Chappo's IMNZ Race Plan
Race Plan – IMNZ 2015
“The opportunity of a lifetime only lasts for the lifetime of the opportunity”
Goals:
A performance worthy of the work done to get here - Respect the training.
Everything is about the marathon. Patience and discipline. Race in the box and wait for the line.
The time takes care of itself. I will be very happy with sub 12.30 if the conditions are good.
Top 50% of AG.
Thursday:
Depart Auckland by 9.30am. Arrive Taupo by 2pm.
Go straight to registration.
Check in to Hotel
Race briefing at 7pm.
Friday
Hydrate all day.
Breakfast – normal.
Ironkids event 8am.
2nd Big Breakfast 10.30am
Back to hotel to pack T bags
Blue Bike Bag: Helmet, Glasses, Arm warmers, Jersey, Towel, Vaseline, Powergels, Powerbar
Red Run Bag: Socks, Shoes, Visor, Number Belt, Watch, Towel
Morning Bag: Timing chip, Bike Shoes, 2x bottles, torpedo bottle, wetsuit, googles, cap, underarmour, Garmin
Post Race Bag: T shirt, Hoodie, Shorts, Jandals
Bike check in – get it done by 1pm. Then rest up.
Race Morning
4.15 Alarm
Breakfast: 4 cups applesauce with 1 scoop protein. 1 Banana. 1 small coffee. Start sipping on bottle.
Sunscreen and bodyglide.
Fill 2 bottles and torpedo.
5am: leave hotel.
5.30: In transition – Pump tyres to 95. Bike in correct gear, shoes on bike, Garmin on bike, bottles on bike.
Bathroom
Eat Powerbar, Finish bottle.
Get into wetsuit, bodyglide, grab gel, cap, goggles.
Check bag into drop off. Head to swim start.
Swim
7am start.
Get close to the line. Start EASY, avoid fighting. Sight a lot!
Focus on form, keep it easy, bilateral breathing. Remember: More effort = not much more speed.
Expect 1.10 – 1.15 if conditions good.
T1
Take the uphill run very slowly. Others will be sprinting past, let them go.
Arm warmers, jersey, Vaseline, gels in pocket, helmet, glasses.
Eat a banana and gel at the T1 aid station.
Bike
Start super easy, just cruise the lakefront and enjoy the moment.
Keep HR down on the Crown Road climb.
Roll down the hill, get the HR down.
Settle into low Z2 115max.
Powergel every 45min
Bottle every 45 min
Ems Power Cookie at 3hours – stop at aid station to open it.
Expect 6.10 – 6.15 if conditions are good.
T2
Shoes off early. Hand off bike easy. Slow is smooth.
Socks, Shoes, Visor, Number belt.
Sunscreen and banana at T2 aid station.
Run
Start at little more than walking pace. VERY IMPORTANT.
First hour: Zone 1. HR under 120 until the first aid station. Then 125 for rest of the first hour.
Second hour: Low Zone 2 up to 135.
Walk the aid stations. Gel at first station and every 45min, drink Horleys at every station.
No coke, no exceptions.
Wait for the line.
The hard work has been done. You're in the shape of your life. The pain is why you do this! There may never be another chance! Lets' do this!
Comments
I have no idea what the weather will be like, but what are you going to do of it's much warmer or cooler than your expecting? Having a plan is great but it's just that, a plan. I've never done an IM where everything was exactly perfect on race day and I've always had to adapt or change something in my plan to accommodate it. When that happens you just have to roll with it and not fight it. Keep that in mind and you'll do great!
Oh and smile, thank the volunteers, encourage the other competitors, and enjoy the opportunity. You're right, it's the opportunity of a lifetime.
Chris, the plan looks good. You didn't mention warming up just before the swim. Maybe you plan to do that, but just didn't mention it. If you intend to just do your "warmup" at the beginning of the swim, that's okay, but with all the excitement and distractions of many flailing arms around you, you may want to take a few minutes before the start to get a good warmup in. I suspect you're in good shape, so the extra time here shouldn't bother you later. Best of luck. We'll be pulling for you and our other EN teammates online.
Solid plan Chris. I have been following your training on Strava. Like you said , the work has been done, trust your training and enjoy the day
I love the detail and entusiasm in your plan. I've been following you on Strava, so know that you're going to do great. Having done 6 of these things doesn't make me an expert, but I've committed or seen just about every IM mistake made. The things that jumped out at me:
Thuesday registration closes at 4 or 5pm. Arriving in Taupo at 2pm means you're one weather delay, flat tire or traffic delay from not starting. I'd leave Taupo at 5:30am. But that's me.
3 full bottles on the bike is too much, especially with climbing starting at km 2. There's an aid station every 15km, so 2 is more than enough.
I don't like that Power Bar in TA right before the race. There's a reason we eat at 4:15 and allow our stomachs to empty before 7am. Move that back to 4:15 or wait until the bike.
T1: I'm fine with you not rushing, but keep the moving parts to a minimum and get in/out. It's amazing how many 12-minute T1s we'll see, and they serve no purpose other than making a long day unecessarily longer. If your plan is to "not rush" transition, you'll end up being in there for 10-12 minutes. Trust me. Embrace the free time; don't use it as an excuse to coast.
Don't eat in T1. Waste of time. Distraction. Start the food on the bike.
Also don't like the Em's Bar at Hour 3 of the bike. I like solids the first 1-1.5 hours because I have a stomach of iron, but definitely not after that point. Your stomach's ability to process solids at Hour 3 is very compromised. I very strongly recommend that you eat nothing but chews, gels, or liquids from the bike half-way point forward. Eat the Em's during the first hour, if at all.
Don't dwell or fret, but spend some mental energy thinking about your response to race-day adversity, whether it be goggles kicked off, flat tire, strong wind, penalty, stomach issues, cramping, chafing, etc. In a 12-hour race, something won't go according to plan. Your ability to handle it calmly and in stride will help a lot. Also, I believe one of the reasons we come back to this race year after year is because, as some point on race day you'll hit rock bottom or a few feet from it, and you crossing the finish line means you conquered those demons and 140.6. Be prepared to face Rock Bottom with some really strong mental defenses.
Can't wait to visit your beautiful country and share this amazing experience with you.
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks so much team, great feedback!
Logistics: Yes Mike I am being too complacent about the drive, will get moving earlier.
Nutrition: Moving the powerbar to breakfast time. Keeping the banana in T1 as I just feel better getting it out of the way instead of fumbling with it on the bike. Eliminating the Ems bar on the bike. Although I have tested it at hour three ok, it is only there to make up some sodium and I will use a Saltstick Tab instead (Mike I will put a post on the IMNZ thread about the on course nutrition).
Warm up: Yes some very light jogging and drills will be done on dry land. I prefer to keep my in-water warm up short to avoid getting cold.
One Thing: This has been a struggle for me to get clear about! Thanks Stefan for your Strava post that made it all become clear. This race is all about respecting everyone that has supported me. That includes my family, my awesome EN team, and most of all my training self. Many will be watching live or on-line and that's what I will be thinking of!
Adversity: I feel as ready as I can be for the unexpected. I will draw on past experiences. I've punctured in races twice, I've crashed hard on the bike in an Olympic distance and still finished strong with blood everywhere, had my best ever swim AG ranking when the waves were up. I even came off the bike during a feeding mishap this weekend during RR! Most of all I will remember that there are always others on the course in a much worse situation. 10 years ago I broke my leg badly in Soccer. It was a long road to recovery. Now after all that time I can say I'm in better shape now than ever before. I will not let any trivial pain or inconvenience take away from my race!