Hoff's IMLP Race Plan
Mostly adapted from Last Year's race plan that turned out to be the race that wasn't (http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/19267/Default.aspx)
Looking for comments, missing items, questions - this is where the team effort shines!
This is my 6th IM start, first time in LP, but I have ridden the course forwards and backwards a number of times.
Bike:
Cervelo P5, New Conti TT Tires,
808 rear, 404 Front(new thanks to the Zipp recall)
compact Q rings 52/36 front 12/28 cassette.
Btb Xlab torpedo
1 cage on downtube, 1 cage behind seat.
Garmin 520
Stats:
Height 5’8
Weight (1535 or less) please don’t snicker…
FTP – 261 – ok, you’ve done the math & are laughing, please keep it to yourself 
Vdot – 47 - ok stop ROFL at me, please 
Wednesday
Drive to LP
Thursday
INSPECT & CLEAN BIKE - Check flat tire kit, tubes, tools, etc
(Bike has completely been gone over by LBS 1 weekago )
Team Dinner – Time & location?
Charge Garmin 520 & 920 watch
Configure 520 for no autopause
Configure multi-sport screens on 910XT
Supermarket for items in house BUY HIGH CALORIE EARLY AM SHAKE, gatorade & bananas FOR SUNDAY
Friday
– ride the descent 3x with driver to bring back to top
-drive run course - recon
Pack bags
Race Morning bag
Sunscreen
phone & earphones
Band aids for nipples
Chamois Butter
Timing Chip on Ankle
HR Monitor Strap
Garmin WatchEN Tri Suit
Morning Clothes Bag
Body Glide
Wetsuit
Goggles
Sweat pants/ EN Jacket/ winter run hat If needed/ for after race
For BIKE
Garmin 520
BTB water bottle mixed w gatorade
arm warmers - plain black (wear under Wetsuit or place in T1 bag?)place over aerobars, put on after leaving admin miles in town
T1 Bag
Helmet – Giro Aero
Bike Shoes
thin Sox in case of cold weather
Sunglasses
Bike Gloves
Rain Jacket (if expected) throw away
LS North face shirt if temps deem it
Arm Warmers if Temps deem it moved to bike above
T2 Bag
Sunglasses already on face from bike
Small packets of Chamois butter
Running shoes – Hoka Biondi Blue
GO BAG (ziplock) including Visor , number belt
HAT if humid/ hot & will need to put ice in it for Run
Sox – Blue Running
BSN Bag
2 Spare Tubes
2 Spare CO2 Cartridges
RSN Bag
Empty - nothing
Friday
7am Team swim – what time?
10:30 am 4 keys – Palace theater Main Street?
Saturday
Short morning easy run – how long?
Bike & Bag Drop off TIME?
Run course recon IN CAR
Sunday – 2:30 AM wake up – high calorie shake
Back to sleep
4:30AM wake up, coffee to get me going & bodily functions in gear
eat banana start drinking gatorade
Apply body glide, nipple band aids, Chamois butter, sunscreen
Head to Transition
Body marking
Put 520 on bike & torpedo bottle on bike
Borrow a pump (or am I bringing mine and giving to sherpa?) pump tires to 95 psi
team photo
chill w music until need to turn in morning clothes bag
Swim - Goal Time – 1:21 1:16 -1:20
Line up with 1:10 - 1:15 group, GET ON & STAY ON the cable Expected time 1:15 – 1:25, Recent OWSs suggest 1:18 – 1:21
stay FOCUSED on technique
T1 –
Take off top of wetsuit as exiting swim – leave on goggles & cap until wetsuit top is off
RUN after wetsuit is off
Dump gear on ground, hand swim stuff & T1bag to volunteer
Helmet on
sunglasses on
Other clothes as needed
If using arm warmers, put on after getting on road out of town, dangerous admin miles in town)
Walk to bike with Shoes in hand
Bike - Goal time – 6:05
FTP – 261 (263 according to Strava)
5hr power – 172 according to Strava
Target Power
183 (IF=.70) – possible increase to 188(.72 IF) on lap 2 if feeling it…
Hills can spike to 195-205, controlled power when out of saddle
LAP button on garmin every 15 minutes (time alert is set) or reset at the bottom of major descent.
Hourly Nutrition (worked out using EN Leventhal Calculator)
1 bottle of Gatorade
½ to 1 bottle of H2O depending on Humidity and temperature
1 mini cliff bar or 1/3 banana (that's the size they are usually cut to)
Time goal based on 5:50 at IMMT in 2014 with knowledge that IMLP course is ten minutes “slower”. Weather will play a lot with this and the time will be what it will be.
LEAVE SHOES ON BIKE for T2
T2
Dump run stuff on ground
Helmet, clothes, any bike stuff in bag
Sox on
Shoes on
sunglasses already on from bike
Visor, number belt, anything else, in go bag
Hand bag with contents to volunteer
Put on race belt after departing
Run – Goal Time – 3:59
First six miles at 9:15 - comfortable pace working up to 134-136 HR
Run at 135 - 140 as needed for hills
Miles are averages (working on run plan based on HR w Coach P)
Walk aid stations enough to get liquids down & drink, eat on the run, save walking Aid Stations for later miles
Remember it is very easy to run miles 1-6 & 15-20 too fast since they are mostly downhill...
Lock in on HR of 136? after 4 miles
Hills, watch HR, and slow down.. they will come, they will be very painful on the 2nd loop, remember a slow slow run is faster than a fast walk, that said, walk to get HR below 1483 as needed on hills
Have stood outside the Brewery for 3 years cheering people on, remember this is the top of the hill, run from there if walking!
Hourly Run Nutrition
Alternate H2O & Gatorade at each aid station
Mix up solid food – mini clif bars, 1/3 banana, gu taking a solid at every 3rd – 4th aid station
NOTE ON GOAL TIMES –
I hate them, I hate writing them. I know what I can do under optimal conditions, shizz happens & we will have to deal with it when it does.. Hoping for dry cool weather, but one never knows and certainly not until at least within 24 hrs of go time, and even then, in the ‘dacks, anything can happen.
Goal is to stay in my box, focus on what is going on now, solving problems when they come up (and they will
) and Keep moving forward…
Comments
go bag - awaiting the coach P special to show up in my mailbox and make the call, but that is a good reminder! Sunglasses will already be on my face from the bike!
Do you plan to take in any nutrition prior to the swim start?
What kind of morning temperature can we expect to see?
Go tear it up, Scott!
Gloves on the bike? Please tell me that's a typo. This is war, not a trip to the day spa. Only other thing I don't like about the bike plan is eating solids throughout the bike. Man, it gets really tough to digest anything after a couple of hours in the bars. I would move to all liquids/gels at or before the halfway point. GI distress and
are two of those avoidable things that I prefer to avoid. But that's just me. And, if the only reason you want to eat solids is because they're "yummy," see day-spa comment above.
I think your run plan needs more work, especially if you want to go sub-4 on a 47 vDOT. Which is doable, but I think you gotta nail it. Personally, I would ditch the pace stuff altogether, especially given the LP terrain. You're simply not going to run steady 8:50s uphill and downhill. Which is the great advantage of HR. What's your average HR on your last 6-8 long runs? If your goal HR after Mile 4 is 136, then why would you only start to walk if it spikes to 148? That's a huge variance. Wouldn't 148 = catastrophic blow-up? I would keep that target bracket more like 135-37 or 134-38. And, because the first 5-6 are downhill, I'd rather see an opening min-max bracket of something like 130-34 (I would chat with Coach P and dial in the exact numbers), then repeat that effort on the second loop (miles 10-15?). If you jog down those miles at 124, e.g., you may be giving up the sub-4, and I find it really difficult to bring HR back up in the run after it's been down for a while. After you define that HR plan for the first 20-22, assuming you choose to go with HR, then whatever the top of your HR bracket was for the first 20-22 miles (136?) now becomes your floor (and whip) to the finish. Again, the above numbers are just hypothetical and intended only to get you to dial in a little more. Coach P helped me review my training numbers and plan out all of this stuff for my last IM in 5 minutes. And he knows the LP course better than probably anyone.
You've put in a ton of work. Now it's time to go have fun and show off the fitness.
MR
In addition to what's already been said you gotta ditch the downtube bottle. You spend all that $$ for a fancy P5 only to bastardize it aerodynamically with a downtube botte? With on-course nutrition you should be able to get by with only two cages (or even one), but if not get a dual behind the seat mount. The drag numbers on a P5 from a round frame bottle are uglier than Withrow's chamois after 207 miles in Colorado.
as for run pace. I am pretty aware that I will not be running solid pace, especially on a course like LP. I have some runs I do around my house (very hilly area) where I am always running slower or faster than targeted pace. Math keeps the brain busy and I am often calculating how much ahead or behind my intended pace I am based on what I do a particular mile in.
the 135 is an average, the 148 is based on where i got really uncomfortable climbing Mt Washington in the Sea 2 Summit. Though, that might not be a good benchmark.
just loaded up my micro thread per your suggestion with this thread, the questions & links to my three recent long runs (17, 18 & 20) for this race)
@ jeremy - good thought, and that image of JTs chamois will keep me hustling past mile 18!!
Now, I saw you riding and running 6 weeks ago. If you have built on that power and strength, you've got a great day coming to you. Patience, discipline, and humility, and you'll have strength for the final hill and run along the lake to the oval.
@all - updated some aspects of plan per your comments, please keep them coming!
I like your plan SD. I've watched your work ethic/training. I know you and your passion personally. It's going to be a great day no matter what.
Last year, the run course was unusually warm for IMLP standards. If this year is a repeat of last year's temps, you'll need to heed MR's advice on putting your solid food upfront on the first half of the bike. There will not be much tolerance on the run in warm temps for solid nutrition. Be ready to adjust for that.
Additionally, Al's advice on Z2 HR will become even more important if temperatures get warm like last year. Those two items in the heat, managing solids correctly and respecting that HR zone can really bring out a veteran performance and leverage all that hard work you have put in this year.
Good luck and great skill Ironman!
SS
Here are my comments:
Swim: seed yourself in the 1:10-115 area if possible, then always keep the cable in sight. And jog/run the turn at the halfway point.
T1 is long. Run/jog the whole way, you will recover in T1 and the first 5 mins of the bike.
Doubtful you will need arm warmers, but if so, get them on your wrists (like donuts) as you run from the Transition tent to your bike. then DO NOT pull them up until you are approaching the ski jump. The first 200 yds of the bike are VERY DANGEROUS, be careful, then the next couple of hills are sketchy, then it is safe once you can see the ski jump. I think a better approach to staying warm is to buy a $3 pair of work gloves (bonus points for rubberized bottom surface) at a gas station on your way to the race. Put these on as you run to your bike, then ditch them at an aid station in a couple of hours when it warms up.
Bike: I eat bars on the bike, probably ~1/hr. Just do whatever you trained with on your RR's and long rides.
T2: Definitely have a ziplock "go bag" and have all of your crap in it. So in the tent, you simply put your socks and shoes on, grab the Zip-lock and go. Coach P's "run-saver" pouch will be in that go-bag along with your visor, number belt, etc.
Run: That run course SUCKS. Be comfortable being uncomfortable if you want to reach your goal. Don't worry about pace so much (even for the first 6 miles). Certainly keep an eye on it and don't be stupid and over-cook... But also don't be overly conservative. Keep an eye on your pace and HR and don't over-cook. Use these miles to loosen up your legs and get some nutrition in. Your goal for the run should be to have your avg HR for the last 6 miles to be your highest HR of the day. If you are able to pull that off, I guarantee you will not be disappointed with your run split. So let your HR be your whip on the return from the last turn around on River Road, ignore your legs and call yourself a wuss anytime your HR is below your average for the first ~3 hours.
You are well trained. You are lean. You are experienced, now go have a smart, great race.
Lots of hidden talent locked up in Scott Dinhofer.... You have unlocked some of it on the bike this year in what I would definitely call some breakout bike numbers. I know your FTP and w/kg are at all time highs. I have trained with you and compared our bike times most recently at S2S and gotta agree with JW for a faster bike split except I put you at 5:50ish (yes 10 min slower than IMMT but you are 10 min faster now).... The run is gonna shake out like this for everybody there will be no exclusions.... The first 1/2 mile TOO FAST there is nothing you can do its downhill , the next 1.5 miles flatten out and here is where you can get a little control over pace , at the 2 mile mark it tips down and you will be ready to go to work and will run to mile 9 too fast yet again , miles 10-12 is the first sufferfest of the day but its soon over, miles 13-18 will probably be the only miles of the day paced right but will still be fast , somewhere between mile 18 and mile 21 the wheels will be off and its survival mode for 23-26... I know you know this , I know everyone tells us that , we all know about pacing the beginning, etc... But that is what the course delivers and it is my belief MOST will run it the same way its almost possible not to... The only difference is minimizing the damage through out when thinking about what is coming trying to smooth the pace/HR/issue puzzle as you work the course...It will come down to RPE it always does, your HR will be low going down those hills and high going up them.... ..Didnt comment on Swim but bump your corral up to 1:10.
Coach P does a great job of breaking the bike and run course down at the 4 keys utilize this and your prior course knowledge if you decide to push up the IF on the 2nd loop.
Beyond what's already been said if you you come in faster on the swim it could still be very busy in the tent. Be prepared for no volunteer and having to stand in the corner.
On the run have a plan for the steep part of the hill coming back in to town on Sentinal just before the left hand turn on Main street. Definitely watch the HR here as the crowd is usually urging you on which can lead to pushing to hard. I could also make the same comment on the final hills on the bike coming back in to town.
Dunno if you are like me with the cliff bars, but during the races I always have find it hard to open, thus I pre-opened the top to make it easier to manipulate during the race.
I've followed you during the last few months on Strava and I am looking fwd to see what all this training can do ! I wish you positive results !
http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Simplifying+Bike+Nutrition+with+Rice+Paper