The Ironman Training 2022 Thread

Training
1003

Ironman Tulsa 2022 officially in the books

Swim - 1:20:09
T1 - 14:52
Bike - 5:41:30
T2 - 10:01
Run - 4:11:11

Wonderful weather and great support. I’m most proud of managing my pace. My HR ranged from 120 to 145 max with 137 average. My HR max is 180.

This was just my second open water swim ever, others were saying that it was super windy and choppy but I don’t have anything to compare it to. I’ve spent my whole life swimming in Arkansas lakes so it felt fine to me lol. It was weird - I finished right where I hoped I would (1:20 - 1:30 estimated finish time during the rolling start), but I must’ve passed at least 60 people, maybe more. I wonder if people go to the front so they don’t have to go around anyone? Anyway, I was anxious about even finishing the swim, so after I checked that box, I just took my time in T1 feeling like I had already finished the day lol. Ate a huge chocolate eclair and a bearclaw :laughing: my wife got an amazing picture of another guy running out of T1 while I’m just standing there with a massive pastry in my hand and a mouth full :sweat_smile:

Rode my SWorks Tarmac SL6, very aero bike with GP5000 S TR tires set up tubeless. These tires are the absolute most. So smooth, so fast, traction for days. Highly recommended. No aero bars, actually setup just like I ride it in criteriums. Wonderful ride. Felt strong, no flats, no wrong turns, no crashes, not a single thing to note. Windy day. Drank to thirst and ate to hunger/tolerability and it worked perfectly.

At T2 I knew I was going to be able to reach my goal of sub 12 hour, so I took the time to enjoy it, and I’m really glad I did. Stopped and talked to my wife for a couple of minutes, cracked some jokes, and headed out. Ran in the Adidas Adios Pro 2’s. I didn’t get to really turn on the gas for reasons below, but they felt great.

Run went as expected. I’ve been nursing some Achilles tendonitis so I had to knock a minute and a half off my target pace (from before the injury), but I’m still happy with my consistent pace and proud of it. Started to get really tired mile 18, but pushed through and didn’t walk any miles. Again I ate and drank to hunger/thirst and it worked perfectly. Toward the end (mile 22-26) I started to get some reflux, but I was still tolerating water and felt like it was an appropriate physical response to the day overall at that point :laughing:

Overall left nothing out there, had a good time. 11/81 in age group, 85th overall. Very satisfied.

You have a lot of time to think during these events, some musings:

  1. I never saw the front of the race obviously, but there weren’t THAT many people ahead of me. If you’re not doing a sub 5:30 bike leg, ride a road bike. Your speed is just too slow (which is nothing to be ashamed of on a day like a full-distance Ironman) to take advantage of any gains you’d get with an aero bike. I passed probably 80 people on the bike leg, all of whom were riding some sort of tri bike or aero extensions, and my goodness they were giving up so much time all over the place. Those bikes can’t turn for anything, also can’t descend. A couple of times I would put 30-40 bike lengths on someone in a single 90 degree turn. Descents were almost a joke. Clearly nobody was able to hold the aero position, and with roads being what they are, I just kept thinking how much faster, more comfortable, and more fun their rides would be if they were on a road bike with a decent fit. Choosing a bike is obviously a complicated decision, but I think a lot more people would be much happier and faster without the tri bike. An aero kit and helmet would get 99% of people 99% of the way there without all the downsides.

  2. Diet. I started to think several weeks ago that doing these efforts that are purely aerobic make the whole “100g/hour of carbs” dogma pretty suspect. I am in no way suggesting that long rides don’t need carbs, but these events where it is the goal to stay in the IF 0.6-0.7 don’t need 4 gels/hour. Pre-race I had a 750ml whole milk breakfast and coffee. After the swim I had a two pastries that were in the 1000 calorie range. Plenty of sugar but also plenty of fat. During the ride I took the occasional gel (maybe 1 every 1:15), but I ate 4 Uncrustable PB&J’s as my main fuel. About 850 calories. Then on the run I took a couple of gels plus some Pepsi and Red Bull (maybe 1 can total between the two), then ate chips and pretzels. I started to get reflux the last 3-4 miles, but then I took a gel, and while I was obviously very tired, I never walked and I got really close to maintaining my pace. My stomach felt great all day. Never felt “empty,” never felt nauseous, no bowel distress. I simply ate food with fat, protein, and carbs when I was hungry, and the rest took care of itself. Also, anything with high-fructose corn syrup - no thank you. I felt like a little Gatorade would be nice at one point, drank a cup. Not smart.

  3. Hydration. There is an absolutely wonderful indication that your body gives you about your hydration level. It’s called urinating. Along with my dietary learnings over my training, I learned quickly on these super long events where eating/drinking convenience isn’t a challenge (harder to stay hydrated during an XCO race or something like that) that making sure you are urinating frequently throughout the day is critically important. I made sure to drink enough water that I had to stop and pee once on the bike, in T2, then at least twice on the run. I had dehydration absolutely destroy a couple of training runs, and if you want to talk about destroying a day, try getting dehydrated. I added it up, and I think bathroom breaks cost me around 3-4 minutes. Pennies on the dollar to avoid a spectacular hydration-related blow-up. In addition, if you lick your lips during the events, and you’ve got no saliva in your mouth, you’re getting dehydrated. If you start to notice that your eyes are dry and feeling irritated, you’re getting dehydrated. There are signals to tell us what is going on if we are only willing to listen.

Just some thoughts. It’s hard for us, especially triathletes, who like to break everything down into controllable parts, but you do lose something when you do that. If you are a pro who has trained to the point that you can do these events in Zone 3/4, you’re going to need a ton of gels and simple sugars. But, eating to hunger, drinking to thirst can work.

I’d love to hear people’s comments about this stuff. This is probably my only FD Ironman, but it was worth it!

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1004

Congrats on a great race. Sounds like you had a fun and low-stress day once you got out of the water.

I think most of your points could be paraphrased by “if finishing is your main goal and finishing time is a secondary concern, do whatever makes you most comfortable and happy”.

I read it quite often that slow people shouldn’t care about aerodynamics. Slow people should ride road bikes, slow people shouldn’t ride a rear disc, slow people shouldn’t wear a TT helmet. This is all despite them gaining more in terms of absolute time than faster athletes.

I also think there’s a major misconception that a TT position is inherently less comfortable than a road-bike position. If your fit is good, they’re both comfortable and I’d argue that holding an aero position on a tri bike is so much more comfortable than riding puppy paws or trying to be aero on a road bike. That said, there are A LOT of poorly fit triathletes out there who got the “table bike fit” from their bike shop or bought into the narrative that a TT bike fit with a flat back is somehow about flexibility (it’s not, it’s about getting the right saddle). And it gets worse as you move towards to the back of the pack.

Back to tri-bikes not handling and you gapping people in the corners, my experience that is more to do with bike ability than the bike. The 2 loop courses used on almost all IMs, someone like yourself is going to pass a lot of slower triathletes on the 2nd loop. With your history in crits and if you had you ridden a tri bike, I’d assume you’ve put 29-39 bike lengths on that same someone instead of 30-40. Similar numbers if those people you were passing were on road bikes. On most tri courses, there just aren’t many technical descents that would dictate bike choice and taking a 90deg corner in the pursuit bars isn’t that hard for a reasonably competent bike handler. It’s not like we’re descending Les Lacets de Montvernier.

Regarding diet, there are many studies out there that faster finishing times and reduced RPE are highly correlated to higher CHO intake. For me, the difference between 60 g/hr and 90 g/hr isn’t super noticeable on the bike, but the lack of fading on the run sure is. But again, do what makes you happy. I understand the joy of smashing an uncrustable (i stashed one in both of my special needs bags for my first IM), but I prefer oatmeal creampies as the mid-ride “real” food break when I want to supplement my sugar water.

Gatorade endurance doesn’t have corn syrup in it. The cola on course probably did though.

4 Likes
1005

Great first IM - well done!! Sounds like you had a very memorable event.

I agree we can “over think a lot” of racing a 140.6.

Just some thoughts that I felt I needed to share…

I can’t even fathom stopping after the swim for a éclair - just picturing that has me cracking up.

  1. Road bike vs Tri bike
    I think it depends - if you are one and done - great advise. I’ve been racing 140.6 and 70.3 (also the occasional oly and sprint) since 2007 and hoping for many years to come. I don’t think investing in a tri-bike is a bad idea, even though I am not breaking 5:30/2:45 bike splits in all my events. I don’t see the front of the race either, but the glory of completing the distance is in my rear view mirror, today’s focus is how I can execute a race plan and complete the event fastest that I can. I hate to steer people away from a tri-bike as it can significant help, free speed and all that, but agree that it isn’t ultimately a necessity.

  2. Food
    where did you stash 4 Uncrustables? Jersey pockets? I have used the on course bars and gels and have done well. I find that when racing, I get so into the moment that I am never really hungry. Eating something (Bar/Banana/Gel) at every aid station on the bike was key to not falling behind. As you elude too, 140.6 really is just a eating and drinking contest. You will hear about people stashing fast food cheese burgers in special needs.

  3. Hydration
    Was is hot? I don’t think using urination or licking your lips is the best tip, it worked for you in this event, but as you know if you get behind on drinking its hard to catch up. I would rather tell people to set a 30 min timer to drink through out the event, use urination or licking lips as the second measure of if it is working, that way they don’t get behind. You should be pissing in your shoes frequently.

I traveled to ST.G 70.3 last spring from the PNW, it was freaking HOT race day. I got so far behind drinking on the bike because I was out of habit from the cool weather in the PNW. I thought 2 to 3 bottles would be plenty. Between the cool morning and the spectacular views I didn’t realize it was so freaking hot until I was effed, and I was toasted for the run (long walk). I raced again in September and having the timer back on the head unit to remind me to drink was very helpful.

Agree on not overthinking it, but mostly for others reading your plan to encourage having some plan of action such as drinking a bottle an hour and eating a bar or gel at every aid on the bike will keep you going. If you didn’t exactly 90 carbs and hour, you will be okay.

4 Likes
1006

Haha, if I drank to thirst I’d die sitting at my computer before I even got to race day :woman_shrugging:

I think another issue is that a lot of people don’t ride their tri bike until race day. There are obviously some personal and logistical considerations there, but I know a few athletes who ride their TTs so infrequently that they don’t really have a lot of experience or confidence with what it’s handling capabilities and limitations actually are, and that can be exacerbated on technical courses or in unfavourable conditions on race day. Or they never put in the time to actually refine their fit and get used to being in aero for long periods, so essentially all their experiences end up feeling uncomfortable and/or sketchy.

On that note, I’m testing out the roadie for Cairns in 3 weeks and having the exact opposite issue- rode the TT all season and now my road bike feels slow and twitchy and weird.

2 Likes
1007

1st off congrats on your 1st IM. If you had the red tarmac, I think I saw you on the bike course.

  1. it’s very obvious you have good talent. With some experience and more training, you’re a sub 10 IM guy for sure. Already front of the pack in your 1st.

  2. you had a monster swim. The swim was 1/2 against the current and half with with good chop from the wind. I didn’t buy the fact that in race morning they decided to change the course from 1 loop to 2 loops due lake being too dangerous. I think they didn’t have enough kayaks to cover the whole thing. In the process they made the course 500m too long. In fact they realized it after the 1st loop and took away a buoy to amend it. Otherwise it would have been 750 yds or more long. Because of this they added 45 min extra time after midnight to finish. So your 1:20 time is better than you think.

  3. this was my 8th IM and that bike course was a pure clusterf**k. 1st off it was the hardest course I’ve done and that’s including IMWI, IMMT, IMCDA. But that’s fine, they can’t all be easy. The wind was crazy as well. The only time we had tailwind was north to south. Other than that, it was headwind all the time. The road conditions were the worst. There were 2 crashes I know of because of the road conditions. 1 guy had a nail go through his disc wheel. Decents were in 90 degree turns like IMWI that made it also dangerous in the winds. 2 girls, I stopped to help them with tube change. (It’s my last full IM so I didn’t care about my time). On the part of the course that went through a trail, 8 cows blocked the road.

  4. Road vs tri bike: tri bike is always faster. This comes up all the time. Your split was good but with proper fit and training on a tri bike, you would be faster. Most triathletes, a tri bike is their only bike.

  5. I agree with you in the GP5k’s. Love them. I have the clincher with latex though.

  6. drinking and eating to thirst/urination is the Noakes central governor theory. It works for few and not for most. If you’re a heavy or/and salty sweater, it definitely doesn’t work. I am both and I need a lot of salt in order not to cramp. I pee every 20-30 min and I’m still thirsty and dehydrated. I am not sure it even works with you. The temps were 58-64 degrees for most of the day with high of 68. On a hot and humid race, you may have a different experience.

  7. 4:10 run while holding back after that bike course is beastly! Everyone I know was 1-2 hours slower than what they normally do. Couple Kona studs and studettes were reduced to run/walk.

It was my least favorite full distance I’ve done. I wouldn’t recommend it and I doubt this race will last after next year. 17% DNF rate with perfect race temps is ridiculous. IM is hard enough. There is no need to make it harder. There is a reason only 800 people were there. I’m sure there was some leeching due to IMSG 3wk before and 70.3 champs in a week or 2 but 800 is way low and I don’t think it will go higher next year.

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1008

Because who wants to go Tulsa? :slight_smile: Joking aside, most people i know drive to races and Tulsa just isn’t close for many people. Maybe you’ve got a draw from OK City and Kansas City. The only other major city within a 5 hr drive is Dallas, and then you’re competing with IM Texas which was just a couple of weeks ago.

It reminds when I had a job interview at John Deere in Waterloo, IA after college. The person I was interviewing with said, “We’re close to a lot of places. We’re like from 2 hours from Des Moines and 4.5 hours from Chicago and 3 hours to Minneapolis”. It was like she was trying to say “we’re in BFE” without saying “we’re in BFE”.

1009

Yeah, I was surprised when IM chose Tulsa over Fayetteville, Memphis, and Des Moines (the other three finalists). Then more surprised when Des Moines and ended up getting one.

In order to pull in big numbers I think you have to either be a drivable distance from a lot of races and/or be a destination place. With all due respect to Tulsa there are a lot more fun and beautiful places to fly to. And for driving you are close enough that you are competing with Des Moines (6hr), Waco (5.5hr), and Woodlands (7hr). You could even argue that they are competing a bit with Madison and Chatty (each 11hr away) to an extend. ie I can drive 5 hours to Tulsa or 6 to Madison.

So then you gotta hope either you have a super fast course (since people love to do fast courses) or just a stellar event with tons of fans and what not where it’s a party like atmosphere.

1010

Probably because Tulsa gave IM more $$ to host as it is really all about that.

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1011

agree with Eric - money money money

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1012

That was me! Hot pink bike.

I thought the wind conditions were really unfortunate. The South to North headwind sections were all exposed, but then the North to South tailwind sections were sheltered somewhat, reducing the bump and adding to the difficulty.

Appreciate all the responses, I disagree with some and agree with others for reasons related to how research is applied in real-world situations, so I think it’s best to cheerfully agree to disagree.

I do all my training in a hot drained swamp (Little Rock), so my sweating is probably super efficient :joy: there are definitely situations where there is more hydration stress than at that race, no doubt.

I’d point out that suggesting “handling a bike is all about ability,” this is patently false. I 100% agree that bike handling abilities exist on a spectrum, but basic bike design dictates the upper limits of how a bike can be controlled, then positions adds another layer of limitations. For example, I rode my bike all day with my hands directly on the brakes because that’s how my bike is designed. TT bikes are specifically designed to sacrifice that ability in the interest of aerodynamics, and that’s OK. A tool for every job.
Does that mean TT bikes can’t be ridden safely? Of course not, but to suggest they are equivalent and the difference is ability - false. Limitations exist, and crashes happen when they aren’t respected. Just ask Chris Froome.

I’m pretty proud I finished in the top 100 in my first ever triathlon. I think I demonstrated that my finishing time was in fact very important to me.

The race last year had about 1600 participants I believe, so I don’t think the location had everything to do with it, but it definitely has a lot to do with it. I bet flying somewhere for triathlons puts an athlete in a pretty exclusive club. I picked Tulsa because I could easily drive there, I’m sure others do the same. Like the post said above, I wonder if it was just a high degree of difficulty. Like maybe no one came back from last year for good reasons :laughing:

1013

Meh…the Froome incident is a bad example. He was sitting up on a windy day, taking off a jacket and a gust hit him. had nothing to do with his TT bike…same result would have happened on his road bike. (and yes, I am aware that he recently claimed he was not messing with his jacket…3 years after the fact).

Is a TT bike as nimble as a road bike? Of course not…but no one should be losing the kinds of time you are describing above form riding a TT bike through turns. Those examples you cite are cases of poor handling, not bike design.

As for people sitting up, etc. again, not a case of poor bike design, but poor bike fits. No one should have any problem riding aero for an IM leg on a properly fitted bike at proper pace. If you can’t maintain aero, you have either overbiked or you have a bad bike fit.

heck, a few years ago I did TB HV over the winter and setup my TT bike on the trainer because it is the most comfortable position for me…and I am very low and aero.

As you should be…

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1014

What about Bernal this year then? Genuine question.

1015

Didn’t he crash into a bus?

That’s not bike handling, but inattention :man_shrugging:.

1016

Same thing…he had his head down and was not paying attention to the situation. His teammates were even yelling at him and he just kept going.

Had nothing to do with the bike…poor situational awareness.

1017

Thanks… never heard the detail just he was on the TT bike.

1 Like
1018

Here is a surveillance video of him crashing into the bus…100% lack of situational awareness.

1019

2021 was the first year for it (after 2020 was cancelled) and year 1 always has a participation boost for new IM branded races. It’s years 2 and 3 that really show how viable they really are.

1020

I didn’t mean to imply that finishing fast wasn’t important, only that it wasn’t primary aim (or you wouldn’t have spent 14 minutes in T1 enjoying some donuts :slight_smile: ). It was to have an enjoyable experience and hopefully it was enough fun that you keep coming back and do some more. If I’m wrong, my apologies and there’s some low hanging fruit for free time in the next one.

I’m not denying that TT bikes and road bikes handle differently. I’m suggesting that if you’re putting 150-200 yds on a person through a corner, it ain’t the bike but rather the person you’re passing.

I also agree with using bikes for job they’re designed for. Horses for courses and all. I wouldn’t bring my TT bike to crit or group ride and I wouldn’t bring my road bike to a tri (unless we’re talking something like Tri Alpe d’Huez). A good rule thumb is that a TT bike is worth ~1 mph over a road bike, which would be 20-25 minutes over an IM.

I’m curious since you mentioned this was your first tri, do you have a TT bike or spent much time riding one? I’m taking a leap here, but your comments strike me as someone who hasn’t spent a lot of time one one.

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1021

I drove from the woodlands to Tulsa. 8 hr drive. My brother came from Chicago. 11 hr drive.
A friend of mine from Wichita. 3 hrs. A couple other friends flew in from Phoenix and San Diego. I think they could pull from the surrounding states. Dallas, Memphis, StL, The entires state of Arkansas and LA and Nebraska and TN are within driving distance. Thats a lot more than Madison and that race is thriving. It’s just not a well run race where IMWI is a fantastic race and thrives.

I think this race was placed there to push out the USAT national championship in Arkansas (forgot what it was called. Red something). IM is known to do that. Des Moines would Leech from IMWI.

1022

Nah it’s all good. No worries.

I bought a TT bike last fall and trained on it for about 4 months after a pretty solid bike fit, about 8-10 hrs/week average. I started to get groin chafing issues about 6 weeks out from the race when I started pushing my rides beyond 5:30, and I had to make a decision about which bike to ride. I knew it was a lot of climbing with some steep descents and sharp turns, so that combined with the chafing and the fact that it was my first triathlon led me to decide to sell the TT bike and ride my beloved :rofl: I liked the TT bike storage options and felt the position was fast and comfortable in terms of joints and mobility, power was good, but the chafing issues could’ve been a day-ender for me.

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