Tallo 2015 IM Canada Race Plan
FTP 275, weight 150, VDOT 51
Strategic Pillars
1. Execute with Respect for the race
2. No drama
3. Leverage training process and achievements to exceptional
performance
4. Remember every standout race has come after mile 18-don't
give up when there are early setbacks
Race Week
-safety first
-hibernation mode
-approx 2300 cals/day plus replacement of training cals.
Green, lean and clean.
-if there’s a scale at hotel, daily weigh-in
-all situations, ask "Is this adding to, or depleting
my energy?"
-lots of sitting, avoid walking anywhere if you can drive,
keep off feet. Monitor and enforce time
on feet / steps with pedometer.
-No sandals.
closed-toe shoes.
-stay in control of all situations.
-OCD handwashing and purel; if someone sneezes, run the
other way.
Day Before Race
-in advance, write itinerary: where to go and when, menus
and venues for meals, follow schedule using 15min blocks
-big smile all day
-salted everything.
-Pancakes breakfast.
-sip electrolyte drink all day
-gather bags
-Lunch as small 'clean' pasta or burritos w flour tortilla,
chicken, mild salsa, rice
-get in early with AWA checkout, get done, get out
-arrive at check in, work from list
-physically walk the route from water to bags to bike to
exit. Think about places to run fast, run slower, shortcuts.
-Look for 2x landmarks and markers for bike rack position.
Note row/column of t bags.
-lube chain per squirt protocol
-get outta there fast
-afternoon: stretch / light yoga, movie from itunes in room
and relax.
-dinner as bland white pasta, red sauce, chicken, white
bread
-put on timing chip left ankle strap before bed (safety pin
neoprene strap)
-Sleep by 9-10PM - "I'm grateful to be racing and damn
lucky"
Race Day
-wake at ~2/3am for 4 x Ensure
-wake 4:00
-"I feel great"
-LG Race suit
-Get to race time TBD
-heavy throwaway sweatshirt to stay warm
-quick list of Admin (more to add later): water in BTA
bottle, salted gatorade on saddle cage, PT computer attached and secured w
extra elastic, inflate wheels to 115, chain lubed in easy gear, 3 x clifs, gel
flask, sunglasses to bars w elastics, outta there
-find somewhere quiet to sit, chill, light stretch,
sunscreen
-continue sipping water
t minus 30
-wetsuit (skinsuit) on, make way to water
-spash around with warmup including 4-5 x 'hard' intervals
-caffinated gel at 10 mins to start
Swim
Goal of 1:03 - 1:06 (add 1 min if non-wetsuit)
-2 loops. Possibly
non-wetsuit. Be prepared to breathe
bilaterally.
-Start: seed on the outside of the start line, closer to the
shore instead of closest to the congestion along the buoy line. keeps you out of the fracas, and has a total
distance cost of about 3meters. In other
words, nothin’, in exchange for a relatively calm first leg.
?2 loops in the water.
Overall approach: for draft, let the paces get worked out for 5-10
minutes, and once you’re past the first buoy, latch onto a pair of feet.
-hard for first 400). Quicker strokes, hard pull, natural
kick. Hard(er) pace based on muscles, form and fitness ... NOT adrenaline. Be
in control.
-you'll get hit; hold your ground and keep making forward
progress
-muscle fatigue: first 400 will be over soon, just keep hard
pace
-settle into race pace with longer pulls, lift heels to kick
and maintain body position, count strokes
-keep key 3 in mind: tall, catch around the barrel, strong
pull
-stay on hip or feet and enjoy the ride
-REALLY stay on hip or feet on return and lap 2
-effort: remember ... it's a race
T1
-Look at t1s of last year and aim for same or better
-grab bike and go, shoes on near mount line
-roll up trisuit top en route from tent to bike
Bike
-12-28 with compact crank
? -Bike is
a 5h conversation with your powermeter. No siteseeing.
-Stay low all day with head tucked down and turtled, and
helmet high on forehead when down.
visuals through ride: "I get small and punch through the
wind."
This is your ideal, with a low top of head:
This, not
so much:
-Safety first … this course has a ton of rumble strips and
pylons. Head’s up ball for the first 2
hours or so.
-Good opportunities to ride tangents. Look for the shorter
line within rules where you can.
?Tactically and strategically, every decision you are making
on the bike should be informed by the climb from Pemberton to Whistler.
-Very few people will know how to ride this as an IM bike
course. Trust me. But with the EN approach – followed to the
letter – you should be very good. For
most of the rest of the field, what you will see are people who overachieve on
the sections of the bike leading up to the climb from Pemberton, or overachieve
on the bike overall, and booger the run.
If I had to simplify it, there are a lot of people riding it like it’s a
112mi time trial that is not followed by a run.
Don’t pay attention to them.
-‘not making mistakes’ will put you much further ahead than
trying to make things happen.
?There’s no real flat (aside from Pemberton valley) and
therefore there’s frequent decision making all day. Tactically, do what you can to keep your
head clear (caffeine, mental queues, keep nutrition going)
??here are some chances to carry speed into a few rollers
and corners; descending in aero is key; in light of a few windy parts, look for
a lot of ‘wind shadows’ for legal drafts all day, even when moving slowly
uphills
-pedal until spinning out on descents
The Course in six main blocks: this is a “paint by the EN Numbers” type of
course. Even if you’re from a relatively
flat area, use the EN bike execution model to plug in your numbers. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE OF THESE.
-Bike Planned IF .74, approx TSS 275, Goal time irrelevant
-think "range of watts" - 193 to 195; 203 to 205;
etc
-First 10mile as 193, easy spinning, take time moving
glasses with arms inside helmet straps
Block 1: Whistler to Callaghan (net descent)
? -Zone 1
power, zone 4 on short climbs
? ??Be
prepared to go very fast in certain areas with a lot of people. Again, safety first.
? Block 2:
Callaghan climb
? ??Zone 3
cap on climb
? ??On
descent, zone 1, with zone 4 on short pops
? Block 3:
Callaghan back to Whistler
? ??Zone 3
cap on climbs
? Block 4:
Whistler to Pemberton
? ??Zone 1
descents, zone 4 on short climbs
? -Anticipate
that you’ll be riding into headwind at times, so it’s not as fast a descent as
you would hope
? Block 5:
Pemberton out and back
? -Race
Watts – Zone 2
? ??Be
prepared to mentally reengage ?(At this point you should feel great)
? ??Be
prepared to stay 100% low and aero for this ~hour.
? Block 6
Climb back to Whistler
? ??Zone 3
cap
? ??A great
time to sit up and stretch your bits and parts, get out of the saddle to shake
it up
? ??Make
sure you have fluids and nutrition as you leave Pemberton – it is a long way
between aid stations.
? ??This
will be where your run is decided. If
you take this sustained climb at zone 4 or above, you will be racing a
half-marathon.
? -general
strategy point: if feeling **great** after pemberton, make decision to bump to
higher end of range (ie from 203 to 205). easy spin on downhills while staying
low. Mi110 , make decision about output recognizing a net elevation loss and
need to run a marathon
-1 /2 Clif every half hour with water. Gatorade on the :15
and :45. Switch from Clifs to gels at about 3.5h
-Minimum 2 full bottles water plus Powerdrink ever hour
- 2x lava salt every .5 hour
-make sure you're still peeing hourly at 3+ hour mark
-pick a landmark around the 3/4 point that will coincide
with your normal point of losing focus / drifting mentally (probably pemberton
turnaround). This is the cue to get your head back into it. Have a caffeinated gel around this time.
-Mile 110: unstrap shoes, drop to 190, easy light spinning,
get mind into t2 game, grab garmin from mount
-t2 flying dismount, drop bike and gogogo
t2
-aim for 'best in race’ t2 time based on past races
-helmet unstrapped once past dismount line, take off while
running, roll off top of M-2 suit
-sit down, dump bag, socks and shoes on, man-bra on, grab
hat / baggie of sunscreen bundle, step into race belt, get movin'
-just carry hat and sunscreen until everything is settled,
then put 'em both on when you're underway. If this is hard, you're going too
fast. Doesn't need to even be in first mile.
Run
-Rule #1: Do not look at calves of other racers. Go out of your way to not watch who is in
what AG and make sure nobody gets in your head until mi 18.
??There is no flat – you’re going up or down at various
pitches. So, GPS is useless, and be
prepared to run by HR or perceived effort.
-In light of the above, know what you want to do in advance
wrt HR or efforts on hills. Do you want
to push a bit on shorter ones to keep pace, or just stay on effort like a
diesel? Be ready to be making micro
decisions all day.
-remember “focus” mental cue
-assuming current forecast of 80s and no cloud
-alternate gatorade and gel at every aid station. Grab 2
gels every time: one for next aid station and toss in pocket to eat as you roll
up to station IOW, always have an 'emergency' gel pack in your pocket.
-don't break stride for pee breaks - just keep moving
-run smart: take tangents, follow shortest paths anywhere
-start as shuffle with key technique look-fors: tall,
efficient, engaging glutes
?If there were ever a “run insanely easy for the first 6
miles ” course, this is it. First, the
bike is tougher than usual, and shaking off some of that fatigue is important
for long-run success. Second, the hilly
nature really beats people up in lap 2, and I suspect (again, look at the
stats) that there is a much higher attrition or “slow down” rate across the
general population at mile 18 + than there is at other races.
-"I am light and strong"
-paces / efforts based on last year's run execution:
-opening pace w HR cap of 150 run tall and economically
-back down to 140s if RPE too hot, and adjust slower every
few minutes until RPE is very easy
-run entire race, keeping consistent miles
-mile 6: if on pace, drop pace to HR cap of 150s
-If first 6 at too easy pace, just adjust ... gradually and
later
-mile 12: how do I feel? If it's an HONEST
"great," and running at higher 150s, keep on. If running with HR
higher than 160s, drop pace and walk the aid stations. If feeling anything
else, figure it out.
-mile 18: keeping moving, and take stock for a minute.
Breathe; control. Figure out what will be needed to get to the line. One last
reminder of running with perfect McGee form, then go and run with heart. Move from "reserved, internal
focus" to "gutsy, external focus." Pass people and steal their
energy. Get pace to STRONG. Keep
turnover, keep form, don't walk anywhere.
No matter what, do not back off.
Mental images of Peter Reid, Mark Allen, Luc Van Leirdre, Rinny Carfrae
running; Craig Alexander focus. Find
anything that gives you energy. BIG FRICKEN SMILE.
-"I am light and strong and breathe energy"
Other
-No Special Food Bags.
-If family is onsite, remind them of no outside assistance
rule and key do’s/don’ts for on-the-fly
race intel updates
-Bike setup as front BTA bottle for water, Gatorade behind
seat carrier, 3 clifs and gel flask onboard storage, 2x extra light tubes on
bike with 2xC02, lever and multitool onboard. Contact lenses in storage.
Risk Management and Contingencies
-blown tire or minor: come to a stop, close eyes and beathe
deep for 5 s, and get on with a calm fix. Think Crissie, not Normann.
-major: you're lucky to be doing Ironman. Use it to learn
something on race day: maybe try a run PB using McGee 8/1
Heat Management (assuming average temperature of 25 race
day; rewrite plan if hot)
Bike
-continued jersey soaking, hydration and pee schedule as
written
Run
-HR is the first thing to monitor
-bare core, "man-bra" to have minimal fabric
coverage
-sponge, cold water dousing at every aid station
-grab two cups of ice at each aid station, consolidate them
into one cup while on the move, and either (a) put ice in hat and let it melt,
(b) put ice in man-bra and let it melt, (c) carry ice in bare hands and let it
melt, (d) all of the above.
Comments
Dave, like all your RPs, this is brilliant stuff.
When I arrived here two years ago, I was like a clueless freshman in college - 165 lbs, FTP 180, vDOT 46. My EN undergrad training has involved a lot of learning, but mostly just sweat and tears. I now find myself at 150 lbs, FTP 270, vDOT 51 - shit! I look like Tallo on paper! Then why the heck am I at least an hour behind him in IMs? It's this ^^ post-graduate stuff that separates you from us undergrads. So . . . thanks for providing this, as it really does serve as the curriculum on how to take the physical tools we develop and truly get the most out of them on race day. Your planning and follow-through are just tremendous.
Best of luck. Can't wait to follow your progress/success.
P.S. We're all different, but the starting out wide, away from the swim fracas, has never worked for me. That's always = more contact, more frustration, more HR spikes, slower times. Bravely engaging the fracas up front, at the buoy, and separating from 2,800 in the frantic first 3 minutes, leaving them to fight among themselves has always = faster, more enjoyable swims.
@Dave- your racing in a LG M2 suit....Obviously you will have it rolled down if using swimskin , But, Will you have it on your shoulders under the wetsuit? Have you swam with it like this? I just got mine.... First swim felt restrictive under the wetsuit, Second one felt much better, I would still rather not swim with it on but really dont wanna wrestle it on in T1 if I dont have too...
@MR- I have trained side by side with Dave and feel equal in training.... But out on the race course Dave is a different animal absolutely crushing me and I am no slouch... Just look at that first Aero picture and compare him to the poor saps around him.... Can you say Laser Focus ?
sounds good.
i agree with your swim start location for this race. may actually be closer to the turnaround.
shoes can be on the bike in t1. per the race guide.
Pemberton flats is about mile 60 to mile 90. about 30 miles. so closer to 1.5 hours right?
i will aspire to have you in view during the day.
Well ... it's worked before. (The first half of this looks very familiar.) The second half - I will keep and follow if I decide to do this race next year.
You see ... ^THAT'S^ why you write a race report (or at least, read the guide)! Thanks for this intel Robin. This finds me a few seconds, means I will practice the 'flying mount' in the next few weeks, and influences the 'go fast' bike shoe choice. I might run the Orca rs1 covers if I can source some in time.
Mike, I'll put my mind to the pros/cons of the swim start positions. I take your point, and defer to your speed and smarts!
Thanks for the input, all.
Tim - even if it's a wetsuit swim, I'll still have the m2 rolled around my waist. I found it to be so easy to pull up and on, that I don't think it will be too much to wrestle with in t1. But also driving this choice is the long-term use of the garment: I talked to Jim Manton about this a lot, and he reiterated that these (and other cycling) skinsuits really have to be skin-tight on the shoulders/arms/upper back to be effective. However, they have a high percentage of spandex, and are almost perishable, because they lose the original elasticity over time and multiple uses ... (kinda like swimming swimskins/body suiIts) ... much, much more quickly than normal tri or cycling gear Given the pull and reach of the swim stroke, I just feel like this kind of motion on a fragile garment would accelerate its demise, and I hope to get at least a few years out of this garment . If not to amortize the cost, at least to amortize the absurd amount of r and d I've done to arrive at the choice of size/model/etc!
So in T2 you plan to roll it back down , still running in it , and use your "man bra" on top ?
A couple of drivers: (1) I follow the advice that on the run, skin is always going to be cooler than fabric ... even coldblack, or Desoto skin cooler fabric. So, I'm trying to make sure that the Torso and core are bare, and the cropped singlet is really just to meet the technical requirements of wearing a shirt. Of course, I would still dump ice in it while passing through aid stations, and it can just melt away. (2) The cropped singlet / man bra has an EN logo on it, and even though it's a one-off skincooler white (and not the team-issue colour), I still get a lot of people yelling "Go Team Endurance Nation" on courses. So, representin'. I wish I could have taken advantage of the EN group buy kits that have surfaced over the last month, but I really needed the Garneau kit for later this month, and had two (!) already on the way by this time this got traction.
(Edit: tested reason (1) comparing the m-2 top-up versus top-down on a hot 1-hour race rehearsal run. Absolutely no doubt in my mind that it's cooler around the waist. And it forms a nice little sponge on the lower back when it's rolled down, which will be great for keeping some cool water between aid stations.)
Thanks for the photo of the bike position, it shows how low you can get your head down out of the wind compared to the others in that view. That has to add up in free speed/energy not being wasted over 112 miles.
Wow, Dave! The detail in your plan is just phenomenal. I have been working on my Boulder race plan, but after reading your plan for Canada i realize i need to be much more specific and way more detailed to make the exercise of creating a plan, truly worthwhile and useful on race day. Lots of gold in your plan so hopefully you don't mind if i "borrow" some of your insights! Otherwise, not much else to add other than good skill and i will be following you online!
Dave, great insights...no worries on representing...I think next year you are eligible for the EN Tribal Face Tattoo anyway, so save up for that.
I feel so untechnical only racing in an EN singlet for the past 7 years...but clearly it ain't broke...I am interested to see what the Castelli top brings to the table and what that could mean for our overall gear choices...for right now, the damage I suffer on my back (Still have "patches" from kona 9 months ago!) is a top priority...