Mark Maurer's Vineman Race Plan

Mark Maurer

Hey folks, here is my race plan for the full Vineman next Saturday July 26th. I'll start with lunch on Friday because I've found it's critical to have a large lunch instead of a large dinner the night before an ironman race. I have tried all the things listed below in at least one of my race rehearsals and most of them in all of my race rehearsals and some of them in multiple ironman races. Please take a look and give my your feedback.

Friday

·         Have an early lunch, the main meal of the day.

·         Go to mandatory meeting and pick up packet.

·         Lay out running gear, socks, shoes, hat, and number belt with number at T2.

·         Go back to cottage and mix up race drinks and concentrate bottles

·         One last bike check and top off tires

·         Mount torpedo bottle and Garmin

·         Bag up all my swim and bike gear and nutrition. Use checklist.

·         Have a light dinner

·         Drink a serving of Osmo pre-load hydration

·         Get to bed early, 9:00 at the latest

Saturday

·         Get up at 4:00 and have breakfast of muesli with almond milk, applesauce, and a cup of coffee

·         Get dressed and apply sunscreen

·         Load the fluids on the bike and into special needs bag

·         Load my nutrition on the bike

·         Take off and walk down to Johnson Beach at 5:15

·         Drop off special needs bags

·         Set up my T1 area as close to the exit as possible so I don’t have to run down aisle with my bike any farther than necessary

·         Take a bottle of Osmo pre-load hydration and drink while waiting on the start

·         Eat a clifbar at 6:00

·         Visit the portapotties

·         Get into my wetsuit (apply trislide first) and head down to the start line

·         Line up near the front of the start and to the outside

·         Take off at the gun at 6:45. 200-300 yards fast and find a set of feet to draft off of

·         Settle into an easy rhythm that allows me to do alternate breathing

·         Mind the catch and keep my form solid

·         Exit the swim and use wetsuit strippers

·         Remember, slow is smooth and smooth is fast

·         Head over to the bike and put on shoes, sunglasses, helmet (and arm coolers if appropriate)

·         Stuff wetsuit, goggles, towel and extra gear into bag

·         Unrack bike, grab bag with gear and head towards exit

·         Hand bag to Marissa as I run past

·         Run the bike up the hill and mount at the top of the hill

·         Use the 4 gears listed below during the ride. My 4 gears are

1st	162
2nd	170
3rd	179
4th	187

·          

o   Use the first gear for the first 7 miles (auto-lap set for 7 miles on Garmin)

o   Increase my power to midway between the 1^st and 2^nd gears for the second 7 miles

o   Increase the power to the 2^nd gear for the 3^rd and subsequent laps

o   Use 3^rd gear for hills longer than 3 minutes

o   Use 4^th gear for the hills shorter than 3 minutes

·         Have a rice muffin as soon as I get out to River Road

·         Start to drink as well

·         Let the crazies pass me as I stick to my first gear

·         Use my bike gears to stay in my goal watts and keep a VI close to 1.00

·         Maintain appropriate power over the crest of the hills and on the downhills until I spin out in my highest gear then get aero and fly!

·         Stay in aerobars as much as possible

·         Pedal smoothly with a high (90) cadence

·         Drink every 10 minutes and take in 24 to 30 oz per hour depending on the temp. Temps will warm up as race progresses so start drinking more early.

·         Eat 240-280 calories/hour – 1 rice muffin every 45 minutes and then switch to gels at 90 miles to get ready for the run.

·         Take 1 salt stick tab per hour for each of the last 3 hours or sooner if it’s hot

·         Execute like a ninja!

·         Adjust power lower by a few watts if it looks like the bike time will be over 6 hours.

·         Eat an additional gel in the last mile of the ride

·         Dismount the bike (leave shoes on bike) and run into T2

·         Rack bike and put on socks, shoes, and number belt (slow is smooth and smooth is fast)

·         Grab my fuel belt and water bottle at special needs bag

·         Take off and keep my pace at 9:47 for the first 6 miles (RnP say give them 3 minutes and they’ll make my day. Well go ahead punks, make my day!)

·         Eat one clif shot block every mile

·         Take 1 saltstick cap every hour

·         Eat peppermint tums if stomach issues start up

·         Drink 4-5 oz of Skratch labs drink every mile, more if it’s hot and my stomach can tolerate it but cut back if my stomach starts sloshing

·         Increase pace to 9:17 for miles 4-22

·         Have a gel with caffeine at mile 18 if necessary

·         Walk the few steep short hills to keep HR low

·         Thank the volunteers and encourage other runners (as I pass them of course)

·         Increase pace slightly if possible for each of the last 4 miles

·         Increase pace for the last mile and draw strength off the spectators lining the course

·         Bring it home strong

·         Enjoy the crowd in the finish chute

·         Rejoice at the finish line!

·         Grab some fluids and begin to recover

·         Enjoy the feeling of finishing an ironman and visit with other participants in the post race feed zone!

·         Go back to Guerneville and take a shower, get car and go back in time to cheer Susan on

·         Have a good meal as soon as I feel like eating

Write up my race report while things are still fresh in my mind

 

jendat

Hey Mark,

I have done Vineman 70.3, Barb's Race, and Full Aquabike. Love the course! Your plan looks solid to me. The only recommendation I have is to leave your bagged up gear  in T1 instead of trying to hand it over the fence to someone. It is no problem at all to get your swim stuff back when you finish. It may  cost you time in T1 and unnecessary stress to look for your person and try to get a bag to her. The transition area is quite "narrow" with only one "runway" to the bike exit, it can get crowded in that area. 

I am curious to see how the OSMO plan including the tums goes for you. I had an epic nutrition fail at Coeur d' Alene and have been reading a lot about Stacy Simms philosophy. 

Best of luck to you!

Jen Datwyler

Mark Maurer

Thanks Jennifer,

This will be the 4th time I've done Vineman so I know the course and logistics pretty well. My daughter has been our Sherpa before and knows to look out for me and yell loudly. If I don't see her I'll just drop the bag as you suggest. I've done both. (my wife is also doing the Vineman so Marissa will be looking out for both of us)

I've used solid food on the Vineman and for a couple of HIMs and it's done well for me. I get sick of sweet stuff and find I stop eating or don't eat enough. I've tried OSMO and Skratch labs drinks and like the Skratch labs drinks better than OSMO but I still do the OSMO pre-load hydration drinks. I make the rice muffins using the Feed Zone cookbook but I have modified the recipe slightly in that I use white rice instead of brown. I've made the rice cakes as well, but the muffins are easier to eat because everything is so pulverized in a food processor that they almost melt in my mouth. I've even eaten egg and rice burritos and peanut butter and jelly wraps on IM and HIM races. It takes some practice and the logistics get harder, but I solved that by cutting off the top of a water bottle and putting the extra food in that behind my seat. I just have to make sure that it doesn't pop out at the bridge at the bottom of chalk hill. I do switch to gels and blocks for the run.