Checklist for final prep before an Ironman
Guys and Gals,
Most of you have finished that big race. Remember those last 2-3 weeks before race day? Remember all of those "I Gotta Do 'X"'s. What were they? The routine and the not-so-routine.
I'm 2 weeks out from IMFL and I have a few thoughts to start it....
-put new batteries in Quarq PM and cycleops cad/spd sensor
-put that new cassette/chain on (I can put it on, will get the shop to dial it in)
-practice putting air in the tires with that new crack pipe thingy
-get those disposable armwarmers (wool knee high socks that will have a hole cut in the toes) for the first hour or so on the bike
-extra chamois butter for BSN
-light long sleeve tech shirt for RSN
-actually try on my wetsuit (haven't worn it in 2 years)
-pack that neon tape to customize my gear bags
What else? Random thoughts welcomed.
Comments
- Get snack bags. I separate my nutrition in these so they are easy to ID
- Trial sized Vaseline for RSN to lube up toes if needed.
- band aids for the nips; don't want a bloody mess at the end of the marathon
- Duct tape for RSN for any blister issues
- safety pin for timing chip in case velcro comes loose
- for race day carbon wheels swap to swiss stop or comparable carbon pads and adjust
- check bike shoe cleats, tighten down bolts or replace cleats if worn
- check all brake and shifter cabling and swap as needed.
- two pairs of goggles, one tinted one clear for both types of weather
- noodle your plan to remember all your nutrition; where to store; how to access; how to track when to take it all in; how to recover from a meltdown etc.
- put new bar tape on aero bars if it's loose or torn.
- change of socks in SN bags as needed after all those nature breaks on the bike
- for aero wheels make sure to have; teflon tape; valve extender; valve core removal tool
- pack a piece of coat hangar cut off with your spare tubes. If you get a partial flat with valve extenders below your aero wheels you won't be able to deflate the tire fully and won't be able to change your flat. I think this happened to a pro in Kona last weekend.
I but a piece of Velcro on my feed bottled and one on the gorilla cage. This way my bottles wouldn't come out as I hit bumps or railroad tracks. That's a penalty and dangerous to riders following.
My lips burn so chap stick with SPF 15 or higher.
Found that SCAPE is the best sun protection. Used in St George and Wisc and no burn!!
I put this together for the folks on my Charity Team before IMNYC a couple of months ago:
T1 Bag: (I will decorate this bag with strips of crazy pink or green duct dape so it stands out in the sea of white bags)
Things I will put in:
Injinji Running Socks (I will have worn these for 5-10 mins already and taken them off to stretch them out a bit)
Running Shoes
Compression Quad Sleeves
Headsweats Visor
Camelbak fuel belt (with 2, 6oz Bottles of Infinit Napalm and an empty water bottle)
Things other people commonly put in there:
Nutrition (gu, salt sticks, etc)
Compression sleeves (I will be wearing mine under my wetsuit and for the whole race)
Sunscreen (I will let the sunscreen appliers do their job as I exit the change tent)
Saturday:
I plan to bring my frozen bottle of Infinit Nutrition to put on my bike in the morning. I will also put my Garmin Edge 500 bike computer on my bike in the morning and turn it on to check it, then power it down after pumping my bike tires with the community bike pumps at Tran. I will also put my Garmin 310XT on the quick release on my bike (turn it on, then power it down) and put my RoadID on my Aerobar to put on once riding. I will have about 5 feet of Toilet Paper in a Ziplock baggie (just in case).
I will be carrying the following:
Bike Computer (Garmin Edge 500)
2 Watches (Garmin 310XT quick release for left wrist, Timex for right wrist)
Sticker to cover the valve stem hole for my disc cover
1 Frozen Bottle of Infinit in Insulated lunch bag (to put on my bike)
1, 32 oz Gatorade to sip
3, 20 oz bottles of water (1.5 to fill my Speedfil and 1 to sip)
Other nutrition, A bagel that I will eat on the Ferry to Ross Dock, a couple Gu's and a Stinger Waffle for the morning
Wetsuit
Bodyglide
Swim cap
Goggles
Compression Calf Sleeves will already be on
Timing chip (will already be on my ankle)
I will be wearing flip flops (but maybe sneakers)
I will be wearing my tri shorts and tri top with shorts and a t-shirt over them
I will be wearing my DeSoto coolwings under my tri top
BSN, RSN, and morning gear bags
BSN bag: (I will decorate this bag with strips of crazy pink or green duct dape so it stands out in the sea of white bags)
Things I will put in and expect to use:
Spare Frozen bottle of Infinit Nutrition inside an Insulated Lunch Bag
Things I will put in and don't expect to use:
Spare Tube
Spare CO2
Couple of Gu's, Honey Stinger Waffle
Stick of BodyGlide
Couple of Bandaids
Couple of Advil and some Saltsticks
Small tube of Sunscreen
BSN bag: (I will decorate this bag with strips of crazy pink or green duct dape so it stands out in the sea of white bags)
Things I will put in and expect to use:
2 more bottles of Infinti Napalm in an Insulated lunch bag
Things I will put in and don't expect to use:
Extra pair of socks
Stick of BodyGlide
Couple of Gu's
Couple of Bandaids
Couple of Advil and some Saltsticks
Small tube of Sunscreen
Before I go to swim start I intend to do the following:
Hope to congregate with many teammates and take many pictures of the team!
Use the "facilities" a couple of times
Put my Infinit nutrition and computer and watch on my bike
Pump my tires and put the sticker on my disc cover
Turn in my BSN and RSN bags.
Turn my cell phone off and seal it in the Ziplock baggie that I had the toilet paper in
Put my camera and phone in my buttoned shorts pocket before putting them and my t-shirt and my shoes into the "Morning Gear Bag"
Put my morning Gear bag in the pile before I get on the ferry to Swim Start
I will be carrying the final bottle of water and a Gu down to swim start.
I hope this helps... Please let me know if you think I forgot anything...
- review race plan with the Sherpa and get him/her to develope their own plan for race day
- practice taking the tire on/off a few times
- clean the bike
- paint my toenails pink :-)
Here's what my bags look like. They stick out like a sore thumb in the sea of like bags. I also write my number on both sides of the bag with a sharpee marker (you can see it on the "M" if you look carefully).
Chris - in the Wiki under Race Execution, there is a checklist that details what to do for the 3 days leading up to an IM. Probably worth checking it out.