Don Nowak's IMChatt Race Plan
Ironman Chattanooga Race Plan
Stats: 5’8” at 166lbs. FTP = 208. vDot = 35. This is my 2nd Ironman.
Thursday: Begin hydrating @ 100 ounces of water/Nuun/sports drink per day. Swim per training plan.
Note: I’ve ridden the course many times – no need to recon anything.
Friday: Drive to Chattanooga in time for 4-Keys at 10am. Lunch followed by race registration. Go to hotel and check-in. 30 minute run per training plan. Short shake-down ride on bike. No swim. Drink 100oz Nuun.
Prep Bags: Bike Special Needs: 1 tube, 1 CO2, Chamois Cream in small zip-lock
Run Special Needs: Socks, Band-Aids
T1 Bag: bike shoes, socks, Fuel Belt with 2 PowerBars+1 gel flask, sunglasses, small towel
T2 Bag: running shoes, socks, hat, Race Saver bag for ice, race belt with bib#
Dry Clothes/morning bag: goggles, backup goggles, ear plugs, swim cap, small towel, wetsuit, Powerbar + Gel + water + banana (put into T2 bag in the morning).
Rubber band transition bags
Saturday: Sleep in – big breakfast. Drink 100oz Nuun. Sub for lunch w/ pretzels. Bag and bike check-in after lunch. Walk from swim exit to T1 and memorize bag locations. Get in and out as fast as possible to get back to hotel to rest. Light pasta/chicken dinner. Charge Garmin watch and bike computer. In bed by 9pm.
Sunday: wake up at 3am. Eat breakfast of ½ large bagel, 2.5 cups applesauce+1 scoop protein power+1 banana+1 bottle Gatorade Endurance (GED) + coffee.
Get dressed in EN Tri-Suit with chamois cream, Garmin HR Strap, Sunscreen. Head to transition at 5:00am. In transition, mount torpedo bottle on bike and fill with water. One bottle of GED on the downtube. Pump tires. Put Garmin on bike. Put seal over disc cover opening. Check for proper gearing on bike. Team picture. On bus to swim start at 6:45 or earlier. Eat Powerbar at 6:30am - drink GED. Have gel ready for 15 minutes before start.
Swim: Swimming with a wetsuit, so will be at the back of the line. Think easy tempo, “climb the ladder”, count strokes. Only swim as fast as I can maintain form. No gliding…keep arms moving steady.
T1: Easy jog…don’t get heart rate too high. Grab T1 bag, head to far end of tent, near exit. Towel off quickly, socks on, shoes on, helmet on, sunglasses on, hand off wetsuit/T1 bag to volunteer.
Bike: Just ride along (JRA) at easy pace (get heart rate under 130) for first 60 minutes. Start eating with ½ powerbar after getting through in-town admin. 1 bottle of GED per hour and either ½ powerbar or 1 gel from flask per 30 minutes. After 60 minutes, begin to bring heart rate up to target for the race of 138 beats. Focus on staying in aero bars. Use water at aid stations to cool off if temps are getting high. Try to keep heart rate under 140 for the entire bike ride. Focus on spinning up hills, keeping on the gas at top and until spinout of downhill – no spiking watts. Goal max watts on climbs is 170. Pee at least once per loop. Don’t do anything stupid that will bring the suck closer. Remember, the race doesn’t start until mile 18 of the run.
T2: Dismount and handoff bike to volunteer. Walk with bike shoes on to T2 bag and get into change tent. Remove helmet, sunglasses, socks. Put on fresh socks, running shoes, hat, race saver bag,race belt with bib#. Toggle heart rate display on Garmin watch as that’s the only number I’ll be watching.
Run: Heart rate at end of bike hopefully will be around 140. Whatever it is, run as slow as necessary for the first six miles as to maintain that heart rate. Run plan is to take a short walk break every ½ mile and at the aid. I will drink one cup of GED per aid. 1 Clif Shot gel off the course per 50 minutes + 1 lick of Base salt. One Clif Blok Chew per 2 miles. After six miles, I will allow my heart rate to increase up to 150, but that will be the ceiling for the entire marathon. I will walk as necessary to keep the heart rate below 151, especially on Barton Road. At run special needs, I will assess whether a fresh pair of socks are needed. Remember, mile 18. Remember your one thing – I have overcome a bike crash and a period of losing focus on my training. I have had the best 2 month training block leading up to this race and I owe it to my training self to execute properly and push through discomfort.
Soak up the finish – do not rush through the chute…high five people…give thanks…be grateful.
Comments
@ Done....you got it covered. See you in Chattanooga.
Nice detailed race plan. You're ready! A couple comments, you seem to have a solid fueling plan but have you done the math on total calories/hr and sodium/hr on the bike and run to make sure you're at your targets? Also, don't forget your bike helmet in the T1 bag. See you in a couple weeks!
@Derrek Thanks for the feedback. I've been working with the CoreDiet folks on a race fueling plan, so it should be accurate.
Great race plan! looking forward to racing with you.