IMLP Race Plan - Steve West
Edits 7/9/13 in red italics
7/17/13 in green italics
Objectives: (1) Finish 2nd IM in daylight with a smile! Thank every volunteer I can
(2) PR at sub 12:40
(3) Stretch Goal: 11:xx Finish
Stats: Age: 55; height: 5’ 10”; race weight: 154 (currently @ 156) .
FTP = 214w @ 3.0w/Kg.
vDot = 45; EP @ 9:17.
Pre-Race: Saturday afternoon meal: broiled Cod with stir-fry and pasta. Bedtime @ 9 PM.
Race morning meal: PB&J (400 cal), Infinite (250 cal) @ 4 AM. Follow with 16 – 24 oz coffee.
Drink ~20 oz Infinite (250 cal) en route to swim start.
T0: EN tri kit, Xterra Vortex 4 wetsuit, AquaSphere Kayenne goggles (under cap), ear/nose plugs, swim cap Garmin 310, sunscreen
Swim: Anticipate 1:21 @ 1:55; Seeding: Not sure – may want to seed in or near the 1:15 – 1:20.
T1: Shimano T31 shoes; Lazar Tardis helmet; EN jersey; Tifosi Vogel glasses; bib #; optional 16 oz Infinite (200 cal), sunscreen
Bike: Goal NP: 152w @ 70% of 214w; Anticipate 6:30 @ 17.2 mph; (6:41 @ 16.8 mph).
Will have Joule 2.0 & Garmin 500 on bike (triple redundant system).
Ride first gear @ 145w thru Keene first lap – don’t spike watts on climb from town
Ride second gear @ 152w after that except for long climbs @ 160w.
Avoid time above 170w, Hard Cap @ 180
Nutrition is Infinite in Speedfill on the down tube, refill at BSN
Bike mix is 300 cal with 400 mg NA per serving; 3.5 hours per fill
Take 5 sips every 15 minutes (70 cal) on Garmin alert
Hydration between the bars cage and replaced at aid stations.
48 oz on the first lap then 64 oz second lap. If temp > 80, more water both laps.
T2: Asics DS Trainer 16, Thurlos socks, sunglasses, 6 Gu in bag, optional 16 oz Infinite (200 cal). more sunscreen
Run: Goal is 4:00 @ 9:10 but will be happy with 4:15 @ 9:45
Target 9:30 for the first 6 miles (EP + 20)
Walk ski jump and Townie hills if needed to avoid calf cramping
Walk 30 steps at each aid station, take water, supplement with Coke
Gu on 40 minute interval (~4.5 miles) -
May carry SaltStick but have never used salt in any race or training (20 marathons, 4 HIM, 1 IM)
|
|
Rock Star |
Goal |
Swim |
1:20 |
1:25 |
T1 |
0:08 |
0:08 |
Bike |
6:25 |
6:35 |
T2 |
0:03 |
0:03 |
Run |
3:59 |
4:10 |
Total |
11:55 |
12:21 |
Comments
I been following your training , seen you race the BullMoose , and I know you race smart and can hit your goals!
Are you supplementing the GU's on the run with sodium ?
What the hell do you plan on doing in T1 for 8 minutes? Take a nap, get a massage, and have a picnic ?
Wishing you good skill and a perfectly executed IMLP that I know you can have! Tim,
Triple redundant on the bike computer, nice. I would think that seeding yourself toward the middle/back of the 1:15-1:20 on the swim corral would be right, but still not exactly sure how granular that will be.
I don't think I have it in me to stay in first gear all the way to upper Jay (even though I know that is the official written protocol). I would think once you turn on 9 in Keene would probably be okay given your background. If it's >80 on the day, you might need to supplement with salt sticks as well on the bike in addition to extra water. And don't forget to douse yourself with water through the aid stations...
x2 on the salt on the run. Are you planning to take any? Will you drink Perform or Coke at the early aid stations or just water? Will you front load more calories on the run if you feel okay? Might be a good opportunity to get some in once you get past the Mariott going out of town on your first lap.
You are totally going to crush this! See you in a couple of weeks.
I would also examine how you can use the first part of the run, which is pretty downhill to gain some time while not expending more energy than you would on flat ground at EP+20. I'd dial in my RPE (relative to EP +20) on that short section from just after that little bump uphill right after you come down from the Mobil station until the Marriot hotel, then roll that slight downhill section past the ski jumps until you hit that first little bump after you go past the farm on River Road. Then continue your EP +20 until mile 6.
Why GU? Not alot of salt in there and you'll be diluting even more by just using water and coke. I'm a little concerned about the run nutrition. How has this worked for you on long runs in the heat?
@ TC - Gu has been a staple of mine running these past 10+ years. I tolerate it very well and only on rare occasions have I had an issue. And then it was by stupidity - trying to double my intake thinking I could go faster if I ate more.....
My T1 in 2011 was 9:17. It is a long run from the beach to the Oval and on wet AstroTurf it can be slippery. Also I took time for socks then but not this time (i've grown up and wear big boy shoes without socks). Besides, having a low bar makes it easier to stay within - a potential time buffer if I can go faster.
@ JW - 10-4 on the 1st gear only thru Keene. Those first few rollers after the turn would be a good place to settle down and find my groove. The big thing I want to avoid there is getting too frisky and spiking my watts on the rollers or chasing down some peeps as I see them.
No to Perform on the run. For all my running, including the JFK50 I have relied on Gu and water with very few exceptions with great success. Maybe if I was the type to turn myself inside out gunning for a Kona slot, yeah, I might have to change things a bit. But so far, my simple system has been very successful including 3 consecutive years running Boston.
On preloading calories on the run, I will have a 200 cal Infinite in my Run Bag. I am pretty good at slamming 16 - 20 oz in under 12 seconds. If my stomach is OK @ T2 I'll pound what I can before I start. After that it will be Gu and water.
@ KW - Agreed on the switching gears before Upper Jay as stated above.
No I don't really want to let my pace roll up too much on the first declines. I did that in 2011 at IMLP and also at Boston. In both cases the early fast downhills shredded my legs and made me suffer way too much later on. This time I need to strictly manage those early 'easy' miles so I can attempt to break 4 hours.
I have never run more than 10 miles without Gu and water and in all my races have only a few cases where I ate or drank something else and then it caused me significant GI distress. For me, Gu just seems to work. I don't mind the texture or flavor (berry, orange, lime) and find it very convenient.
Thanks to all for the feed back and a chance to either modify my plan or defend my strategies.
-what's your One Thing at mile 18? Put it out there. Seriously. I actually try to do a lot of thinking about mile 18 when on race prep, because it just reinforces the basic premise that we all know, but somehow lose sight of in the Fog of War ... "The race doesn't begin until Mile 18."
-one or two thoughts about "What if a flat tire/heat/grizzly bear cause me to hit neither my Goal time or my Rock Star time in event X." (hint: what I like to see is "I will remain chilled out and no matter what, will not try to make up the time until Mile 18.")
Good stuff. I like your Version Control approach of adding thread feedback to the plan.
You'll do great!
@ Kar-Ming.... get your started yet?
@ Robert - I missed that in the Athlete Packet. Save me carrying what is already out there. Thanks.
@ Dave - Never gave either any thought. Partly because I just take them for granted - my stubbornness to give up and flexibility to adjust on the fly are a part of who I am.
My 1 thing is less of a thing and more of a state of mind. Years ago i had a series of challenges that hardened my resolve to persevere. The sudden loss of my pregnant wife due to illness lead to a 2.5 year drinking binge. I lost several jobs, was at risk of loosing my house, and 6 year old son and needed to change. I chose 'cold-turkey' on my own - the hard way for sure. By far on of the most mentally, emotionally and physically challenging things I have ever done because it was not just the alcohol I had to deal with. As I sobered up, all the unresolved pain and grief I had buried surfaced with vengeance. I have yet to find anything that even comes close to the suffering I experienced during that time. ^^ THIS ^^ is my 1 thing.
As to bad shit happening on the day? Well... My goals are projections based on known abilities and not 'must make' times. Providing I have a good day (fitness, nutrition, hydration, mechanically, etc) I can achieve one or all of them. Get a flat or pick a fight with a black bear? Some things change. But once I get back to racing, my paces will be the same as planned. The only change will be my projected and actual finish times. I figure it's like a puzzle. Do what you can with the pieces you have and see what it looks like when there are no more pieces left to work with.
Thanks for the input.
Don't forget sun screen!!!