Ed Eovino IMWI Race Plan

Ed Eovino

Race plan IM Wisconsin '16

First thing... Thanks to everyone in the Jan OS ( especially Scott and Carol for taking the time to handle the OS bike/run threads) for acting as the hare...it was rough chasing you every day!...SS thanks for being the poster boy of what it looks like to bring your "A" game every single day. I have a mental exercise I do each day when I'm training. I think of two fishbowls... One filled with a card for everyday I complete the WO...and one filled with excuses for why I couldn't do what I was suppose to. SS... I'm sure you have as close to an empty fish bowl as is physically/mentally possible... Never an excuse!

This will be IM #4...

Race week...

Wednesday... Wait for wife to get out of work and be on the road no later than 6... Arrival...1am...unpack car....sleep

Thursday... Breakfast... Registration 10am... Swim :30 before noon... Lunch... :90 ride somewhere on the loop ( Old military section?).. Nap... Team dinner 6pm... Shut it down early

Friday... Early :30 swim... :30 run... Never been to a IM banquet? (5:30-7:30)

Saturday... Bike and gear check10am... Eat some Pancakes before 7am... Some pasta/ grilled chicken lunch.... Same for dinner but less... Snack on pretzels all night...Go for a record in the legs up contest!

T1 bag... Helmet with shield... Two packs of fig bars and honey stinger... Bike shoes and socks

BSN bag... 1 tube... 2co2

T2 bag... Run shoes... 1 gallon zip lock bag ( race belt with 4 gels and a tube of base salt...hat/sunglasses)

RSN.. Pair of socks... Piece of duct tape...small jar Vaseline to put out any fires


Sunday... Up at 4... Nature Valley granola bars...banana... Maybe a PB sandwich if I can get it down... Coffee

Dressed... Lubed...sun screened

Leave for transition at 5:45... Inflate tires... 7 PB gels in bento... Salt tabs if temp is suppose to be above 80... One Aerobar bottle and one behind seat GE.. Calibrate Garmin bike computer... Help C if she needs it...get out of there...too much anxiety all around. Sip GE and get the wetsuit on

Swim... Gel just before getting in water...Line up to the left of ski jump... Strong mind...contact is just a challenge to see how fast I can correct my form and move on... Keep HR down and settle in... Swim as fast as good form will allow. Take the buoys wide...don't get bogged down on the turns like you always do! This is what you waited a year for... Enjoy... Count strokes... Last buoy start visualizing your T1... Smooth is fast

T1... Exit water...Goggles up.... Top down around waist... Strippers... Cap/goggles off... Stuff in wetsuit sleeve... No HR spikes on run up helix... Stay to center... Grab bag... Helmet on while you move... Stuff bars in pocket... Grab shoes... Get bike... Move past mount line... shoes on... Mount up

Bike... Easy start...defensive... Avoid chaos and people trying to win this thing in the first two miles! When you find some clear road... Shield down... Get in aero bars... JRA for first 5 miles building into your race watts. Drink...eat as you can...

Plan is to ride 200 watts but will stay at 195 if HR isn't cooperating. I've ridden this course twice during camp week and was able to ride my race pace on day 2... Steady... Low VI... Stay aero... Slip through this course...easiest ride all year!

Key places... Don't push the stick on way out... You've got all day..don't pay the price at mile 18 for stupidity here. Steady and right on the watts up through the quick mart in Mt Horub... Push Witte a bit to carry the rollers... It'll help you set up a solid assault of Barlow... Second lap focus on legal drafting and pick them off one at a time.

This course rewards the disciplined... Don't waste watts... Move through it like a ninja and get to the run in better shape than anyone else

T2... Helmet off... Grab bag... Change shoes and grab go bag..once shoes are on...go...don hat...glasses...race belt while you're on the move

Run... Peg HR 135.. Hopefully 9:00-9:30/... Hold until mile 6... Then move HR to low 140's... Don't slowdown.... Steel... Don't back down to discomfort but recognize if something doesn't add up and adjust... Gel every 3-4 miles and GE until you can't do it anymore and switch to coke... Take a few walk steps on Observatory Hill... No reason to spike the HR on the first lap...stay within yourself... As the race wears on...It'll get dark... You're ready for it..."Don't quit on yourself"

I know this is short... I don't want to get caught up in minutia... I want to eliminate as many moving parts and distractions as possible... If it's hot... I'll make changes...cold... Rain...same thing... Thanks for reading... Don't be afraid to tell me what you really think!

drjohnson08

Ed, I like your plan and really don’t have any major comments.

It looks like you’re wearing socks on the bike. Any desire to put a pair of socks in the T2 bag in case yours get wet on the bike (urine/rain)?

“This course rewards the disciplined…” Exactly, execute EN style and have fun counting the number of people you pass the last 3rd of the ride.

It’s been fun seeing all of the work you put in this year. You are well prepared and I expect that you will have a great race. Looking forward to watching the performance!

Scott Giljum

Ed,
I can't wait to see you rip up the course. You don't mention it but I am sure you already know, the stick on the way home is a good place to push a bit to pick up some time on everyone. When they have mentally shut off, you are making sure you don't let off a bit. Go get em!

Shaughn Simmons

Why not put the helmet, shield and shoes at the rack with the bike?

I think you can really pull something off here at IMWI regardless of which bike you bring having watched you build your engine and having ridden with you on the course during camp.  You have a lot of strengths:

• Mentally strong and well disciplined man
• You have a strong fitness level and ability to sustain focus through pain.
• You have the experience of 3 IM races in your arsenal.

I think you tend to put too much pressure on yourself too early during the bike.  

Race your race.  Stay true to your HR goals while riding those steady watts.  Do not let impatience or fatigue compromise this one principle.  Keep your BOX as big as you can as long as you can......

You have plenty in the tank for a solid run if you set yourself up for that but its gonna take some patience and not worrying about C, where SS is, how Ed C is doing or any other variable come race day.  All day long, every hour, every minute its all about "How am I doing right now keeping my box BIG?

You do that, and we are going to see a very strong IM performance from EE.

KMF man!

SS

Francis Picard

your plan is like she said; short & efficient.

You did all the work, your fitness is ready to be unleashed, so looking fwd to follow you on the tracker and really wish the race of your life !

Ed Eovino

DJ... think I stole the "discipline "line from Kurth...extra socks in T2 bag it is

Scott... I do know there is some speed there on the stick on the way home... I won't get off the gas!

Shaughn... Thanks for the kind words... You've been an inspiration this year.. thanks for teaching me the meaning of work and leadership... Got it...Big box...Focus... Who's C?... kidding... I can promise a minimization of the worrying for her...but can't eliminate it...

Helmet on bike? I don't think you can leave the helmet on the bike... can you? I know you can clip shoes to the pedals.

Thanks Francis...Was great watching you work this year and man up for your race in tough conditions...I hope I can represent as well as you did!

Mark Maurer

Be sure to ask about the shoes and helmet at the athlete briefing. When I checked my bike in at IM CDA they said we could leave the helmet and shoes on the bike, but Sunday morning they were calling out bike numbers and making people retrieve the helmet and shoes. It was a "clean bike" transition area.

Shaughn Simmons

Currently the published Bike Course rule #7 "Helmets, bike shoes, and other cycling gear may be placed on the bike or in a transition bag.   Shoes and shirt must be worn at all times..........I have basically nothing in the T1 bag at this point....

SS

Ed Eovino

Looks like I need to Have a contingency pending the race director meeting

scott dinhofer

While the helmets are allowed on bikes, it is highly not recommended (the following was mentioned at Athlete briefings at LP & Boulder).. people bump your bike, helmets fall, helmet not reunited with correct bike. Especially a problem if bike is fetched by a volunteer...

Mike Roberts

Hey Ed,

I hope you have a great race and enjoy (nearly) every minute of it.  You've worked very hard this year and, for this course, smartly put a big emphasis on the bike.  Ironman tends to take little pacing and nutritional mistakes on the bike and blow them into a mountain of pain on the run.  And this bike course does so more than most.  So, make sure you're like a pilot on the bike, properly managing your fluid, salt and caloric intake and pacing perfectly.  No mistakes there = rare opportunity to have a good run in Madison.

Reilly is only announcing 11 IM races this year, and Moo is one of them.  If you haven't been to a banquet, it's probably worth it.  You're a vet, so you won't get freaked out by all the nervous energy.  Plus, the free meal will reduce your total triathlon expenditures this year by 0.001%.

Put your helmet in your T1 bag.  Easiest decision ever.  If you were planning on being one of the first out of the water, maybe.  But if it's the only thing in your bag (it should be unless you really are wearing socks on the bike - all the rest of that on the bike), then it'll take less time removing it from a bag than getting it off your bike (or retrieving it from the next aisle).

Looking forward to watching from afar next weekend.  Make sure to send photos of the post-race celebration at the Great Dane.

MR

Ed Eovino

@Mike... I didn't wear socks on the bike last year... But I did train with them early this year and never weened off them during the build. It was an oversight that I'm going to have to pay a minute for... But I'm not going to risk a blister during the race to save the time.

Thanks for the mention about Reilly. He called me in at my first IM (AZ '13)But he didn't make it to Boulder last year so the wife got the "B" team for her finish. I think we'll go! I'll make sure to snap a few pics.

Ed Eovino

@scott... It does scare me for that very reason. I think Mike is right in my case. I've always left it in the bag..why change? Doesn't cost you anytime anyway...you have to grab the bag to drop your wetsuit anyway.

Brian Hagan

Ed, Great plan and great feedback from everyone! I would skip the socks personally, but like you said, it's not much. Have a great race!

Mark Maurer

@ SS, I went back and checked the CDA athlete guide and it said the same thing in the bike course rules. However, in the race day information section it said that helmets and shoes must go in the bags. That rule won out on race day. It's not the only inconsistency in the guide.

Al Truscott

Small item...can you get those 7 PB gels into two flasks, one to start with, and one for SN? Less chance ope making a mess tearing them open on the fly and trying to squirt into mouth.

Big thing ... no mention of one thing or dark places or entering the Suck on the run. Maybe spend a fair amount of time in the week before the race visualizing the last 8 miles, and how you will respond with a positive mental approach when the dark clouds appear. Also, visualize ignoring the warning signals coming up from the thighs as the run plods on. And how you will keep increasing the effort over the course of the run, despite not seeing your pace get faster.

Ed Eovino

@Al... I like the small thing... I'll see if I can pick up a couple flasks before my ride Saturday to try it out.

But I love the big thing...it is so mental... You've got my attention... I will spend some time each day thinking of my answer to those dark moments... Thanks!