Coach P IMMT Race Plan
Here we go...please bring the comments and feedback!!! 
Race Week:
Minimize time on your feet...compression...hydration.
Friday Night:
T1 Bag:
- Bike Shoes on Bottom
- Ziploc Mega Bag (between shoes):
- Salt/Pill canister for left hip pocket
- 4 x ½ powerbar for right hip pocket.
- Extra contacts just in case.
- Helmet
T2 Bag:
- Fuelbelt
- 4 bottles with 1 Gatorlyte Packet in Each.
- 2x Gatorlyte in mini pouch of side pocket.
- 4 PB Gels, caffeinated in side pocket.
- Race number belt + number.
- 2x clif blog in case you want them (hip pocket)
Special Needs Bike
- Extra salt pills + tylenol in cannister
- Extra front tube
- Extra rear tube
- 2 x CO2
- Extra Chamois cream?
Special Needs Run
- Extra Gatorlytes
- 2 x caffeinated gels
- 2 x clif blox
- Visor
- Extra salt pills + Tylenol in cannister
- Extra chamois cream?
- Jelly beans in ziploc.
Saturday
Big Breakfast by 8am - Get Your Carb On
Sip Electrolytes all Day
Smart Lunch + Snacks
Drop off after Lunch:
- Walk route from water to bags to bike to exit. Think about places to run fast, run slower, shortcuts.
- Look for 2x landmarks and markers for bike rack position. Note row/column of t bags.
- Get outta there fast
Back to Hotel to Chill, Stretch, Watch Movie, Etc.
Light Dinner by 6pm -- pasta + chicken.
In Bed by 9pm -- Final review of Race Plan.
Saturday Night
- Tattoos
- Race Numbers (?)
- Bandaids
- Chip on ankle
WakeUp
- Eat Breakfast:
- 4.5 cups applesauce, 1 scoop protein powder, banana, bottle sportsdrink
- Coffee
- Get Dressed:
- Desoto TriSuit (extra gatorlytes in hip pockets)
- Chamois Cream
- HRM (Snug)
- TriTop
- Sunscreen
- Say goodbye and head to transition.
Transition Flight Check
- Nutrition bottles on the bike
- Two bottles of Perform (1 = Speedfil)
- 7 gels in bento box
- Electical tape if required.
- Tire pressure check.
- Chain / Gearing Check
- Left pedal at 9 oclock
- Sunglasses on top of A2 velcro
- Garmin mounted and turned on.
Final Suit Up
- Armcoolers on (just below triceps)
- Last chance chamois cream
- Body glide on bits,etc.
- Take out swim ziplock with: cap, goggles, spit anti-fog.
- Clothes into dry clothes bag.
- Phone into dry clothes bag in ziplock.
- Hand off bag / drop it off.
PreSwim
- Goggles under cap!
- Water and Gel at 15 minutes.
- Easy warm up if possible with a few short efforts.
Race Pillars
- No Racing Until Mile 18.
- Steady Effort Wins the Day.
- No Highs, No Lows.
- Best Races After Slowest Starts -- You Are a Diesel Engine.
The Swim -- Just Keep Swimming!
- Start strong and smooth - don't be shy - stay in control.
- Focus on: (1) rhythm and high elbows, (2) front-half / pulling with elbows, (3) four-count breathing.
- Stick with a group -- no wandering off on your own -- especially lap two.
- Never stop moving!
T1
- Helmet On
- Shoes On
- Hand wetsuit & T1 bag to nearest volunteer.
- Carry Ziploc Mega Bag as you head to bike:
- Salt/Pill canister for left hip pocket
- 4 x ½ powerbar for right hip pocket.
- Find Bike, Jog to Mount Line.
- Execute clean, single-sided mount.
Bike // Pacing -- Steady + Aero Wins the Day
- First 10k to Settle In, confirm everything is good and working.
- Target 250w all day (.74 IF). Terrain at 260w, Climbs up to 275w as needed.
- HR in 120s, building to mid 130s by end.
- Smooth cadence, don’t be greedy on flats with gearing.
- Wave Start / Overachievers mean lots of drafts for Lap One and start of Lap Two.
- Super aero all day; Visuals: "I get small and punch through the wind" ... "Momentum is Speed"
Bike // Early:
- Start Garmin 805
- Put sunglasses on when safe.
- Note early HR and work to get it down.
- Smart first 10 miles to Rte 117 and first 3 mile climb -- don't force it.
- Start fueling with 1/2 Powerbar @ 10' mark.
- Fluid targets = 2 bottles per hour of Perform.
- 1 salt stick pill an hour.
- Pee by Mile 30.
Bike // Mid:
- Ride super aero / turtle style when able.
- Ride tall / good gear / front of saddle when climbing -- loose fingers!
- Water on armcoolers for hills, etc.
- Consider stop to stretch as needed (on 117).
- Pee at least once more.
- Tylenol at hour 3.5.
- Second turnaround on 117 is landmark to refocus.
Bike // End:
- Make sure you stay cool by dumping water the last 15 miles of the ride.
- Stretch as needed.
- Mile 110: unstrap shoes, drop watts, easy light spinning, get mind into t2 game
T2
- Sunglasses on bike.
- Flying dismount / hand off bike.
- Take off Helmet on the move.
- Find bag, head to tent.
- Bag down & Open.
- Shoes (on top), single sock in each.
- Start walking out with Mega Ziploc Bag.
- Race belt with number on.
- Fuelbelt on; water in bottle #1.
- Hat/Visor on your head.
- Watch on wrist, turn it on.
- Cooling towel around neck, get it wet.
- Start eating banana on the move.
Run // Lap One -- Diesel Engine Strong
- Toggle Garmin to right screen for HR.
- Keep HR as low as possible for first 2.5 miles.
- Stay cool by dumping water the first 2 miles of the run.
- HR target is 140-145 on Lap One.
- Run smart: take tangents, follow shortest paths anywhere
- Great form -- shoulders before hips; high hands; chin up.
- Speed is Not Slowing Down - Easy miles in control, final miles with mind.
Run // Lap Two -- Empty the Tank
- HR target is 140-145 on Lap Two.
- Maintain focus on short hills 13.5-16.
- Mile 18 move from "reserved, internal focus" to "gutsy, external focus." Pass people and steal their energy. Try to get pace to STRONG. Keep turnover, keep form, don't walk anywhere.
Run Nutrition:
- Feel good? Eat! Target is 3 gels in first half, then Clif Blox, then last Caf Gel by Mile 18.
- 4oz Perform each aid station.
Aid Station Process:
- Sponge for face; squeeze over head.
- Water for head/neck cooler.
- Ice in hat.
- Stop at Perform person for drink/walk.
- If eating gel / salt do it now.
- Back to running ASAP.
Run Troubleshoot:
- Take the HR out conservative the first 2 miles of the run! That's the deadly pocket.
- If you get tingling fingers on the run, replace a gel with a banana and pop a salt stick.
<style type="text/css">
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 17.0px; font: 15.0px Arial} li.li2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 17.0px; font: 15.0px Arial} li.li3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 17.0px; font: 15.0px Arial; color: #333233} span.s1 {color: #000000} ol.ol1 {list-style-type: decimal} ul.ul1 {list-style-type: disc} ul.ul2 {list-style-type: circle}
</style>
0
Comments
Looks like a thorough plan. You're gonna rock it!
Have you considered alternatives or extra layers of clothing if the cold front sticks around an extra day or two? What if it's going to be 50 degrees and rain for the first 2 hrs of the bike? Will you wear a vest or arm warmers or even gloves? I might have toe covers for on my shoes "just in case". I know a lot of people got "sapped" of energy in the first 1.5 hours on the bike at Placid.
How about some Flourescent tape to identify your gear bags (or in your case, maybe something pink or "My Little Ponies")? Worst comes to worse, just steal Koiri's gear bags as they'll be right next to yours!
Can't find any thing missing … But, are you planning on a steady HR thru out the run? Really going to start at 140 isn after being in the mid 130s on the bike, rather than build thru out the marathon? Wouldn't that run a risk of your pace slowing down, as HR naturally "drifts" over the course of 3+ hrs?
Looks great. I agree with the colored tape on your transition bags. When you get into T1, there will still be 1,000+ bags waiting to be picked up (wave start should put you in the front-middle). When you get to T2, there will be 2,000+ bags stacked close and tight. I encircled the top of each bag with some bright pink and yellow tape that my daughter used to make bracelets. Both stood out like neon signs. Saved seconds, prevented panic/frustration.
Unlike the mass-start races where you would start the bike with maybe a hundred in front of you, you've got two huge waves of guys starting before you, which may leave 500+ (?) guys that will need to be passed during the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the ride. This could jack with your VI if patience and discipline are in short supply.
I know you plan on putting run shoes/socks in your T2 bag based on your T2 plan, but I would nevertheless add it to your T2 supply list (crazier things have happend). Also, perhaps you already do this, but I like to flip my T2 socks inside-out the night before and apply some chamois cream to them. Especially if rain is in the forecast. Blisters are a painful, needless distraction.
Good luck and have fun. The nation will be watching.
-Get some salt on Saturday.
-here's what I'm toying with after running Canada on HR (correctly), and running a bunch of other IM Marathons on HR (incorrectly): for the first 2 miles (I'm flagging these because you identified them as pinchpoints in your plan), or better yet, and even if you're "racing" for a slot/podium/glory, the first 6 miles, peg your run HR to go no higher than your average HR from the bike. Set the alarm on your garmin if you have to.
I haven't gone back to try to validate or refute this approach, but I would suspect that the historical data is going to show that in any race where I feel like I achieved on the run, there is going to be a pretty high correspondence between bike HR and easy run first 6 mile HR. I definitely know that I've had tough, tough days when I've gone out too hot on the run with a "relative" HR that is based on what I see during training or course conditions, but has not borne any relationship to where HR was during the bike. I wonder if this approach actually grounds your HR in something that you've already been doing for 5 hours, and lets you (or your body) do the necessary settling, adapting planning, and setup to let your settle in, with the Eye on the Prize of ultimately squaring you up to finish strong? Just some musings.
Have a great race. Oh - add some kind of tasty reward for your finish celebration.
Rob, you got me…added visor to T2 list!
Trish, haha!
Al, yep, the pace goes down but generally the early (faster miles) off set the later ones…for me it's more about being able to maintain homeostasis / equilibrium and eat/drink, etc. That comes with HR….
Mike, great tips…never tried chamois cream on my socks before!!! I will consider it!
Dave…interesting…I look forward to your data but will put it into consideration!!
Danielle - I haven't worked on the rain plan (more cool plan than rain for me), but we'll see what the week brings.
Doug…you just did it for me!
Keith, you mean this ISN'T LAKE PLACID? Dowh!
All, re rain modifications. I am not so much worried about rain (course isn't technical and road conditions are awesome), as I am the coolness. I know enough to still crush my nutrition plan, but it's more what will being skinny, wet and going fast do to me…it will be GREAT for the run as I am a big doode who likes to run, but I will need to consider how to handle the bike. Toe caps are easy, as are some light gloves…not sure about a vest as there is no extended downhill for cold to affect me -- where I can't pedal -- until mile 48. Anything I am missing here?
One thought is maybe put your running watch somewhere on the bike and put it on your wrist during your JRA pace early on bike. Then toward end of bike turn it on let the birds synch up the GPS and set to page you want it on for run. One less thing to think about coming out of T2 while eating your banana. Plus because it's ready to go you can start it as soon as you cross the matt.
Coach addressing your "vest when raining" issue I'd like to share my approach from my 70.3 last year where we had pouring rain with only 8degC on the bike course (Zell am See).
I placed a normal plastic bag at the bike in T1 and just stuffed it under my tri-top before I started the bike split. This gave me 2 big benefits to all other options incl. a vest:
1) NO negative impact on wind resistance (what you will have with a vest for sure!)
2) In case the weather turns better during the ride I can easily dispose the bag supereasily
It's all about the wind-chill on your body core - so when in doubt just bring along a plastic bag taped somewhere to your frame/saddle and you'll be safe for whatever conditions will change too during your race.