Rachel Hawe's IMCDA 2015 Race Plan
Apologize for the stream of consciousness this took. This is my brain rebelling against scientific writing.
The short backstory: 1 IM done (IMWI 2013- 13:20), last year was lost to injury, this year training has been subpar due to lots of factors but some good bumps with JVC and BRP camp, and camp week in week 15. Long rides and runs have felt solid. The catch- I've trained in mostly 60 degree weather and apparently Sunday in CDA is going to be above 100 degrees. Oh well, take what the day gives you! My only goal now is to execute a smart race, where that will be done by finishing.
Bike is already en route with TBT, I'll be landing in Spokane Wednesday evening, meeting up with my mom/biggest fan, and driving to CDA. Staying in a rental house just a few blocks from the action, so great location and will be able to cook our own meals to keep the tummy happy!
Thursday: check in, short swim, pick up bike. Do about 25 miles of the bike course that Coach Rich talked about, drive the rest. Drive the run, possibly try running part of the course, but not sure how much that will really count for when the weather will be what it is. Team dinner Thursday night.
Friday: swim. Possibly the welcome banquet depending on what we feel like.
Sat: big breakfast of my momma's delicious pancakes. Drink perform all day. Drop off bike. Normal lunch. go to a movie or something chill. Dinner - chicken and rice. Early to bed even if not sleeping.
QUESTION: I am most definitely NOT heat acclimated. From what I've read, 3 days really isn't enough time to get there. So am I better off staying out of the heat to not tax my body in the days leading up, or do I still have a chance to gain some benefit from being out in the head of the day Thurs-Sat??
Race Morning: Up at 4:15. Breakfast- 2 cups applesauce, whey, banana, drink bottle of Perform before race. Walk to race sight. Pump up tires (QUESTION- usually inflate to 100 psi (23 in front, 25 in back)- should this be different in heat??). Two bottles of perform on bike to vary my carb source per Core Diet. Garmin on and turned off auto-off. HR monitor (MIO link) on wrist but off.
Swim:
Sleeveless wetsuit, goggles under cap. Line up with 1:25ers, expecting a 1:30-1:40. Very little OWS practice this year. Goal is to stay smooth and calm, know that the swim can feel like it goes on forever but it doesn't. Remind myself that I have better swim endurance than ever before. I can go the distance! Only as fast as form allows. Focus on high elbows- imagine the water is really shallow and I can't let my fingers touch the bottom. Come out of first loop and don't worry about time, it is what it is, can't change a thing! All decisions should be focused on needing to exert as little energy as possible. Make sure to pee before out of the water!
T1: Pull top of wetsuit down as soon as out of water, strippers do the rest. Glasses on, shoes on (no socks), helmet on. Turn on mio link. Get sunscreened. QUESTION- I just ordered the desoto cool wings, will have shipped to the rental house. How hard are they to put on when wet and any tricks? Do I still need sunscreen under them?
Bike: Well, they say don't try anything new on race day, but this heat is new so some changes are being made. My nutrition has changed now, and pacing. My bike has shipped with a currently non-functioning power meter. It stopped working on my last RR and I haven't been able to fix it. I assume no magic is going to happen, so I won't have power. Might be a blessing in disguise as with the heat I need to focus more on HR and RPE. Start out stupid easy, like riding to the grocery store easy. After an hour, up it a bit, but still, it is a HOT day, ride well within my limits. HR target- 140, Garmin autolapping every 5 miles. Ride the hills like a good EN chica, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Come up out of the aerobars on the hills as a change in position. Priority is 1) fueling and 2) staying cool. Fueling will be 2 bottles Gatorade every hour (peform first hour) + s-cap every hour. I only trained with 1.25 bottles an hour + bars, so this is a change. If I need to drink more, will add water but add in salt as well. Take a banana from aid stations if I need it. Refill Gatorade at every aid station and grab bottle of water to keep cool. Stop at special needs if need anything (solid food, gels, salt pills if they got lost, extra tube, co2, chamois cream), otherwise just keep going. Make sure I pee at least 2x, hoping to not have to stop!
T2: Hand bike off, leave shoes on bike (allowed?), helmet off as I go to the tent. Change to run shorts (personal preference), socks on, shoes on, grab go bag (hat, race number, salt pills, freezer bag for ice), start watch.
Run: RUN STUPID EASY! I (like everyone) runs way too fast off the bike. SLOW IT DOWN! 10:15 for first 6 miles. Evaluate how I feel. Remember this is not a normal run, these are not normal conditions. Aid stations- fill bag with ice, put in tri top, sponges, water on head and cool wings. Gatorade, gu + salt pill every 4 miles. Try to hold off on coke until 2nd lap. Walk the aid stations. I am ready to adapt the pace with the heat, but will not just walk- all walking has to be within a plan (run 3 min, walk 1 min) or else I will just walk. Thinking I might just plan to walk the hills with the heat and hills not being my forte. Keep monitoring how I feel- fluids? Salt? Don’t be stupid. One thing I’m worried about is wet feet from pouring water on myself, will have extra pair of socks in special needs. It’s going to be wicked hard, an IM always is, but these conditions might be downright crazy. But as they say- "You can quit if you want, and no one will care. But you will know for the rest of your life
Finish smiling and thinking of next time!
Comments
Sleeveless wetsuit in that cold water? Or will it not be so cold this year?
PSI - Individual based your weight , rim width , road conditions , etc.... rear should be about 5psi higher than front.... Last weekend I raced with 80front/85rear with 24c tires on 24mm rims...
Heat Acclimatizing - 3 days ? Just not enough time... I agree with what you have read and would keep out of the heat as much as possible... Too much heat exposure that close would only dehydrate and make you feel tired IMO...
Swim- 1:30-40 ? is a long time without fluid intake on a normal day , hot day? take your time out of the swim and drink in T1 ....Wouldnt even wait to get on the bike....
DeSoto Cool Wings - I have raced with them and yes they are hard to get on wet! Maybe you could pre-spray the insides of them with tri-slide but I have never attempted it.
Broken PM - could be a blessing for sure... just ride easy and drink to thirst... gotta believe it will be above your 1.25 bottles per hour... feeding will probably be cut back with the extra fluid intake
Yes to leaving your shoes on the bike heading into T2
Run Plan indicates you know what your up against.... Be smart and NO quitter! Good Skill !
I believe we will get no benefit from 1-2 days of acclimatization. so yes stay out of heat as much as possible.
all of us, because we will be drinking larger volumes of Gatorade, do not forget the calories that come with it that go towards the hourly total.
yes can leave shoes on bike after getting off.
everyone: prerace, the shoes can be left attached to pedals. so I will be running the bike up to the mount line, starting with my feet on top of the shoes and then getting into them eventually. do not do this if you have never practiced this. but consider running to the mount line with the shoes already on the bike, leaning the bike against the side, snapping off the shoes and putting them on.
Good luck chicka, and I'll be sending icy MOJO from Detroit!
For IMTX, I wore white arm coolers on the run. Each aid station I dumped ICE under my hat, down the back of my shirt, wetting my arm coolers and holding ice in my mouth and hands until the next aid station. Repeat each mile and you will have a HUGE advantage over most of your competitors.
I am also very careful with my sodium intake both on bike and run, using only buffered electrolytes (Salt Stick) and pumping 1,300 - 1,400 mgs of sodium/hour across my total ingested mix of nutrition. (Based on my sweat rate under those conditions)
If things get bad, slow down, stop, get your HR down, hydrate and move forward.
Very important, under these conditions to pre-define and HR ceiling for both the bike and run based on your fitness level.
Rachel - you've got the Kool-Aid down pretty well, and a ton of good advice from others, so just a couple of thoughts: