Rich's CHOO 2015 Race Plan
2015 IM CHOO Race Plan
This is my third IM season and IM CHOO 2015 will be my 6th full IM. My last race was IMMT August 16th this year. I finished MT feeling strong (and feeling that I had made some execution errors) so I signed up for CHOO.
My first activity following MT was a gentle long ride on Saturday 8-22 followed by a LT running test 8-23. I began a transitional training plan (below) and have followed it fairly strictly missed some swims (my bad attitude about swimming has persisted all season) and I missed several days of running during Wk; some fatigue/overuse effect were in play and I rested.
I am publishing an abridged version of my plan, leaving out the detailed checklists. I have them and will use them, but am focused on adjustments needed to improve my execution and to race to my abilities in an Ironman 42 days after having completed an Ironman.
GOALS:
- APPLY lessons learned from IMMT
- IMPROVE my long course performance
- LEARN things that make me faster next time
CURRENT STATS:
- FTP = 260
- VDOT = 44
- RR2 Bike HR (last two hours): 153
- Running HR: LT1=160, LT2=170, Long Run: Starts 150 builds to ≈160
- Weight = 152
WEATHER:
- Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible (20%). High 84F. Winds light and variable. Sunrise 7:29 / Sunset 7:36
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Average |
Record |
Forecast |
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High Temp |
79º |
92º |
78º |
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Low Temp |
57º |
38º |
62º |
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Average |
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Forecast |
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Dewpoint (2:00pm) |
71% |
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65º |
- Anticipate a hot run. Current weather forecast is 78º, Heat index just over 80º. Direct sunlight will add 12-15º during the heart of the run. Coming from MI, this will feel hot.
- Will employ all cooling strategies
- Expecting morning temperature to be ≈63º
- I am bringing kit for a race that is wet, hotter or colder than planned and will adjust accordingly
Forecast during Bike
WEDNESDAY:
- Travel day – arrive 9 PM
- Unpack & organize gear.
THURSDAY:
- Bike course recon
- Drive out to start of loop, ride 1 loop easy
- Goal watts on climbs,
- Recognize false flats, expected speeds at race watts
- Descents
- Obstacles, pot holes, etc
- Pick up race pack at Expo
- 3x Beet Juice
- Hydrate
- Extra carbs
- Team Dinner – 5:30PM
FRIDAY:
- Morning Swim
- Short swim / technique focused
- Identify swim exit sight targets
- Bike – Recon the run course – last spin up to make sure it is locked in
- Run – 45’ – EN Plan
- Pack race bags
- 3x Beet Juice
- Hydrate
- Extra carbs
SATURDAY:
- Big breakfast (early)
- 3x Beet juice
- Salt Loading
- Stay off feet
- Drop off bike and bags
- Light dinner
- Back to hotel & relax
- Race Numbers tats
- Prepare Skratch bottles
- Bike – 20 oz
- Bike – Feeder Bottle @ 6x 2oz/20oz water
- Run bottle @ 1x 16oz
Morning Clothes Bag:
- Long list below
Swim-to-Bike Bag:
- Helmut w/ visor
Bike-to-Run Bag:
- Running shoes
- Socks
- Ziplock
- Banana to eat out of transition ** New Item per Coach P **
- Headband
- Belt with number
- 4x gel on belt
- Salt tablets in plastic bag belt pouch
- 2x GatorLytes in plastic bag belt pouch ** New Item per Coach P **
- Tylenol in plastic bag belt pouch
- Running bottle
- 6x Skratch mixes in plastic bag in running bottle pouch
- Sun glasses
- Sweat band
- Just in case: Wet hand towel (sweat/salt in eyes)
- Just in case: Vaseline tube (blisters)
- Just in case: Glide (chafing)
- Just in case: Sunscreen (sun burn)
Bike-Special-Needs
- Tube
- CO2
- Skratch
Run-Special-Needs
- Skratch ** New Item – Extra in case everything goes wrong with what I am carrying **
- Tlyenol
- GatorLytes
- Glide
- Extra ziplock bag
RACEDAY:
- Wake up at 3:45 am
- Morning constitutional
- Breakfast
- Skratch Drink
- 2x Banana
- 2x Rice cakes
- Imodium & Salt tablets
- Beet juice
- Get dressed
- Sunscreen
- Glide and Chamois Butt’r everywhere
- Timing chip w Safety pin (left ankle)
- Road ID
- HR Monitor strap
- EN racing kit
- Flip flops
- Garmin 920
- Final pack Morning Swim bag
- Drinks
- 4x Cliff Bars
- Banana
- Transition open 5:00 AM
- Bike-to-Run setup
- Add banana to run bag ** New Item per Coach P **
- Fill run bottle with Skratch drink
- Swim-to-Bike setup
- Bike setup
- Pump tires (95# rear, 90# front) ** New Item per Coach P **
- I did recon at 95# rear, 90#. The road surface is smooth, but lots of cracks. I am going to go up to 105# rear and 100# front to lower resistance.
- HR Monitor chip taped to bike
- Garmin on bike and turned on (auto power down disabled)
- Rolled up arm coolers on aero bars ** Game Day Decision **
- Salt tablets loaded into dispensers
- Verify CO2 in cartridge holder
- Verify Nozzle & tube in Shiv storage
- Shoes rubber banded to bike
- Nutrition
- Cliff bars in Shiv storage
- Fill Shiv bladder with Skratch
- Feeder Bottle on bike
- Wrist sweat band on aero bar
- Hand towel in case needed (plan to leave in T1)
- Pre-race
- 45-minutes pre-race: eat a bar and continue to drink
- 15-mintues pre-race: eat a gel
RACE EXECUTION:
- Swim
- Good balance / high-elbow catches / Just like the Vasa
- Find feet
- Straight to targets
- Just stay balanced and get it done.
- T1 – fast but smooth
- If there are wetsuits – use the strippers
- Run to tent – pulling swim skin to waist as I run (if no wet suit)
- Helmut on & strap fastened
- Run with bike to exit
- Mount safely and get moving
- Bike
- Chain rings: 50/34
Cassette: 11 speed, 12-28 - I had11 speed, 11-25. Based on Course recon (and data from Di2 D-Fly), changed to bigger climbing gear.
- First 13 miles - JRA
- Heart rate chip in
- Arm warmers & wrist sweat band on
- Heart rate down – should be around 140-145
- Eat and drink
** Very focused on establishing nutrition / hydration during hour 1 of the ride **
** Will front-load calories on the bike **
- Two loops – Target watts / low VI
- Last 13 miles – get home safely!
- Hydrate and fuel for run
- Beware crappy roads
- NP Target = 180 (IF 0.69) ** Lower target recognizing fatigue from IMMT **
- Still very strongly considering holding the outbound on Loop 1 to NP 175
- 500mg tylenol at hours 2 & 4
- Target Power Adjustments
- Best Bike Split Estimates
- 5:35
- Speed: 20.8
- NP: 179
- Pavg: 176
- VI: 1.02
- TSS: 265 (≈50 TSS/hr)
- Based on Course recon – these are realistic NP / VI numbers
- If the ride is not as planned (Speed, VI, NP, or super hot or super windy) due to weather, health or the Ironman Gods, I will make mid-course adjustments to my targets in order to protect the run.
- TSS planning Max = 280
- Reduce NP target to 170w anytime > halfway point if:
- Avg speed < 19.5 mph
- Super hot or windy (hidden TSS points)
- Nutrition
- Drink & eat on auto lap
- 325-350 calories per hour
- Skratch: 150 – 175 cal
- Cliff Bar: 220 cal
- 1 Saltstick w caffeine each hour
- 25-30 oz Skratch per hour
- The Ride
- Eliminate the slow spots… don’t slow because everyone else does (i.e. – ignore false external feedback)
- Pee a minimum of 2x
- Take advantage of the legal draft on the pass
- Patience – gradually build throughout the ride. Let the ride develop!!
- Finishing the bike
- Increase hydration and calories during admin back to town.
- Make sure to refuel at the last aid station
- Feet out of shoes heading into Transition
- Choose a side (prefer the left) for the dismount. Use the fence and the bike to protect from other riders
- T2 – fast but smooth
- Dismount – run bike to volunteer / rack
- Grab Garmin and save ride (so you don’t lose it like IMCoz)
- Shoes & Socks
- Run out with Ziploc bag & drink bottle
- Eat Banana ** New Item per Coach P **
- Run
- I will be running with a hydration bottle & Skratch drink. Plan to run through all the aid stations with 3 short stops to reload liquids.
- Pacing / Run Strategy
- DID THE BIKE GO AS PLANNED???
- If it was too hot or too windy or felt too hard… ADJUST THE RUN!!!
- Establish HR @ 150ish (this should be ≈ avg of the last hour of the bike. Slightly higher than MT target – but HR has been higher on all runs since MT).
- Be as close as possible to bike HR for 6 miles ** You promised Coach P **
- Climb out of the village controlling HR, re-establish Target HR after the climb
- Hard cap of 159 on HR in this phase – walk if above
- Keep HR super conservative the first loop.
- Critical to get HR established early. If it hasn’t stabilized near my bike HR within 30 minutes walk a few steps (or more) to drive it down.
- Somewhere around mile 6, allow HR to slowly climb to ≈154-159.
- This is the steady pace number from my recent long runs.
- LT1 is 160
- Keep pace conservative to setup climbs on the last lap
- Best effort to finish – Don’t be a sissy!
- Coke only to finish – visualizing a cold beer reward!
- Run Nutrition
- 250+ish Calories per hour
- Hydrate and get calories early
- Minimum of 20 oz Skratch/hour
- 1 Saltstick / hour first two hours
- Prepare bottle with Skratch powder before getting to aid station (have practiced this)
- Run to the person with the big water bottle, not the little cups.
- Save the coke until second loop
- Tylenol: 500 mg at hours 1 & 3
- Run Issues:
- HR too high – Control breathing, if that doesn’t work, slow, if that doesn’t work walk
- Lose all nutrition: Dilute GE with Water – 250 cal/hour
- Hamstring gets wonky – stop for a minute and properly stretch it, take a Tylenol
- Hip gets wonky – take a Tylenol and keep moving. Just suffer.
Final Thoughts
- STAY IN THE BOX
- No excuses
- Don’t be a wimp
- Get it done!
Morning Clothes Bag:
- Flash light
- Electrical tape & park Tool wrench
- Goggles
- Anti-fog spray
- Extra goggles
- Glide
- Wetsuit lube
- Wetsuit
- Speed Suit
- Extra sunscreen
- Hand towel
- Pre-race nutrition
- Red Bull
- Power Bar
- Gel
- Bike nutrition (put on bike)
- Skratch Bottle
- Skratch Feeder Bottle
- Skratch for Shiv bladder
- HR monitor chip (put on bike)
- Run Nutrition (add to run bag)
- 2x Fule Belt bottles w/ Skratch
- Rice cake
- Garmin 520 (put on bike)
- Shoes – rubber band trick on bike
- Arm coolers rolled into donuts (aero bars)
- Wrist sweat band (aero bar)
- 2x CO2 & nozzle (put on bike)
- Spare tube (put on bike)
- Tire tool (put on bike)
- Multi tool (put on bike)
- Hand towel (put on bike – leave in T1)
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Comments
You sound ready for your final exam. Eyes front, stay steady, the process is your most important product.