Jon’s IMCDA 2014 Race Plan
Jon’s IMCDA 2014 Race Plan
This is my first Ironman. I have raced 1 HIM’s as well as a few shorter races. Training went very well, I had a knee injury early this year, but continued to train as much as I could. I recovered from the injury with about two and a half months to do the full Ironman training.
Vital Stats:
Age: 32
FTP: 205
vDot: 35.7
Weight: 155ish
My #1 goal is to finish and have a good race. I feel that I have been able to train as well as I could given being injured earlier this year. I am feeling good about the swim, in the last 6 weeks I have shaved off 20 minutes from my first race rehearsal. I am hoping for a 1:30ish swim (not fast but fast for me). I feel good about the bike, my goal is 6:00. My biggest concern is the run. I felt good during the long runs, but during the race rehearsals I didn’t do so well. I think it was a combination of not taking in enough nutrition on the bike and too much gels. My plan is to focus on drinking more often to consume more perform and take less gels.
Monday - Wednesday:
- Pack
Thursday:
- Wake up at 6:00 AM
- Leave house at 6:30 AM
- Alaska Airlines 563 leaves from LAX at 9:00 AM
- 1 hour layover in Portland
- Alaska Airlines 2336 (operated by Horizon Air) leaves at 12:05 PM
- Arrive in Spokane at 1:12 PM
- Pick up rental car and head straight to race checkin
- Check in at rental house
- Head over to Crickett's for team dinner at 5:30
- Go to grocery store and stock up on some supplies
Friday:
- Recon swim in the morning and picture at 8:00 (Meet at flagpole)
- Recon run after swim
- 4 keys talk 10:30 - 12:00
- Buy Co2 at some point?
- Pick up bike and go for a recon ride in the afternoon
- Get bags together
Bags:
- Morning Clothes: Wetsuit, 2x Goggles, Anti-Fog spray, race cap, neoprene cap, tri-glide, Vanilla Gel
- T1 bag: Bike shoes, Helmet/Visor, Sunscreen, Aquaphor, Arm warmers, Towel
- T2 bag: Socks, Running Shoes, Race Belt w/ bib and 4 gels, Hat, Everything in gallon ziplock go-bag
- Bike special needs: Tube, CO2, Tire, Aquaphor
- Run special needs: Sunscreen, Aquaphor, Powerbar, Extra socks
- Athlete welcome ceremony at 7:00 PM. (Maybe)
- Relax
Saturday:
- Sleep in
- Get hydration for the day together. Target 64oz of water and 64oz of Perform throughout day
- Big breakfast
- Go for a quick run only if feeling really stir crazy
- Checkin bike/gear at 10 AM
- Make sure torpedo bottle is on bike
- Moderate lunch, low fiber
- Watch movies/TV throughout afternoon, focus on anything but Ironman
- 2:00 PM Athlete Briefing
- Light dinner, just pasta with some parmesan cheese and olive oil
- Go to bed slightly hungry
Sunday (Race Day):
- Wake up at 3:30 AM for day
- Have 32oz Green Machine Smoothie + 16oz perform
- Get dressed in Tri-top, Tri-Shorts, HR monitor, Long sleeve shirt and warm up pants
- Leave at 4:15 to head to transition and body marking (opens at 4:30)
- Bring
- Morning clothes bag
- 2x 24oz bottle of perform (1 for sipping and 1 for bike)
- 6x salt tabs for bike
- Garmin 910xt
- Garmin Edge 810
- Set up transition area, pump up tires, put Edge 810 on bike and calibrate power meter
- Put Garmin 910xt on wrist
- Sip on diluted perform throughout morning
- Warm up for swim
- Have non-caffeine gel
- Line up near front of the 1:30 group
- 6:40 the fun begins
Swim:
- Get into a groove
- Count strokes
- Point toes!
- Remember to pull with high elbows
- Try to relax as best as possible and keep water out of my mouth
- Try to find trustworthy group to swim with to minimize need to sight
- Take the turns wide
T1:
- Remove top part of wetsuit
- Find wetsuit stripper to help with the rest
- Get bag
- No need to use changing tent
- Dry off feet, put cycling shoes on (should have been pre-lubricated)
- Grab helmet with visor and go
- Hopefully volunteer will sunscreen me
Bike:
- Garmin will be set to auto-lap every 1 mile. Will show: Elapsed Time, NP, 3S Power, Distance, Speed, Heart Rate
- Drink every 5 minutes
- Start out at 140 watts, IF of 0.68
- Rest of ride target 145 watts, IF of 0.70
- Target 1.33 bottles of perform per hour for 230 calories/hour
- Take salt cap + caffeine once an hour
- Try to pee twice, I am not prepared to pee my pants (will stop at an aid station)
- Target time of 6:00
T2:
- Off with the cycling shoes and on with socks / running shoes
- Grab go bag and go
- Switch to running mode on watch
Run:
- First 6 miles at 11:00 pace (LRP + 30)
- Walk 15 steps per aid station
- Drink 4oz perform and 4oz of water at each aid station
- Gel every 6 miles
- Miles 6-18 at 10:30 pace (if I am feeling good I would like to speed up a little, closer to 10:00)
- Mile 18+
- Try not to slow down
- If crushing it stop walking the aid stations and give it everything i've got
- Switch to coke if feeling tired of perform
- Visualize that I am stealing the energy of every single person I pass
- Half mile from finish
- Zip up tri-top
- Make sure to smile as I cross the finish line
- Target time of Sub 5:00
Post race
- Avoid medical tent
- Hopefully get post race massage
- Stick around to watch others finish
Monday
- 9AM Breakfast/Coffee @ Java On Sherman- 819 Sherman Ave
- Relax rest of day, perhaps some sight seeing?
Tuesday
- Need to be out of house by 10:00 AM
- Alaska Airlines 2225 (operated by Horizon Air) leaves at 3:00 PM
- Layover in Seattle. Alaska Airlines 448 leaves at 5:55 PM
- Arrive at LAX at 8:29 PM
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Comments
Just one more thing from my point -> don't do the "Give it all I got for the last 800m" on the swim part! This very small gain in time comes at a HUGE amount of RPE!
This may be an opportunity for the sub 1h swimmers but not for us slow and sluggish swim-folks
+1 on Steve's point. If this is your first IM, your expected bike times 6 hrs, and your goal is "... to finish and have a good race…", then 0.68-0.69 should be your goal pace in order to assure yourself of running the whole way, which is what I believe you will define as having a good race. Be mindful of your watts on the two long hills. They're long enough that going at anything over about 0.74/5 will potentially impact your ability to run for 4.5-5 hours. And Just Ride Along (0.6-65) on the first out and back out of transition, no matter what all the others are doing around you.
If you finish the bike substantially under 6 hours, and you are able to run the whole way, then your next IM, you can start to test the envelope. Your first one is not the time to do that.