Obsessive compulsive analysis? Picking apart the Syracuse race course -the bike

My eyes are set on the Syracuse 70.3 Ironman event on June 22nd

This race favors an athlete such as my self because of the bike profile.  

From Ironman.com: 

The race begins in Jamesville Reservoir, where athletes will complete a 1.2-mile, single-loop swim. The 56-mile bike course winds through the Highland Forest recreational area, taking athletes through the picturesque, rolling countryside of Onondaga, Madison, and Cortland counties. Athletes will finish their race with a 13.1-mile run in and out of Jamesville Beach County Park, offering plenty of shade to accompany the challenging rolling hills. 

THE BIKE:

This is the official map from the Ironman website.  Below is the profile from the Ironman website.  Nice and hilly...right up my alley.  

I've also studied the course on MapMyRide.  This is important so I can see exactly where the hills fall along the course.  

Along with the photos and maps of the course, I've read some race reports from last years competitors.  One of the most helpful is from the Fueled by Iron blog.  What he wrote about the bike is important.  He had a terrible bike -cramping from mile 33 on because he didn't pay attention to fueling in the early sections of the ride. 

I got so focused on trying to maintain momentum through the hills that I wasn't focusing on hydrating/fueling/taking on salt. It wasn't until I happened to glance down and see my top tube covered in salt/sweat and felt the heat that I knew I was behind the power curve of hydrating/fueling.

 Fueling is something I am paying a lot of attention to and I know, most of it will take place on the bike....but I'll get into fueling later.  

I am lucky enough to have a great coach with CompuTrainers. One of the great thing about the CompuTrainer is that you can program specific bike courses into the device and take a virtual ride on that course.  Needless to say, I've been virtually riding the Syracuse 70.3 bike course for some time.  I realize that isn't the same as riding the actual course, but it is as close as it is going to get during a Pennsylvania winter. 

I've also been studying the top three athletes  in my age category as well as the age category below mine (checking to see if any of those athletes will move up to my age category) from the 2013 and 2012 events to determine what kind of speed I will need to finish on the podium.  

Maintaining speed while conserving energy for the run will be key.

Next up...The Run.

Race Preparation -setting pacing goals for a run

So, I did a 5K last week...

No, this photo has nothing to do with the run...

I know...woo-effing-hoo, right?  It's just a 5K.

Actually, it was good practice for pacing.

Even though I haven't been training for break-neck speeds over short distances, the competitor in me wanted to beat my time from last year.  At the very least, I needed to know my pace from last year and set a pace for this year.

So I looked up my time...

Yep, there I am, 19:51 with a 6:24 pace (19th overall...not to shabby for an old guy who prefers longer distances).

6:24/ mile over 3.1 miles.  Got it. But what good does my pace do if I don't know how fast I'm going?

I'm a triathlete.  We, by our very nature, are obsessed with data...dare you think I wouldn't have some type of toy to tell me how fast I'm going?

I'm lucky enough to have one of these gems.  The Garmin Forerunner 910xt  and I have it set to tell me my 1/4 mile pace...so every 1/4 mile, it beeps and vibrates and the time it took me to cover that distance comes up on the screen.

With a little math, I can figure out how long it should take to cover 1/4 mile at a 6:24 pace.

Here is the math.

6:24/4 = 1:36 (you have to convert the 24s into a decimal because it is 24/60 of a minute)

Long hand that's 24/60=.4 So 6.4/4 for 1/4 mile 1.6 minutes (.6x60seconds =36)
so 1:36 every 1/4 mile

yes, I made an excel sheet because I'm nuts

Anyway, to beat last year's time all I need to do is hit my 1/4 mile splits at 1:36 or faster.  There is an average pace and current pace section on the watch so I can tell if I am on target but to know exactly how on or off I am, I like to know my 1/4 mile splits.  This way, if I lose or gain seconds, I know and can adjust my speed.  I use the average pace for a big picture guide but when the mileage gets high, adjusting my speed off that number becomes difficult....hence the 1/4 mile split time.

Long story short, I was able to beat last year with a 19:34 6:18 pace and slide up into 18th overall...not too shabby for a longer distance runner.

So I wore my GoPro Hero -unfortunately my memory card ran out of space before the finish...but it is still somewhat entertaining.  Check out the video below!

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