Weekend in Tahoe

I went up to Tahoe for a couple of days to do some swimming, riding and running. Mainly to do a shakeout of gear and to get a feel for effort levels at altitude.

I've been insisting on the forums that the altitude is a non-issue if you're pacing properly. IOW -- you don't "feel" the altitude. You're not out of breath or light headed or any of that...provided that you pace properly. That means to go roughly 5% slower than at sea level. The 5% figure is what the NCAA uses to adjust qualifying times for events at altitude. They didn't just make that number up -- it was derived based on actual athlete performances. USA swimming adjusts swim times by about 3%.

And that's about exactly what I found. I swam, I rode and I ran. In all three disciplines, I just went a little slower/easier than at sea level and felt no effect of altitude. For swim, I kept turnover slightly slower than in the pool. Just a split-second extra glide each half stroke and I could just cruise. On the bike, I sat on my goal power (155w on flats; 175w uphill; 140w downhill up to 30mph). Never felt pressured or out of breath. I didn't clock my run splits, but went on feel and felt smooth and comfortable. Based on past experience, I was probably running 20-30 sec/mile slower than down here.

The other goal was a gear shakeout. I rented a wetsuit from Sports Basement, and it fit and performed as expected. I have the right size and it does what it is supposed to do.

I didn't get my race bike built up in time to take with me, but I altered the road bike to mimic the race bike body position, just slightly more upright. That all worked out great except for the saddle. I had an Adamo TT race saddle lying around so I put it on the bike. The Tower of London guards couldn't have come up with a more tortuous saddle. That thing is going in the trash and I'm putting my old trusty Specialized 2001-era saddle back on the bike.

The good news is that I felt smooth and comfortable riding in the aero bars for a couple hours, something I've not done in several years. I have two weeks of riding the race bike before the event, and I'll be adapted just fine.

All in all, things are on track. My fitness remains woefully meager. After riding the bike course, I've reassessed my estimated split. I'm now thinking more like 3:20 or so. It's an awful lot of climbing and I am a relatively weak climber (low power/weight ratio).

Swim easy, ride easy and don't walk on the run leg. That's my race plan and I think I can do it. Best guess right now is...

Swim 35-40
Bike 3:15-3:25
Run 2:06-2:15

Total: 6:15-6:30

That should be roughly in the middle of the 60-70 guys in my age group (50-54).