The HM has a first long run of 1:30. The GB longest run is 1:30. I would try to align the end of the GB with the start of the HM such that the jump is not too big. Depending on your current fitness, I might even start a few weeks into the GB targeting a total of 27 weeks (14 for the HM and 13 or so of the GB). If you are just starting to build your fitness I would start with week 1 of the GB and then reconstruct your long runs starting from week 13 and working your way back so that your last long run is about 1:25ish. The timing of the CP test may influence things a bit as well. For example, if you end your GB plan with a CP test you can skip week 1 of the HM plan. That’s what happened to me when I moved from GB to FM. Hope this helps a bit.
Thanks again for this!!
March was an excellent month of training! Don’t think I missed a single work-out (except for the recovery week where I just did some other stuff). I’ve logged the highest amount of hours in Jan-March I’ve ever done, so big win. April kind of had a false start with missing my bike (bikeshop repairs) and cramping up whenever I started running (and sometimes even walking). So that’s less of a win. Might have to ease back into running really slow. Starting specialty now, so let’s see how it goes. But bike’s back and hoping to get into stuff again this week! 
Jitse
Anyone any thoughts on how to prevent recurring cramping? It’s in my hamstrings mostly.
Is this from races or in training?
Theres all the “intake more salt, electrolytes etc.” stuff that you commonly hear. I personally add more salt to my drinks when I go for long or very difficult stuff.
However, I seriously think for races its ultimately due to a lack of training for the intensity you put out. Cramping occurs when you are asking too much from the current level of fitness you have. If you go too hard for too long, you will likely experience cramps. Unless you are absolutely sure you are training sufficiently for the race effort you are putting out, I would suggest analyzing your training first. I think nutrition is obviously important and it’s low hanging fruit, but ultimately its easy to blame nutrition for your pacing and training mistakes. Doing a very aggressive 70.3 ride for example when you are on low volume and/or lack the years of fitness and race prep to know what that is going to be like is basically asking for cramping. OTOH, thats how you learn what you can and cannot do, so blowing up and cramping in races is not bad per se. You only get fast after experiencing these things first hand. Once you know what works for you, keep improving it until you decide you NEED to switch something up.
+1
@Jitse Consider the overall training stress you’re under, back it off and ramp up slowly again.
I haven’t experienced hamstring problems, but I would look at form in each discipline, then strengthening exercises. Apparently things like stride length and bike fit could be at the root.
What’s your calculus for determining race day power targets? I know there can be an inside/outside power disparity, as well as a common dip for the tt bike. Garmin head unit says 321 ftp on the roadie. Just finished an ftp test on the tt bike and it came back at 245 (which is an improvement from where I started at the beginning of full-distance base phase).
Endurance rides outside on the tt bike feel pretty easy at 200 watts, but on TR indoor workouts everything feels right. Sweet spot feels like sweet spot, vo2 like vo2.
I’m not paying attention to the Garmin number. That feels like a vanity number at this point. That said, for those of you who see a difference in indoor vs outdoor power, how do you determine your target for race day? Goal is Tremblant full in August. Assuming all the normal 2021 assumptions.
Thats almost a 100 watt difference. Something is very wrong with the differential. You may see a 10-20 watt differential maybe on road power to indoor power, assuming things are somewhat similar (power source, etc.). Having a different power source for each throws it out, but the differential is still very wrong. Even if its L/R only vs a separate power source like a smart trainer, that differential is silly.
You need to ensure both sources are calibrated. Ultimately, this does not matter per se if you are looking at precision and not accuracy, ie. if you train on 2 precise devices which have an offset that is known, if you account for the differential, there is no objective difference between the 2 come race day as long as you are training with the offset (for example, my tacx reads +5 watts from my left only crank arm power, so i just mentally note that during my race efforts). The magnitude of the number is only important to say zwift and your “E-peener size”.
If both PM are working functionally correctly (again both numbers seem VERY off, so one of them is fishy, my guess its the outdoor power) then account for the offset and just do the mental math. It is not that hard.
WRT what number I use, I do most of my training indoors and use the PM for pacing only, so in the end I know my offset, I know what I am capable of from my training, and I adjust to the number based on my target and distance (I think I am around 65-70% IM and 80% 70.3 FTP). Of course, I actually enjoy throwing power numbers out the window for some of my races and race fast and loose, because thats whats fun, but if you want to be very pace based that is what you have to do.
Edit: How do you find the offset? Record dual recordings for a few workouts, preferably at endurance and also at high wattage (like zwift races or threshold rides) and examine the results. You will need to note the variations and then you can account for the differential. You only need to do it a few times and you should be fine. Make sure the PM is calibrated though otherwise the numbers you compare are useless
Helpful, thanks. I’m not sure where Garmin is pulling the number from. I just noticed it recently. My best ramp test numbers were in the 280’s. I’ll start making a note of the readings from all the different power meters and compare them (man, 10+ Years ago when these things were $2k a pop, I would have never guessed I’d even own one, let alone several).
The percentages are helpful too. I’m not a great runner to begin with, but I’ve derailed a few half’s because I felt really good on the bike. Trying to avoid that for my first full distance.
For reference there’s some great resources (I think a table from Friel and some stuff from Alen Couzen, did I spell that right) that I base my numbers from along with experience. I think your numbers need to be personal and starting at a low % and working your way up is prudent, unless you enjoy walking the run
Check these out:
They’re a good starting place, experience is better and temper them with your long brick data. Err on the side of caution I guess.
Planning on doing something very similar to what you did with the 100mi TT’s and runs off the back of them to gauge where the fitness is at. How far out from your goal races were your 100’s (+which courses)? I’ve got a 100mi TT on the L10010 course ~8 weeks out from IM Tallinn that I plan to do a tasty run off of.
How hard do you ride the 100mi TT? I only race half distance and I do run off my long bunch rides but I do it for endurance and practice only. It isn’t very useful for pacing.
Maybe I’m crossing threads but I will do a 5km run after a hard bunch ride. The ride is much harder than HIM race pace. I like the run off the hard bike because it reminds me what it will feel like at the mid point of the run.
Only asking because if you race the TT hard, I would doubt you could run at all afterwards. You shouldn’t be able to run at all. You might also risk injury. After a maximal bike effort I will usually give it six hours before doing an evening easy run - but that is just me 
Always ride a TT all out, otherwise you might as well save your money and ride hard on your own There’s usually a 10 minute ride back to the HQ and the car so there’s a short spin before the run but otherwise it’s a run off a maximal effort.
I’ve done a mix of brick sessions over the years. Mostly short, easy transition runs off a long ride or hard runs off easy rides but the best way IMO to find out where the limits are is to push them with a decent run off a hard bike. Used at the appropriate time in a training block they are exceptionally informative.
Funnily enough I raced the 100 on the L10010 that year as it happened to be the National Champs. The other 100 was on the B100/4 and the last big workout before the Outlaw two weeks beforehand, although I rode a 50 as a last hit out before the IM the weekend between the two.
I’d done a decent block up to racing the Titan Brecon and had a good race there finishing 5th and that was 6 weeks out from the Outlaw and built up to that starting the following weekend…
Week 1 A 50 mile TT on the P885/50 in 1:47 with a 5 mile run off
Week 2 No weekend race but a 15 mile midweek TT
Week 3 A midweek 25 mile TT which is still my PB in 52mins and then the National 100 on the L10010 a few days later in 3:55 neither of which I ran off
Week 4 100 mile TT in 3:44 on the B100/4 with a five mile run off
Week 5 50 mile TT on the E2/50 in 1:49
Week 6 The Outlaw
I’d consistently been riding well and was gutted to DNF through no particular fault of my own after my best IM swim of a few seconds over the hour and on for somewhere between a 4:45-4:50 ride in appalling weather conditions 
One thing about the runs off the TT’s were that I didn’t look at the watch or really have a target pace. I just wanted to run comfortably at a pace that I thought I could sustain for an IM marathon. The runs were used to gauge what that pace should be rather than pre judge it with any goal paces.
Both ended up at around 4:30/km pace and I ran the IM marathon at 4:32/km so turned out to be a pretty good measure of race pace.
I like this. 
Definitely something I must remember for future.
have you had a gait analysis done?
nice brick intervals sessions today i am noticing some gains and defo need a ramp test with 69 days to the outlaw half
Really late on my March Roll call. Had a pretty good March:
Week 1 - 17 hr
Week 2 - 15 hr 50 min
Week 3 - 17 hr 35 min
Week 4 - 12 hr (de-load/recovery week)
The bike and run are coming along nicely. The swim on the other hand is my main concerned with pool closures and with St. George 70.3 only 2 weeks out now. But it is what it is and I’m sure I’m not the only one missing some swim days. Definitely looking forward to to see what’s in store for St. George with CdA Ironman not to far behind.
Late also to the thread, reset all of my races from 2020 and already my first Rage race was canceled at Lake Mead, Nevada. My A race is 70.3 Santa Cruz in September, it will be my first 70.3. Currently following the 1/2 low volume training plan. I do have an Olympic length tri at the end of May and then a end of year race in Boulder City, Nevada in October. I may run a 1/2 marathon in June in the mountains of Utah. Enjoying the work and the training.
Thanks for this! It’s in training right at the start of the training, no bad race experiences here so far It probably was too much (tried to do 4 hard work-outs in two days) and then rest, although the weeks before went really well. Bike position could definitely be an issue, stride maybe too.