I hope everyone has had a fantastic summer thus far and are putting down watts in prep for this November! As I\u2019m currently sitting at 10,400ft of elevation prepping for the Leadville 100 this coming weekend, one topic that has been consistently on my mind has been pacing (and fueling, but there\u2019s been a GREAT post on fueling already – go check it out!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I first got into the world of XC mountain bike racing, pacing felt like such a \u201ctouch and go\u201d \/ \u201cguess and check\u201d concept for me. My very first Iceman, I found myself \u201cblowing up\u201d with about five miles left; the legs were gone and when I\u2019d try and get out of the saddle, every muscle in my legs fired off cramps. Then, the following year in my second Iceman, I finished with a ton left in the tank. This prompted me to really deepdive my exercise phys background and figure out how to absolutely maximize my very best possible performance and finish strong while crossing the finish line knowing I left everything out there\u2026 let\u2019s get into it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.iceman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/thumbnail_image1.jpg?fit=1920%2C1440&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFor starters, this is another one of those concepts that is not a \u201cone size fits all\u201d solution. This is actually extremely focalized on your own fitness level (and additional variables). It\u2019s safe to say that many people likely do not ride with a power meter, and with that, many likely have not done an FTP (functional threshold power) test. An FTP test is a GREAT benchmarking tool to really understand your fitness level; it essentially tells you the absolute maximum amount of power you can put out for one hour. The simple way to think about threshold power is essentially where that \u201cline\u201d begins for the \u201cburn\u201d to set in when you\u2019re exercising\u2026 In other words, it’s referring to a practical estimate of lactate threshold. As a \u201cdata and numbers\u201d person I really do love looking at all of these and going down the rabbit hole, but there are plenty of other ways to maximize your day without knowing your FTP. NOTE:<\/em>If there\u2019s anyone in the Traverse City area who would like to do an FTP test, let me know and we can set up a time and make it happen! <\/p>\n\n\n\n In my opinion, one of the best, easiest, and cost-effective ways to maximize your pacing on race day is to understand your heart rate data. Heart rate monitors can be purchased for relatively low-cost, and hook up to bike computers and almost all sport-based watches. Personally, I invest in a bike computer that rides right out in front of my bars so I can take a quick glance down to check my numbers, keep myself dialed on pace, and stay focused on the trail; minimize risk! One of the first things to do is simply calculate your max predicted heart rate, which is 220 minus your age (i.e. 220 – 35 (years old) = 185bpm max predicted heart rate. Disclaimer: this is exactly what it states; a prediction. Some folks are higher than this, some are lower. I don\u2019t want to spend time on this, but if you already have a HR monitor and would like to see what an actual max HR looks like for you, Norwegian 4×4 workouts are a great way to pop briefly into that zone 5 heart rate and see where you land. Nonetheless, let\u2019s work off of max predicted. For a race like Iceman, you really want to stay in the upper parts of Zone 3 (tempo) range for the entirety of the race. Of course you will have some spikes when you blast up Make It Stick and the climbs in the last 7 or so miles of the race, but what I\u2019ve found is that by finishing with an average HR across the day in the upper part of my Zone 3 gets me up all of the climbs, through Timber Ridge, and across the finish line with nothing left in the tank and a strong push at the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now you\u2019re likely wondering, \u201cOk, so what does that mean for me and how do I figure this out?\u201d The easiest way to do this: get out and test it! If Iceman is the pinnacle of your season and the final dance you look to conquer each year, there really isn\u2019t a better way to prep for a race other than by training exactly for said race! Always bank on Iceman being ~30 miles (I tend to make 32mi my standard just for the \u201cextra mile\u201d), and about 1800 feet of elevation gain. We know that Make It Stick comes about 11-12 miles into the race, from there everything is rather punchy in terms of climbs, until the last 7-8 miles when you hit Vasa and start putting in the majority of the climbing work. My advice: build out as much of this distance + elevation gain for your training rides. Create a route that emulates the course, and make it your standard for training rides. It can definitely be tricky to get a route built that puts most of the climbing in the last 7-8 miles, but as close as you can get to that is great (but don\u2019t go crazy for that – saddle time, distance, and overall elevation gain are priority!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the summer, I will ride at \u201crace pace\u201d every so often to really dial myself in and see where I\u2019m progressing. While you\u2019re figuring out your \u201cperfect\u201d heart rate for a race pace, it\u2019s good to keep track of your heart rate zones using fitness apps (Strava for me\u2026 I said it!). For me, I know I can ride at 92-93% of my max predicted heart rate (which is about 165-167 bpm average with my max predicted being at 180bpm, then I shoot for 175bpm on climbs) for the entire course. That number is definitely a bit high, as my actual max HR is closer to 185-187bpm as it correlates to my fitness level, but it creates a great baseline to look at. For you, this means really doing your rides, pushing yourself into that race pace mentality, and seeing what your heart rate looks like for you. Always remember to ride at race pace utilizing the same exact fueling plan that you have for race day as well (don\u2019t skimp on that!). If it doesn\u2019t go well, back it off a little next time. If you feel like you have more in the tank, push that target HR up a couple beats per minute and see how it feels. Repeat this until you feel like you are pretty dialed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In closing, the one thing to also remember after reading all this is that race dynamics can quickly change. Plans don\u2019t always go to plan, and you may find yourself having to either push or slow up somewhere you normally wouldn\u2019t. Be prepared for that, and listen to the RPE (rate of perceived exertion). You may be really fast in single track, but get held up in the conga lines of traffic in the later waves; use that time to recover since there usually isn\u2019t room to pass, then push it slightly more in the flats (find some folks to work with \/ draft!). So many things change quickly on race day that you have to be ready to abandon part of your plan, but having one to start with and focus on is the first step to having a PR day. Again, this is for the folks who aren\u2019t riding with power meters and using their FTP and w\/kg (watts per kilogram) to build a pacing strategy. Heart rate (in my opinion) is next in line to be one of the easiest (and cost effective) ways to dial in a strong day for yourself without breaking the bank for bike tech. Spend the time learning your heart rate zones, train at race pace every so often (don\u2019t forget leg day; hit those hill repeats!), and make a baseline plan to help you visualize how you want your day to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To me, these are some pretty easy steps to take to end with a smile on your face once you get out of the pain cave:) Keep that watts cranking, and make these last three months your strongest\u2026 Iceman is right around the corner!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you to Mark Daisy @markdaisymusic for being our 2025 Iceman Cometh Trailblazer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greetings, Ice People. I hope everyone has had a fantastic summer thus far and are putting down watts in prep for this November! As I\u2019m currently sitting at 10,400ft of elevation prepping for the Leadville 100 this coming weekend, one topic that has been consistently on my mind has been pacing (and fueling, but there\u2019s … Continue reading “How to Conquer Your Pacing”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[205],"tags":[69,165,72,139,179,141],"class_list":["post-1342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trailblazer","tag-iceman","tag-iceman-cometh-challenge","tag-kalkaska","tag-training","tag-training-tips","tag-traverse-city"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1342"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1350,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342\/revisions\/1350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.iceman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/thumbnail_image2.jpg?fit=1920%2C1440&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.iceman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/thumbnail_image3.jpg?fit=1920%2C1440&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.iceman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/thumbnail_image6.jpg?fit=1920%2C1440&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n