Ah, thought you were doing a lot more than 3-5km a week, but you’ve said you’re doing lots of S&C which you find is replacing it I guess?
Im doing more like 5-7km per week including drills.
I know I am making excuses, but over winter during the day, pool is busy with kids lessons and Betty and Brian Backstoke in both adult lanes. May 1st outdoor 50m pool opens, which will make a big difference
I knew it would be coming, VO2 max interval session: 200m fast as possible then 100m for 8 mins, followed by 400m slow, X3. Absolue bitch of a session. First 8 mins my 200m were all sub 3m/km pace, second set around 3:15 pace, final 8min a bit variable, some at sub 3:10, others at 3:30.
I really don’t like VO2 Max sessions
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I think my Garmin has gone a “bit” optimistic on the VO2 Max calc. Apparently I just hit 80. Trouble is 80 is elite athlete level VO2 Max, however good I am, I am certainly not an Elite level athlete
According to TP my threshold pace has now dropped to 3:56/km @ 171 bpm. Certaily seeing good progression on run pace again after injury
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This is running right? That sounds like way above VO2 max pace, more like anaerobic - I thought generally in athletics your VO2 max pace is just quicker than your pace for 3000m. Seems like a fairly bonkers session for an Ironman plan 
[Edit] In fact this sounds pretty much like Tabata session - but 3 times! No wonder you hated it
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Another good training day, 22km with 10km in the middle at 4:10/km pace
Followed this up with a 55min Lake loop at 41kph, first time out on TT bike since September. Since I am racing next weekend, seemed like a good idea to have a ride.
Last 2 weeks I have run 70km then 85km, feels really nice to get some decent miles in again
Weather has been stunning so Turbo Trainer and treadmil have remained unused, which is perfectly fine by me
Skipped lake swim, decided that 10 degrees is still too cold, once up to 13 will start in lake again.
Challenge Salou next Sunday. Lose targets as 35m swim, 2h15 Bike, 1h30m run, total 4h25
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You’ll be able to race Keith again next week! Although you are the age group above now I think?
Okay, so I’ve had a sleep on this now and still have the burning desire to check…
…why so “soft”?
Is it just because it’s early in the season?
Do you have any other 70.3s lined up before Roth?
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Quick Google shows last year’s M50 winner biked 2h21 and ran 1h32
Bike course has 500m elevation
I think
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It was 26° on 3rd Oct 2021 in Salou.
Run appears to be pan flat up and down a promenade with zero shade.
So I bet people BAKED 
Bike is also 85km.
So I’d say those 500m make up for the missing 5km.
Swim was short, so maybe it was a touch breezy???
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Bike Best Split gives me 2h15 @ 260w - to be honest seems slow, my Average Speed was faster in Roth. However, I had a look at past results, and the leading Pros were only riding 2h8m, so I guess its not a really quick course. I have never run a sub 1h30 in a HIM, although it has been 3 years since my last one. At least I am now running fit, but don’t have the pace I had at this point last year… I think I could do a sub 1:25 HM. I realy have no idea what I will do on the swim, 30 mins would be too quick, would probably be OK with a 35 min swim. At this point in my training, a 4:25 HIM would be in the right ball park for my sub 9 in July
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Thanks, 70.3 with 8 weeks to go to Cairns so a good chance for a hit out. Reply here for the sake of prosperity.
Plan was to swim-bike and maybe start the run and stop/go easy, especially if I wasn’t in the overall race to protect my hip and make sure I start doing some actual run training soon. Seeing the start list on Saturday night made this decision a bit easier knowing at absolute best I was racing for third, and that didn’t include the 2 people who’d flown to Adelaide trusting they’d collect the prize money to pay for their trip.
Good swim, 1:16/km pace, out the water 2nd with good gaps behind but exactly 2 minutes down on first.
4 lap bike course up and down the lakefront, beautiful, pan-flat (VI 1.01) with little wind, although chip-seal road surface not the quickest and glad I deflated my tires in transition. Pretty consistent at 282W for 37.8kph which is definitely a lot more than I could have done a few months ago, and just a small gradual fade over the 4 laps.
I never got close to the uber-swimmer, despite catching him on the bike every race so far - he’s making huge progress and one for potential ITU racing in future. Another favorite stormed past me after 20km with 3 on his wheel, I lasted about 3-5 minutes riding with them before letting them go. Off the bike in 5th, thinking I’ll do a short brick to see how well the bike was paced.
But pride is a deadly sin and despite having no hope for the podium, I’ve realised in 22 years of swimming/triathlon/fun events I’ve not yet DNF’d. So, constantly telling myself I’ll be glad for the planned DNF in 8 weeks, I switch mindsets and decide I’m on a training session, and will run at planned ironman pace to at least try reduce the intensity and test fuelling, and promise myself I’ll let myself get overtaken if needed (had a teammate in 7th who ran 1:21 in a half recently), and that I will definitely stop if I start feeling any pain.
Finished the run with 4:17 average, feeling good but the second half of an Ironman is far longer than the first and I think I’d have dropped off pace from 25–>40km. But it’s a good boost to think 4:17-4:30/kms is still a good target, especially given it was 32C heat today.
TLDR: Happy test race, I’m seeing bike improvements, and recent big swim-bike volumes are transferring to run fitness. And I still have an iron stomach to take on gels in the heat.
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Guess current predictions would be somewhere around 48 minute swim, 5:05 bike, 3:05 run = cutting it fine.
Cairns bike will be far hillier than today so hope 35kmh for 5:05 is about right on todays showing. BBS would be interesting to know, might sign up for it.
Cairns temps will be “only” around 26C given it’s mid-winter, but around 75% humidity is what I’m most worried about. Glad for todays hotter than average autumn day to at least create heat-stress and learn still need to drink more, although never been in that degree of humidity.
Rest week coming up as I’m on nights and had a big 4 weeks of training (13-15-17-18hours SBR - And only 2.5hrs of that 63hrs was running!).
Hopefully come back firing for some more training and improvements to chase down those predictions!
And again, been said elsewhere but for prosperity of the thread, 2:55 marathon pb from @Matthew_Spooner when he thinks he’s yet to hit run form, looking b-e-a-utiful!
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@Chriswim great performance from you this weekend. Holding 4:17 on the run is pretty strong. Your swim gives you a great advantage, i guess the same could be said about my bike times. I am guessing that you need to look at aero gains on the bike, power numberd look great, but would probably expect more speed.
Zurich Marathon came as a real surprise. Ran the first half with Nicola Spirig. I may have set a half marathon PB. However running around 4m/km was feeling nice and easy. At turn around, Nicola picked up the pace and i was left in no mans land, running solo. At KM 28 i had to reduce pace to 4:20/km and pretty much held that pace to the end.
I thought my running was well off due to injury for a few months… but today i felt great, despite doing Salou a week ago. I recon without Salou i would have done sub 2:50
Now need to keep injury free and sub 9 is very much on
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Don’t understimate how much the bike transfers to the run. I know it’s not always the case, it certainly is for me, and looks to be for you. Once the legs are reasonably conditioned then that bike engine takes over.
Great result though. Both of you.
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I agree with this, I think that quite a lot is transferable from cycling to running. Also, I didn’t really stop running when I was injured, I only ran at an easy pace, and cut my running volume by more than 65%. I’m not sure if it slowed recovery, but I was still keeping running muscles turning over regularly. I started interval sessions again in March: the intervals have brought the pace back up.
After Zurich MarathonI was sitting at table with Francis Cheruiyot (who came 3rd in 2:09) and his coach Michael Kraus. @explorerJC or @Hammerer have you come accross Michael Kraus before? He is the head coach at Kimawit Athletics Club in Kenya, his athletes have multiple marathon wins around the world and he has also started to coach a couple fo pro triathletes. He recons that he could coach me to AG win in Roth and Kona (I am sufficiently cynical to think that he would say that wouldnt he). He seemed very surpised that someone at my level doesn’t have a coach.
Its flattering to be approached by a coach, but my instinct is to keep doing what I an doing, it seems to work for me. I find tritalk to be an excellent sounding board, and I am really lucky to have access to other Elite athletes who provide help and advice.
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I havent heard of him and google doesnt say much especially when you compare to Brother Colm the real father of Kenyan distance running.
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From Boulder?? (Or now residing there)
Well that has been one of the most intense 2 weeks ever. Starting with Challenge Salou, running a Marathon PB in Zurich, then taking part in a Back Yard Ultra and running my first 100k.
I’ve got through it, injury free, I am also recovering well. The next couple of weeks will be a little easier. It has been a real test of fitness and mental strength, and I have come out much stronger. Base fitness levels, run pace and bike pace are at at levels I have not achieved before.
I will see how my performance goes from here, last season my Swiss Ultra Bike ride was a key factor in my success in Roth, I feel that the last 2 weeks may prove to be key sessions for my season ahead.
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