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IM St. George Bike and Run Review

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rockntrigirl

Sep 21, 09 10:05

Post #26 of 60 (1507 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [scb] [In reply to]	Can't Post

This will also be my first IM, and I'm hoping that getting to train on the Silverman course will help me a little. I haven't ridden the course yet, but I drove it in June. I didn't think the bike looked as bad as the profiles suggest, either, but the run is another story. The Southern Utah Tri Club is organizing some recon rides and runs in the coming months.

********************************************************************

Everyone, We have set some long bike and run group workouts on our SUTC calendar in preparation for the St. George Ironman. They are as follows:
December 5th, 2009: Group bike ride on the Ironman course. Meet at Sand Hollow Reservoir at noon. We'll bike 67 miles (1 loop).
February 6th, 2010: Group run on the Ironman course. Meet at Town Square at noon. We'll run 13.1 miles (1 loop).
March 6th, 2010: Group bike ride on the Ironman course. Meet at Sand Hollow Reservoir at 10:00 A.M. We'll bike the full 112 miles.
April 3rd, 2010: Group brick workout. Meet at Sand Hollow Reservoir at 10:00 A.M. We'll bike one loop of the St. George Ironman course and run one loop (67 miles/13.1 miles).
We'll be doing many more Ironman preparation groups, but these will be our highlighted groups, so out-of-town participants can plan in advance to join us. Please plan on joining us and let others who may not be club members know about these training groups. Thanks, Rob
******************************************************************************

pdxjohn

Sep 21, 09 10:56

Post #27 of 60 (1485 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [bt] [In reply to]	Can't Post

bt,

I'm just saying be careful not to OVER inflate. But, that is a common problem for a lot of folks anyway. I run Conti Comp tubies and if you go to their website, you will see recommended pressures for various body weights. I am 175# and ran 115 psi at IMC. That's what is recommeded and that's what felt right. Too high a pressure is going to be very uncomfortable at IM St.G. Don't go below the recommended pressure. I think the wheelset is proabably going to be an important choice too. Something spoked (non disk) is likely your best option.

furiousferret

Sep 21, 09 12:55

Post #28 of 60 (1450 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [rockntrigirl] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To:

This will also be my first IM, and I'm hoping that getting to train on the Silverman course will help me a little. I haven't ridden the course yet, but I drove it in June. I didn't think the bike looked as bad as the profiles suggest, either, but the run is another story. The Southern Utah Tri Club is organizing some recon rides and runs in the coming months.

********************************************************************

Everyone, We have set some long bike and run group workouts on our SUTC calendar in preparation for the St. George Ironman. They are as follows:
December 5th, 2009: Group bike ride on the Ironman course. Meet at Sand Hollow Reservoir at noon. We'll bike 67 miles (1 loop).
February 6th, 2010: Group run on the Ironman course. Meet at Town Square at noon. We'll run 13.1 miles (1 loop).
March 6th, 2010: Group bike ride on the Ironman course. Meet at Sand Hollow Reservoir at 10:00 A.M. We'll bike the full 112 miles.
April 3rd, 2010: Group brick workout. Meet at Sand Hollow Reservoir at 10:00 A.M. We'll bike one loop of the St. George Ironman course and run one loop (67 miles/13.1 miles).
We'll be doing many more Ironman preparation groups, but these will be our highlighted groups, so out-of-town participants can plan in advance to join us. Please plan on joining us and let others who may not be club members know about these training groups. Thanks, Rob
******************************************************************************

I'll be attending these as well, I'm just down the hill from you in Highland.

(This post was edited by furiousferret on Sep 22, 09 21:55)

paulandersoncpa

Sep 22, 09 20:28

Post #29 of 60 (1378 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [furiousferret] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I also previewed the course last weekend and have 2 things to add:
1) Sign at the reservoir warning people of "swimmer's itch"
2) I rode the bike course in the car Friday and thought "wow, this isn't so bad". Then I biked a loop Saturday and thought "oh crap, what have I done". The heat, dryness, and altitude really makes a difference.

Bea Arthur will play the gatorade - warm, orange and sticky. -NJSteve

bt

Sep 26, 09 21:18

Post #30 of 60 (1247 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [ryanp100] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Agree with all you wrote. Went out and did a recon yesterday.

Key words will be: pacing, hill work, hydration, sunscreen.

We just drove the bike and run courses. Didn't bring bikes. Coming from TX, the chipseal on the road up to Gunlock and Veyo is quite similar to the roads out in the Hill Country, which will be good training rides for us. Other road surfaces seemed average, but we ride on a lot of chipseal down here.

The switchback hill looks to be one of the worst on the bike course and will be littered with f-bombs. a few of the hills on the section from the reservoir to the actual beginning of the loop will also get people's attention, including the climb over Red Hills (which is also part of the run course).

The run will be tough. No doubt. Not much flat about it. Long sustained climbs. And, it will be pretty dark (in between floodlights) on Red Hills Parkway.
Heat and dryness will be an issue. I ran yesterday about 1 pm for an hour and felt like I was frying.

*** QUESTION: What did you think about the cattle guards over by Gunlock reservoir? There are 4 (per loop). They are different from the cattle guards around this area...flatter bars and the bars seem to be spaced further apart..... ok to ride over? Or do you think the race course people will cover them? ******

All that said....beautiful area. Rugged country. We hiked in Snow Canyon this morning and it was very pretty. Didn't have time to go to Zion. Stayed at Red Mountain Spa which was nice.

crider

Sep 27, 09 18:44

Post #31 of 60 (1185 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [bt] [In reply to]	Can't Post

This is a great forum guys.. informative and a times quite funny. Such suffering requires a sense of humor for survival. I have no doubt that each of us will get through it.. we've worked too damn hard to not get it done. BTW, I just read an article about a lady who has MS and successfully climbed Everest! If she could do that, well... it must be 90% heart. See you ALL at the finish line.. (sans f-bombs).

Alex M

Sep 27, 09 18:58

Post #32 of 60 (1175 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [bt] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Ride right over the cattle guards. No biggie.

bt

Sep 27, 09 20:16

Post #33 of 60 (1154 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [Alex M] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks....they were a little different from the cattle guards I'm used to riding over in TX. Ours have rounded crossbars, that are also spaced closer together than the flat bars (and wider separation) seen on the St. George course.

tootalltri

Sep 28, 09 16:46

Post #34 of 60 (1079 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [bt] [In reply to]	Can't Post

They have been covering the cattle guards for the smaller tri's with a piece of plywood, the cattle guards aren't bad though if your ready for them.
_____________________________
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www.hucknroll.com www.chainlove.com
(Employed by the above sites)

royv

Sep 28, 09 17:06

Post #35 of 60 (1067 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [ryanp100] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Question: Do you think that the bike course would be better suited for a road bike with clip-ons as opposed to a straight tri-bike? I just did a fairly hilly HIM and found myself wishing for my road bike with some lighter wheels.

Thanks
Roy

goldenboy

Sep 28, 09 17:34

Post #36 of 60 (1058 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [royv] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To:

Question: Do you think that the bike course would be better suited for a road bike with clip-ons as opposed to a straight tri-bike? I just did a fairly hilly HIM and found myself wishing for my road bike with some lighter wheels.

Thanks
Roy

Time Trial bike, no question. Bring a Road bike and you'll be sorry for about 70% of the course. There's enough straight, flat and downhill that having a TT bike will be a time/energy saver.

goldenboy

Sep 28, 09 17:49

Post #37 of 60 (1050 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [GregS] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Last night a good friend of mine who has done Silverman described it as "relentless up and down" and ability to get into a pace or smooth out your power was very difficult. That description is totally different from St. George. The IMSG bike course is two loops of which 30%-ish of each loop is steady climbing with some steep sections. When it does flatten out in areas you do have a chance to get into your aerobars and motor along. If you profile the bike course at SG and then have to compare it to another Ironman course it looks more like Canada or Lake Placid.

My overall prediction is that most will fair fine on the climbs and hills but then will get to the false flat and slight downhill sections (heading most likely into the wind) going back into town and will get in the big ring and hammer the crap out of it on both loops. Bad idea.

I honestly think for those who are able to carefully meter out their power and energy during the bike ride that a good run (even as hard as the run course is) is possible.

mdcrag

Sep 28, 09 20:05

Post #38 of 60 (1029 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [ryanp100] [In reply to]	Can't Post

FWIW, I live in Utah and know the course well. I have also been fortunate to have finished 5 IMs. Without a doubt, this course will be the toughest of the 5 that I have done. Most of the info posted is correct, although some of it is a bit blown out of proportion. The kicker is that the bike is tough and the run is real tough. So, taken back-to-back, it's a butt-kicker. But, it's gonna be tough for everyone. It won't be a PR for me, but I am shooting for my best AG performance. I have to admit, it cracks me up when we all talk about a certain IM being hard or easy. From my experience, every IM is hard in it's own way. So, bring it on!
-------------------------------------------------------
"While racing, it is not nice to count outloud when passing people."

"I got a fever, and the only prescription... is more cowbell!"

TrekinKevin

Sep 29, 09 9:02

Post #39 of 60 (996 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [ryanp100] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi All;

For those of you who are participating in IMSG and are interested in support/chatter/group training, there is a Yahoo Group set up at:

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/LATCSG/

The group has been set up primarily for St. George attendees, but may be appropriate for any early season (April, May, June) IM efforts.

The group is probably most useful for Los Angeles based athletes. For most of our members, this will be their first IM effort. There are app. 40 members as of now, and we are just getting ramped up for the season to start base work.

The main purpose of this posting is to let you know that some of the group members are doing a St. George pre-ride and pre-run road trip October 23-25, and we�d like to invite any interested parties to join us.

The agenda will be to leave from LA in the morning on Friday, October 23, getting to St. George late afternoon. Of course, regardless of where you leave from, we will hook-up. We are planning on one easy loop of the bike course on Saturday morning (about 45-50 miles), and your choice of easy distance on the run course on Sunday. Back home by late afternoon Sunday. Throw in a couple of dinners, a little sightseeing and reconnoitering of the swim venue, and this should make for a very nice weekend.

As of now, we have 10-12 people committed. If you are interested, sign yourself up for the Yahoo Group for further details and/or contact me and I�ll make sure you get information.

Kevin@PrintWithMMP.com

p2k2001

Sep 29, 09 20:34

Post #40 of 60 (937 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [goldenboy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I used to live in Utah and have done the ride (just one loop though) several times. On none of those times would I have volunteered to do another loop. That being said, how many races get to circumnavigate an extinct volcano? I think the folks who can ride the course in advance will do fine.
__________________________________________________
You got to do this for me. Huge. Quickly. Bye.
__________________________________________________

Alex M

Sep 29, 09 21:28

Post #41 of 60 (924 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [goldenboy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Speaking of which, Gordo rode two loops this week and posted his power file. Here's the link.

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/...MAH7YQSZ2KDUIYGZ5JE4

I thought this comment on the profile was interesting:

Slow course in sections -- 200w got 26 km/h for two hours at the start of my day.

(This post was edited by Alex M on Sep 29, 09 21:34)

goldenboy

Sep 30, 09 6:34

Post #42 of 60 (894 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [Alex M] [In reply to]	Can't Post

This was interesting to analyze. Thanks for sharing this. Personally, I'd take 19.2 MPH any day on that course. A model example of smoothing out a consistent power output. Really shows that you can in fact keep your power smoothed out if you practice and dial in a lower cadence and stay consistent.

I'd love to know what his Variability Index was. Also, I wonder if he was riding a compact crank?

Alex M

Sep 30, 09 8:43

Post #43 of 60 (874 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [goldenboy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Somewhere in there he mentioned his goal to negative split the loops. This should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't. I'd imagine that those who go in with that mentality (and pull it off) will cut through the field like a hot knife through butter.

ironturtle

Oct 19, 09 13:19

Post #44 of 60 (734 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [ryanp100] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Anyone had a chance to GPS this one for your Computrainer?
Michael Mamales
F.I.S.T Certified
The Fit Right
www.thefitright.com

TrekinKevin

Oct 28, 09 18:24

Post #45 of 60 (599 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [ryanp100] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Last weekend, 10/23 - 10/24, we had a group of 8 IMSG participants travel to St. George to Pre-Ride and Pre-Run the course. We found it to be quite different than as described in this post, so you are welcome to go to the following link to our IMSG Yahoo Group to read the 6 page report and view the photos we took.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/LATCSG/

The summary is in PDF form on the Files page.

Thanks!

cat

Oct 28, 09 19:33

Post #46 of 60 (574 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [TrekinKevin] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I can't seem to open it up. Do you have to be a member to read it and view the photos?
thanks!

OnTheRoadAgain

Oct 28, 09 19:59

Post #47 of 60 (566 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [TrekinKevin] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I can't get it into the "Files" portion either since I'm not a member of the group. Any other way to post it?
Thanks!

ryanp100

Oct 28, 09 20:31

Post #48 of 60 (558 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [TrekinKevin] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Great report! I like the additional insights you provided and I think it's valuable information. I'd love to ride the course again and get one more experience out there. It sounds like we had vastly different temperatures during our rides; we were riding and running at 80-100+ degrees, and I think that played a big role in our RPE. I'm surprised that the chipseal wasn't a bigger deal for you on CR3185. I actually thought that was worse in some sections than 91. I'm glad you mentioned the cattle guards too, as those can be a little perplexing on how to best approach them.

But it sounds like we both thought the run will be tough. The lack of shade, the temperature, and the hills will really be taxing!

TrekinKevin

Oct 28, 09 20:48

Post #49 of 60 (544 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [ryanp100] [In reply to]	Can't Post

The Yahoo Group sign-up is not restricted, free, and you can turn it off if you want after signing on.

I'm not familiar enough with the functionality of the Slowtwitch forum to know how to post images, so if someone can let me know how to do so I'll be happy to post some of the images that show key things like road surface, some of the grades, etc.

I'll drop the summary into a new post for reading. Just so everyone knows it's six pages!

Regarding our ride/run, we realized immediately that heat and wind could be a major factor. 90+ temps would certainly change the dynamic, as we mentioned. Talking to locals and researching the weather patterns do provide much of a clue. Looks like anything can and does happen with weather at that time of year.

After our visit, everyone went home to talk to their coaches and revise their training plans to include a lot of burst hill work!

Thanks.

cat

Oct 29, 09 6:56

Post #50 of 60 (490 views)

Re: IM St. George Bike and Run Review [TrekinKevin] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks for doing this for us, but I can't find it! Is it worth it to make a long weekend trip out to St. George and do a mini training camp out on the course? Is the bike course good for training in terms of lights, traffic, saftey..??

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