1st 112 Mile RR (race rehearsal) ride

112 mile RR (Race Rehersal) & 1 hour run on July 21^st  report by the numbers – as an engineer in a former life – I always say è you can’t have too much data …

This 112 Mile RR as recommended by my training plan from Rich Strauss of Crucible Fitness and paced as recommended by Rich based on the monthly TT testing using my Ergomo Power Meter and other testing.  The training plan has been fantastic è I think the plan may need some tweaks since I am a 54 year old masters triathlete ...

Felt great throughout the ride and of course all runs are hard for me ... but at least I had the power of wearing the Crucible Fitness Kit ...

I rode 5:37 for 112 miles flat and "windy" and ran 9:09 pace for almost 7 miles and finished within 1/2 pound of the weight that I woke up with.  (The run pace was probably at least 1 minute per mile faster than I can run IM)

(Plan to do a hilly 112 RR this weekend for comparison purposes)

Prep è  Prepared the bike, all of my water bottles & my feed (bottle see below for contents)

Sleep è 3 hours (don’t ask) I know – I know sleep is good … but how cyou have so much fun training and fun family things to do also ????

Breakfast è@ WGT=159 èQT Gatorade, Powerbar, è WGT=161.7  

112 RR - 1st 56miles:

  Duration:    () è total time includes 1 minute ERGOMO computer chk

  TSS:         148.6 (intensity factor 0.73)

  Norm Power:  201

  VI:          1.04

  Distance:    55.954 mi

               Max  Avg

  Power:       507  193 watts

  Heart rate:  133  108 bpm

  Cadence:     106  84   rpm

  Speed:       26.2 20.0      mph

NOTE: 16 minute downtime between loops while the entire group reloaded bottles & hit the restroom

112 RR - 2nd 56 miles:

  Duration:    () è total time includes flat for one of the group

  TSS:         143.2 (intensity factor 0.712)

  Norm Power:  196

  VI:          1.02

  Distance:    55.636 mi

               Max  Avg

  Power:       404  192 watts

  Heart rate:  126  110 bpm

  Cadence:     104  86   rpm

  Speed:       24.3 19.7      mph

NOTE: 15 minute downtime between loops while the entire group reloaded bottles & hit the restroom

112 RR - Entire ride:

  Duration:    ()è tot incl. 29 min of computer chk, refuel, flat

  TSS:       291.7 (intensity factor 0.721)

  Norm Power: 198

  VI:          1.03

  Distance:    111.59 mi

               Max  Avg

  Power:       507  193 watts

  Heart rate:  133  109 bpm

  Cadence:     106  85   rpm

  Speed:       26.2 19.9      mph

Bike 111.6 miles = 5:37 19.9 mph  

• Feed Bottle è Total 350 cal / hour & 300 mg sodium (+ other electrolytes) / hour Hammer Sustained Energy 15 scoops è 1700 calories & 560mg of sodium + 3 x 100 calorie  servings of raspberry Hammergel + 11 x 100mg sodium Endurolyte caps
• Water è 216 oz (8 bottles) total water on bike(4 bottles / 56 miles)
• HR 109 low Zone1

Run 6.65 miles in 1:00:48 @ 9:09 pace

·         Gatorade è 55oz was about 9oz / mile

·         HR 130 all intermediate Zone1

Weight

• 159    Before breakfast
• 161.7 Before 1^st 56 mile bike
• 162.2 After    1^st 56 mile bike
• 158.6 After    2^nd 56 mile bike & the same 158.6 after run

Temperature

• 70 @ beginning of bike and brisk wind that picked up as the bike went on
• 85 @ beginning of run è typical duck soup weather

Post workout è Gatorade Endurance 32oz

My 112 mile RR Storyè

Several years ago the early Saturday morning ride started out as a ride with me and a couple of friends … over the years people have come and gone … but via the magic of eMail this ride has grown to often times 20+ rides … Well the excitement of a 2 x 56 mile ride (as a part of my 112 mile RR ride) with an option of 1^st or 2^nd loop or both and an optional hour run really pulled ‘em out of the woodwork …

The appointed meeting place is “The Sub” … YES has its very own submarine … just in case we are ever attacked.

A few minutes before 6am “The Sub” area was hopping as over 40 riders pulled up and started getting ready for a great ride … (All rides are good) … the riders included Marianne & Heather (doing IMKY), Ed M. doing IMFLA, Chris I. & Emily H doing a ½ IM, and others doing HHH (Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred, MS150, or BDB100 (Big Dam Bridge100 è www.bigdambridge.org ) ...

Which this huge group, we had a good photo op … and our group never misses a photo op … and the photos can be found @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/dewonn43/sets

About 4 ½ minutes into the ride I felt great (who doesn’t feel great at that point) … I looked at my Ergomo computer and was seeing 240 watts … but it felt so easy that instead of realizing that this was just due to the excitement of the large group and just backing off a tad … Panic set in as I thought … Oh No … I had last used the computer on my road bike and I must have not reset the bike number for “Lucy” è my Lucero and I was getting erroneous readings that would screw up my much anticipated TSS / IF (Training Stress Score & Intensity Factor) for my 112 mile RR … So I pulled over to reset the bike number in my Ergomo … well after checking twice I discovered all was well in Ergomo Land … and that I was just a little too excited as we rolled out …

But now I had a problem … since the large group had some strong riders on the front & I had told them to go on … that was just what they did … since they are used to me chasing them down … and for various reasons the pace actually picked up a lot … So I had 2 choices …

1)       lock into my planned 199 watt power (.72 IF) and ride by myself

2)       chase them down … while burning a few matches

I decided to go after them; since I had got this big group together … I didn’t want to miss the chance to ride with them … Fortunately, a friend, Kevin, came back to help me chase them down, which took about 30 minutes and 11 miles at a moderate effort of 234 watts and an IF of 0.85 which if continued would have hit a TSS of over 400 for the 112 miles at which point Rich (Strauss of www.cruciblefitness.com ) would have just handed me a fork to stick in my legs because they would have been well done …

After this little chase, I re-grouped and went to the front of our “Peleton” and got back on pace of just under 200 watts.  The ride started to really get fun at about this point, as my friends took turns pulling up beside me for a few minutes and shooting the breeze while I continued on with my 112 mile RR … At mile 28 the group pulled into the “Keo One Stop” to reload on fluids and do any other essential tasks while I did 3 mile out and back stretch and picked them up on the way back. 

Very quickly on the way back some of the strong riders doing just one 56 mile loop kicked it up and shredded the group of 1 lappers …

The 2 lappers stayed with me as we finished up the 1^st 56 mile loop …

After a lengthy (16 minute) reload, bathroom, and regroup period … about a baker’s dozen of us rolled out on the 2^nd 56 mile loop.  The wind continued to grow as the ride progressed, but this entire ride felt like JRA (just riding along) in Rich terms. 

With about 20 miles to go one rider flatted and after a lengthy front tube change (11 minute) we took off only to have the same flat on the rear … at this point on rider volunteered to stay with him as the rest of us headed toward the finish of the 2^nd 56 miles.

With about 7 miles to go one girl on a new P3, KarmonJ took off and JeremyW went with her as the rest of the 2 lappers stayed with me …

I probably should have carried a bottle in my pocket … because I was a little short on water as I finished up the bike … I had 32oz aero bottle, 26oz seat tube bottle, & 2 x 26oz bottles behind the seat … plus a feed bottle on the down tube … this allowed me to do each 56 mile loop non-stop.  Except for when we waited for Chris I. to change his 1^st of 4 flats …

After about 15 minutes of telling the group goodbye, grabbing my fuel belt with 55oz of Gatorade, and hitting the bathroom, Emily & I started our hour run.  Chris, Heather, & Marianne were still on the bike course, but ran also.  The run was uneventful, each mile I drank 9oz of Gatorade and ran hard (all runs are hard) … ran 9:09 pace with a 130 BPM HR (intermediate Z1) ... it was 85 degrees, sunny, & humid … just about perfect for an Arkansas July day …

And presto as quick as this whole RR day had started it was over … it was then time to grab that recovery drink, and go home and shower off the road film from all of that riding …

Until the next one … as I always say “All Rides are Good” …

NOTE: this weekend will be a hilly 112 mile RR … with road conditions that may be harder to control the