Otlaw Triathlon Bike Tester 100 Mile

One aspect that concerned me for race day at the Outlaw is the fact that I have not ridden further than 75 miles in training this year - and that was back in March. Whilst I have done lots of 3 hour rides at pace and plenty of 1 - 2 hour sessions at specific effort levels, I know from experience that 100 miles can feel very different. So I entered a local 100 mile time time trial to test pacing and nutrition, as well as bike position and a short transition run to see how I would feel. The plan was to ride at IM effort, not TT effort, though I do not really know what a 100 mile TT effort would be! I think you need to learn the distance. I pretty much stuck to my plan, though conditions were awful. The rain fell and the wind picked up as the morning progressed. I finished in 4:34:30, completing a perfect matching 50 mile split each half! So a shade under 22mph average equates to around a 5:07 IM bike split. To be honest though, I think I pushed too hard into the wind. This is something I need to be aware of on race day. If maintaining an even effort means slowing down, then slow down!! For the first time ever I envied those guys riding to a set power level.I can really see the benefit of using power over long distance races, where efficiency on the bike ensures a decent run - well, at least gives you a fighting chance of not blowing up. I tried to ride just below my half IM effort level but over 100+ miles, I think you need to ride an even further reduced effort. So all being well with conditions and the course at the Outlaw supposedly quite conducive to fast riding, I need to focus on slowing down more and aiming for a bike time between 5:15 - 5:20. If I can bag a swim around 1:08 then I have a shot at around 10 hours overall. Anyway, my legs were tired towards the end of this 100 but no matter what speed or effort you commit to a 100 mile ride will leave you tired. Nutrition worked well and I was ready to run. I just completed 3 miles and hit target pace of 7:49 per mile. With a reduced effort on the bike I may even be able to maintain that pace! We will see! I highly recommend this session as a pre Ironman essential. It tests bike position, nutrition and ability to run off after 4+ hours in an aero tuck.