Chris Davis IMTX 2015 Race Plan
IMTX 2015 Race Plan
Questions to be answered via EN member input:
1. Can bike shoes be clipped onto bike? Or do I have to walk in them?
2. Should I wear my HRM in the water? I’ve never done it before.
3. Should I have a stripper help take off my Lava Pants (there’s a question a church boy like me can only ask in a VERY controlled environment, Haahaa)?
Tuesday:
Wake by 5:30
30 minute run
Cut Nails
Clean Bike
Bed by 9:00
Wednesday:
Wake by 5:00
30 minute Swim early morning
Athlete Check-in in the morning.
Bike/Course Recon - Bike Woodlane at 1:00 with the group.
Team Dinner.
Bed by 9:00
Thursday:
Wake at 5:00
Big Breakfast
30 Minute Bike
30 minute Swim
30 minute run
4 Keys talk at 10.
Put numbers on bike and helmet
Pack Bags
T1 Bike Bag: Helmet, Sunglasses
Bike Special Needs Bag: 1 intertube, 1 co2 cartridge rubber banded to intertube, 1 single use chamois,
T2 Bag: Running shoes, socks, Fuel Belt with bib attached, 14 salt pills loaded into canister in fuel belt, visor (attach to race belt), small towel to wipe off feet.
Run Special needs Bag: socks, Extra Salt tabs in zip loc, extra chamois cream, small roll of duct tape.
Morning Bag: Swim cap, goggles, inhaler, 3 gel flasks loaded, electric tape, Garmin 510, Garmin 910, chip, safety pins for chip, throw-away sandals, bike shoes, bike salt pills, Bike Tool Kit, extra tube, travel pump.
In bed by 9:00
Friday:
Wake at 5:00
Bike check in at 10:00 am. Rest and relax most of the rest of the day.
20 minute run
In bed by 9:00
Saturday:
Wake up at 3:45 – Breakfast of Peanut Butter Sandwich and 24 oz of Gatorade Endurance
Fill 3 bottles with Endurance (one “throw away, and Two EN bottles)
Sip on second bottle of Endurance throughout Transition set-up and walk to swim start.
5:30 Transition Opens
Tape 2 Gel Flasks to bike (to pull off and put in jersey once on the road)
Put 1 Gel Flask in bento box
Put Salt Pills in Bento box
Fill tires (give pump to Christina to take with her)
Turn on Garmin 510 ad calibrate power-meter
Clip Bike shoes to pedals
Put 1 inhaler in bike seat bag
Put 1 inhaler in tri-shorts pocket
Put tire wrench in bike seat bag
Fill aero bottle with Endurance from “EN” bottle. Give empty EN bottle to Christina
Place “Throw-away” bottle of Endurance on bike.
Walk from Transition to Swim start and arrive at swim start by 6:20.
6:40 Rolling Swim Start
Swim:
Estimated Swim Time of 1:40
Swim Execution: Plan to wear Lava pants. Concentrate on form and stay calm. Start thinking about smooth transition when I get a little way up the canal.
T1: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
Goggles and swim cap off while running to bag.
Get bag, run through tent.
Dump bag outside of tent, put on helmet and glasses.
Take off Lava Pants after tent (Or should I use a stripper for this?).
Pack swim gear back into bag (or find a nice volunteer to do so for me, thank volunteer).
Bike:
Estimated bike time: 7:00 to 7:30.
Bike Nutrition: One full bottle of endurance every 30-40 minutes. One Stinger gel every 30 minutes. One salt tab every 30 minutes. Push down extra Endurance during first hour to “make up” for swim time. Total nutrition per hour of 520 calories and 1730 mg sodium.
Shoes already clipped to bike (this is legal, right?). Pedal a bit “on top” of shoes and get some room before putting feet into shoes.
Pacing Plan: Steady bike being mindful of power. 127 w NP for first 40 miles. 133 w NP goal watts after 40 miles. 137 w max on long hills, 144 w max power. For first 40 miles, undershoot on power and enjoy the ride. Sit up as desired, and have some fun. My box is as big as my own bike, don’t get caught up in what other people are doing. After 40 miles move up to 133 w NP. Stay Aero on the ride out of Richards toward Dobbin. Build a little bit of speed, especially on 1488, and on Woodlands Parkway.
Feet out of shoes right after crossing over the canal.
T2: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
Hand off bike
Grab bag, run through tent.
Dump bag on ground.
Wipe off feet with small towel
Put on socks and shoes.
Pack helmet in bag
Put on race belt with salt tabs already in pouch on race belt while running out of T2.
Run:
Run Estimated Time 5:15
Run Nutrition: 4 oz of Gatorade Endurance every aid station. 1 Gu every 30 minutes. 1 salt tab every other aid station. Total run nutrition of 333 calories and 1245 mg sodium every hour.
Pacing Plan: Loop 1 at Low 120 bpm heart-rate. This is approximately 12:00 per mile pace, but dial up/down to hit heart rate on race day. Sit on it, and love it. It feels and is slow, but it’s where I need to be for the first hour of the run. Keep your mind in a good place. Smile and Thank volunteers, and encourage others. Enjoy the run (for now).
Loop 2 bump up to low 130 bpm hr pace. Again, dial pace up or down as needed. Keep mind in a good place. Keep your box as big as possible. You’re enjoying the run, right?
Loop 3 time to race. Adjust HR up to mid 130’s for first mile or so of third loop. Adjust from there based on feel.
Finish Line:
Finish Line Nutrition: Don’t say “no” to a refreshing beverage if offered…
Estimated Finish Line Time: As much time as it takes to give High Five’s in the shoot, and come in by yourself. If you want to sprint it in, do it, but don’t try to out-sprint anyone to the line. Unless you want to, and they know it’s a sprint to the finish.
Pacing Plan: Extend the pleasure, you earned it. Meet your catcher and thank them. Take off your own chip. You’ve done it for thousands others, you can do it for yourself. Smile for the camera. Find your fans. Hug them, cause they’ll never let a sweaty mess hug them any other time. Throw the boys their hand signals.
Comments
1. Check the Athlete's Guide. Usually shoes cannot be clipped onto bike (or left near it). I usually CARRY my shoes, sometimes even to the mount line, depending on where it is relative to my bike.
2. I've always worn my HR monitor strap under my tri suit in the water, never had any problems with that in 100 + tris
3. Lava pants (I have a pair) have a relatively low waist, a smooth interior fabric, and are easy to walk/run in. I'd vote for taking them of myself, to reduce the number of stops you make in T1. Just make sure to untie them while running to your bag!
Hey Chris,
Well thought-out plan. Best of luck. The new shoes-on-bike rule worked great at my IM two months ago. Recommended. I always wear my HR strap in a race swim - you won't notice it. And I'd strip the Lava pants myself, as it's quite easy.
Other notes: I'd skip that 20-minute run the day before the race. Or, if you're really antsy, cut it to 10 minutes. But if you're gonna be out there for nearly 14 hours, you need the rest. Because of the rolling start and your estimated time on the bike, I don't think you'll find the tent at either transition to be crowded. I'd just find a volunteer, sit on the bench, and put the volunteer to work.
The other thing that stands out is the 520 calories/hr on the bike. If you really go 7.5 hours, that's 4,000 calories! Just on the bike. I generally shoot to consume 2,500 or less across the entire race (300/hr bike, 200/hr run). You may be bigger and need more calories, but that's really a lot. At a minimum, do me a favor and cut back on the calories on the bike if your stomach starts to hurt and/or you get bloated (and definitely cut back once you get to Mile 100). Just make sure you keep drinking.
Have fun. Hope you have a very successful day.
If I hit 1 bottle per aid station, that puts me at 3 bottles every 2 hour (at about 15 miles per hour), which puts me a little bit below the 463 cal/hr that the EN nutrition plan spreadsheet calls for. That's really how I should have this written into my plan, as that's more accurate as to how it will happen on race day. Good catch. I already pulled back on my calories for the run pretty significantly because I was starting to feel nauseous after the run.
I pulled that run right out of the training plan as I was writing this up, and didn't read ahead to see it was very much a "probably dont do" run.