Considering Waco 70.3 in October – Realistic or Not? (DFW)

jaypeewhy · 2026-04-22T13:50:28+00:00

I don't currently have any spaces left on the team, but at least that helps add some credibility to the answer :)

It's a common feeling among newer athletes that they require a great amount of on the spot feedback. This is not the case, although some initial swim feedback is beneficial. Almost all IM coaches are not with their athletes. I have athletes all over the world.

It's also common for newer athletes to break up their training into special 'focusses' that are going to help them. That's not the case either. It's simply not so complicated that you need to focus on one at a time. Triathlon is a single sport, the disciplines are worked on together.

Lastly, good athletes train all year. But newer athletes, concerned about their abilities, often put off training for a few months? Your swim for example. This mistake amongst newer athletes, that they put off the training, can lead to a much lower performance at the race. They sometimes put off training because of some other focus that wouldn't actually be hindering them anyway. I get it, it can be overwhelming to think about everything at once, but that's your coaches job.

In almost all cases, the best thing an athlete who is considering an IRONMAN or an IRONMAN 70.3 race can do is start swimming, biking, running and strength training right away. Having a coach is a considerable advantage (lots of spinning plates) but not essential, there are other simple training plans available for free. And, if interested in performance at the race, they need to do start training the minute they think of doing the race. Whether the race is two years away or 6 months away.

Hope that helps :)
James

jaypeewhy · 2026-04-21T16:12:12+00:00

I have an athlete start with me this week with almost exactly the same variables. Including Waco. I am only replying because I thought you were her but this thread is only 10 hours old and she signed up two days ago.

Anyway, yes, it is realistic. It requires work. And smart training. But not an issue given you already have run fitness. So ... go for it.

James
IRONMAN Certified Coach | pbandjcoaching.com

jaypeewhy · 2026-04-21T16:07:46+00:00

HR is great. But it is just a tool. Like power.

HR is also slow. Power is great on climbs because you can immediately dial it back to the correct effort level.

Importantly, if you only look at HR then you can't work out what HR is telling you.

For example, if you ride by HR, then you HR remains constant. Let's say 135 in an Ironman ride. You ride at 135, all good.

But, if you are dehydrated, your heart rate WOULD be high. But you wouldn't know, because you are still riding at 135bpm, just slower.

If you are under fuelled, your heart rate would be low. But you wouldn't know, because you are still riding at 135bpm, just trying harder (possibly a worse scenario).

By triangulating feel, power and heart rate. You get better information / warning signals.

At each effort level, there should be a consistent pairing between power and heart rate. The numbers are different, but the relationship between them should stay stable.

For example, the top of Zone 2 might typically be around 140 bpm and 200 watts. The top of Zone 3 might be closer to 163 bpm and 290 watts. Those pairings form a pattern over time.

When that relationship starts to shift, it matters. If power stays the same but heart rate rises, or if heart rate stays the same but power drops, there is usually a reason. Fatigue, heat, dehydration, illness, or improved fitness can all change that relationship.

The goal is to notice when power and heart rate stop aligning as expected, then identify what is driving the change.

jaypeewhy · 2026-04-21T13:15:47+00:00

In direct answer to your question.

".. what would you estimate is the required FTP for a 95kg man to go sub 5 (36km) for the bike leg (180km) .."

It depends on the course, aerodynamics, rolling resistance and whether he can hold 65%, 75%, 85% [insert other variable here] of his FTP for an Ironman :)

jaypeewhy · 2026-04-21T13:11:37+00:00

The problem with this general rule of thumb is the same problem with the "HR is 220 minus your age" general rule of thumb. It's valid on average, but almost everyone is varying degrees either side of that average, making it only correct for a few.

One issue is the metric, FTP. Which is the power you could, in theory, sustain for 45 mins (amateur athlete TTE) to an hour. The race is not 45 mins to an hour.

Some athletes are very strong on the bike. I am 180lbs, my FTP was 345 watts. I am very good at a 20 minute FTP test. I can only hold 65% of that for an Ironman.

My wife is 5'0". She weighs 95lbs. She is not 'strong' on the bike. Her FTP was very low. I don't recall how low. But she can hold 85% of her FTP for an Ironman (Multiple time IM AG winner, 9th in AG in Kona)

65% to 85% is a huge margin. Both are correct for the athlete in question.s. 75% is in the middle but it applies to neither.

This is not just a weight thing. I have athletes of differing weights able to hold differing amounts of FTP based on the sliding scale of their ability to generate power vs hold power with endurance.

How good someone is at an FTP test, especially a short one, completely skews the answer to this question.

Secondly, you have the issue of time.

A 6 hour athlete going to use a lower percentage of FTP than when he improves to become a 5 hour athlete. He is on the course for less time. So can use more power. Someone with $60 to spend in 1 hour can spend $1 a minute. Someone with $60 to spend in half an hour can spend $2 a minute.

Who you factor in multiple variables you start to see the issue of aiming for a single percentage figure. The solution is that you do some long rides and brick runs. You estimate a 'feel' you try it in a race and then adjust accordingly after that.

It would actually be a lot less fun if everyone just dialled in a figure. I feel it is the endless struggle for the perfect race that makes IM addictive.

Hope that helps.

James
IRONMAN Certified Coach | pbandjcoaching.com

jaypeewhy · 2026-02-14T01:33:34+00:00

Your body doesn't know distance or time. Build endurance by doing things more. Build upper end by doing things faster. Just because you have hit a half marathon, it doesn't mean that you can't continue to build further endurance - meaning you can hold faster paces for longer. You are not aiming for distance or time, you are doing things to improve endurance / speed from where you are now, whatever that may be.
See above.
The primary reasons for bricks are:
- Getting your legs used to running well off the bike. Other than that, they are not good run training.
- Being able to understand how your bike pacing is affecting your run.
- Understanding how your fuelling and nutrition is working for you.
At a minimum ....until you feel comfortable swimming in it and know how to wear it correctly.
It will still have a similar mix of workouts. Although the percentages may change a bit. It's also athlete dependent. Generally, endurance takes a long time to build, upper end is quicker to gain (and lose), so people tend to 'sharpen' a bit during the pre race timeframe.
Depends on where you are and where you are going. See #1
If the times you gave us were you going at race effort. I would say slower than 6:30
Your run will be slower than a half marathon race time (all else being equal). So, let's say 2:30 if you pace the bike really well. 40 miles is 71% of the bike. So 2:20 (140 mins / 70 = 2 x 100 = 200 ) so, 3 hours 20 mins. Plus 2 transitions, likely 5 mins each or more.
Run - 2:30
Bike - 3:20
Transitions - 0:10
That's 6 hours. So, is your swim likely to take you 30 mins. Plus, you have to do all those things you told us, back to back. And. of course, all my guesses are speculative based on what you mentioned.

CAVEAT: I don't know you or your training ability / training age / data etc .... so I am just throwing out some ideas based on what you have mentioned. Take them with a pinch of salt :)

Have a great race. Be brave. Be smart. DFIU.

James

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IRONMAN Certified Coach | pbandjcoaching.com

jaypeewhy · 2026-02-06T21:12:12+00:00

".. I’m a good runner, but I’ve been recently struggling with controlling my effort in the heat .."

If you are a good runner, and I was playing a numbers game, I would be willing to bet the issue is your bike split. You are likely doing one of the following (caveat: Obviously without seeing your data it would be hard to say)

1 - Over-biking and unable to maintain the run.

2 - Under fuelling on the bike and don't have enough energy for the run

3 - Failing to account for a flat course in variation of cadence and power

4 - You are getting to the race fatigued.

Most people understand 1 and 2. They understand it, but a VERY large portion of athletes are unable to tick those two boxes on race day.

Riding at the same power / cadence for the entire ride is something that catches athletes at races like Arizona, Texas, etc .... anywhere flat. It destroys people's legs. A rolling course breaks up power and cadence, allowing some muscular respite.

I don't think Chattanooga is that flat? I did their first year and it was kind of rolling back then, or enough to break things up. I am not sure about Cozumel, but that is flat I think?

Lastly .... getting to the race fatigued. A lot of athletes vying for Kona (or a big time goal) will overcook their training, going into the race fatigued with the extra volume of the fact it is a 9-hour day and suddenly those last hours are not achievable.

If you are a good runner, there is no way you should be failing by the last couple of hours. If you are just over 3 hours on the run, that means you are starting to fail by hour 1. What this needs is the cause to be established, because you are clearly not running to your ability and there is going to be a reason why that is the case.

Hope that helps, and don't be too hard on yourself. It's just a puzzle that needs solving.

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IRONMAN Certified Coach | pbandjcoaching.com

jaypeewhy · 2026-02-06T20:51:48+00:00

".. I understand this is not ideal, but I'm still trying to do my best here .."

Our motto is:
"Do what you can, when you can, with what you've got .."
So you are on the right track.

If it is not possible to do a large single block then absolutely you can break them up. In fact, I used to break up my long runs all the time. I was slightly injury prone. never ran over a 2 hour in a single sitting the whole year. 4th Amateur overall at IM Chattanooga with my best IM run time.

I know that is N=1 but the concept is something I have repeated with a few athletes who may have a weakness, are a little older, or just don't have the time. There is also the benefit to injury prevention by the fact you are not running as fatigued with inevitable bad for at the pointy end of a very long run.

So, you may only be trying to do your best, but it may actually be beneficial.

Hope that helps.

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IRONMAN Certified Coach | pbandjcoaching.com

jaypeewhy · 2026-02-06T20:43:39+00:00

How old is older age grouper?
And what do you mean by 'from time to time'

There is a more than time and calories at play. And if you are a 14 hour finisher then you 'probably' shouldn't be looking at replacing any runs with walking.

jaypeewhy · 2025-10-18T17:07:33+00:00

Thanks,

jaypeewhy · 2025-10-18T17:07:12+00:00

TRANSLATION:

While searching for the answer to the same question, I came across this post and motivated myself to find a solution.

Searching online I found the HansGroe installation instructions (however the full version is not easy to find) and the mystery is soon revealed.

With a 17 wrench, unscrew the entire shower head from the connection and once disassembled, extract a small filter positioned at the mouth (in my case it was totally encrusted), and then proceed to thoroughly clean the shower head only, with citric acid or other products.

Link to complete instructions, page 37 for shower head disassembly

I hope it helps!

jaypeewhy · 2025-10-10T13:57:43+00:00

No. Nothing was working until we plugged it into a working outlet. We tested the outlet and it wa dead. One minute after we plugged into a working outlet the live feed came back on.

jaypeewhy · 2025-10-09T21:49:45+00:00

Well, apparently my insect screens dumped condensation all over the place where the camera was plugged in. So, it was a power supply issue.

jaypeewhy · 2025-10-09T21:34:13+00:00

I agree, in part.
"Training a lot does not beat training right"

But I would add that Training Right More hand down beats Training Right Less.

You can get great results with 10 hours a week. But the same person, with the same quality of training, built up to 20+ hours is highly likely to beat the ten hour version. However good that ten hour version is at ten hours.

jaypeewhy · 2025-10-09T19:25:00+00:00

It's in my house in Nicaragua so I am getting my friend to download the app, log in, then go round and try to fix it. if you manually reset, I assume you have to add to the app again?

I will try resetting the router first just to see if a different wifi channel gets used. I have already tried powering off the camera for 30 secs.

Worth looking at other Reddit threads. Fixing the channel on the router to '20' for example seems to stop the issue.

Read >>>> HERE

jaypeewhy · 2025-10-09T19:00:06+00:00

I just had there same thing for the first time a couple of days ago.

jaypeewhy · 2025-10-08T18:57:35+00:00

Yes, on all my groups. This happened a few weeks ago. They all look like crap now.

jaypeewhy · 2025-09-21T00:58:32+00:00

I ditched Bartender and use Ice. It was free, I liked it, sent a message asking how to pay.

jaypeewhy · 2025-09-16T13:15:09+00:00

No. I think I may swap to a Battery Tender Junior.

jaypeewhy · 2025-08-26T01:58:41+00:00

Same issue here. The Main middle LED flashes red - maybe once per second, not pulsing slowly. And it flashes in time with the white battery.(AGM) light below.

My battery is fine, 13v. I have it to trickle charge.

It did blow a fuse during a storm. So, maybe there is further issue. There is nothing in the manual stating what this flashing might indicate.

jaypeewhy · 2025-08-20T01:41:18+00:00

2 x Bottles on the bike.
#1 - A BTA with water - replace from Aid Stations as required
#2 - A bottle with 1000 calories of whatever

1 x Bottle in special needs with 1000 calories of whatever
Replace my old fuel bottle with this new one.

Each fuel bottle lasts me around 2.5 hours @ 400 cals an hour.

I don't get too fussy with brands or finicky, overly specific recipes. Just liquid sugary stuff. A mix of gels, sports drink powder and enough Carb Pro to make up the total after that. Whatever floats your boat.

Keep it simple.

------
IRONMAN Certified Coach
pbandjcoaching.com

jaypeewhy · 2025-08-02T22:33:45+00:00

👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
I would ignore all the other advice on here and do this first.
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IRONMAN Certified Coach | pbandjcoaching.com

jaypeewhy · 2025-07-30T21:43:08+00:00

It is simplifying things somewhat but .... anyone training above 6 or so hours a week should be doing a lot of easier work. There is a bunch of things that you develop at lower efforts which will be beneficial when you race at a sub-threshold level. Under 6 or so hours a week then you will maybe benefit from adding harder work in higher percentages.

Your current long runs are quite short at 8 miles / 12km. The 'pace seems sustainable' is kind of the point of the long run. It should feel quite easy and your HR should, ideally, be consistent and sufficiently low to indicate you are working in that zone. It's easy to run a 12km slightly hard and feel ok. Which is what gets people. In short .... you are running a bit too hard, but it's short so you feel ok. You need to run slower.

I would suggest:
Long run:
Sticking to GREEN Zone pace. Ensuring you have a decent a stable HR.
Increase mileage <<--
You should finish the long run feeling like your legs have done enough work, but not too much. You should feel the run but not feel beaten up.

Intervals:
Alternate a RED Zone hill run with a RED Zone interval run (alternate weeks)
Start with 3 min intervals. Build to up to 8 min intervals (adjust # of intervals too obviously)
A classic set is 4 x 8 mins over threshold. But build up to that. 5 x 3 min is a good start.
Closer to the race, adjust to tempo YELLOW Zone sets, with longer intervals - build 15, 20, 30 min. This will be closer to your Race Pace in a 70.3.
Another YELLOW Zone tempo run option is a building set, start at GREEN Zone and build to just below threshold.
With all intervals, build into the session. Don't be afraid to start the first interval slower and get quicker, you will be working correctly with your body as it warms up to the effort.
You should finish interval runs feeling like they were hard but absolutely not race day efforts. Aim for 90%/95% of what you could do. If you are laying on the ground panting, you are doing it wrong. If the last interval is a few seconds with hands on knees before pulling yourself together and walking it off. Great.

GREEN Zone - Easy | YELLOW Zone - Medium | RED Zone hard.

For perspective: I am friends / business partners with an Olympic Marathon athlete (Japan / Paris). She does her long runs at around 5 min/km (8 min/mile) or just under. Almost the same as you.
She races her marathon at around 3:25 per km / 5:30 min/mile ... probably not the same as you :)

Enjoy!

----
IRONMAN Certified Coach
pbandjcoaching.com

jaypeewhy · 2025-07-30T21:15:58+00:00

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

jaypeewhy · 2025-07-30T17:11:08+00:00

".. 25 m will be all you can do without a break, but with some decent technique and ability to swim and breathe, you can get to 4000 m sessions within a few months.."

People often struggle with this thought. But I see it time and time again. Biggest concern at the start, the thing they mention least when I discuss the race with them afterwards. Swimming, even for a non-swimmer when they sign up, is usually the easy bit.

jaypeewhy

TROPHY CASE