Mark Roberts IM TX Race Plan
Late getting this in -- But finally had a free moment to sit and think and plan out the day. Already done packet pickup, Team Dinner last night, 90% of bike prep and test ride this morning. 4 Keys talk was great followed by lunch.
Thursday - rest of day -- Finish bike prep, clean bike, check bolts etc. Layout stuff for transition bags, etc, organize race gear. Rest most of the afternoon, relatively early dinner and lights out 9-9:30
Friday -- Big breakfast before 8, Good lunch around noon -- Stay hydrated and off feet! Final bike and bag prep - check gear in sometime after lunch -- Check bag positions and walk transition area. I actually missed my bag at chattanooga and couldn't find it for 30 sec or so.
Race morning -- up at 4am -- Breakfast - english muffin, almond butter and honey, banana, 300 cal sustained energy. Leave for transition about 4:50 - Get dropped off -- Get in transition: Put on bike computer, turn on, shoes on pedals (legal this year) Load aerobottle and place rear bottle of Gatorade endurance on bike, Pump tires, 2 powerbars in 1/4 pieces wrapped in rice paper in bento box. Sunglasses on aerobars. Get out of transition quickly, meet katy in car and drive the back way to swim parking across from Swim start. Hopefully will be near the front of the line but if there are swim corrals I plan to line up in the 1:00-1:05 range -- Recently swam a 1:04 in the pool so I am optimistic for a low 1hr swim. Sip gatorade from bottle while waiting, gel or powerbar about 20-30 minutes before start Swimskin on, goggles under cap -- Drop dry clothes bag and get ready to go.
Swim -- Smooth is fast, count strokes, minimize sighting, cue of radio tower and big house on the way out. Stay relaxed and smooth. Swimming has been going well in training so I'm hoping this will be a good part of the day with a solid swim.
T1 -- out of water, find bag, into T1. Helmet on and buckled -- Briefly dry off shoulders, pull on Castelli aero top and zip, Arm coolers rolled up on wrists. Grab go bag (contents -- coin purse w salt tablets, 4 gels) Hand bag, swimskin, goggles and cap to volunteer. Head out putting stuff in pockets and then adjusting sleeves as necessary while heading to bike - Mount carefully, Fix shoes and get moving.
Bike - 1st 30 minutes, settle in to goal power minus 5-10 watts -- Begin nutrition plan -- Eat on the 10 min, and 40 min - Plan to take in 1.5-2 bottles per hr -- aiming for 40 oz --- With the gatorade endurance on the course I'll need to add 100-120 cal per hr to hit 350-360 per hr, Plan to do this with 1 gel per hour or 2 powerbar pieces. Saltstick caps: 1 every 45 min to 1 hr. More salt in Gatorade endurance than perform so bumping that down from 1 every 30 min. Plan to pick up at least 1 bottle gatorade every aid station and at some stations grab water bottle, splash to drink and dump cold water on arms and shoulders
Plan to target 192 NP which is exactly what I rode my race rehearsal in. Plan to aim for 195-200 on the screen riding along 200-210 longer hills, no more than 210-215 on short climbs. Ride the numbers on the way out w the tailwind -- Shift and focus on the rollers around Richards, Stay aero and steady and on the watts miles 65-80 into the wind, Mile 80 -- keep it strong and rolling back into transition and provided there are not too many other riders nearby -- work the corners (carefully) trying not to lose too much speed in the last 10 miles or so -- lots of turns but I think there may be some time to be had there just by proper braking and cornering trying to carry speed.
Bike goal 192-193 NP 0.74 IF ---- Should get me off the bike in 5:10-5:15 or so -- Best bike split predicting 5:02 but its typically a little faster than I actually split -- Rode a 5:25 solo on this course a month ago in traffic, stop lights, no aero gear so I think that target is feasible.
T2--dismount, shoes on pedals, helmet off while running -- Grab bag and into T2. Helmet on ground, Open bag -- Shoes on top with socks - put on, headsweats had on, hand helmet, bag to volunteer. Grab go bag w watch, race number, sunscreen stick, 4 gels and salt tablets. Watch on (turn on) and number on, sunscreen stick on face and neck and out on run course.
Run plan -- Ease into run trying to match Bike heart rate -- 140-145 for first 2-laps, If feeling good allow 145-150 lap 3. Aid stations, walk 30 steps, 2 cups gatorade at each aid station, Ice in hat, water on shoulders and arm coolers. Supplement gatorade with 1 gel every 45 minutes and 1 salt tabs 30-45 min I'm not even going to guess at a pace as it may be very conditions dependent. Currently forecast is for a high of 87 with a lot of humidity -- So the goal will be to manage heat stress, stay hydrated, cool, fuel up and maintain pace on the last lap.
Excited to be racing as This may be my last full for awhile, I hadn't even planned on another this year after doing Chattanooga last year but I ended up signing up in late november. Lots of different things have made Training has been more challenging this time -- and despite some setbacks in my consistency, I still plan on racing full bore and executing well. Fortunately the fitness is still mostly there and cumulative. We are all so fortunate to be able to do this. Plan to race my best and honor the work and sacrifices my family makes that makes this possible.
Comments
Pretty much textbook. Best of luck, and have fun. I heard T1 wasn't opening until 5:30am, so arriving that early might be overkill. But maybe they changed opening to 5am? You can skip taking sunscreen on the run if you want, because you'll run through a big group right out of T2 who will cover you (and you'll go through this same spf car wash starting Laps 2 and 3 as well). Your forecast looks very similar to last year's: we were 85F, humid as snot, and windy. The wind really cooled off the run late in the day, but it was crazy strong. Forecast tomorrow looks like "only" 15mph winds, but you will have clouds. I found the conditions last year to be hot, but manageable. And even though my time wasn't fast by most measures, it was fast on the day, as the vast majority really melted. Like you, though, I trained in warm, humid weather before the race. This is a long way of saying . . . I think this race sets up really well for you. Nail the bike, then be patient and steady on the run, keep the walk breaks to a minimum to cool and vv your HR, and keep moving forward. Even if you're running 8:30's, you'll be in the mix.
Mark,
Looks good my only comment is on the "Sip gatorade from bottle while waiting, gel or powerbar about 20-30 minutes before start"
Are you eating a whole powerbar that close to the swim? If I recall correctly there's about 1/2 the calories in a gel as a full bar,110 calories in a gel versus 220-240 in a bar. I'd stick with a gel that close to the swim but if you have tested it before then go with it.
@ Gordon -- yes -- Probably will either eat the gel OR half the powerboat depending on how my stomach is feeling. Probably the gel.