Sub 9 Hour Journey

I suspect they’d all find more time with the newer kit like trisuits, bikes, tyres and Nike’s.

There is zero chance.
I’m 185cm and was 70kg / 154lbs back in 2010/11 for this shot. You can’t even see my ribs or arm sinew.

So if Macca is 3cm shorter and 10kg heavier, I’d like to know where he’s hiding it 🕵🏻‍♂️

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Mate of mine (was on here for a while), 2 x KQ and around the 9 hour mark - although he was a younger AG.

He had multiple years of failure and blow ups and attributed it to coming in too light - no strength, always got ill (caught something on the flight to SA for one KQ attempt and DNS’d).

When he started coming in 1-2 kg heavier everything clicked and he started ripping it up.

There was a piece by Alan Couzens on IM weights at the top end, think to hit the ideal I’d have to weigh 66 kg. I’m around 72 now, usually aim for 70 (unsuccessfully :rofl:) for the the A race. I can’t imagine what 66 would be like, hard to imagine feeling strong at that weight. Or the damage to training shedding extra that 4kg, let alone real life.

I think at 50+ chasing an ideal weight is unlikely to end well.

Good luck both, I’ll be following with interest!

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Definitely this.
Although it is a fine balance to find your ideal race weight.
“Shedding” that extra weight is done slowly and over a year or more, you cannot just drop it in a few months for the A race, it is a slow change to habits and creating new ones to allow that weight to be sustainable.

The weight discussion is always an interesting one. I’d definitely be a chubster if I didn’t train. How do you guys go about leaning up for race day? At the moment I’ve binned the booze until at least after May. (My daughters 21st will be an exception) eliminating as much processed shit and sugar out of my diet. But I’m not calorie counting, can’t be arsed. Just trying to go for anything that is likely to give me a good :poop:

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https://www.alancouzens.com/blog/height_weight.html

My “pro” race weight is 64kg, the lowest I have been (dehydrated after a run) was 66kg. I really struggle to get below 68kg, hopefully I will be around this weight for Roth. I’m certainly not going to focus on weight loss, just make sure I am eating a healthy diet

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Your race weight shouldn’t be your lowest weight should it?

My approach is pretty much identical. My 50th in May, so will have a bit of booze then. I’m definately not calorie counting

I’m 88kg now, a far cry from those days of 68kg :rofl:

Back then;
Pescatarian
Teetotal
Calorie counted

Looking at my MFP, I’d hit my lowest weight in March (peak duathlon season) then it’d climb slightly to June-August. There wasn’t really any “leaning” up for races etc, just eating properly and what you know you should be doing (nothing processed, five veg per day, don’t overcook them, light on the oils/fats etc)

Now?
Carnivore
Alcoholic
Pringles subscriber

I was >100kg when I wasn’t training. I remember a Simpsons episode, where Homer’s belly just wobbles “225lbs! I’m a whale” that was me :frowning:

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Hi Matt, just wanted to say good luck and have fun training for your sub 9. This thread is going to be really interesting to follow and I’m looking forward to seeing what swimming gains you’ll achieve in the next 5 months.

Take care
Anna

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Back to my training schedule. Yesterday I managed to squeeze in a “gentle” Half Ironman distance. Did a 3.2-3.8 wkg KISS Base Training Ride (72km) around Tempus Fugit, and finished off the distance with a solo ride around Neokeo. Then jumped onto treadmill for a half marathon, finished up with a 1900 swim (part of swim squad training)

Ride 91.1km, 2h10m AP 222w HR 122bpm
Run 21.1km, 1h39m, 4:42/km, HR 125bpm
Swim 1900m, 37m, 1:57/100m, HR 115bpm
Total 4h 26m … But super fast drafting ride on Zwift

I fueled with 1 jelly baby every 10 mins and had a banana 1 hour into the ride and one after the ride

Felt really nice, I enjoyed keeping the intensity pretty low. This is the first run I have done since September where my foot feels right. I’ll make sure I have a rest from running for a day or 2

Today no aches or pains. I’ve got the first Zwift ZRL race this evening, I will get into the pool at some point this afternoon

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Alan Couzens basically has a zero compromise ‘scorched earth’ approach to KQ…but anyone can recommend that.

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It’s like he’s the Brett Sutton of the amateur world.

“I’ve successfully coached hundreds of athletes to a KQ and a divorce”

But I shan’t let on about the thousands who I’ve burned out and now no longer want to do any form of exercise.

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That’s not a phrase you ever want to hear about yourself :scream:

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Yep, stop training, and I pile the weight on…. I just transition to taking more care over the quality and quantity of my food, dumping a lot of the less sensible stuff like bread, and cutting out the alcohol…. and the weight seems to come off at a sensible rate of around a kilo or two a month…. never drop more than 5Kg though… any more than that and I start to feel weak.

Any coach can claim to have coached X amount of athletes to KQ but what they won’t tell you is where the athlete started from. FMD, I could coach @Matthew_Spooner to a KQ :laughing:

If you have a stable of very very good AGers and that’s all you coach (there are plenty of coaches that only take on those that are ‘nearly there’) then your ‘x amount of KQers’ doesn’t sound so impressive.

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Is she related to you?

Good luck with this @Matthew_Spooner and @Chriswim.

I have had a few DMs with Alan Couzens and there is lot more nuance than you might gather looking at the figures in his blogs.

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Sorry @Poet obviously I am only joking. There isn’t often need to say this sort of thing often but you do look too thin there IMHO.

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I could cycle uphill quickly back then :rofl::see_no_evil:
I also didn’t get ill or rundown (which I don’t now, either)

Couzens reckons 74-75kg for me.
Which seems about right.

I was 77kg when I saw you at Outlaw in 2019 :+1:t3:
Which is great for the swim and bike, not so good for that run if it’s warm or windy :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

But anyway…back to sub-9!!!

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@Matthew_Spooner - what’s the general structure you’re following?

Are you doing the “standard” 4 week cycle

Recovery 12hrs / 700 TSS (light and low)
Week 1 16hrs / 900 TSS (harder intensity)
Week 2 20hrs / 1100 TSS (zone 3 stuff, plus technique)
Week 3 24hrs / 1300 TSS (zone 1/2, but long)

Keeping the sessions in place, but just changing the intensity and volume?

What thoughts have you given to the macro, meso and micro cycles?

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