IMLP Race Rehearsal Plan
Keeping it real simple -- the fewer moving parts, the better.
43 year old, 167 lbs, Vdot 46
Pre-"Race" Nutrition:1st breakfast @ 3 hours before start: 12 oz Gatorade Endurance Formula; applesauce; banana
15 min before start: GU (decaf) & 8oz H2O
Swim: 2.4 miles OWS; wet suit, cap goggles, garmin, tri kit, glide; expected time: 1 - 1:05
T1: No rush; strip wetsuit, sunscreen, helmet shades, arm warmers (if needed), shoes; garmin onto bike
Bike: 112 mi or 6 hours (most likely will hit 6 hours first) -- 1st hour @ high zone1-low zone 2 (<2.2), remainder @ low to mid zone 2 (2.3-2.7); nutrition: 1.5-2 bottles of orange GEF/hr, GU every 45 min (alternating decaf and caf); if hot/humid and sweating more than usual, may add salt tab every hour</p>
T2: No rush; socks, run shoes, hat; garmin on wrist
Run: 6 mi or 1 hour (most likely will hit 6 mi first) -- zone 1 + 30" (has been between 1.5 - 1.8); may walk 30 steps every mile (have not during training, did at IMLP Camp (nice reward for finishing a mile) and will on race day); nutrition: 2-4 oz GEF every mile, GU every 3 miles, salt tab every hour
Comments
Just wondering, u will be consuming 9 to 12 bottles of GEF, where and how are u storing these? Just wondering for myself in the near future.
Jonathan
Since you plan to walk at each mile for the actual race, I think you should do so in the race rehearsal as well.
JB: During training, I carry 5 bottles (aero, 2 frame cages, 2 behind the seat cages). I carry powder and have places to stop to buy water to reload bottles as needed. Its a lot of extra weight to carry but I rationalize it as good for training. And, since I've always done it that way, its not really a big deal to me. During races, I get rid of the behind the seat cages and depending on the distance, 1 of the frame cages. Then I just take bottles from the aid stations, so I rarely have more than 2 full bottles on the bike on race day.
DN: You are probably right, but unless I'm fatigued during a training run, I don't stop. I did this same thing for my last 140.6 and my 70.3s and its always worked so I'm probably not going to change things up. Thanks for the suggestion though.
Hey Gerry - thanks for posting - really helps me. When the bike aid stations give us GEF, do the GEF containers fit in the bottle cages? If not, I guess we have to transfer the GEF to our own bottles on the fly? Pen
Looks great.
If you can make a couple of loops on your ride to minimize having to stop and mix bottles. How long does that take?
When adding a salt tab, what does that bring your sodium intake up to?
Just a suggestion, since you are already keeping a close eye on your HR on the bike....at the camp Patrick talked about using that HR number off the bike for the first few miles of the run. Have you been tracking your HR on your run workouts? Especially when running right after a ride?
I have been watching my HR on run workouts the last couple of weeks and have been forcing myself to use that HR number to dictate the effort. The result so far has been I run slower, BUT I feel much better.
DON: On second thought Don, you are right on about taking my 30 steps during RR2. I've been giving your words some thought and if this is to be a rehearsal, then I should do it as close as possible to race day. Thanks for the constructive comments and food for thought. PS: I've been thinking about this for a few days now, and Tim's similar comments just made me realize how right you are. Thanks again!
PEN: The GEF bottles fit in cages. I have simple metal bottle cages the frame -- they might have to be bent a bit (they seem to be made to do that) to fit a bit tighter than a regular bottle, but they work like a charm. I've also fit the GEF bottles in my x-lab gorilla cages off the back without any issue (but I don't use them on race day).
JOHN: I thought about loops but have ruled them out. I plan on riding from where I'm doing my OWS and as it gets later in the day, the traffic flow picks up significantly. I've had some close calls in the past so the less time I'm in this area the better. My planned stops take me only a few minutes, mainly due to them being quiet country stores. So while I won't be stopping on race day, I'm choosing safety and peace of mind over minimizing stoppage time.
The salt tabs bring my sodium intake up a bit. However, in the past, if I haven't been retaining the fluids (e.g., peeing way too much) or my stomach starts to go off, a tab has sorted things out. Because a tab does put me over the recommended sodium numbers (1000mg/hr), I use them only as a last resort.
Finally, I have been keeping a very close eye on my HR during the last hour/hour and a half on the bike so I can dial in my run HR. Camp weekend really helped me dial that in. Those numbers have been fairly consistent and the HR range I've been keeping an eye on has been pretty good. My last two long runs based on these numbers have been very strong and I've been very happy with the results. As a stand alone run, I can't help but think that I can push a bit more but keeping in mind a swim and bike will come before the run on race day, I'd rather err on the side of caution. As SS mentioned in one of his latest weekly posts -- having too much in the tank later in the race can be used to my benefit, while pushing too hard too early, can very well lead to being in a very dark place for a very long time. As you've noticed, its probably better to feel better and have something left later in the day, then to have a real struggle.
TIM: Thinking on Don's comments, and bolstered by yours, I'm going to take my 30 step reward during RR2 -- "may" has become "will."
Thanks everyone for the comments and questions!