IM AZ RACE PLAN
Monday: 2-2.5 hour bike with 30 minute brick; wash clothes; gather all items on check list
Tuesday: Swim; Run 20 minutes with strides; pack non-tri stuff; buy nutrition and pack nutrition, including Sunday breakfast.
Wednesday: Bike on Trainer; Clean bike, put on race tires and wheel cover; pack bike
Thursday: Fly to PHX, arrive after 3 PM; run new part of course on south shore of lake; build bike. Team dinner @ 6
Friday: Register, buy CO2 cartridges, socks, 4 keys, drive to Beeline for out and back from gas station; possible visit with Glenn vs athlete dinner
Saturday: AM swim, run new section on north shore; pack bags and deliver to T zone. Identify landmarks for bike and distance from change tent. Movie in afternoon, Jamba Juice for dinner. Check temp predictions, and verify heat impact discount, for run, which should be about 4-5%.
T1 bag: Giro Air Attack helmet with visor, Sidi T 2.6 shoes, Garmin 310XT watch, socks, spare contacts
Bike Special Needs: spare tube, CO2 cartridge (?), Third bottle of Infinit, second flask of EFS gel
T2 Bag: Saucony Type A5 grid shoes with Garmin foot pod, socks, plastic bag with Tifosi sunglasses, visor, wrist sweatband, EFS gel flask, sleeve of 4 shot bloks
Run Special Needs: wrist sweatband
Morning Clothes/Back Pack: to place on bike - Perpetuem and two bottles of Infint (one throwaway), one EFS flask, sleeve of 5-6 shot bloks for bento box; pump, tire, tube, tools. Head lamp. Arm coolers, wrist band for bike
Race Day: Up @ 4 AM. Breakfast of oatmeal, OJ, 600 cal shake. War paint (sunscreen, aquaphor)
Race day outfit: Contacts, HR strap, DeSoto Forza bibs, EN singlet, Road ID with chip
Leave for T zone @ 5:15
In T Zone: bike - check tires, add nutrition, place arm coolers and wrist band if desired, then check bags. Go to trees by exit, put on wet suit, drop off MC bag, exit near front of masses.
Enter water and navigate side shelf until under bridge, then into water for warm-up. Line up about 1/3rd back, 1/2 to 2/3rd to right.
Swim straight, which will angle to buoys on the left. No rush @ start, keep a steady pace and effort. Swim like I mean it. After turnaround, find a good pair of feet, preferentially along buoy line. @ Mill St bridge, OK to start working a small bit harder. Aim straight for steps, find the least crowded area, even if to the right.
T1: WALK to strippers, pulling off top as I go. Point at a stripper, flop down and wait. Jump up grab bibs, and RUN up the hill to bags. Grab bag, and aim clear ground outside of tent. Helmet on, Garmin on wrist, grab shoes, find a toilet; run to bike, run with bike past mount line. Smile @ Coach. Put on shoes, mount bike and ease up the hill.
BIKE: After turn onto Rio Salado, start getting fixed: start Joule visor in place, arm coolers on, wrist band on. Start Garmin. Begin to repeat mantra: “No packs, no surges”
Every 15 minutes: drink, start new interval on Joule. Every 30 minutes, slug from gel flask.
Start to base of turn onto Beeline: ramp up to 0.65 IF. Up Beeline 0.67. From there on, stick between 0.65 and 0.7 IF. If HR goes over 119, back off; if it’s less than 108, put a little effort into it. Stay aero, stay aero, stay aero.
First bottle of Infinit done by the end of first lap; toss bottle when finished at aid station. Finish gel flask by the turn around.
Second lap, consider if water needed @ each aid station, probably at the turnaround.
Special needs: remember to take both Infinit bottle AND gel flask.
Third loop: time to knuckle down and maintain narrow focus, with increasing effort to keep IF up.
PROCESS, PROCESS, PROCESS: No drafting, no surges, new interval every 15 minutes, don’t skip any nutrition, keep the gel and perpetuem flowing, stay aero, maintain narrow focus. THIS IS AN EASY COURSE, NO EXCUSE FOR GOING TO HARD OR SITTING UP.
Coming down Rio Salado past the stadium, remove coolers, wrist band, feet out of shoes.
T2: Don’t be on someones highlight reel when getting off the bike. Hand it off, and trot downhill. Lap Garmin. Grab bag, sit down, and put on shoes. Grab go bag. remove helmet. Drop bag in pile, find a toilet. Turn number belt to front.
RUN: Across the mat, lap Garmin. I’ll be reading cadence, HR, and current lap pace. Work on Go Bag: visor on, wrist band on, shot blok in mouth, sunglasses on. Sun screen spray?
Start stupid slow: monitor breathing and HR. If I can feel myself breathing, or HR goes over 120, slow down. Keep this up until the crossing under the Mill St Bridge on the North side. After that, let the water torture begin.
Aid stations: 4 oz perform, plus water to dilute and add to hydration. Will probably need sponges to shoulder straps, and ice to back pocket. Run to last last perform, grab it, go for water and ice, start running again when done drinking.
Smile going up the Curry St hill, fly by folks heading down to the underpass. Maintain pace back over the bridge and along Rio Salado, prepping mentally for the second half.
Do it all again, but this time with more intent, and total, firm resistance to slowing down. SLOWING DOWN IS NOT AN OPTION. On the second loop, NO ONE should be passing me.
Mantra: I’M TIRED OF HALF-ASSED RACES.
It doesn’t get slower, it just gets harder. All the way to the end.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR NUTRITION AND YOUR PACE; YOUR TIME AND PLACE WILL TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.
Tuesday: Swim; Run 20 minutes with strides; pack non-tri stuff; buy nutrition and pack nutrition, including Sunday breakfast.
Wednesday: Bike on Trainer; Clean bike, put on race tires and wheel cover; pack bike
Thursday: Fly to PHX, arrive after 3 PM; run new part of course on south shore of lake; build bike. Team dinner @ 6
Friday: Register, buy CO2 cartridges, socks, 4 keys, drive to Beeline for out and back from gas station; possible visit with Glenn vs athlete dinner
Saturday: AM swim, run new section on north shore; pack bags and deliver to T zone. Identify landmarks for bike and distance from change tent. Movie in afternoon, Jamba Juice for dinner. Check temp predictions, and verify heat impact discount, for run, which should be about 4-5%.
T1 bag: Giro Air Attack helmet with visor, Sidi T 2.6 shoes, Garmin 310XT watch, socks, spare contacts
Bike Special Needs: spare tube, CO2 cartridge (?), Third bottle of Infinit, second flask of EFS gel
T2 Bag: Saucony Type A5 grid shoes with Garmin foot pod, socks, plastic bag with Tifosi sunglasses, visor, wrist sweatband, EFS gel flask, sleeve of 4 shot bloks
Run Special Needs: wrist sweatband
Morning Clothes/Back Pack: to place on bike - Perpetuem and two bottles of Infint (one throwaway), one EFS flask, sleeve of 5-6 shot bloks for bento box; pump, tire, tube, tools. Head lamp. Arm coolers, wrist band for bike
Race Day: Up @ 4 AM. Breakfast of oatmeal, OJ, 600 cal shake. War paint (sunscreen, aquaphor)
Race day outfit: Contacts, HR strap, DeSoto Forza bibs, EN singlet, Road ID with chip
Leave for T zone @ 5:15
In T Zone: bike - check tires, add nutrition, place arm coolers and wrist band if desired, then check bags. Go to trees by exit, put on wet suit, drop off MC bag, exit near front of masses.
Enter water and navigate side shelf until under bridge, then into water for warm-up. Line up about 1/3rd back, 1/2 to 2/3rd to right.
Swim straight, which will angle to buoys on the left. No rush @ start, keep a steady pace and effort. Swim like I mean it. After turnaround, find a good pair of feet, preferentially along buoy line. @ Mill St bridge, OK to start working a small bit harder. Aim straight for steps, find the least crowded area, even if to the right.
T1: WALK to strippers, pulling off top as I go. Point at a stripper, flop down and wait. Jump up grab bibs, and RUN up the hill to bags. Grab bag, and aim clear ground outside of tent. Helmet on, Garmin on wrist, grab shoes, find a toilet; run to bike, run with bike past mount line. Smile @ Coach. Put on shoes, mount bike and ease up the hill.
BIKE: After turn onto Rio Salado, start getting fixed: start Joule visor in place, arm coolers on, wrist band on. Start Garmin. Begin to repeat mantra: “No packs, no surges”
Every 15 minutes: drink, start new interval on Joule. Every 30 minutes, slug from gel flask.
Start to base of turn onto Beeline: ramp up to 0.65 IF. Up Beeline 0.67. From there on, stick between 0.65 and 0.7 IF. If HR goes over 119, back off; if it’s less than 108, put a little effort into it. Stay aero, stay aero, stay aero.
First bottle of Infinit done by the end of first lap; toss bottle when finished at aid station. Finish gel flask by the turn around.
Second lap, consider if water needed @ each aid station, probably at the turnaround.
Special needs: remember to take both Infinit bottle AND gel flask.
Third loop: time to knuckle down and maintain narrow focus, with increasing effort to keep IF up.
PROCESS, PROCESS, PROCESS: No drafting, no surges, new interval every 15 minutes, don’t skip any nutrition, keep the gel and perpetuem flowing, stay aero, maintain narrow focus. THIS IS AN EASY COURSE, NO EXCUSE FOR GOING TO HARD OR SITTING UP.
Coming down Rio Salado past the stadium, remove coolers, wrist band, feet out of shoes.
T2: Don’t be on someones highlight reel when getting off the bike. Hand it off, and trot downhill. Lap Garmin. Grab bag, sit down, and put on shoes. Grab go bag. remove helmet. Drop bag in pile, find a toilet. Turn number belt to front.
RUN: Across the mat, lap Garmin. I’ll be reading cadence, HR, and current lap pace. Work on Go Bag: visor on, wrist band on, shot blok in mouth, sunglasses on. Sun screen spray?
Start stupid slow: monitor breathing and HR. If I can feel myself breathing, or HR goes over 120, slow down. Keep this up until the crossing under the Mill St Bridge on the North side. After that, let the water torture begin.
Aid stations: 4 oz perform, plus water to dilute and add to hydration. Will probably need sponges to shoulder straps, and ice to back pocket. Run to last last perform, grab it, go for water and ice, start running again when done drinking.
Smile going up the Curry St hill, fly by folks heading down to the underpass. Maintain pace back over the bridge and along Rio Salado, prepping mentally for the second half.
Do it all again, but this time with more intent, and total, firm resistance to slowing down. SLOWING DOWN IS NOT AN OPTION. On the second loop, NO ONE should be passing me.
Mantra: I’M TIRED OF HALF-ASSED RACES.
It doesn’t get slower, it just gets harder. All the way to the end.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR NUTRITION AND YOUR PACE; YOUR TIME AND PLACE WILL TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.
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Comments
Awesome race plan. You sound ready both in terms of your command of the details and your resolve to put together a solid race. Good luck, Al!
Yep, that's what finding time against your competition on this course is about. Either you can push an extra 30 watts and burn many, many matches over the course of the day, or you can get low and keep low.
You've got this, Al. I very much see AZ as "your course" in the way I would see WI as Rich's. Bring your wisdom, knowledge, fitness and spirit to bear, and you'll light it up on race day.
The reason I'm so emphatic about this is this it's a broadcast that is sure to get in your head, fire up all kinds of crazy ambitions prematurely, and put you in the very risky place of "gee, I would really like to KQ and go back" instead of racing in a nice box, staying "process, process, process," and not making early day mistakes. Sure, getting fired up to KQ/ podium/ set a course record is good at mile 18 or some other late- race point when you can commit, but having that entire Big Show thing rattling around in your brain from the moment the cannon goes off is a sure fire way to create a lot of complications, add additional noise, and distract you from implementing an otherwise well designed plan.
When I saw the broadcast was scheduled Sat afternoon, I groaned, but then knew immediately I wouldn't be watching. The LAST thing I need 18 hrs before an IM is ... More thinking about IM. My go-to activity the afternoon before is a movie, preferably a slightly tongue in cheek action adventure. Main thing is something to lose myself in. I still remember watching "Cowboys and Aliens" before IM AZ 2011, then telling my wife it was a perfect IM movie ...and THEN having the best race of my life the next day.
What's coming out this week I should consider...? Hunger Games 2?
A quote I used to put down in my sig line, from U2: "glorify the past, the future dries up." Or, decades ago, paraphrasing Firesign Theater, "I'm interested in the future, 'cause I intend to live there."