Gabe Peterson's Boulder 70.3 Race Plan
Hey team...
This will be my first time doing IM 70.3 Boulder. My draft race plan is in the post below. I'll update it as I get feedback from the team.
Here are my key questions:
Questions
1. What is visibility like in the water? It doesn’t look good from the videos I’ve seen. Is it IMAZ bad where you can’t see your hand in front of you?
2. Can you do a warmup swim race morning? What about getting in the water on Friday? How is the water temperature? The athlete's guide says 65-70F.
3. Having never seen this course, or even been to Boulder, the bike course looks relatively flat and fast. What is the pavement quality like? Any technical sections?
4. The biggest climb of the bike course looks like straight out of transition. Is it step enough to have the bike already in the small chain ring? It doesn’t like like you can do the usually EN thing of going easy to start off. How have others dealt with it?
5. The key to the bike course appears to be staying locked in the aero bars, correct? St George is forgiving in that regard with all the rollers.
6. The run course looks like it’s pretty simple – flat and fast, mostly on hard-packed dirt roads. The only challenge I could foresee is if it is hot, but it can’t be worse than St George. Any surprises to watch out for?
7. In transition, do you have to keep your stuff in the designated bags? Or can you setup camp like a local tri?
8. Mark mentioned there is a “secret” north entrance to the Reservoir that avoids the morning traffic. I’ll be staying in Longmont, per his recommendation. Where is the north entrance?
Comments
Race Plan: Boulder 70.3
2015 Targets
All Time PR
Overall Time: Sub 5:30
Overall Time: 5:44 @ SuperFrog 2014
Swim: 42:00
Swim: 44 @ St George 2015
T1: 3:00
T2: 3 @ SuperFrog 2014
Bike: 2:45
Bike: 2:47 @ SuperFrog 2014
T2: 2:00
T2: 2 @ St George 2015
Run: 1:45
Run: 1:55 @ St George 2015
Pre-Race
Thursday
· Begin carb loading by tracking calories and carb consumption in MyFitnessPal. Target a minimum of 500g carbs. Pack carb sources including bagels, fruit, and Gatorade. Take in carbs every hour.
· Leave SLC by 7AM. Car loaded the night before.
· Arrive in Longmont by 3PM and check-in to hotel. Unload bike and gear.
· Go to the Reservoir to check-in. Attend athlete briefing at 4PM. Scope out the swim and transitions. Check the water temperature. If above 70F, I’ll wear my sleeveless wetsuit to avoid overheating.
· Do a stoopid easy run around the Reservoir to get a feel for the run course.
· Return to hotel and have a chill night.
Friday
· Drink sports drink throughout the day to carb load and stay hydrated.
· Decide whether to run FLO 30 or 60 wheel on the front. If there is any chance of wind, go with the FLO 30. This course looks much less technical than St George, so I’ll go with the 60 unless hurricane winds are predicted.
· Take bike for short shakedown ride to ensure it made the trip okay.
· 11AM – Drop off bike at transition. Let air out of tires so I don’t have a repeat of St George and find a flat in the morning.
· Not sure if the swim is opened before the race. I may do a practice swim if an option.
· 12PM – EN lunch.
· Drive the bike course.
· Return to hotel and prepare gear bags (see below).
Bike / Morning Bag
· Aero helmet
· Rimless sunglasses
· Tri cycling shoes
· Socks in case I want to wear them
· Extra tubes
· Bike pump
Run Bag
· Socks
· Hoka Cliftons
· Race belt with number loaded with 4 GU Salted Carmels (go bag)
· EN or SLTC visor (go bag)
· Running sunglasses (go-bag)
· Sunscreen (in race belt pouch)
Morning Bag
· Wetsuit
· Clear goggles plus tinted set as backup
· Timing chip
· Swim cap
· Trislide lube
· Pre-workout drink
· Bike nutrition
o Aero bottle filled with Sustained Energy
o Perform in Nalgene bottle to go in Torhans 30
o Bike bottle with Perfom for refills
o GU Chomps and cutup Clif Bar
Race Morning
· Wake up at 4:00AM
· Eat cereal + coffee up
· Apply two layers of sunscreen
· Depart by 4:30AM taking Mark Cardinale’s secret back entrance to the Reservoir to avoid traffic
· Drink Gatorade on drive
· Arrive at 5:00AM
· Setup gear in transition
· Connect HRM and put on wetsuit
· Pre-workout supplement 15 minutes before start
Swim
Target time: 42min
Target pace: 1:55min/100yds
Goals: Have my 1900m pool swim times of 38-39 minutes show up on race day. Keep mental focus and arm turnover high. I only had one open water swim before St George. I should have at least four before Boulder.
· Warm up swim if allowed. Otherwise, bring a stretch cord to do a short warmup.
· When the gun goes off, easy run into the water.
· First 10 minutes – go easy counting strokes, sight off buoys on the right. I breathe on the left, so I’ll have to establish sight lines in advance. Try to swim inside the buoy line since it will be easier for me to sight.
· Try to find feet or bubbles to draft. From the videos, the water doesn’t look very clear. Expect low visibility, which means increased contact.
· If fast swimmers from later waves try to climber over, throw elbows to discourage them.
· After rounding the last turn buoy and the swim exit is in sight, start kicking harder to get blood back into the legs.
· Swim exit – run up beach, unzip wetsuit, and find wetsuit stripper
T1
Target time: 3:00
1. Jog from strippers to my bike and gear. Make sure to identify a landmark during walkthrough
2. Put wetsuit, cap, and goggles in swim bag.
3. Spin crank to wake up PM and turn on bike computer.
4. Open bike bag
5. If cold, take arm warmer #1 out of upside down helmet, it's pre-rolled, and slip over arm. Repeat for Arm warmer #2.
6. Put on socks and shoes.
7. Put sunglasses in mouth.
8. Put helmet on head and buckle.
9. Put on sunglasses.
10. Walk bike (don’t break a cleat) to mount line.
11. Clean mount at the line, pedaling away softly and safely as I confirm PM is up and running. Watch out for other riders attempting a “fly mount” for the first time.
Bike
Target time: 2:45 (Best Bike Split predicts 2:32)
FTP: 240W
Target NP: 190W
Target TSS: 160
Target Speed: 22MPH
Target IF: 0.8
Goals: Stay aero as much as possible and avoid mental fatigue. The course looks flat, fast, and non-technical. It won’t punish the non-EN athletes who like to overcook the hills and coast on the descents. However, they probably will be riding on the bullhorns by the second half. Flat courses are mostly a mental game – keep pushing the power.
· First 5 minutes -- Try to stay in low Z3 (170W) and settle into the bike to make the transition from the water.
o People will pass like I am going backwards. Let them. I’ll see most of them later on the bike or the run when they’re walking.
· The course starts off with what looks like the biggest climb all day, so I’ll get a minimal warmup. However, given that this is a fast course, it will be tough to overcook the bike.
· Settle in at target wattages (below).
· Around mile 35-38, refill Torhans with Perform from spare bottle. I’ll carry all the nutrition I need to avoid the chaos of hand ups. I talked to a dude at St George who crashed because a volunteer walked into him during the hand ups. He rode the rest of the way with a broken base bar and only working front brakes.
Nutrition Plan
· Target: Consume about 300 calories per hour and about 500mg of sodium (I can’t handle the 1000mg EN recommendation – it gives me a rotten stomach)
Nutrition
Frequency
Calories / hour
Total calories
3-4 oz of Perform from Torhans 30 on aerobars
15 min
175
525
Swig of Sustained Energy from aero bottle on downtube
30 min
100
300
Eat Gu Chomps and cutup Clif Bar from bento box
30 min
25
150
Power Guidelines
CATEGORY
WATTS
Flat/Roll
Headwind
185
Flat/Roll
Tailwind
189
Flat/Roll
Crosswind
184
Minor Hill
(1-2%)
204
Medium Hill
(2-4%)
221
Major Hill
(4-6%)
236
Extreme Hill
(>6%)
242
Minor
Descent
157
T2
Target time: 2:00
· Roll downhill to the dismount line, hop off the bike, and jog to spot on bike rack.
· Take off helmet, tri shoes, and riding sunglasses, putting them aside.
· Open run bag.
· Take out shoes, socks (if needed), and go bag.
· Put on socks then shoes.
· Grab go bag, and head to a port-a-potty. Memorize location on walkthrough.
· Use port-a-potty.
· Jog out of T2.
· During first half mile of run, open go bag:
1. Put on visor and running sunglasses
2. Put on race belt
3. Apply sunscreen
Run
Target time: 1:45
VDOT: 46-47
Target TSS: 130
Target pace: Sub 8:00/mi
Goals: Bury myself. The run is my jam. While everyone else slows down, keep getting faster. This will be my first half marathon on a flat, quality surface in a long time. I can use pace targets first with HR and RPE as a sanity check. I should be able to run a sub 8:00/mi half marathon, unless the temperature is in the 90F range.
· Walk 20 paces at every aid station to take in nutrition.
· Set Garmin Fenix 3 to autolap every mile and just focus on hitting the targets for that mile. If I have a bad mile, just let it go.
Pace Targets
· 0-3 miles – Easy Z2 (8:15/mi). Go conservative and keep HR in high Z2 / low Z3.
· 3-10 miles – Z3 (7:45/mi). HR up to high Z3. At St George I was able to run in high Z3 to low Z4. Stay loose and have fun. Smile and joke with volunteers.
· 10-13.1 miles – Z4 (sub 7:30/mi). Run like I’m being chased by a dinosaur. Don’t leave anything on the course.
· Finish – slow down and enjoy it! Look gooood for the picture!
Nutrition Plan
Target: Consumer about 270 calories per hour.
Nutrition
Frequency
Calories / hour
Total calories
3-4 oz of Perform from aid station, walk 20 paces
Every mile
170
340
Shot of Gu gel with caffeine to stay alert
Every 3-4 miles
100
200-300
Take water as need.Dump ice water on head if hot.
As need.
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Gabe - See below for answers to your questions....
1> Visibility is not great. You can see your hand but not much beyond that. It's been chilly this year so expect water temps similar to St. George, maybe a touch warmer (64-67).
2> Yes you can do a warm-up on race morning. They have a small section roped off where you can do a warm up. It gets crowded, but it's better than nothing.
3> The pavement is good and shoulders are pretty wide. There really isn't anything on this course i would consider technical.
4> No need to setup your bike in the small ring. It's a about a quarter mile from T1 to the first incline so you have plenty of time to get in the proper gear for the first uphill. When i first raced this course i tried the EN approach of starting easy, but i lost a ton of time in the first miles of the course. My advice is to be fairly aggressive in the beginning. You have a climb out of the res, you bang a right on Jay Rd., another right on 36 where you go into a gradual uphill. Once you crest that first uphill section, hit the gas because it gets really fast from there. Again, you can be aggressive from the get-go, just don't get crazy.
5>For me the key is to remain focused throughout. Once you take a left on 75th and your on that section up north, that's where i tend to lose focus. Not sure why...Lots of desolate open space. To answer your question, yes, stay aero as much as possible and keep on your watts as much as possible.
6> The run was a death march back when this race was in August and was 2 loops around the res. Now 2 out and backs and being in June, it's very straightforward. You will have a short uphill section right out of T2, but after the run in St. George, it's hard for me to refer to this Boulder course as having anything resembling a hill.
7> Your gear does not need to be in a bag. You can lay out your stuff on the ground next to your bike.
8> Here it is! The super secret backdoor entrance to the boulder res! Actually, it's not so secret, but you will be able to drive right in without waiting. From your hotel in Longmont, get on Diagonal (119) heading south. Get off at Monarch and head west(Right turn). Turn left on 55th. (don't freak out...it's a dirt road) and follow that to reservoir road and take that left into the park. That's it.....
Will comment separately on your race plan. Any other course questions, just ask!
Gabe - I think your plan looks really good. I agree with you about the importance of maintaining mental focus out on the bike course. Lots of rolling terrain without any signature features. Most likely you should be fine with your FLO60. Wind is "usually" pretty calm in the am. I love the focus and the confidence you are bringing to the table with respect to your run. 1:45 is legit, but totally doable! See you in a few weeks and i look forward to sharing the course with you once again!
Thanks x2, Mark! I appreciate all the helpful advice. Rich should let you do the course preview call for Boulder.
I'll have to dig deep to stay locked in the aero bars. My tri bike hasn't seen much action this year. Probably 80-90% of my rides have been on my road bike on the KICKR. For whatever reason, I just can't ride the tri bike on the trainer, just too painful.
I'll plan to rock the Flo 60 but will bring the 30 just in case. The 60 made it through IMAZ under unusually windy conditions. However, I definitely appreciated the improved handling of the 30 at St George.
Hopefully, I can back up my target on the run. The other targets are somewhat conservative. Since I'm trying to maximize my run this year, I feel like I have to set an ambitious target. This thread will hold me accountable.