Neill Morgan IMLP Race Plan
Neill Morgan
Race Plan, Ironman Lake Placid 2015, First full IM
Age: 56
FTP: 177
Weight: 62 kg (136 lbs.)
Vdot: 46
Goal: Finish with a smile, still running.
Thursday: Drive to Lake Placid from Niagara Falls in time to check in (arrive by 4 p.m.)
6 p.m. Dinner with EN.
After dinner: fill transition and special needs bags from checklist.
Friday: Swim in the morning, one loop.
10 a.m. Four Keys talk
Ride to Keene, meet Nancy there for lunch.
3 p.m. Athlete Briefing
Ride the run course.
6 p.m. Dinner with EN friends. Rehydrate well at dinner and after.
Saturday: Big breakfast
Numbers on bike
Check bike in
Apply Kinesio Tape to shoulder, knee.
Big lunch, stay off feet, read and relax. Hydrate, sip GEF in the evening.
Prepare wetsuit and bike shoes with Glide. Prepare bento box with 4 Larabars, wrappers slit open, 7 Salt stick pills, 4 ES Tylenol, 24 Cliff shots.
Apply EN Patience/Discipline tats, write on arm with Sharpie:
Mile 18? o Yes? o No?
Sunday: Awake at 4:00 a.m., breakfast of blueberries and almond butter, G.E.F., Coffee
Get dressed: Sunscreen, KT tape on nipples, EN kit shorts, tri-top, sweatshirt, sandals, headlamp
5:00 a.m. depart house
5:15 a.m. Hang Transition bags, prepare bike with shoes clipped to pedals, gloves and sunglasses (bifocal) attached to bars with rubber bands, Garmin 910xt mounted, helmet in bag. Pump up tires 97 in front, 107 rear.
5:30 a.m. Start Garmin 910xt, calibrate, check screens:
Screen 1. 3” power over HR;
Screen 2. Lap NP over Lap Avg. power;
Screen 3. 3” power over Time;
Screen 4. 3” power over Lap IF.
6:00 a.m. Eat Larabar, (Seasalt Chocolate Pecan) drink G.E.F.
6:15 a.m. Team Picture
6:30 Line up to swim at the front of 1:30-1:40 wave.
Concentrate on form and rhythm, hip-driven, reach and catch.
T1: Take the time it takes, and it takes less time.
Deal with wetsuit, put on helmet, push bike to mount line, mount and ride out carefully, hands on horns, bare feet on top of shoes.
Get clear of any traffic, push Start on Garmin, slip feet into shoes and tighten, put on shades, then gloves, get aero.
After passing Yard Sale Bridge,
Eat ½ Larabar, G.E.F. chaser, note time
T + 5’, 3 Cliff Shots + drink
T + 10’, Salt Stick + drink
Drink every 5’ 40 oz/hour, eat ½ LB every ½ hour, Cliff shots and Salt every hour
On first climb, look down at arm and read: “Mile 18 of run? Yes or No?” Throughout bike ride, exorcise Type A demon as often as necessary to stay in box, resist chasing anyone, and keep power smooth and even as close to 120 as possible, HR around 125, with a ceiling of 130.
Focus on taking every opportunity for speed that the course will give me without breaking through my power and HR ceiling.
At the bottom of descent to Keene, keep pedaling, stay aero, steady power through the turn, let the momentum carry me up while keeping power steady. Repeat on each smaller descent.
Stay focused on the flats, eyes on Garmin.
First loop, at the top of 3 bears, turn, climb the next hill, and take 1.3 g Tylenol (2 extra strength).
At Special Needs, re-apply chamois cream and sunscreen.
Second loop mantra: “Focus. Eyes on Garmin.”
At end of second loop, on Mirror Lake drive, put 910xt on wrist, pull feet from shoes 1’ before dismount.
T2: Take the time it takes, and it takes less time. Remove helmet and gloves, pull on white hat (if the weather is sunny) put on number belt (with Cliff shots, Salt stick, and Tylenol in pocket) put on socks and shoes.
Jog out of T2, reset Garmin to “run” mode with one screen: HR over Pace.
Walk if necessary to bring HR below 134. Run first 6 miles at 9:30 or slower and under 134 bpm.
Take Base salt approaching every aid station. Drink G.E.F. as much as possible (at least 12 oz) at every aid station, eat a gel at each station until I can’t, walk 30 steps.
After 6 miles, allow HR to drift up as high as 140, pace up to 9:00.
After 13.1 miles, allow HR to drift as high as 145, try to keep pace around 9-9:30.
At Special Needs, take 1.3 g Tylenol. Abandon hat and shades.
Start drinking Coke at aid stations on second loop.
At 18 miles, keep moving forward, try not to slow down.
When entering stadium, smile, keep smiling across finish line.
Comments
Great, detailed, smart plan from many perspectives, pacing, nutrition, focus, etc.
You will likely feel the best you have felt the entire training cycle during first half of the bike as you will be well rested and high on adrenaline. Don't let that feeling tempt you to deviate from your plan or leave your box. Patience and Discipline is golden during this time and pays huge dividends on the back half of the marathon.
Looking forward to welcoming yet another IM into the family come Sunday evening!
SS
Good Luck on your first. Take it silly easy on the first loop of the bike, and focus on hydration and eating. You are going to have a great day.
Check your note of 5:15am of "Hang Transation Bags". Unless I misunderstood, are you planning on dropping off those bags on Sunday morning? If so, Double Check athletes guide about dropping off those bags with your bike on Saturday.
I put the body glide on the inside of my bike shoes where needed, along with some baby powder on Saturday, and they go in the bag with my helmet and it gets hung on Saturday.
Great mental notes about "am I at Mile 18?".
Best of luck and Congratulations!!