Mike R's Raleigh 70.3 Race Plan
Finally . . . race season is here! I usually don’t post race plans for 70.3s, but it seems like it’s been a while since I wore an ankle chip, so most of this is just refresher for me.
Training
Had a successful Out Season, where my focus was on bike watts and run durability. I didn’t start swimming until March, but have been consistent since then and crammed in some decent yardage/frequency the last month. It's not enough to get me through an IM too well, but hopefully it’s good enough for 1.2mi.
Four-week splash course
My bike training plan has been simple: OS + Blue Ridge Camp + Hope (it’s enough). I would ordinarily like to have a month’s worth of long, outdoor rides in the bars, but oh well. Even without any deep fitness, I’m still confident I can cover 56 without draining the tanks. Lost 3 pounds over the past month, which brought me just up to 4 w/kg.
For once, I’m more confident about the run than I am the other two disciplines, despite the lack of speed training (other than the post-OS 5k and 13.1 I raced). Run durability works for me. I ran virtually every day in December after resting in November post-IMFL, 121 runs so far this year (5.6 runs/wk avg), with a few weeks in the mid-30s late in the game. Recent 13.1 result puts me at 50 vDOT.
I’m definitely one of the lower-volume EN athletes, which is one of the reasons I love EN so much – where else can I train 6-10 hours per week and get results? Although not a complete data geek, I do like to compare vs historical data and try to gauge what I can expect on race day. My CTL topped out at 83 the last two weeks. My CTL right before my last two 70.3’s was 58 (4:55) and 63 (4:48). So even though CTL is not a perfect indicator of anything . . . well, other than massive over- or under-training, it gives me one more reason to justify my confidence this weekend. I’ve scheduled this week’s taper workouts so that I'll wake up Sunday morning with a TSB around +15.
As for goals, I want to have fun. I’m not really fast at any of the disciplines, but I also don’t suck at any one. I just love racing and have heard great things about the Raleigh course. I’m at the wrong end of a still-fast-but-rapidly-graying AG. And there are some familiar studs who will be there on race day to deliver some humbling beat-downs (some regular KQers and 9 AWA Golds in my AG). Still, if things go relatively well, I’d like to make a run at top 10 AG/top 100 OA and give my 4:47 PR a scare.
Pre-race
I arrive in Raleigh Friday night. Will do race check-in if time permits. Saturday morning, I’ll eat a big breakfast and continue salting pretty heavily. I’ll drive my bike 30 miles out to the swim/T1. I’ll spend enough time as needed to memorize bike rack location compared to swim-in and bike-out, and visually plan my transition (will take lots of photos). I’ve got a good AWA bib #, so hopefully I’ll get a great spot like I did at Steelhead. I’ll swim up to 500 yards if it’s open, just to get a feel for currents and sighting and to try my aero jersey under the speedsuit. After that, I’ll drive the bike course back to downtown Raleigh and meet anyone for lunch who wants to meet up. After lunch, I’ll walk over and check out T2, again spending as much time as needed to plan for a speedy transition. Rest of the afternoon is chilling. Eat a turkey sandwich or something similar by 6pm, in bed by 9.
Race Morning
Up at 3:30am to eat my 700-800 calories (apple sauce, bagel, banana, beet juice). Sunscreen, lube and put on all the gear I carefully laid out the night before. Walk across the street and set up my T2 . Then catch a shuttle bus out to the swim start no later than 5:30am. My wave starts at 7:30, so I’ll sip Gatorade until 6:30, at which point I’ll have a gel and cool it on the liquids for a bit. Once at T1, I’ll fill up the tires, load my aero bottle with Gatorade and put a second bottle on the downtube. Install and turn on Garmin 800, calibrating with the PM and acquiring satellite signal. Shoes on bike, proper gears selected. Off to the swim start. Even if I have to find my own space somewhere in the lake, I will get in and warm up. At least 300 yards, with some 20-second pick-up efforts to get the HR humming and the shoulders loose. At 7:15, I’ll have another gel and chase with some water/Gatorade.
Swim
The swim is a big clockwise triangle, with buoys on the right. I’m in the fourth wave, only behind groups of men aged 45-60+, including the first half of my AG. I’ll closely watch the first couple of waves to look for currents and preferred lines. Assuming nothing out of the ordinary, my goal will be to start at the front, go out hard and stay at the front, hugging the buoy line and keeping a smooth, fast turnover right at threshold pace. If one or more guys are right there, I’ll graciously accept their offer to follow their bubbles. I’ll do my best to be patient as I begin to move through the waves in front of me, but it won’t be nearly as much traffic as in the past when I was in Wave 18 or 24. The last third of the triangle I will maintain focus and aggression, not letting up, not straying from the buoy line.
As for goal time, I’ll be 3-5 seconds/100 yards slower in my speedsuit compared to my wetsuit, so I’ll lose a minute or two there. Last year the course was allegedly a few hundred yards long, with the FOP in my AG coming out in the 34:00 range. I don’t really care if it’s 28:00 or 38:00, as long as I come out with or within sight of the FOP.
T1
I’ll quickly jog toward my bike, pulling my speedsuit down to my waist, goggles and cap off. Once at the rack, I’ll pull the suit down to my knees and start kicking out of it while I put on and buckle my helmet. Stuff suit and goggles in the T1 bag (mandatory), grab bike and go. Shoes already on the bike. Whether I add arm coolers is still being debated in my head. Time goal is to put a minute or so on most of my competition.
Bike
There’s five or so miles of admin, including a decent climb, right out of TA. Only goal here is to be safe, keeps watts around 75% (200w) and settle in. Once out of the park and onto the highway, the roads are moderately rolling. Lots of speed can be had here, but I plan to grab that speed by being very aero and not by over-powering the section like much of the field will. Shoulders slightly hunched, chin on BTA bottle straw. I’ll let the watts grow into the 80-85% range (210-25), but won’t push it too hard if the effort is unsustainable. The hills really start at Mile 30 (and continue until the end of the ride). Steady up without spiking watts, start accelerating at the crest, keep power up on the way down, carry momentum into the next one, repeat. Ninja gearing. Keep the VI below 1.03 or 1.04. Past reports suggest that much of the field is pretty spent by the time they get through the early hills, with even more of them totally spent by the end of 56. Good. Total gain of 2,794 feet seems like a lot, but we gained quite a bit more than that in just 15 miles climbing Mt. Mitchell at BRC. It’s a challenging course, and not necessarily a fast one, but it’s beatable.
As for nutrition, I’ll drink up to two bottles of Gatorade Endurance per hour due to the oppressive heat and humidity forecasted for this weekend. I’ll eat a gel once I’ve settled in, around 15 or 20 minutes, then another at 1:00, 1:30 and 2:00. Plan to pee at least twice on the bike. Goal is to roll into T2 fully hydrated, but with an empty/happy stomach. At the very end of the bike, we make a sharp left, then climb straight uphill to the TA. I’ll have my feet loose, aero jersey unzipped and climbing gear engaged before making that final turn.
As for time goal, it all really depends on the wind. Being a point-to-point course, there’s usually a headwind, but with storms predicted for the weekend, I’ll be mentally prepared for anything. A ride time under 2:30 would be great, but I’ll just take whatever everything the day will give.
My Sunday brunch date
T2
The only thing complicated about this transition is the removal of my aero jersey. I’ll peel it off as soon as the bike is racked. Helmet off, pre-lubed socks and shoes on, grab go-bag and run. During the run out, I’ll put on my hat, sunglasses, Garmin 920xt (I’ll wear the wrist strap all day so I just have to snap it on) and race belt and stow my gels and salt pills. Even with an extra 10 seconds messing around with the jersey, I should still be top 5-10%, putting another a minute on much of the competition.
Run
The course is a pretty simple out-and-back, done twice. It has plenty of hills, with a net up on the way out, net down coming back. Fortunately, there is nothing flat where I live, so I run lots of hills. I recently ran what I considered to be a very hilly 13.1 with 620 feet of gain. Raleigh has 563 feet, so it won’t be a walk in the park by any stretch, especially when starting with 57.2 miles under the belt. Fortunately, just like the bike, the layout plays into the hands of the EN-trained athlete. Many racers will destroy their run on the first three uphill miles in thick humid heat. Training and racing history suggests that I’ll average 135-38HR the last hour of the bike. For the first three miles of the run, I will cap the effort at the top of Z2 or 147. These are THE most crucial three miles of the entire race. After that, I’ll let HR move into Z3 and cap it around 154. 154 is where things start to get difficult for me when training and racing, but it’s sustainable. I’ve blown up on the 70.3 run twice in the last four years, and both times I was (stupidly) holding 155-160HR during the first half of the run. I pulled up my last such implosion on Strava just to remind myself how quickly stupidity can kill a run:
Textbook e.g. of a bad run
Unlike that race, patience and discipline will get me to Mile 9 or 10 in Raleigh with a 154 cap, after which I’ll make my move and allow HR to move into the 160s (Z4) for the rest of the race. If I feel good and/or am racing some guys in my AG, I may go during the uphill on Mile 9 to the turn-around, knowing I can run hills and will have gravity’s help on the way home. If I’m struggling, I’ll wait until the turn-around to go. With 1-2 miles to go, I’ll move to the second field page on my 920xt and follow HR (I want it above 163 until the finish) and Time of Day (12:15pm = PR) and will chase those two metrics – and any other racer within view – to the line.
Nutrition-wise, I’ll slam a Clif banana/beet/ginger gel on the way out of T2 (get my banana and beets in one shot). I’ll follow that with gels at Miles 4 and 8 . Mostly Gatorade to drink, supplementing with salt to combat the heat. I’ll fill my go-bag with ice at each station, then distributing said ice to my hat, jersey and shorts.
As for time, the conditions will dictate a lot. If they’re merely brutal and not death march-hot, I’ll be happy with anything under 1:38, content with anything sub-1:40.
Thanks for reading. If I've overlooked something or have something really dumb in here, please let me know.
Comments
Still trying to comprehend a sub 1:30 pace without legs, and now you toss out a sub 2:30 bike split with fewer than 250W NP. Thats, like, next level sh*t.
Good luck!
DS
Mike - Great plan! I can't think of anything you have overlooked, and if you have I am sure it will be in the RR. I have a few questions, and I hope you don't mind that I am stealing a bit of this for a local half I am doing next weekend (June 12th)
1) What brand / form of beet juice will you take in the morning and how much?
2) The two pre-race gels - Are they caffeinated? Do you do caffeine?
3) Where are you storing your gels on the bike (loved the photo)?
Good luck and I can't wait to read the race report!
What brand/model is your helmet? It looks cool. How do you like it?
What's your technique for getting to +15 TSB ... do you enter a planned TSS into the upcoming TP workouts or do you adjust day-by-day based on TSB actuals?
Really good plan and great to lay it out there because I think many other peeps can use this as a model for 70.3 racing.
Your nutrition and transitions look spot on to me.
As you have documented below, I think your outcome is going to depend a lot on how well you manage yourself on the first half of the bike in terms of both watts management and hydration (2 bottles/hr) ....don't find any excuses to let that slip away.
HIM runs are just tough, painful especially the last 4 miles. I'll be tracking you along the way and sending KMF forces to push you through that time.
I think your greatest talent in addition to your fitness and mental strength is your experience and ability to race smart all aspects which I always admire.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast..............
SS
@DS, thanks brother. The only reason I can theoretically go sub-2:30 on less than 250w is b/c I'm a wee little thing (although 30lbs heavier than Cronk). You've got all the tools to go sub-5 at the 70.3. And you're in the right place to put those pieces together.
@BH, (1) I've tried several beet juice powders, but like Activz the best so far. It's organic, relatively cheap (Amazon Prime) and, most importantly, tastes pretty good (some are plain awful). I take the regular dosage each morning for a week leading up to a race. Lot of reports of GI distress when people take doses of 500ml or more (nitrate content). (2) As for caffeine, I'll cut it out a few days before a 70.3, then go cold turkey until my final gel on the bike, which is a Clif Double Espresso. It provides a pretty good jolt. For IM, I'll cut it out an entire week out, then hit two of those Double Espresso's after Mile 80 of the bike when concentration/motivation start to fade big-time. (3) As for gel storage, if I can strap the PitStop I'm buying this afternoon to my behind-the-seat Delta, then I'll put the gels in my Stealth Pocket 400 on the top tube. If I choose to put the PitStop in the Stealth, then I'll tape the gels to the stem, under and behind my BTA bottle.
@PC, the helmet is the LG P-09. It's pretty bada$$. Fits perfectly, very comfortable, and I really like the visor (some strongly prefer sunglasses). The Rudy is great, but it's just a bit too tight for my melon. As for TSB, you nailed it. Just set your PMC to Last 180 days and next 45 day, input your planned wko's in your calendar, then go back to the PMC and hover over Sunday. Adjust as needed. For example, I was supposed to run last night, but my daughter decided to give me a horrible cold. So I chose to go to bed at 7 pm instead. Ran this morning instead, in a NyQuil-induced haze. I love this feature of TP. When I reviewed old data of some flat races and saw that I went into race day at TSB +57, I realized that over-tapering is a real thing.
@SS, thanks as always for the mojo. You're dead-on about the focus and patience required the first half of the bike (and the run). The margin of error is larger at HIM than IM, but the consequences of a screw-up, IMO, are more extreme at the HIM. In IM, a "good" vs. "bad" run is just two variations of a jog - for me, "fast" jog (3:40) vs. "slow" jog (4:00). So, if I screw up my IM, it's usually 20 minutes and 10-15 AG spots. But at a HIM, the difference between a good and bad run is not two variations of a run. Instead, it's an actual run (1:35-40) vs. a jog (2:00). That 20-minute loss will drop me 60 AG spots.
@JR, great advice. Thanks. I've got it planned and mapped out to chill and go ez/steady until I get onto the highway.
@EE, you're too kind. Just regurgitating great advice I stole from other ENers. But I do believe that racing the "fringes" often seaparates people of equal speed. In a 70.3, there will be at least 100 micro-opportunities to to take it easy: starting wide on the swim, breaststroking around turn buoys, avaoiding contact, walking TAs, eating in TA, coasting downhills and turns, stopping at bike aid stations, high-fiving all 16 kids in a row, using a porto john,etc. I flip those on their head and view them as micro-opportunities to steal seconds. Which quickly add up to minutes. When you're like me and can't match people with power and speed, I have to get them at the fringe.
Know you are very seasoned and know how to control climate vs nutrition however probably a good one to just remember. From what I have been reading (strava and here), you have had some good prep sessions for the humidity and heat. If that's what the day turns out to be, you are golden. If however you have the luck that it's cooler or less humid, just don't forget to adjust your nutrition to suit. As said, am sure you are well aware however sometimes "in the heat of the moment", you could easily take on to much.
Will be watching how your day goes. Good luck and enjoy the day....looking forward to checking in with you after.
Swim-Last year the swim was SLOW. It was not wetsuit legal so maybe that was part of it. I'm a very consistent 32 - 34 minute HIM swimmer and it took me over 38 minutes. 3 weeks later I went 31 minutes at the same effort. This will play to your advantage with your swim strength!
Bike-Spot on. There was a noticeable headwind on the 1st half of the ride, didn't notice as much in the 2nd half. Stay aero and you'll be fast. I was in a late wave last year. As a result the first half of the bike course was saturated with riders. As a strong cyclist you will be passing a lot of people. Take advantage of the legal drafting. This makes that headwind you mention a complete non-issue. I noticed that mile 30 of the bike it was already starting to get warm. Staying on top of hydration through the bike will be critical to running well. 2nd half of the ride is pretty technical. A lot of up and down and some turns at the bottom of those hills. Nothing massive but the people that ride too hard early are going to pay for it.
Run-When you first get off the bike there will only be the faster athletes on the run course. It will be tempting to start racing but stick to your plan it will pay off. As you come in on the 1st loop of the run you'll notice a lot of people starting their run with a walk because they destroyed themselves on the bike course. Unfortunately, those people are not your competition. There is not very much protection at all from the sun. Get in the shade where you can and be smart with your use of the aid-stations. It got really tough for me around mile 8 last year. Just keep pushing yourself, the discomfort will be over soon.
Most people don't want it to get hot...You do! The tougher the conditions the more favorable to those racers that are smart and execute a solid race plan well, that's you. Good luck and have fun out there!
Really like your strategy regarding the run, it seems to be really fixed on your mind, specially on how to deal with the hills.
Quick question: why don't you keep the aero jersey for the run and not try to remove it while running on the first 2M and put it on the back, since your run is fast, it will have time to annoy you.. and me save you 10-15seconds ?
Look forward to your results!!