70.3 Eagleman Race Plan
Eagleman will be my first 70.3. I have done a few Olys and sprints over the past year and a half. Concerns are overheating on the run (frequent problem in past half mary and longer runs) and panic in the swim (has happened before but this training cycle I have spent a lot of time in OW swims--think I'm G2G on this now). Goal times in plan below are "best case" everything goes well. In reality, simply finishing will bring a tear of joy to my eye. Under 6 hours and I'll be overjoyed. Feedback and comments welcomed...
My particulars: Male, 47 yo, 178 lbs, 229 FTP, 35 vDOT,
Eagleman 70.3 Race plan
Wednesday, June 10:
• Drive from home to Staunton, VA to spend night w/friends. (8 hours stopping occasionally to take a short walk.)
• Easy 30 minute run with strides.
Thursday, June 11:
• Drive from Staunton to Philly area to visit with friends Thursday and Friday. (5 hours stopping occasionally to walk.)
• Swim laps at the Ardmore, Ave pool (30 minutes easy) before heading to Jeff’s house.
• 45 Minute spin around Bryn Mawr according to training plan.
• Dinner with Jeff and his family
Friday, June 12:
• Breakfast: Veggie Omelet, Banana
• Lunch 12’ Subway Turkey Sub chips, Gatorade.
• Easy midday spin on bike with 30 minute easy brick run according to plan.
• Clean-up bike, make sure everything is tight.
• Hang out with friends and try to keep from overeating/eating foolishly.
Saturday, June 13:
• Breakfast: Pancakes, fruit, eat big
• Drive from Bryn Mawr, PA to the race venue (about 2.5 hours) arriving by 10:30 am
• Scout race venue, visit expo etc…
• 12pm Team lunch: Try for a sandwich—stay heavy on the carbs
• 2pm Athlete briefing or 4pm if late
• Bike check-in
• Dinner: Italian??? Chicken, Pasta, Salad
• Review gear at hotel and set out everything for morning and transitions according to checklist (last page)
• Load everything in truck to be ready to go in the am.
Sunday, June 14—Race Day!:
Pre race:
• Wake at 3:30 am. Coffee, Shower.
• Breakfast: 2 Bananas, 2 cups Unsweet applesauce, 1 scoop whey, Bottle of Gatorade Endurance, more Coffee
• Gear to wear/carry: EN kit, swim skin and wet suit, goggles/swim cap (Ziploc bag in Jersey pocket)
• Drive to venue (30 minutes) Arrive by 5:15
• Check-in/body marking
• Setup transition areas according to checklist (last page)
• Head for the water and warm-up if possible, if not, a few minutes of easy running to warm-up.
Swim:
• Goal 00:40:00
• I’ve been practicing and getting comfortable in open water in this training cycle since previous (OLY distance) mass starts have caused me some panic at the outset and really messed me up. Given my comfort level now in OWS I will try to get in the thick of things and swim the shortest distance near the buoys.
• Think smooth, easy, rhythmic stroke
• On exit, strip swim skin/wetsuit to waist, remove goggles/cap, while running to transition.
T1:
• Goal 00:03:00
• Strip remainder of swim skin/wetsuit.
• Put on helmet/sunglasses (placed on Aerobars)
• Everything else will be preloaded on bike
• Eat a half a clif bar as heading out of T1.
• Take care running out not to turn cranks and mess up shoe placement.
Bike:
• Goal 2:45:00
• As much as possible maintain steady state of about 185-195 watts (80-85 IF) Keep an eye on the PM and don’t daydream into Z2 land
• If feeling good okay to increase intensity at midway point.
• Assuming high heat, drink 1.5 bottles of Gatorade Endurance per hour plus 1 power gel (1070 mg sodium)
• Drop intensity for last few miles to cool down in prep for the run.
• Take a bottle of water at last aid station and douse to cool down.
• Loosen shoes in last KM so you can just step out and run into T2
T2:
• Goal 00:03:00
• Rack bike and pour bottle of ice water on self to cool down.
• Remove helmet, put on hat
• Put on Socks/Shoes
• Put on race belt, should have six gels safety pinned on it plus bib.
Run:
• Goal 2:00:00
• Force yourself to start off slow (9:45/10:00 min/mil) until you get your legs and comfort.
• Increase pace to Z3 after mile 2 if comfortable.
• Z4 final push in last 2-3 miles just like training—go hard at the end, leave nothing in the tank.
• Take Gatorade endurance at every aid station and get ice when possible. (~40oz total ~1000mg sodium total)
• Take a powergel every 2 miles to keep sodium levels up (~1200mg of sodium total)
Finish:
• Smile, Try to look victorious and throw in an EN Gang sign too.
• Pause to reflect on what it took to get here, start thinking of the next one. ?
• Walk for 15 minutes and roll out legs with “the stick”
• Cheer on other athletes and connect with the EN team.
• Check out bike and find something to do in Cambridge in the evening.
Misc stuff to pack
• Fig newtons
• Gatorade Endurance Powder
• Box of powergels
• Whey Protein
• Bananas
• Chargers: Garmin, MIO, Fitbit, Phone
• Laptop
• Tri Kit, work out clothes for prior, Extra shoes
• Rubber bands
• Packing tape/Electrical tape/duct tape
Gear for Race day:
• Bike Checked in Saturday (includes extra tube/tire/tools and bento box already attached)
• EN Kit and flip flops, Swim cap in pocket
• Goggles around neck/spares in bag
• Sunscreen applied
• Wetsuit and Swim Skin in hand
For T1 setup:
• Bottles with Endurance mounted on bike
• Gels loaded in bento box
• Shoes clipped to bike
• Extra tube to put in pocket at T1
• Helmet and glasses sitting on Aerobars
• Sunscreen
For T2 setup:
• Bottle of cold water to squirt on self (bring frozen in morning)
• Race belt (6 gels attached by safety pin, race number attached)
• Hat
• Small cloth to wipe sunglasses
• Socks
• Shoes
• Sunscreen
For Finish:
•Change of clothes
Comments
Have you tested the amounts that you mentioned or have you tried salt caps? Other than that, you look well prepared to have an awesome day!
Thanks Brad,
Yes, I've tested the amounts on the gels and haven't had any GI issues. That said, open to trying something else if it'll cut the calories some which I'd prefer anyway. I've used salt supplements (endurolyte extreme.) Thing I don't like about these is fumbling with tiny pills and trying to keep them dry on the run (I sweat like a waterfall). Fortunately, I genuinely have a stomach of iron and I still have another decent long run left to give something else a try. I'll look at the other sodium options available and see what I can do to change that up.
Anybody got a suggestion/plug for their favorite sodium supplement?
Best,
Dave
Brad's right. You need to do a detailed analysis of your planned caloric intake on the run. Off the cuff: gel every two miles = 100 x 3/hour; gatorade 12 oz per mile = 80 x 6; that's a total of 780 calories your gut will be trying to deal with while your body will be shunting blood away from the GI tract to the skin (for cooling) and muscles (for work). MAYBE you can absorb 250 per hour; the rest will come to haunt you very quickly.
My 2¢: a gel in T2, then one in the middle, say @ mile 7. Six oz gatorade max each mile, the rest of your fluid needs (maybe as much as 6-10 additional oz) in water. Salt needs are a very personal thing, need to be assessed during training in similar conditions to race day. Gatorade Endurance has a fair amount of salt in it, 290 mg/12 oz. 36 oz/hour >> 870 mg.
Thanks Al,
My last 3 long runs have been mid-afternoon scorchers (80 plus temp and 70+ humidity) with 4 10 oz bottles of Gatorade over the course of 10-12 miles. I've used both gels (powergels) and salt supplements (Endurolyte Extreme 120 mg each) as well to get the extra sodium. No GI problems yet. In a sweat trial on the run about three weeks ago (high heat) I lost about 5.2 lbs in an hour and my skin and clothes are always pretty gritty with salt after my runs.
Have to admit that the last few miles of the long runs (over 10 miles) in the heat are torture for me, not due to GI issues but because of overheating. I may be overly paranoid about the salt. I'll take my last long(ish) run in the upcoming week and do the gels as you suggest and see how I feel. Glad to carry less on the run and spend less time fiddling with trying to get down gels.
Thanks for the feedback, very helpful.
D
I hope you realise the implications of what you describe here:
My conclusions: you are getting proper caloric intake - 40 oz of gatorade is enough to handle. But you are losing 80+ oz of fluid (via sweat and respiration) in an hour - more than you are replacing by far. This dehydration is probably part of why you feel so bad. Confirms my thought you need an additional 8 oz or so of water @ each mile/aid station during a run in those conditions. Salt tabs aren't going to help you as much as more fluid during the run. It's a lot to swallow and absorb, but it can be done. It might be a good idea to measure out, say six ounces, in a cup and see how many swallows it takes you to finish that, as you won't know how much you are getting when you are handed a partially filled cup of water or Gatorade. For me, one swallow = about one ounce of fluid.
Remember, you paid for that water on course, you might as well get your share of it!
Thx,
Dave
As for the bike and run, it's flat as a pancake. Most of the time on the bike u get a head wind the last 16 miles... Or u have a head wind the first 30 (like last weekend when I road the course). Be aware of how the wind is blowing the first 15 miles (as u leave town). Because u will know what the second half looks like.
The run is HOT!!! Very little shade. I would suggest a hat for the run and not a visor, u can store ice in the hat. Make sure u reapply sun screen in T2. Do not under estimate coke for the last few miles on the run, good sugar and energy if u typically start having issues. Will not help the dehydration issue though.
Dave,
Beyond the run gels/more liquid. I'd add the following:
1/2 a clif bar in T1. I typically go with liquid for the first few minutes of the ride as my heart rate settles back down.
I noted your 35 vdot and a run goal of 2 hours. A 35 vdot has a half marathon estimator of 2:04:13. Just watch this coming off the bike you don't want to walk the back half of the run losing huge chunks of time. Additionally if you have issues with overheating and performing in heat you may have to slow down even further.
Gordon
@Gordon, The more I've been considering and discussing this, the more I agree that i will have to lower my expectations on the run in particular. Goal times I listed are best case anyway. If the humidity and heat are particularly high I will slow even more and settle for a 2:15 run. My half mary time from a few months back (cooler weather) was 1:56:28. My vDot is based on a more recent 5k test.
Main thing here is that I'm going to have to accept that I may not be as fast a runner as I want to be yet. Better to be slow and strong than fast(er) and miserable.
Thanks,
Dave