JR IMLou Race Plan and Bet with Al Truscott!
Hi! My name is Jay and I have never done an Ironman.
The Bet: Al Truscott was kind enough to let me have an EN ti top for IM Louisville. He shipped it to me in NC and challenged me with a little wager. He is doing Kona the same weekend as IMLou. The slower athlete will pay for shipping. Talk about pressure. I’m racing AL Truscott!!!!!
Background: I am a former swimmer turned part time triathlete. I turned 50 this year and decided training for an IM would be a good way to stay in shape and have fun. I have been doing triathlons for 4 years and have completed 3 HIMs. The first (and best) thing I did when I made this decision was to join EN and I have been a member for a year. Then I picked Louisville as a location because I could drive from NC. I am finishing the IM Intermediate plan and, hopefully, am ready for this thing.
Travel Plan
Leave Wednesday afternoon from NC and drive to WV. Then drive into Lou on Thursday and arrive around noon. Check in at IM Village and then Embassy Suites.
I hope to recon part of the bike course, especially the out and back, Thursday afternoon with my EN teammates. Team dinner Thursday night.
Friday will be more course recon with teammates and a slow jog to loosen the legs. Will plan to do any shopping that needs to be done on Friday as well. Also plan to lay out bags and organize equipment/gear with checklists on Friday. Recheck bike to make sure its ready to go.
Race Details
Saturday morning is big breakfast with a lot of carbs. Waffles and pancakes. Maybe a little yogurt. Then head down to practice swim and try out the algae infested water. Hopefully the green stuff will be gone by then. Continue hydration with GE and water.
Will have a lighter lunch on Saturday and keep my feet up most of the day. Will try to coordinate bike drop off with teammates and plan around 2pm. Short drive to airport to pick up wife (my inexperienced Sherpa) and then feet up rest of day. Charge electronics. Prepare nutrition.
RACE DAY!
Rise and shine at 0400. Breakfast of english muffin with peanut butter and greek yogurt. (I eat it everyday) Start sipping on GE and gather thoughts and gear. Leave hotel at 0445 with planned arrival at Transition at 0500. Opening is scheduled for 0515 but I am told it frequently opens early. In Transition I will get Bloks and bottles on bike. Inflate tires. Calibrate Garmin. Drop off SN bags. Then head to body marking. After that it’s a slow walk to swim start. I will patiently wait there listening to music and visiting with 3000 of my closest anxious friends. I will continue to sip on GE while in line and dump the bottle as we get closer to start.
Swim: Goal :57 - :58
I can swim. This is the easy part. I hope to be near the front of the line(first 500) to start because I don’t want to navigate hundreds of people the entire swim. I will wear my sleeveless wetsuit because I am more comfortable in it and swim better. In August I did a HIM swim in 24:xx. I will slowdown some for this race to conserve energy. I will keep my stroke long and smooth and count strokes. This is just a nice, easy, early morning swim. Easy like Sunday morning.
T1: Out of the water, wetsuit down around waist and head for the furthest stripper. On the ground, wetsuit off, grab bag, and head to tent. In tent dump bag. Bike shorts on. (Yes, I’m wearing them over my jammers). Helmet on. Shoes on. No socks. Sunglasses on, gloves on and head for bike. Jog well past mount line and get going.
I plan to have arm warmers available and rolled up if weather is cool. Will slide them on wrists in T1 and roll up later while JRA.
Bike: Goal 6:15
I’m slow on the bike. I’m getting better but I’m not gonna average 20 mph. I plan to start with 3 bottles on bike. 1 BTA, 1 downtube and 1 behind seat. 2 GE and 1 water.
Nutrition: I plan to live off the course. I have been training with GE for 6 months and actually like it. More importantly, my stomach likes it. Based on my sweat tests I need about 45 oz per hour. This is close to 2 bottles. I will plan to drink 2 bottles of GE per hour. That’s 320 calories and 1160mg of sodium per hour. I will also have margarita shot bloks when I need to chew on something. I will grab one bottle of GE at every aid station. I’ll drink water if I notice any swelling, but the water is primarily for rinsing. I will replace as necessary.
Power/Pace: I have a Stages PM but am still getting used to it and am not ninja like when focusing solely on the PM. I have done a lot of training by HR with special attention paid to power. I know my “ride all day” HR is low –mid 130s. My FTP is about 210. That’s 3.2 W/kg. I plan to use HR, power and RPE for the ride. I will keep my HR in low 130s and NP at 140. There will be some spikes for hills but limit to 200W for very short period. Ride the hills like an EN Ninja. I train on rolling hills and have been practicing. The last 30 miles are mostly downhill. Take advantage of this. If still feeling good (like in RR) then increase pace a little and let HR climb to upper 130s. If 140s show up then back off and hydrate.
Plan: JRA for the first 30 miles. That gets me past the out and back section. Again, JRA for first 30 miles. Allow HR to settle down. Start drinking as soon as I can breathe normally again. Be cautious during out and back. Hopefully the new pavement will make it more pleasant but too many idiots out there trying to win the race. Don’t get carried away. I expect to hear “on your left” a lot.
After the out and back, I will just settle in. Get comfortable. Aero. Pay attention. Hydrate. Stay in box. Pay attention. Focus on upcoming section. Be safe and smart. 2 loops. Take it one at a time. Enjoy the ride!
Heading for home. Mostly downhill. Now is time to pick it up just a little. Don’t get carried away. See above. Watch HR and power. Take advantage of free speed. Remove feet when entering town. At dismount, swing leg over and leave shoes on bike. Hand bike to volunteer, grab Garmin, and jog to get bag.
T1: Remove helmet when entering tent. Sunglasses on head. Pull off bike shorts. Pull off bike shorts. Pull off bike shorts. (I sometimes forget this part and have to return to T2 so I have to keep reminding myself). Run shorts on over jammers. Socks rolled up and ready to go. Remove from shoes. Roll onto feet. Put on shoes. Grab my 2 ziplock bags and go. When leaving T1 will put on race belt. Tuck ziplock bags into shorts and start the slow shuffle.
Run: Goal 4:30
So this is where it all happens……for those of you that can run. I run like a swimmer. More like a waddle. I plan to run by HR alone. Only screen on my 910. HR, HR, HR. I know I can run all day with HR in low 140s. Plan for first few miles to be upper 130s. I need to really focus on first mile and not get excited. Slow Down. A 10:30 mile here will not hurt me but an 8:30 mile will kill me. My plan is to run this like I did my long run. 4 x 6.2 mile loops. (Except I only did 3). The first is finding my legs. Try to keep HR below 140 on the first leg out. GE at every aid station and walk for 20 steps at every one. Ice for ziplock bags. Every aid station.
Second leg allow HR to climb to 140s. I know I can run a long time at this HR. Continue to drink and walk every aid station. Pay attention to nutrition and body. If cramping then use salt.
Third leg is gonna be tough. Running away from finish. Focus. Inside box. 1 thing. My 3 1 things. Just keep moving forward. Use the crowd for energy when needed. Look for EN teammates. Smile. HR can climb to low 150s. I can stay here comfortably for a long time. Upper 150s and its time to hydrate and slow down. Save that for the last leg.
Final leg. The turn for home. HR in 150s. Hydrate. This is the time to enjoy the day. Just keep moving forward. Coke at aid stations. Caffeine can be my friend here.
Last 2 miles is all I’ve got left. I have no idea what to expect here. Just do what I can. HR can go to 160s. Remember to ENjoy the moment. If all goes well, or mostly well AND I’m smart, I might break 12 hours……..or maybe beat Al Truscott!
Comments
Great race plan!
Since this is your first, just enjoy the day and experience first and foremost!
Also, Where in NC are you?
Awesome plan Jay. Can't wait to meet you out there. I would be glad to do recon on Thursday with you as well as the Friday outing.
You and I are both shooting for the 12 hour mark as 50 year olds. Sounds like you have really practiced and know what you are about. If I was in the 40s to 50s with HR on the run, I would likely be close to dead.
Thanks for sharing. I need to get mine done.
Sure sounds like you're ready. Know that you will have a 35-40 minute head start coming out of the water. I have an ocean/non-wetsuit swim to navigate.
Also, here's the number one piece of advice for any first time Ironman, IMO. The two most critical parts of the race are the first 30-35 miles of the bike, and the first 6-8 miles of the run. You can not ride or run these two sections too easily. So keep your HR down in the 130s for the first hour on the run? Then, you'll be able to keep running the whole 4.5 hrs you have planned.
I have every confidence that you'll be done by the time I;m climbing out of the Energy Lab (mile 19).
Al - Thank you for the reminder. Good luck this weekend!