2016 IM North Carolina- Week 18- Prepare
#EN4Keys
/ THE LINE WEEK 18
Soooo glad you got your bib numbers and everyone is GOOD TO GO!! Love it!! It's getting real.
Ok team- You ARE READY!!! This is seriously one of my favorite posts.....it is SO IMPORTANT!!!!
Prepare your mental game. In so doing, remember there will be cumulative fatigue building throughout race day. So important to follow your plan, race your race and prepare for THE LINE.
EVERYTHING before The Line is simply about creating conditions for success for when the Line comes to you.
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A successful race = a good run. There is no such thing as a good bike followed by bad run, period. In our world, if you showed up with solid run fitness, had a "good" bike and a poor run, we will ALWAYS assume you messed up your bike pacing unless you are missing a limb or are in the ICU with an intestinal parasite.
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If you think you can ride faster than we're telling you, prove it by running well off the bike first (preferably not attempted for the first time on race day!).
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Ride your "should" bike split vs your "could" bike split. YourCould split is what you tell Timmy you could ride on a good day, when you're out together for your Saturday ride. If you say you "could ride a 5:50," your Should split is likely 6:00 and defined as the bike split that yields a good run (see #1 above).
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Don't be a Caboose, be an Engine! Ironman in general, but especially the bike leg, is an exercise in consistency. You don't need straight-A's to win your day, you only have to show up with your C game to be at the head of the class. If you find yourself doing the opposite of everyone else, you're doing the right thing. Lots of people passing you in the first 40 miles of the bike? Everyone else sprinting out of T2? These folks are making your race day easier by showing you what not to do; it's up to you to resist the urge to join in!
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Think you made the mistake of riding too easy? You now have 26 miles to fix that mistake. Make the mistake of riding too hard? That mistake now has 26 miles to express itself, to the tune of X miles at 17-18' walking pace vs X miles at 8-10' running pace. Do the math. How is that nice bike split going to look as you are walking/shuffling the last 10 miles of the run adding another hour and forty minutes to your overall finish time?
**ADMIN ALERT**
* TEAM DINNER: There will not be an official team dinner. HOWEVER- I have a spreadsheet HERE https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15NhXNzx45Pda1DgWtKNOcKpShv9rP6ttrnuIDCvNsA4/edit?usp=sharing
It is easy to use if someone wants to volunteer to be the ON SITE person. A suggested location is :
Mellow Mushroom, before the bridge on the Wilmington Side or South Beach Grille on the swim start side of the bridge . Mellow Mushroom also has gluten free vegan pizza options.
I also encourage you to use GroupMe which will begin on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of race week.
Comments
Now we can say we're almost there. I reduced volume a bit last week to absorb the work. Took Monday completely off, with ez brick on Tuesday. For the week, I got in 140 miles of biking and 41 of running. Only got 12k of swimming, but got in 2 really high-quality swims, and things are starting to click in the water. Was planning on getting a weekend of riding in the Wilmington area this coming weekend, but the hurricane is threatening to force me back onto the trainer (I teared up a bit just typing that). Water temps are obviously quite warm right now, about 4 degrees above normal. Still hopeful for a wetsuit race, but I'll do some swim skin training just in case (absolutely no need to fret, as we'll be in buoyant salt water with a mild current - low tide peaks 13 minutes before race time).
Hope everyone is healthy and ready to enjoy the reward for all the work.
Mike
I saw the news this weekend about Hurricane Matthew and decided to do a mini RR on Sunday in case this weekend gets washed out. Did 100 mile ride and a 3 mile run. Feeling pretty good about nutrition and bike but still need some work on swim and run. Just gotta keep running and try not to get hurt. We are so close.
Here's to praying Matthew stays east and gets no where near Nemo! Y'all stay safe out there!
@Nemo, you're right that the only "good" thing about that worthless bastard Matthew is that it's not race week. But what looked like something that would weaken into a trop storm with the typical 40-50 mph winds that we frequently weathered in SoFl is now looking more like a Cat 1 or 2 headed right your way. Which would not be bueno. Hope you guys are prepared, have a plan, and if you have to leave, leave early. Race rehearsals and races will always be there. If there's anything the EN Charlotte cell can do to help, don't hesitate.