All Group Training Is A Compromise
Roth Camp 2025
Yesterday was the full course recon ride and a lot of fun. It turns out there’s 1,000 feet less climbing (and fewer turns) than I’d expected. The course isn’t as fast as Boulder 70.3 but it’s more interesting with fields, forests and a few bomber sections down valleys. My gearing (54/40 & 11-34) will be perfect.
The way the ride played out, I got to experience the impact of a faster start. First chasing Lukasz, then chasing George (who thought I was ahead of him and was attempting to bridge - as I hung back 100m).
I wanted to make this ride tougher than race day so tacked on an extra 15km and put some efforts into the end. Total kilojoules 4,270 - will be interesting to see how that compares to the race day.
If we get to swim with wetsuits (it’s been warm) then I expect this will be my first Ironman distance race with a bike average under 130 bpm. Depends on how hot it gets on the second lap. Easy to see how athletes get caught up in the hype and blow themselves up. I felt like that happened a bit to me. Fortunately, I got a second wind.
Total intake was 2,800 kJ, nearly all consumed in the first four hours. Gut felt fine, even with the fast start and hot climbs up Solar Hill.
I learned hydrogel does not flow easily through a bike bottle. Good thing I followed my own advice and tested. Drank the equivalent of nine Magnum bottles, which was breakeven intake rate on the day.
Peak 20 minutes happened early on Lap One. 257w chasing Lukasz down valley, then up Solar Hill. There was an Air Show happening on top and traffic was a mess. Probably a good thing as it forced us to relax and settle down.
Legs were good with power available whenever I wanted. A hint of micro cramping during my big gear sets on the Lap Two short climbs (TT Position).
Easy Day
Plan for camp was easy ride to Roth, 10K run on the canal, easy ride home with optional afternoon swim.
That sounded like it had the potential to be hot and stressful.
I opted for: easy walk to the lake (Rothsee), 4 km open water swim, drop by the gym on the way home.
Super chill, low stress and similar to what I do at home.
Use The Group
Today’s was an easy day, training on my own.
Yesterday was a loading day, with the group.
When you make a choice to train with a group, remember it was a choice.
When you’re with the group, don’t waste energy wanting the group to serve your goals. Nils covers this in his book.
The Group is why I do low-priority races. It takes a lot of mental mojo to get my effort up when I’m alone. Easier to use the group and let my competitive instincts carry me along.
Tips:
The larger the group, the more intense you will go.
Easy days are best done solo, or with athletes at a level significantly below your fitness. Easy day long rides are an excellent time to get to know slower campers.
Endurance training can be OK with groups up to three, if you agree not to kill each other. Learn how to share the work while riding legally.
Practice not-reacting in group training. It’s an essential skill for age group racing. A favorite technique (when I’m fit) is to drop behind the group and watch the dynamics from 20 meters back.
Half your swimming should be done alone. If you are swimming with a group all the time then your program is too intense.
Invert this tip. If you are swimming alone all the time then you will benefit from adding a few squad sessions. With the squad, use the group for peppy work with a low mental cost.
What I observed in switching to shorter cranks is that the improvement in ability for high cadence is higher than what is necessary to keep the same power with the same torque. As a consequence, bigger gears are less necessary, you can just spin up the power.