Marcelo IM Cabos Race Plan
Hello Guys, need some feedback here:
Objective 1: Finish the race.
Objective 2: less than 12 hours.
RACE WEEK
Thursday.- 3 hours car travel to Guadalajara, plane at 1pm arriving Cabos 2:30, check in, bike assembly and rest.
Friday.- Swim at 7 AM for at least 30-45 minutes, Check bike 15 min ride. Get the package, have fun and earn/reward some SAU to Vero, maybe some dolphin swim.
By night, prepare all bags.
First bag: goggles, swim cap, flip flops, bodyglide, sunscreen.
T1 still struggling with helmet, kask bambino or giro attack??, shoes, arm cooler, towel. Sunglasses. Sunscreen.
T2 socks, fuel belt with GE, ASICS TRI 10, cap, compression sleeves. Cool towel
SN bike, spare tube, Co2, gels, cliff bar.
SN Run, band aid, Tylenol, sunscreen.
Saturday.- Check In Bike at 13:00, look at the swim-bike transition path; rest and try to sleep, hydration all day with electrolytes, salt pill before bed. Pasta for dinner. Tattoo numbers before sleep.
Race Day
Wake up at 3:00 couple of cliff bars and power bar waffle, 2 bananas and some GE. Go to sleep? 5 am another waffle, that would make 800-900 cal
Get the bus to T1, after bike setup take the bus 10 mins to swim start, try to relax. Metallica for me please.
Swim race: Estimated time 1:15 – 1:20
2XU wetsuit, TYR googles, compression calves from the beginning?? I’m only used to them in the run.
Get a lot of bodyglide in the neck, otherwise I will get a lot of chaffing, line up in the least crowded side, I’m not a fighter, so I’ll keep it cool for the first minutes. Try to keep the pace for the entire swim, start kicking when I see the finish line.
T1 shoes in the bike, take off wetsuit, stripers?? Arm coolers in the wrist only, sunglasses and helmet, jersey with nutrition. No socks.
Bike Race. Estimated Time 6:00 – 6:30 depends on those scary hills.
Bike Gear:
BH Aero with Easton wheels, aero drink, and two bottles in frame?? (Too hot to keep more than one hour), all of them with GE, in the race they give Normal Gatorade,
Tools in saddle,
Bento box with 5 gels and 8 salt pills. Cliff bars will be in cycling aero jersey and power bar waffle.
Garmin 910xt calibrated with Powertap.
Ride
First hour just calm down around 120 -130 watts, no more than .70 IF, no more than Z2 in HR, get a gel in the first minutes,
nutrition plan by hours:
Hour
0Gel
1Cliff bar
2Gel
3Cliff bar and banana in aid station
4Gel
5Powerbar
6Gel
7Something solid in aid station.
Each 45 mins salt pill.
One GE liter per hour, not used to water.
5 or 6 pee times.
Second hour to finish, get into 140-150 watts, no more than .71 IF.
Each hour a back and arm stretch.
T2 Bike to volunteer? Socks, ASICS Tri noosa 10, compression calves??,fuel belt, cap, sunscreen on the go bag, zip lock for ice.
Run Race: Estimated time 4:15 – 4:40
First hour jogging only Z1, I’ve learn that everybody will fly, but I will get my revenge after mile 6, everybody is going to walk.
Will race with aero cycling jersey, to keep nutrition in the pockets also avoiding sunburns, I’m a delicate prince and my skin is so soft, jaja.
After the first hour, get into my Z1-Z2, just like the Thursday’s long run, patience, discipline, I don’t care who passes me, that’s until mile 18. Nutrition every aid station with 30 steps walking, last volunteer gets my thanks. Coke from mile 13-15 until the end, get some pretzels or something salty, at this point I will hate sugar.
Mile 18, bring it!! Lock and loaded!! Unleash the kraken!! Is that your best?? And all kind of sh*t talk.
My main concern is the heat, I’m not used to it, most of my training time was before or after the sun, even when I used a lot of layers, I know it’s not the same thing, the important issue will be to stay calm with the humidity which also I’m not used to, I live in a desert.
This is my first Full, I’ve done 4x HIM and I feel like most of us that I’m not prepared at all. But I really trust my training.
Comments
This is a race that you really need to stick to your plan and be patient. Let the race come to you and protect your hydration.
Good Luck!!
My husband and I arrive on Thursday. Yesterday, I had to drop my bike off for transport and I had such mixed feelings. I felt relief because it meant the race was close. Excitement to get to it. Fear that I would never see my bike again, or that there would be difficulty with my bike some mix up or something. I also felt like I was leaving a baby behind at the shop. So troubling. Now I have to make a plan, pack, mentally prepare and get ready for some fun.
They changed the course and I think has fewer hills than the course you did, now it’s just two laps, and I think it was because there was a lot of DNFs, couple of friends who raced it said that the % of DNF was the highest among IM, so they decided to change it.
Also the sunburns are a major issue for me, I will use an aero jersey and arm coolers, and for the run I will use a cool towel to get Coach P style under the cap (placebo effect)
@Dana, where are you staying? I’ll be at the host hotel Holiday Inn Resort, maybe we could get an unofficial dinner on Thursday or Friday. Are you going with the family? I'm going with my wife.
On the painkillers I’ll setup a couple of Tylenols for the bike and one for the run in case of a headache, but taking care of a really good hydration I think it’s going to be ok.
I’ll fly with my bike, I’m not willing to trust a company my entire training year, last month there was a problem with a Mexican company that couldn’t go through the customs in Spain to IM Barcelona and left 40 athletes without bike, that really sucks. But the American companies are really good at it.
http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/15035/Default.aspx
Looking back to that race and adding up my experience since I would certainly prepar better for the heat in LC (which killed me in the run).
Heat train all you can, start stupid slow on the run and stay wet all day.
Enjoy LC
Heat, heat, heat, that's the key for this race, So let's keep it cool. literaly!
You mention your concern for the heat. Make sure to hydrate early and often on the bike. If it does get really warm disregard any time goals that you have because you will need to go slower to make it through the day. When in doubt slow down and be conservative. If you think you've gone too slow, wait until the last 6-8 miles to crank up the pace and prove everyone wrong.
Have fun out there future Ironman!
Yesterday I talked with some friends that live in Cabo, their comment was -bring a lot of gatorade; the heat is nearly 100°, but it's gonna be for everyone, so, let's go get it...
If you are worried about GI issues I would reduce the number of cliff bars you are planning to eat and replace with liquid calories or gels. Ironman in 100 degrees should equal Lots of Gatorade. For me that's 40oz an hour, at least until i have to pee.