got tired after a long day out there, and couldn’t get any decent speed on the run.
My advice for training - lots of bike miles, and a few big day training sessions. I missed the later, and I think paid for it. When I started running just about 6:30 into the race, I was in uncharted territory as I never trained more than 6h in a day preparing for IMC.
Don’t put too much pressure on time goals for the marathon in an IM. Did my first IM a month ago, and although I’m considered a decent runner (<1:20 Half-marathon), it still took me 3:50 for the IM marathon…although I didn’t feel like I pushed hard on the bike. I simply got tired after a long day out there, and couldn’t get any decent speed on the run.
My advice for training - lots of bike miles, and a few big day training sessions. I missed the later, and I think paid for it. When I started running just about 6:30 into the race, I was in uncharted territory as I never trained more than 6h in a day preparing for IMC.
