Ed Croucher's IMWI Race Plan
This is my 5th Full Ironman race and 4th with Team EN. This however will be a new race experience for me. Due to some family health issues, my training time has been made up of mainly 1 to 2 hour sessions. I am entering this race without a single 100 mile ride. This race will be all about execution. My fitness level is very good. It is amazing what can be done in an hour. What will happen beyond 3 hours on the bike is a mystery. If I execute the bike ride as planned, I believe I will be able to run. I have set goal times because this is a race and I always have goal times.
TARGETS:
SWIM: 1:05 – 1:10 Steady all the way
T1: 7:00
BIKE: 5:45 – 5:50 Targeting NP watts of 165 - 170
T2: 3:30
RUN 3:50 – 3:59
BIKE – Felt DA / FLO 90 on Front – Bontrager Aura 5 w/wheel cover on rear
Quarq Cinqo power meter
Front: Garmin 800 / Profile design HC Aero bottle – 21 oz Infinit - Salt Stick dispenser
Frame: Bento box gel flask & Chemise cream, center tube cage 1 Bottle of Infinit
Behind Saddle: 2 Bottles of Infinit, 2 tubes, 2 tire levers, CO2 cartridges & inflator
Gel Flask & banana in shirt
T1 BAG:
Helmet - Bike shoes - Gel Flask
BIKE SPECIAL NEEDS BAG:
1 Bottle of Infinit
T2 BAG:
Shoes with Socks rolled
Hat & Zip lock bag Race Saver Bag
Gel Flask
Race belt
RUN SPECIAL NEEDS:
Gel Flask
WEDNESDAY BEFORE RACE:
Travel Day – Get to Madison and meet up with SS
Prep bike
Enjoy a great dinner
Check in to Hotel and go to sleep
THURSDAY BEFORE RACE:
Go to Athlete Check In
Preview bike course
Short recon ride to ensure bike is all set
30 min swim recon
Drive run course then head to Team dinner
FRIDAY TWO DAYS BEFORE RACE:
Sleep in (attempt to do so!)
Big breakfast
Light Spin & Light Run
Big Lunch (with salt)
Add Salt throughout the day
Rest, relax & hydrate
Early light dinner –DON’T eat until full
Prep T1/T2 Bags, stickers on helmet and bike, number on race belt
SATURDAY – DAY BEFORE
Sleep in (attempt to do so!)
Big breakfast then bike check-in
Big Lunch (with salt)
Add Salt throughout the day
Rest, relax & hydrate
Early light dinner –DON’T eat until full
Prep T1/T2 Bags, stickers on helmet and bike, number on race belt
Prepare special needs bike/run bags, bottles
In bed by 9pm
SUNDAY - RACE DAY:
Wake up 3:30 a.m. – Eat, Collect bags ( BSN & RSN) Garmin & Pump
Apply sunscreen, body glide & get Dressed including HR monitor & timing chip
Leave Condo with Tri bag 4:40am
Drop special needs bags off
Arrive at transition, body marking, set up, inflate tires, double check bike correct gear selected 6:00 go to swim area
6:15 eat one gel and warmup in water
SWIM (TARGET 1:10:00)
Line up front at swim start
Stay inside the box
Focus - FORM & PACE, FORM & PACE, FORM & PACE! Count strokes to keep good rhythm
As I near swim finish, begin thinking about what I will do when I get out of water
Exit, strip, grab suit and go. No wasted time, move quick. Begin to jog.
T1: 7:00 min
You’ve done this before Smooth but quick
Get T1 Bag and enter tent
Sit Down and breath
Dump Bag
Goggles and cap in bag
Gel Flask in Shirt pockets
Helmet, Shoes then Glasses.
Grab wetsuit and bag and hand to volunteer and thank them
Exit tent and locate bike and move quickly passed the mount line
BIKE (TARGET 165W to 170W):
Garmin display is: NP Lap, 3 sec average power, Heart Rate & Cadence
Smooth and alert as you leave T1. See everyone and everything.
No power spikes. Shift gears and ride smooth.
First 5 miles are time to settle down 155W to 160W. Check Heart Rate. STAY AERO
Begin to drink, 1 Bottle per hour.
1 Salt stick every hour.
Drink more if temperature gets high. Grab GE at Aid Station
Stay in box. This ride is all about BEING AERO.
Over the next 10 miles increase watts up to 170. This should feel easy.
Aid Station Plan is water only or bananas only (Not both at same station)
All ride long - Eat drink & pee. (May have to stop for last item)
At mile 75, start drinking Napalm
Final push begins at Mile 80.
Condition check – How do I feel and where is my HR & Tss.
If all systems are go, increase watts to 175.
Finish bike gel flask
Loosen shoes before dismount line. STAY FOCUSED
T2: 3:30 minutes SLOW IS SMOOTH>>SMOOTH IS FAST
Shoes stay on pedals. Hand off bike to volunteer
Grab bag and go to T-2
Dump bag on ground SIT DOWN AND BREATH TO SLOW HEART RATE
Helmet, glasses OFF, socks, running shoes on. Grab go bag and start moving. Pee if you must. Stuff bag and hand to volunteer. Put on hat, race belt, Drink from aid station, dump water on body and go.
RUN (TARGET 03:50:00)
Miles 1 – 3 @ 9:00/mile decreasing to 8:45/mile. Run EASY!
Watch pace. Watch Heart Rate
Start drinking. Add Napalm every 3 miles.
Aid Stations are for Water on the body and some to drink.
Mile 6 – 14 is where you find the pace
Keep focused and hold the pace. Drink! Bottle should be empty by RSN.
At RSN change Flask.
At turn around evaluate how I feel. Remember the goal. Smile
Miles 14-18 Set cruise to Automatic. Begin Target mode but run smart.
Continue to drink. Use ice and water to cool body as needed.
At mile 18, it’s time to get tough.
Use all of the super powers in the bag
Comments
You've done this enough times to know what you're doing and what you need at any given moment during this race. At both IMFL and IMLP last year you ran well, (better than I did) off the bike and you know, going into this where your opportunities for improvement are. I like your plan because it is clean, simple and yet contains relevant details like Bike HR/NP, etc....
What is your HR goal once you start the bike to get down to before you begin to ramp?
Have you considered a banana in T1?
Do you employ the Go Bag in T2? It helps me actually slow my pace down in mile 1 because it distracts me a bit from running too fast while I am fiddling with everything.....
What is your HR target for the first 6 miles of the run that the 9:00 min/mile pace should validate? Seeing your run performance I definitely think you have the right pace, just wondering what that HR is and how it compares to the avg bike HR you are planning....
I am a bit disappointed that our Saturday night Poker game will end ~ 9:00 p.m. if you are headed to bed at that hour, but I guess we all have to make choices.....
SS
Great stuff Ed. I know you didn’t get the volume of training in for this race that you wanted, but you certainly got the quality in. I believe you have a lot of long course fitness in you, you just never had an opportunity to show us during training. You’ll just have to bring it out on race day now!
Your swim is as strong as I’ve seen it coming into this race and I think you will do really well there.
“What will happen beyond 3 hours on the bike is a mystery.” You may not have any centuries this year but I really believe you’re still capable of a good race. In order to do that though, I think it’s really important that you don’t chase a power or time goal on the bike. I would really recommend JRA pace for the first couple hours on the bike, evaluating yourself honestly at that point and using that evaluation to determine the watts and/or HR you should ride at for the remainder. Always be asking yourself how do I feel, can/should I crank it up a little, etc. Be extra smart on the bike so you can give yourself a chance on the run.
The run is your strength. When you get there show us how it’s done. A lot of people will be walking by 8 or 10 miles in because they had an “awesome bike split.” Execute the bike smart so you’re not one of those people. The crowd support on this run is amazing. Draw energy and motivation from that and take care of business. Most of all…enjoy the day and have fun out there! I’m really looking forward to following along online.
I'm so psyched to see what you can do next weekend. I've BS'd one Ironman on less training that did for this one, and the only real side effects were saddle pain after 70 miles (individual packets of Chamois Butt'r were life-savers), power/speed fade after 90, and a very painful last 6-7 miles on the run. You don't have any spare matches to burn, so your margin for error is small. Execute wisely, be prepared to troubleshoot and get stubborn after Mile 18 on the run. Wish I were there to race with such a great group. Enjoy it.
Mike
Ed,
The last time I did an IM, I had a similar situation. If it helps, I found that I was 10 % slower in each of the disciplines. I tried to keep things on the bike as simple as you can. If at anytime you are working, you are going to hard. And yes, the last few miles of the marathon will be fun. But I think they are for each of us.
Todd
Sorry to hear about issues causing you to adjust your training, but glad you're able to race. Keep in mind you might not be able to race like last year's version of yourself and remember Patience and Discipline. You're a great and experienced triathlete and will do well. I'm looking forward to tracking you on race day. Have fun!