CRITIQUE JUAN VERGARA's – IMLC – REVISED PLAN
JUAN VERGARA – IMLC – THE REVISED PLAN
This will be my first full distance after 2 years of 70.3.
Based on my believe to “never re-invent the wheel” the following is a cut-and-paste plan based on the input of so many team mates that generously share their experience, RnP and the wisdom within the Wiki. Team comments to my first draft and learnings from RR1 and RR2 have been included.
TARGETS:
FTP: 277
VDOT: 50
WEIGHT: 68KG/150LBS
TIME: SUB 11HRS (SWIM: 01:12:00 – T1: 03:30 – BIKE: 05:45:00 – T2: 02:30 – RUN 03:47:00 – TOTAL: 10:50:00)
ENJOY EVERY MINUTE BEFORE-DURING-AFTER WHILE FOCUSING ON DISCIPLINED EXECUTION THE EN WAY… ALL THE WAY!!!!
TRAVEL AND PRE-RACE WEEK:
arrive early in Los Cabos to adapt to the 4 hour time difference between home in São Paulo (Brazil) and Los Cabos (Mexico). Long flight with a 6 hour connection in Mexico City. Departure from SP Sunday march 23rd, Arrival in LC Monday march 24th, race Sunday march 30th (plenty of time to adapt).
Hire EST (Endurance Sports Travel) to take care of the details and mostly, take care of my Iron-wife!!! Done. Great advice!!
Stay at a proven good hotel, different from the crowded official hotel, but within walking distance. Cabo Azul hotel is the choice per Michael Johnson’s experience and recommendation. He says: “Cabo Azul was very nice. You will run by the hotel 6 times on the marathon. You can walk from finish line back to hotel. It's also just 2 doors down from the Hola Grand Faro (host hotel and shuttle pickup for swim) Cabo Azul is across the street from the LBS. Beautiful pool and beach. I will stay there again if I return! “
Train and eat exactly as prescribed in EN IM week 20 and Core Diet pre race nutrition plan.
Register early pm on Thursday (upon first opening of registration 12pm), walk the expo and never come back!!!!!
Friday: Attend mandatory Pre-race meeting and ask all rookie questions including: is number mandatory on bike at IMLC? Are bike shoes clipped on bike allowed at IMLC (or they must be in bike bag?) ….. per Paul Hough’s advice, spend some mental time envisioning what to do if something goes wrong. E.g., what if there are strong currents in the swim and I take an extra 5-10 mins...don't let that blow the rest of my plan. Likewise, if I have a mechanical on the bike and lose some time...the answer isn't to throw power to the wind and try to get it back on the ride. Think about what to do if things go south...finishing is always the back-up goal. Prepare gear and bags as described below.
NUTRITION:
I have been consulting CoreDiet for the past 2 years and done very well with their recipe. Specifically for Los Cabos, where Gatorade is the official beverage and where I want to race light (carry less weight possible on bike and run making full use of the “race-course-buffet), I have asked CoreDiet to adapt my nutrition to regular Gatorade intake, have trained with Gatorade all sessions since IM week 12 and have adapted my body to swallow 8 to 10 24oz bottles of Gatorade during bike/run. Given the lower sodium content in regular Gatorade I will complement with saltsticks, cliffblocks and PowerGels.
GEAR:
Friday … The day to check ALL GEAR:
|
MYSELF: |
|
Plan A: the new EN gear, all red, if delivered on time!!! |
|
Plan B: "old" EN tri top + CEP compression tri-shorts |
|
Given 95% chance of wetsuit race, will wear desoto coolwings , CEP calf sleeves from the start. Assuming number belt on bike is mandatory at IMLC wear race belt and number (holes reinforced) under wet-suit. |
|
Plenty of Mission Anti Chaff all over!!! |
|
Garmin 910 fully charged - turn on 20 minutes prior to start |
|
Garmin HRM strap. |
|
|
|
BIKE |
|
Front: GARMIN 510 / Aero bottle (handle bars) w/gatorade / 2 large Saltstick dispensers on aero bars fully loaded / NUTRITION SCHEDULE VISIBLE (don't trust memory for nutrition). |
|
Frame (XLAB STEALTH POCKET 200): 1 flask with non caffeine PowerGel + 3 x 2 CLIFFBLOCK + 1 bottle Gatorade (downtube) |
|
Behind seat post (xlab carbon wing): 2 x C02 cartriges + 1 pitstop + mini-tool kit + disk inflate valve extension, 1 spare tubular tyre |
|
all bottles frozen, put on am / Garmin 510 charged, checked and turn on am) |
|
and prepare the famous 5 bags: |
|
T1 BAG (WITH VISIBLE COLORED MARK AND NUMBER … JOHN WITHROW STYLE!!!): |
|
Small water bottle / 1/2 power bar + 2 cliff blocks for immediate consumption after swim + 1.5 power bar to carry on tri top back pocket (cut in 3 halfs) |
|
Helmet (Giro Attack) |
|
Bike shoes |
|
Sunglasses (clean) |
|
|
|
BIKE SPECIAL NEEDS |
|
1 flask with caffeine PowerGel + 1 powerbar (THESE TWO I WILL PICK UP!!! MANDATORY!!) |
|
1 cliffblock |
|
1 extra tubular tyre + 1 extra pit stop + 1 extra co2 cartridge |
|
Mission Anti Chaff |
|
|
|
T2 BAG (WITH VISIBLE COLORED MARK AND NUMBER JOHN WITHROW STYLE!!!): |
|
Shoes w/ Orthotics & footpod – Used socks (inside shoes) |
|
Race belt 2 with 1 flask Powergel caffeine + 10 Cliff blocks + 1 small salt stick dispensers fully loaded |
|
Ziplog bag: Mission Cool towel, lens cleaner, 1 banana, Sun visor, wristband, small tube of sunscreen, 1 small salt stick dispensers fully loaded |
|
RUN SPECIAL NEEDS |
|
Dry socks |
|
cliff blocks |
|
2 caffeine gels |
SATURDAY BEFORE RACE DAY: stay inside my hotel, mostly in my room, legs up as much as possible …. Leave only for bike and bags check in at defined time of day … walk transition to locate bags/bike, study terrain from bike position to mount area and return to hotel …. Stretch a couple times during the day … Plenty of movies loaded in iPad …. Eat exactly as prescribed by CoreDiet, last light meal 6:30pm (small bowl of pasta and grilled chicken going to bed almost hungry) and attempt lights off 9pm (Melatonine handy just in case needed).
RACE DAY:
Wake up 3:30am and have breakfast: Apple Sauce, banana, whey, sports drink. From there on, do everything very slowly. Time to leave room/hotel TBD on location.
Arrive T1 at opening time of 5:30am, set up, check wheel pressure, turn on Garmin 500, mark bike position with yellow floor tape (if allowed). Exit T1 asap and relax. If special needs bag drop off is located outside of transition area on race morning, have wife drop bags off for me. Just one less thing to think about.
05:45 eat one power Bar + Salt Stick
06:45 take one power gel w/8oz water + 1 saltstick and seed attempting the Al Truscott strategy: leave the T zone at the very front, and be one of the first “in the water”. After the anthem, look over the crowd, see where the fewest people are in the middle front and aim for that spot.”
THE SWIM (TARGET 01:12:00): follow EN protocol pushing first 200/300 mts with controlled kicking and then settle into race pace, totally focused on FORM-FORM-FORM AND GOING STRAIGHT!!. Go only as fast as good form is maintained. SWIM COURSE DESCRIPTION - 2.4 miles/3.8 Km (1 lap) Will take place in Palmilla Beach, inside the luxurious Palmilla Club residential development, which is located 2.5 miles away from San Jose del Cabo. Inside the bay, the swim cove will be a perfect setting for the rectangular shaped one lap course. The start will be from the beach, and there will be only one mass start for all the age group athletes. Elite/Pro athletes will start earlier on a separate wave. During the swim, athletes must keep the buoy markers to their left. A bigger buoy will mark the turns. A mass swim start for professional athletes will begin at 6:40 a.m. followed by a 7:00 a.m. mass swim start for all age group athletes. Athletes will walk 100 meters from the transition to the swim start. The water visibility is 90%, buoys will be placed every 200m for your reference along the course.
T1 (TARGET 03:30): THINK SLOW IS SMOOTH AND SMOOTH IS FAST but …. Continue on the Al Truscott strategy: “run from the wet suit strippers to the gear bags, then find a clear spot on the grass. Helmet on, 1.5 power bar in tri top back pocket (cut in 3 halfs), suit in bag, grab shoes, run thru tent. Snagg the bike and find a clear spot (outside tent) to put on bike shoes, then run along the OUTSIDE of the bike racks to the shortest row, thru that row, and out onto the bike course. past all the folks struggling to mount/clip in”.
THE BIKE (TARGET 05:45:00): EXECUTION-EXECUTION-EXECUTION!!! FLATEN THE COURSE!!! DRINK-EAT-DRINK-EAT ACCORDING TO PLAN. Ride first 30 minutes @ 65% - After 30 minutes and if HR back to “normal” settle into 70%-72% all the way. Skip first aid station (use bottles on the bike) and grab Gatorade at all station from there on. Eat per CoreDiet plan every 30 minutes (starting with Powerbars and cliff blocks, followed by non-caffeine PowerGel, Followed by caffeine PowerGel, saltsticks every hour, 1 24oz bottle of Gatorade every 45 minutes … adjusted to temperature). PATIENCE-PATIENCE-PATIENCE!!! Stay aero and relaxed all the way (use small hills to rest the butt!!! Without leaving watts target!!! DISCIPLINE-DISCIPLINE-DISCIPLINE).
Just before each of the aid stations top off myself with Gatorade on downtube and top off aerobottle . At the aid stations, grab and rack gatorades first, then grab water and stay cool. Be soaked as much of the day as possible. Don't squirt face as glasses will smudge. Down my back, my neck, etc. Stay aero, stay aero, stay aero, stay aero. It will be windy and MANY people will be sitting up like a sail in the last 20 miles, remember JW said this and smile if neck is sore or lower back hurts, just stay aero and pedal. If need to stretch. Do it immediately before or after an aid station (or on any hills) then get ass back down on those aerobars.
BIKE COURSE DESCRIPTION - 112 miles/180.2 km (3 laps) The new faster and flatter bike course starts at Palmilla Club and goes along the scenic boulevard, a fun and perfectly paved highway that offers a spectacularly beautiful terrain that contrast the clear water of the Sea of Cortes on one side, and the desert mountains on the other. The bike course will pass through the most exclusive resorts and famous golf courses of Los Cabos. Upon leaving T1 at Palmilla Club you will ride 0.3 miles up to the Palmilla bridge and then turn left on the Trans peninsular highway for about 15 miles to Cabo San Lucas where you will turn around using the same way of the highway to go to San Jose del Cabo until the FONATUR sculpture where the first lap will be completed, then go back to San Lucas. You will have to complete 3 laps along the Transpeninsular Highway that goes from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas, only the third lap will take athletes to T2 next to the firefighters station using Paseo de San Lucas street, Paseo San Jose Av. and Mijares Blvd.
Average temperature is expected at 86ºF (30ºC).
T2 will be located at San Jose del Cabo downtown, 3.1 miles north of T1.
Six (6) on-course aid stations, plus a special needs station, will keep the athletes fueled.
T2 (TARGET 02:30): THINK SLOW IS SMOOTH AND SMOOTH IS FAST but …. Continue on the Al Truscott strategy: “Again, don’t change in the tent. Run to tent entrance, drop to put on shoes, grab "go bag", helmet and sunglasses 1 into bag, stand up, into porta potti if needed, out RUNNING thru the tent (what are all these people DOING in here????). After I get on the course, I open my go bag. Visor, wrist band (to wipe nose), sleeve of Shot Bloks into shorts, small tube of sunscreen for shoulders and neck, gel flask, and sunglasses, un zip EN singlet. Eat banana + 1 saltstick”.
THE RUN (TARGET 03:47:00): EXECUTION-EXECUTION-EXECUTION!!! DRINK-EAT-DRINK-EAT ACCORDING TO PLAN. Run the EN way … 140BPM ALL THE WAY. Walk all the stations and use them to stay 100% within nutrition plan EAT-DRINK-EAT-DRINK ( 1 cliff block every two miles, 1 gel+saltstick every hour, hydrate!!!… do everything the EN way: DISCIPLINE-DISCIPLINE-DISCIPLINE!!! Never allow HR to go above 140 and or slow to bring back ASAP … Focus on form each time it gets hard!!! Remember “WHY” when it gets harder: SET AN EXAMPLE TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS SHOWING THAT HARD WORK WORKS AND CAN MAKE YOU HEALTHIER AS YOU AGE.
On the run, use the sponges and water and ice. Sponge in kit, then focus on nutrition, and if possible leave the aid station with a full cup of ice. If possible a cup of ice in kit top and another in hands. Hold the ice in hands and ditch the cup. Also chew on the ice on the go.
In the last half of the marathon, take 5-10 seconds while running and get within sight of the aid station to mentally assess state of being. Do I need nutrition? Salt? Fluids? Am I hot? How is my HR? Can I see straight? This 10 seconds won't slow me, but it might save a meltdown. This forced self-assessment is great to bring back to reality .. after the aid station need to disconnect my brain from the pain and just run like I know how. Keep that brain disconnected until I can see the next aid station then take stock of myself again. Repeat this process every mile (especially the last 10 or so). Process, process, process. Focus on the moment and not on the outcomes. When it comes to the run, treat it like 26x1mile repeats at easy pace. Each mile is its own event.
RUN COURSE DESCRIPTION - 26.2 miles/42.2 Km (3 laps) The run course is flat and passes through many of San Jose del Cabo signature sites, including the hotels zone, downtown main plaza and Puerto Los Cabos.The run will start next to the firefighters station at Mijares Ave. and will go along the hotel zone, Puerto Los Cabos and Centenario Ave. It will be an out and back course to which you will run 3 laps. The entire course will be marked every 1 mile and every 5km, run course stations are located every kilometer. The run finishes at the City Hall plaza in downtown San Jose del Cabo. After finishing the bike course of the race event volunteers will rack your bike while you proceed to the run bag racks and changing tents.
In the end remember JW’s advice: forget about the time on the clock when you get to mile 25.9 of the run. Take the last quarter mile to zip up your kit top, slow your pace by about 30s/mile. Look around at the people. Give a few high fives. Definitely take in the whole finishers chute. Listen for your name and smile a huge smile! You never get to have your first IM finish again.
Comments
Juan - All of the Four Keys are important, of course, as the outline of successful race day execution. I suggest spending a little more time in advance of the race thinking about the final key - "My One Thing". As a general rule, I've found that having 3, 4, 5 or even 6 "One Things" comes in very handy during the latter half of the run. I've learned that compressing them down to 4-6 words, suitable for repeating over and over in time with my footsteps - like a mantra - can work wonders. From my last race report:
"...I finally had to start calling on my gang of One Things. I simply repeated each one over and over in my head, like counting strokes or steps, or a mantra, to the point of crowding out any other thoughts. It went like this, in time to my left/right cadence of 90 rpm:
Your One Things will be your own, of course, and don't need to be shared before the race. But they have to speak to your very essence, in order to help you rise to the challenge. Another one that worked well for me was "Slowing down is not an option." Maybe have one in Spanish, one in English, and one in Portuguese?
A couple of aphorisms to remember:
Having no full IM experience myself, I have no comments/suggestions. I am very impressed by the amount of thought, detail and planning you have put into this. I too will come back to this when I'm doing my plan in a few weeks. Thanks for sharing. You should CRUSH this thing and I hope the bike flat/mechanical malfunction/powermeter malfunction/gale force winds/torrential rains/unrelenting heat gremlins will avoid you. If not, looks like you are prepared to adapt and adjust and "slow down less" than the rest of the field. Seize the day!
My only thought is that you plan 30 mins of JRA at the start of the bike. EN execution suggests 60 to 90 min of JRA, so I am wondering what your thinking was on this issue?
@ Gregg The EN recommendations are 30min JRA for advanced 60 for intermed and 90 for beginner.
Even though it's your first IM, your w/kg is so strong that the 30' JRA and 70-72% is a good idea and not too aggressive but will still get you in the right neighborhood. Follow your plan. I'm eager to see how awesome your race will be.
I noticed one TINY little thing that I would change. You are unlikely to need your race number on the bike and this is a wise question to ask ahead of time, but you said:
"Given 95% chance of wetsuit race, will wear desoto coolwings , CEP calf sleeves from the start. Assuming number belt on bike is mandatory at IMLC wear race belt and number (holes reinforced) under wet-suit."
I would not personally wear your race number under your wetsuit. If you leave it in your T1 bag on a race number belt it will take you approximately 2 seconds to clip it around your waist. If you have it on under your wetsuit and lay down to have the wetsuit strippers rip your wetsuit off, they "might" rip your number off in the process. The melee and stress that would ensue if this happens could cost you a minute and/or a cortisol spike when you realize later that you're not wearing your number and risk DQ. Paying 2 seconds to avoid any possibility of that happening is probably 2 seconds well spent in an 11hr day.
Best of luck buddy! I can't wait to track you all day. Smile every time you see a timing mat because it'll help you remember that we're all sending you positive MoJo from around the world!