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Peter's IMCDA Race Rehearsal #1 Plan

Race Rehearsal #1 Plan



Background:

31 year old male

134 pounds

FTP: 231

vDot: 56

First Ironman

Have not done sweat test yet, will do that this weekend to validate this plan



Breakfast:

4 cups apple sauce

1x scoop of whey protein

1 banana

16 oz of Perform

Coffee



(I used to do the 2x Naked Juice but I had nutrition problems in my last race so I want to try something different)



Bike:

Will do 112 miles on a flat bike path (2 out and backs so I can refuel at my car at the halfway point)



Nutrition goal: 330 calories an hour

24oz of perform per hour

1 double lattle powergel per hour

~800 mg Sodium Per hour



Riding plan:

Set Garmin 910xt to show Distance, Elapsed Time, 3s Power, Lap Power

Set Garmin to Auto-lap every 5 miles

Plan is to ride at 0.72 IF (166 watts)

Ride first 30 minutes at 150 watts

Eat gel on the 30 minute of each hour

Sip perform every 5 minutes

Stay aero as much as possible



Run:

Nutrition goal: 330 calories per hour

12oz perform per hour

2 double latte powergels per hour



Run plan:

First 3 miles at LRP + 15s (8:05 min/mile

Next 3 miles at LRP (7:48 min/mile)

Eat 1 gel at the 30 minute mark

Will carry 10oz bottle of perform and drink at every other miles





Questions:

- I believe I ate way to much in my last HIM and really paid the price. I want to attempt a much more minimal fueling plan, especially since I am on the lighter side. However, I am a bit worried I won't be taking in enough fluids. I don't want to give up the gel because I really like the caffeine. Should I supplement with water? I guess I will also see how the sweat test goes.

- Is the +30s guidance on the run universal for all paces? I don't know that I can hold myself back that much. Is my target of +15s ok?

Comments

  • Peter, 

    My notes:

    • You're not drinking nearly enough, especially considering the temps we're having at present. You should be 2 bottles per hour, minimum.
    • I think your cal/hr intake is too high, especially if your plan is get ~200cals/hr of that from gels and then you're not drinking enough. That is, I see your plan is to take in a gel every 30' (=~200cals) but to only drink 24oz of fluid per hour. You will become dehydrated very quickly at that cal/hr + low hydration rate and your stomach will shut down. 
    • HIGHLY recommend you plan to execute a 100% fluid nutrition plan and bring gels to supplement that if you're feeling good/up to it.
    • Yes, 30" per mile in the first 6 miles of the race applies to everyone, especially fast runners in their first Ironman and especially for IMCDA. the first 3-4mi of the IMCDA course are very mojo-filled, very easy for you to get stoopid and run too fast. 
  • Thanks.

    On the bike if I do 2 bottles of perform per hour and no gels then I hit the calorie target and the sodium is higher so I will try that.
    On the run I will up the perform and then go down to 1 gel per hour on run. I really feel like I benefit from the caffeine, at least on the run.

  • Posted By Peter Noyes on 14 May 2014 11:05 AM


    Thanks.



    On the bike if I do 2 bottles of perform per hour and no gels then I hit the calorie target and the sodium is higher so I will try that.

    On the run I will up the perform and then go down to 1 gel per hour on run. I really feel like I benefit from the caffeine, at least on the run.

    The IM run is often where you'll...run...into digestion problems that are caused by dehydration. So you definitely want to steer towards even more of a fluid plan on the run. It's also where you want to be prepared to go light on the cals -- again, your body is on a edge and it doesn't take much later in the run to tip it over. But you're never more than ~8' away from an aid station and infinite calories to fix an issue. 

  • Yeah, when I saw your calories plan for the bike, and fluids for the bike and run, I thought, Hmm, should I let him give that a try, and find out it might be a disaster? Coach R has taken care of that for you.

    There are two schools of thought about nutrition here in EN, I've noticed. One is to use the formula which generates the type of load you planned for; the other is to try and find out what are the minimum calories you need, shoot for that, and fuel up if you undershoot. I think the higher calorie plan seems to work OK for bigger, younger guys, while the lower calories approach seems to work better for smaller and/or older guys and maybe for most females. You;re young, so your digestive system can probably handle almost anything you throw in it, but at your size, and with the anticipation that the run will be your killer leg, I;d definitely vote for seeing if you can do well on 200-250 cal/hour on the bike, all from liquid sources.

    As to fluids, you probably need to assume 24 oz/hour if the temps are 55-60, and add more water on top of that as the temps increase, as per Rich;s notes.

    Now, on the run, you wrote "12 oz Perform per hour". (You're too young to get this reference, but, "You cannot be serious!") You might need 8 oz of fluid every aid station - IOW, every mile, or more if you can handle it. I almost always dilute the perform or coke 50/50 with water, to get the fluids i need, to aid in the absorption of the sugars, and to avoid taking in too many calories. 200 -220 cal per hour running at a good pace is about all I can handle. I run with about 4 oz of gel in a bottle (EFS), and take some at miles 6, 12, 18, maybe 60-70 cal worth each time.

    Once you get your nutrition plan arranged, you need to learn about the impact of biking on your IM run. You have a fair bike engine and a massive run engine. No matter what you do on the bike, you are still going to be running slower than you think you are capable of, and that will be your biggest hurdle to overcome on race day - learning just HOW SLOW you need to go in the first half of the IM marathon. It will frustrate you, knowing that you can go faster at mile 13, but it would frustrate you even more to be walking at mile 18. So heed the plan, and do whatever it takes to trot along at your LRP + 30 seconds for the first half of this RR. The day is about learning pacing and nutrition, not adding to your fitness with an awesomely hard workout.

  • Thanks Al.

    Do you end up drinking some water on the bike as well? If I do nothing but perform I am still going to have 350 calories per hour (each bottle is 175 calories).

  • Posted By Peter Noyes on 15 May 2014 05:02 PM


    Thanks Al.



    Do you end up drinking some water on the bike as well? If I do nothing but perform I am still going to have 350 calories per hour (each bottle is 175 calories).

    Yeah, I count on about 16 oz/hour of sports drink (Infinit and Perform), and supplement the remainder of my fluids as needed with H2O. My sweat test sez that's a minimum of 8 additional oz an hour, going up as the temps rise into the 70s. The remainder of my calories come from EFS gel (about 100/hour) and Perpetuem solids (chewable tablets 30 cal each, one/hour)

  • Ok. I have taken the feedback and I have a take 2 plan for the rehearsal:

    Race Rehearsal Plan Take 2

    Breakfast:
    3 cups apple sauce (Reduced from 4)
    1x scoop of whey protein
    1 banana
    16 oz of Perform
    Coffee

    For the bike I will do a two lap course. I can carry 4 24oz bottles. (1 in aero bars, 1 on downtube, 2 in jersey)

    I will carry 3 bottles of perform and 1 bottle of water. I will replenish at my car half way through.

    Bike plan:
    Perform: 210 calories per hour on bike (570mg sodium)
    1 SaltStickCap (210mg sodium)

    This will give me 210 calories per hour and 800mg sodium. Temperatures should be low on Friday so I think I am fine with the 24oz of fluid per hour, but I will have extra water just in case.

    Run plan:
    2 50% diluted 24oz bottles of perform. (210 calories total) (570mg sodium)
    1 SaltStickCap (210mg sodium)
  • Peter-Looks good to me. Are you using the EN Nutrition Planner for IM to calculate hourly needs? I found that really helped to guide me in my calorie consumptions and the coaches seem to really advocate all liquid and that has worked well for me. I do wonder if I take in a little too much liquid but personally choose to rely solely with on-course nutrition.
  • I have used the EN nutrition planner in the past and I have had GI issues which I attribute to eating too much. I am a light guy, only 134-135 pounds, and on race day I will probably be 132. The planner wants me to eat ~330 which Al and others have posted is too much food for a light person. He was saying that the planner works best for younger larger people.

    I will have some backup gels with me in case I feel a bonk coming, but I don't think it will happen. I already tried the lower consumption on last Saturday's 5 hour ride and I felt fine.
  • Yeah, I've got 35 pounds on you and feel like I have an IronStomach
  • Nutrition is one size fits one. We really don't know yet what your needs are. To save you from a potential bonk, I;d suggest taking along a gel flask as an emergency measure. If/when you notice that you really need, say, 260 cal/hour, you'll have an option to give it a try. No different than the endless calories available should you need them at IM aid stations.

    Some gels flow more easily than others, e.g. EFS, Powergel, Hammer, compared to GU.

  • Thanks Rich and Al. I ended up doing 220 calories per hour on the bike using just perform. I also did 6 caffeinated salt tabs to get the sodium up to 800mg per hour. I felt great, in fact, better then I did on any of my HIM race rehearsals. Less calories is definitely the way to go for me. On the run I did 24oz of 50% diluted perform and 1 gel. Run felt good also. I ran for 45 minutes and toward the end I felt like I probably needed to drink more, I will definitely shoot for 40+ oz per hour in the race.
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