Rich's 2015 IMFL Race Plan
IMFL will be Ironman #7, #3 for 2015, #4 in during the last 12 months.
I started the year with a plan called 659 minutes (10:59). IMFL was – and is – my targeted race to achieve that plan. I know that we don’t like time oriented goals – for lots of good reasons. But these are races, and races are about going fast. My first IM was IMLT 2013 and, as I finished 2014 my best race time was IMMT with 11:52. 659 minutes was my strategy to get into the 10s during 2015 by 1) achieving certain fitness objectives and 2) by executing as efficiently as possible and making the best use of my fitness. I don't want to leave any time on the course.
2015 has shown improvement; IMMT was 11:45, but I blew the second half of the run. CHOO 2015 was 11:29 – with much better execution, but I still haven’t posted the run my fitness should allow me to run. Still, my bike and my transitions were my best effort so far. 2015 started with a wonked hamstring and this continues to be the theme. No complaints – just adjustments.
659 minutes: Swim 1:20, Bike 5:15 10 minute transitions and a 4:15 marathon – less one second – gets me 659 minutes. It has been a great year – one that I won’t measure by what happens November 7. Having said that, here is how I plan to get there in Florida.
Swim
I am not a good swimmer and haven’t practiced enough. It is salt water and wet suit legal and you get to run in the middle – so there is hope.
- Don’t get caught in the waves
- Stay balanced
- Try to draft
- Breathe to whichever side the waves aren’t
- Hurry up and get on the bike!
T1
I’ve worked hard on transitions this year. CHOO was a 4:11 and that was pretty fast relative to anyone in my age group.
- Only thing in my bag will be my helmet
- I’ve heard to avoid the strippers… considering either:
- Strip myself in the water (usually this is pretty fast)
- Strip on the run and finish in the tent. Concerned that the wet suit will vacuum sealed to my body
- Get on the bike fast
Bike
Essentially ride same numbers as CHOO, aero all the time. Have pimped the aero setup since CHOO to improve CdA and have 500+ miles in the new position. It is good to go. BBS puts this at 5:12.
- FTP 256 (mFTP on WKO4) / Weight 154
- Ride NP 180w
- 10 – 12 miles starting at 165, ramping to 180+
- Front load calories during ramp
- Lock in for 4 hours
- Last 30 minutes run prep, hydration and calories
- Nutrition
- 325-350 Calories per hour, front loaded
- 20-30 oz liquid per hour
- 800-1,000 mg sodium per hour
- This course is flat, flat, flat…
- Find the easy speed / avoid the stupid slowness
- 10-12 hard pedal strokes over little rises to keep momentum
- Take the LEGAL draft
T2
CHOO was 3:33… I always end up using the toilette in T2, but still a reasonable speed. Visualize this and more of the same.
- Put on shoes and socks
- Plastic bag trick
- Eat a banana
- Have an extra HR monitor in bag in case of failure of my main one
Run
I have never executed a good IM run. CHOO was close. Had some stomach issues unrelated to course nutrition… will focus on conservative diet management race week
- I expect to get off the bike with HR ≈ 153-155
- Establish run HR ≈ 150 for first 6 miles
- Gradually let HR grow to LR HR 155+
- My HR has been “disconnected” since IMMT. A combination of fatigue and not being able to sustain the run volume (hamstring) needed to hold it down.
- Realistically, I will do well to hold it in the low 150s miles 1-6 and to hold it below 160 thereafter.
- My LT1/LT2 is 160/170, so I feel relatively comfortable with anything that stays below 160.
- Run Nutrition
- ≈250 – 300 calories per hour, front loaded
- This race I will focus on getting calories in early
- Banana in T1 & first aid station = +100
- Gel at miles 3, 9, 15, 21 - +100
- 20 oz Skratch per hour - +100
- Hour 1: 400 cal
- Hour 2+: 250 cal/hr.
- If everything goes bad…
- 6:1 Run walk strategy @ 9:00 / 18:00 min/mile
Comments
Rich, I like your plan. It is simple and goal oriented. With all the races you've done this year, you are ready. Your base is enormous and even in a tough situation, that is going to carry you.
I agree with ED, HUGE base and solid experience coming into this. Plan looks well thought out, including the plastic bag trick. Your 3.6+ w/kg ratio combined with that base and experience should reveal a great bike leg and set you up strong for the run.
I look forward to meeting you next week and going through that battle together bro!
SS
Don't take your WS off in the water. If you're one of the first out of the water (sounds unlikely), the strip area will be clean. But it'll be a sandy mess at 1:20. If you can't get the top down coming out of the water, have a stripper get your arms out, then move it down to your hips during the run to the change room. Once inside, hunt down a vol and have him take it off the legs once seated. Piece of cake. And because time is your enemy, no lounging in transition. TAs are the only source of free time on race day.
Your bike numbers look nearly identical to mine. Makes me feel better about the two-wheel potrton of my plan. Do not under any circumstances try to cram or top off calories at the end of the bike. I consume no calories the last 30 min or so, leaving my stomach calm for the run. Once bouncing around on the run, then you can start loading up. A motionless, prone stomach can fool you and let you overstuff it. But an upright, bouncing stomach will let you know when it's hungry and when it's not.
The end of your run depends on the beginning of your run. During those first 6 miles to the park, find an easy pace, then slow it down a bit. After that, start a 20-mile race to sub-659. Mentally prepare for a dark last 6 miles.
Looking forward to sharing your success on 11/7.
@Mike - how do you keep the wetsuit from vacuuming to your legs after the run out? Maybe I'll just go cray with the lube so that it slides easily? I am feeling pretty comfortable about the bike numbers - can't control what the wind does - notwithstanding that it looks to be fast. Fwiw, here is the link to my BestBikeSplit estimate:
https://www.bestbikesplit.com/public-race?r=28077
My stomach is always rock solid coming off the bike. I consistently screw up the nutrition while running. I'm pretty certain that I have been starting to run short of calories the second half of the marathon and am trying to figure out how to get enough in while I can. My ability to eat on the run is not awesome.
I think that maybe the answer is to supply RnP with cattle prods and ask them to encourage me whenever I start to slow.
Look forward to racing with you all!
"... I consistently screw up the nutrition while running. I'm pretty certain that I have been starting to run short of calories the second half of the marathon and am trying to figure out how to get enough in while I can. My ability to eat on the run is not awesome...."
What does this mean? I think we all "run short of calories" as the run progresses, and we all have a fair amount of difficulty *eating* on the run. And the faster we go, the more those issues come into play. Putting solid stuff, or even a lot of concentrated gel, into the stomach while trying to run @ an IF of 0.78 or so usually doesn't work - not enough blood flow in the gut to help that stuff get across in a timely manner.
What are you trying to solve by pushing the calories on the run? If it's mental fatigue or a slowing pace, more food is probably not the solution. If it's throwing up 3 hours in, gain, more food is probably not the solution.
Al - I my HR is dropping and my mind is getting fuzzy during the second half of the run. Lately this is because I've been sick and don't have the calories. My IM run is not reflecting my fitness or my training and nutrition is somehow at the heart of it. That is the short answer.
If you have the patience - here is the longer version ...
Below is a summary of my 6 races with comments:
Ironically - the hardest race of them all and my first IM in my first year in the sport had my best "executed" run (Bike was a disaster there with flats, multi multi multi nature breaks before I could manage on the bike, etc). IMLC bears ignoring - I was lucky to finish that race.
The rest of them are essentially the same times. My run fitness has improved dramatically over this time period, but my IM Run execution hasn't.
I have my bike dialed back to IF 0.70 and starting with Coz last year have felt really good getting off the bike. Legs have felt light after about 10 minutes and HR settles in nicely... I have felt like I was moving along pretty smoothly, and the wheels come off around mile 10-12. Energy just drains away. Mental acuity / decision making deteriorates. Heart rate drops and I cannot get it to come back up. CHOO is the exception - after the nature break, HR came back to about LR rate... just couldn't get pace back after stopping.
I never have these issues on my long runs. I like to do progressive pace runs, normally starting around 9:00+ / mi and ending up 8:00/mile or faster. 16, 18, 20 miles I end up averaging 8:20s / mile. This should not translate to IM Marathons at 10:30 / mi. Here are the long runs leading into the last three races:
Last race (CHOO), Coach P had me eat a banana in T2 and it seemed to help. Apart from a stomach problem which was something that had been plaguing me all week (not a typical race nutrition / GI issue), I felt that CHOO was a much better run. CHOO is a legitimate run course - harder than any of the others I've done. Take out the 10-min in the head, and I would have PR'd the run.
When I do my long runs - I am fine with about 150 cal per hour for 3 hours... I would like to take in enough calories in the first two hours to sustain myself like the long runs during the second half of the IM run.
So - my thought process going into Florida is this (has changed slightly since writing the plan above):
If you've read this far - I really really appreciate it.
I am dramatically underperforming my IM run relative to my fitness.
I am going to do my very best to change that at IMFL...
I appreciate the compliment - 3x Ironman is really interesting. I think I have learned a lot from the process... I've signed up for Lake Placid & Moo next year - planning on adding a 3rd after getting through Florida. This could be an interesting thread to start after thinking thorough the things I've learned this season.
I have been considering a Gel Flask. I have used one on the bike and it works pretty well. It has the added benefit of allowing me to dilute the gel with water making it easier to drink. I've also noticed that some of the Pros are carrying a gel flask and then just drinking water on the course. I think that maybe you are right - time to stop thinking about it and just run. I didn't think about any of this at Tahoe and, although slow, it was my best executed run.
My gut (sic) tells me that I need to take in just enough to ensure that hydration & nutrition are not a conversation topic after the race... other than that just run! I fully plan to enjoy the run in Florida - let's see how that works :-)
I know how to do that without the swim / bike - just have to crack the code.
Rich, I agree that your training runs indicate you should probably do an IM marathon in the range of 4:15 +/- 10 minutes, depending on the course, temperature, and how you executed on the bike. (At least until you show you can go 4:05, then you can start thinking about improving on that range.)
My own experience: in the last three years, I have started carrying a gel flask on the run. I found I could manage at best 2 ounces of that in the first half and one in the second half. Maybe with Tim;s model of smaller amounts more frequently, that could be increased.
As to your caloric needs assessment ... I think erring on the lower side for calorie needs is the way to go on the run. Meaning 0.7 X wt in kg x 4 = calories per hour needed in carbs in the IM run. The rules which apply to stand alone marathons (closer to 1.0 rather than 0.7) don't take into account the reduced ability to absorb cals after 7-8 hours of persistent activity. I think, bottom line, you're gonna have to pay exquisitely close attention to stomach sensations throughout the run. At the first sign of things not feeling right (too full; excessive burping; sloshing) you should be ready to throttle back on your plan for a mile or two. Another way of saying, don't follow the plan into a brick wall.
Good luck!
I did a lot of experimenting with hydration/nutrition on runs this summer. I learned that hydration is a really big deal for me. As much as I hate carrying anything, a run where I carry a bottle and sip 1-2x per mile seemed to be most effective - especially on a hot day. So I started carrying a bottle (for now - until I get a better answer).
On my long hot runs, I was drinking about 30 oz of scratch per hour (150 calories) and if I would add anything (gel, chewy gels, ...) it was risky. When I am just running - I honestly don't need anything except water unless the run is going to go over two hours. On hot days - I was better with a diluted solution so that sweetness was less.
I will weigh 69-90 kg on race day - that says 195-200 calories / hour. Substantially less than the 250-300 I was thinking.
Based on all the feedback, I think that my priorities will be:
1. Focus on staying hydrated
2. Go ahead with the banana in T2 (worked well at CHOO) and consider another in the first half of the run
3. Target ≈ 200 cal/hr
- Since it will feel hot to my MI body, get this through primarily through my skratch (5 cal/oz; 360 mg Na/oz)
4. Goal is to get the last 13 miles started "feeling good"
5. At some point when I get sick to death of this - hopefully after 15+ miles - switch to coke & water
6. Take a small gel flask with some diluted gels with me - if I can't tolerate them - don't use them
If it isn't in there - in can't come out... just have to keep the energy up :-)
Thank you all for the guidance!
Like you I do most of my long runs fasted with water unless they are 2hrs+.
I take about 175 - 200 cal per hr on the run on race day. I can tell if I am under fueled and it is really easy to fix w a gel. Overfueled is another matter and not as easy to correct. My thinking on race day nutrition has changed from "max amount" to "minimal effective dose". I don't want my body to work any harder than it has to. Hydration is another matter.
But after all my blathering it sounds like we are aiming for the same cal. see ya out there!