Al Truscott: IM CDA 2014 Race Plan
INTRODUCTION
This is IM # 26, of which 3 were DNS, and 3 were DNFs. The DNFs are all instructive in terms of helping me learn about race execution. I’ll have two more IMs this year. This is an A- race for me. I’m aging up to 65-69 this year. There are only 12 (!) men total in my AG; and fewer than 1% of all participants are older than I am. With so few direct competitors, I am able to look up each of their IM and triathlon histories on athlinks.com. The scary thing is, there seems to be NO one within an hour of my potential time in this race. Scary, because the only way I lose is if *I* mess things up, not if someone beats me. That’s more pressure, not less, in my mind. It also makes me angry, because I would like to race with other people, not just myself. Where has everyone gone? Are their grandchildren that fascinating?
RACE WEEK
Sunday - Race sprint triathlon as shakedown cruise, to make sure I have my tri day bag and equipment all sorted out, as well as remember what “fast” and “hard” feel like.
Monday - Swim @ Y, as per Training Plan. Write gear check list, then gather it all into a pile. Make sure my wife, Cheryl, does the same with her stuff.
Tuesday - Bike on trainer for last interval workout; start packing into roller suitcase, and race-day bag
Wednesday - Morning - prepare any food I want to bring, pack up car, run half an hour with a few strides. Afternoon - drive to Coeur d’Alene, arrive about 8 PM.
Thursday - 8-9 AM - accompany Cheryl to lake for her swim; consider brief swim myself. 9-10:30 - check out Expo and register. Return to motel, prep bike. 11:30, leave for bike recon. Have Cheryl drop me off? Ride from 12-1:30 miles 19-27/30 or so. Stop off @ Athlete Briefing on the way back? Early EN dinner @ Crickets. ?Team Photo?
Friday - Swim meet-up @ 8 AM, 4 Keys talk @ 10:30. ?Team Photo now? Afternoon free. Dinner @ 7 PM @ Bonsai; use my $25 WTC coupon.
Saturday - Morning: prepare bags (see below) for drop off and race day. Eat lunch @ Greek Gyro place on Sherman, then drop off bags and bike. Hefty bag to drive train if rain possible. Check out location landmarks, and plan for how to manage shoes. Afternoon movie @ Riverstone: Edge of Tomorrow? Stop @ Jamba Juice on the way back for pre-race liquid dinner. Prepare nutrition for race, lay out morning clothes race kit, morning bags, listen to music, in bed @ usual time.
RACE MORNING
If I wake up after midnight, drink one bottle of Ensure.
4 AM Wake up. Go through usual routine. Start breakfast of oatmeal, OJ, maybe another Ensure. War paint, race kit. Leave @ 5:15. Cheryl drives, drops me off, she’s on her own for parking.
5:30: Body mark, drop off Special Needs
5:45: Prep bike: 20 and 26 oz bottles of Infinit, Joule - calibrate to bike, Solids, EFS to Bento box, check tires, wrist band and possibly arm coolers to aerobars, remove Hefty bag (if needed), confirm gearing is set to start out.
5:55: Drop off T1 and T2 bag supplies: T1 - Fenix; T2: EFS flask to Go Bag, Glasses (in case).
6:00: start to don wetsuit, drop off morning clothes.
6:10: Head to lake for warm-up swim, pee in lake.
6:20: Swim
6:25: line up half way in 1:10-1:20 corral
6:42: Start to race.
EQUIPMENT
Morning clothes: Convertible pants, beanie, Bikenstock sandals, socks, T-Shirt + any additional jacket needed.
Race kit: DeSoto Forza bib shorts, EN race jersey, Garmin HRM. Additional items as needed (available, but not mandatory, depends on weather): Craft arm coolers, DeSoto “wings” , EN cyclng jersey, white DeSoto Forza trisuit (only if excessive heat)
Swim: DeSoto two-piece with 5mm sleeves, two sets of goggles, light or dark depending on sky cover, WTC issue swim cap. Ear plugs. If needed: neoprene cap.
Bike: trusty Frankenbike. Zipp 404 wheels, Aerojacket rear cover, Bento box, tools under saddle.. Three bottle cages, two on frame, one as torpedo mount on stem cap.
Run: Saucony “Type A5” shoes, Balega socks, EN visor, wrist band for my nose.
BAG CONTENTS
Morning tri bag: Wet suit, goggles, body glide, swim cap, neoprene cap, wrist band s, arm coolers, other colthing as warranted (see above) bike nutrition - 20 oz and 26 oz bottles of Infinit, bottle of 6 Perpetuem Solids, flask with 4.5 oz of EFS gel, Joule, Fenix, glasses (in case), run nutrition - one flask of EFS gel, travel pump, tire, tube, special needs bags (see below)
T1 Bag: Helmet, sunglasses, shoes, socks, spare contacts, towel, Fenix.
T2 Bag: Shoes, spare socks. Go Bag containing: wrist band, EFS flask, Visor, Sunscreen spray-on, number belt.
Special Needs Bike: 32 oz bottle of Infinit, flask of EFS gel, spare tube and CO2.
Special Needs Run: Wrist band
NUTRITION PLAN
In Transition before race: swig of gel, about 6 oz of water.
On bike: Infinit - 75 oz with about 900 cal and 1.25 gms of Na; Perform (from course) about 60 oz with qbout 500 cal, 1.5 gms Na, Water (as needed based on temps, hydration status); 5 oz of EFS gel with about 400 cal, 400 mg Na. Solids: 150 cal, 100 mg Na. Totals: 1950 cal/300 per hour for anticipated length of ride; 3.5 grams of salt, fluid totals - minimum 130 oz or 20 per hour, more as needed (sweat rate on bike is 16-32 oz/hour)
On Run: 6-12 oz of fluid each aid station depending on temps. Start with diluted Perform, no more than 4 oz of total Perform per aid station. 1 oz EFS gel @ miles 6, 12, & 16-18. Coke, again diluted, whenever I need it.
PACING
Swim: anticipate 1:16 in water time, based on 1:13/16 last two IMs, and RR’s this spring. Unilateral breathing, alternate side every 50-100 strokes, or if sun is to intense on one side. I know how to swim, I’ve been doing it for 5 decades now, just lock in and ignore everyone else. No real sighting needed, just follow the crowd and keep the effort up.
Bike: FTP is 212. Try to forget it was 262 8 years ago and ride based on my current capabilities. That would be: initial out and back, to first hill: ride in the 130s, or .61-.65 IF. Going up the first two hills, don’t go over 150, or 0.707. An any event, NEVER see 160 on the watts dial. Cruise the plateau @ 145 +/- or 0.68. Downhills, whatever I can generate. Second lake out ‘n’ back @ 142-145; as before on the hills and plateau. There very well could be a tail wind coming back into town; thus keeping watts in the 140s on those downhills will be very tough, don’t worry about it.
Display on my Joule: Two columns, four rows, left to right: MPH (because HR won’t record), Watts; Cadence, IF; % grade, interval time; Avg Watts, Max Watts. On Fenix: HR; Fenix is back-up Power Meter.
Run: Start out thru town fiddling with Go Bag; by second mile, should be below 10 min/mi unless temps are above 72, then go with HR. First 6 miles in the 115-119 range; over the hills @ 122-ish, back into town @ 120-123. Second time out on Sherman @ 124-127, into the 130s on the hills, then keep it there the rest of the way. Don’t go over 137.
Fenix will display on two screens: Lap time, Lap Pace, HR, Cadence; Total time, Total distance, HR, Current Pace.
RACING STRATEGY
As I already noted, my job in this race is to not mess things up. I should win my AG if I just stay within myself at all times, and don’t try anything fancy. And: if I get a penalty, or if I get a flat tire I will still have plenty of time to stay ahead of everyone if I just keep to my planned paces. Most important, don’t repeat the mistake that cost me two DNFs: getting caught out by a paceline and going too hard in the first 1.5 hours. Been there, done that. Never again. And if it’s hot, don’t repeat 2003’s mistake, and just quit (the third DNF). Remember what happened 3 years later, when everyone else wilted, and I plodded on despite telling Cheryl, “I’ve shut down racing”, passing six people in the marathon to win.
I will prepare 4-6 One Things, each with hopefully 5-6 syllables, to be repeated with every step as a mantra during the last 4-8 miles as needed. They will include: “This is who I am”, and “this is what I do.” Remember, it’s still a race, even if only with myself.
Oh, yeah: I intend to be a Wrecking Ball.
Comments
Al, great plan. You certainly don't need advice from me. Just a good luck, have fun, and thanks for all you do for the team.
P.S. The reason the competition looks thin is because they too scoured the participant list, saw your name, looked you up on Athlinks, and promptly took advantage of WTC's new IM transfer program.
Al, thx for your race plan. I may copy and paste some of it for my IMMT.
BTW, I'm on the new EN 3 yr plan, which will put me in the 65-69 AG in 2016! Hope to see you at a race and join you on the podium!
Nutrition- 300 cal per hour on the bike. I though you had gone back to low 200 cal per hour after trying the higher calorie approach? Or is that just for the run?
Thurs Bike- I know the plan calls for up to 90min or riding but this is mostly for course recon. As well as you know this course , are you really gonna ride up to 30 miles on thursday?
Good Luck applying your Good Skill!
Tim: no guarantees - yeah that's why I'm trying to be angry and scared. Nutrition - I'll have 300 cal/hr available; what with spillage and normal attrition of ability to set in the latter part of the ride, I'll probably take in 250/hr in fact. Thurs bike - I have not done V 3.0 of this course, never seen the road, so I need to get out to the two key hills in this race which actually take up only about 10 miles of the course, could do it in 20 miles or maybe 75 minutes? And half of that is downhill?