Coach Rich's Ironman Kona Race Plan
Greetings from seat 35E! This is my race plan:
I’m fully at peace with the fitness and body composition that I have vs what I would like to have. It’s been a crazy year and the result is that I have easily the least fitness I’ve ever had for an Ironman. But…I’m crafty, cagey, wily, and most importantly have had a full summer of helping you guys tweak your race plans, reading and learning from your race reports, and witnessing 3 x Ironmans in person this summer. In the process I’ve learned a lot and have been reminded of a lot more.
Goal #1: View the Race as a Celebration of My Career
I’ve been a full time Ironman triathlon coach for 15 years. I’ve learned, done, seen a LOT in my time as a coach. And while I’ve raced Kona once before in ’03, and turned down the slot a few additional times, I haven’t been on the island as either an athlete or coach since about 2005 I believe. And so my relative lack of fitness creates the opportunity to let the racing go and be more present to the experience of the super bowl of our sport. I’m going to do my best to remind myself when I’m out there that when it sucks, I’m very lucky to have created a life and career for myself that let’s me experience The Suck in such a cool venue and with such cool people. After all, no matter how bad it sucks, it could always suck worse in much shittier locations!
Goal #2: Delay the Suck, by Any Means Necessary
In short, I simply don’t have the fitness to thrive in The Suck like I have in the past. As a result, I need to avoid The Suck for as long as possible via a complete disregard for all time-based outcomes. Basically, I need to be all Frozen, Elsa, “Let it Go!” all day long :-)
How to Execute the Race to Achieve Goals #1 and #2:
Pre-Race Breakfast / Routine:
- 0300: 2-3x Naked Juice protein smoothies
- 0430: wakeup, coffee, drop the kids off at the pool a couple times.
- 0530: arrive transition, be done setting up by 0600.
- 0600-0640: 1 x Gatorade, 2 x gel
- 0640: in the water to warm up, etc
Swim:
- Equipment: swimming in the Castelli one piece we hooked up last year and will purchase a Roka swim skin at the expo today
- Pacing: Soft pedal, chill, and enjoy the views of the corral and fishies while I’m out there. ’16 may be the first year I swim slower than an hour.
Bike:
- Equipment: wearing Louis Garneau Onesie, LG P-9 helmet, arm coolers. Riding Ventum One, with integrated 41oz water tank filled with GE, and single cage on the rear with bottle of water. Hed3 front, Reynolds Strike rear with Powertap, Vittoria Open Corse tires, latex tubes, 110psi. 165mm cranks with 54/36, 25-11 gearing.
- Computer: Garmin 520: main screen = current watts with 3sec smoothing, lap Pnorm, HR, speed, cadence, auto lapping every 3 miles. Summary screen with everything else: distance, time, average speed, average HR, temp, etc. Using Garmin 235 as HRM on the bike, broadcasting to the 520. Won’t bother starting the watch on the swim
Bike Pacing:
Last year I rode IMWI at 212w Pnorm and 140 AHR for a 15th overall bike split. This year I’m probably 20-30w off that FTP and about 12-13lb heavier, and so in my last few long rides I’ve been rehearsing and wrapping my head around much lower watts, in the 190-195w range, and going especially easy in the first 30 miles. In the process I’ve relearned 2 things:
- It’s a Small Delta: on my first long ride on the Ventum I rode 112 in 4:58 at 209w NP I felt about how I expect to feel after a 4:58 Ironman bike: good enough to run but not “good” by any other measure. Then a few weeks later I rode the same 112 at 193w, 130 AHR for a 5:10 split. Given my current run fitness I’ll gladly give up 12 minutes to feel that much better, and to be that much more hydrated and fueled at the start to the run. In other words, I’ve beta tested “normal” vs “super easy” IM rides and am very comfortable with the relatively small delta between the two. And so my plan is to keep my heart rate under 135bpm, take whatever watts that gives me, and create speed through legal drafting opportunities as I pass or am passed by other athletes. I’m used to riding at the very front of the field so this will be a unique and probably fun scenario for me.
- It’s about Hydration, Stupid: I did my long rides in some crushing SoCal heat and, most importantly, I was on hand to witness the heat-index-induced carnage of Ironman Chattanooga. I made the day even more “instructive” by riding the bike course backwards with only one water bottle. The experience of the day basically scared the shit out of me, again, and I’m 100% committed to not being that guy. I’m gonna be a drinkin’ fool on the bike.
The Numbers:
- Pacing: 130-135 AHR, which I expect to give me 185-193w Pnorm.
- Nutrition: hours 0-2 — 1 bottle GE + 1 sleeve shot blocks + 1 gel per hour + as much water as I can drink
- Hours 2-5 — continue with as much water as I can drink + 1 x shot block sleeve + 1 x gel per hour.
- Other: 200mg caffeine and 200mg tylenol at hrs 2 and 4
Throughout: be present to the uniqueness of the experience. Say hi to athletes, volunteers, and have a fun ride out there.
Run:
- Equipment: Hoka Clifton, EN trucker hat, water bottle belt with 4 x caffeinated gels, race belt, Race Saver bag.
- Pacing: Damage control from Mile 1 forward, doing whatever I have to do to delay The Suck for as long as possible. My JRA heart rate is 135bpm so that’s what I’m going to be seeing, a lot. I’ll get that by running comfortably between aid stations then walking 30-60” per aid station. Then that may turn into a 4”/1” strategy…whatever. I’m gonna be Elsa, just letting go of any outcome based goals. My cap on the run will be 145bpm, my long run average heart rate. If I see anything greater than this number, I will slow down, walk, and play defense and the long game.
- Nutrition: water and gels only, with 4-6x gels in the first ~90’. Then water and coke for the remainder of the run. Keeping the water bottle full of ice water and ice on the head
Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!
Comments
It sounds like a solid plan Rich. I'm in the same place about the race but I'm going to remind myself when it gets bad that only about 2% of the folks that do an Ironman in the year get a slot to race here. I'm also taking a card out of Dave T's deck and smiling. I've tried it and it works wonders. It will be fun to share the course with you and the rest of the EN crew.
@Rich,
Great plan, as expected. Second half of the bike looks like nothing but water, blocks and gels. No way I could come even remotely close to my salt needs on that, especially in that sweat furnace. As I'm sure you recall, this place ain't the dry foothills of Sierra Madre. You planning on taking caps or Base Salt or mounting a small salt lick to the stem?
Enjoy the well-earned victory lap and vaca.
Mike
I sweat a ton, in any conditions, but curiously my salt needs are only about 500-600mg/hr. GE just has too much sodium for me to drink too much of it. Also, note that I'll be preloading sodium and fluids on Friday, and will have ~1-2 bottles of GE before the swim start. That said, I'll pick up some Base salt in the expo and carry that with me on the run.
Coach Rich
Sending you strong Ninja Execution vibes. Thank you for all you do for us. Have an awesome race!
Cheers, G.
Good question. Probably water with GE in the rear cage. I hate a sticky bike...
But at some point, if I feel I need it, I may dump GE in the water tank to dilute it a bit. In other words, I don't plan on drinking often from the rear cage but its there if I need it.
Coach, wishing you a great day out there! I know that there is much pressure being a coach to perform, but you earned this pass by performing already. Enjoy that day, have some fun, and take strength from your EN family along the way.
KMF at all costs!
SS
Get it done, Rich. It's NOT gonna do itself... #ronjeremy