Behler Kona race plan
I'm entering this race with the best fitness I've ever had. I know this based upon my training, the fact my super suit isn't quite as tight as it once was, and that everyone is telling me how skinny I look. But I also enter knowing this course and the conditions it brings are the toughest around. I enter with a healthy balance of respect and confidence.
I feel very fortunate to have the health, fitness, and flexibility to be here. I must keep that in mind the entire time. But I also know I am capable of great things and want to perform at my best. My stretch goal is to PR meaning a time better than 9:52. My primary goal is sub-10. I know how hard this is given it's eluded many capable EN vets.
I'm 'legs up' as of today and will stay away from downtown until race day except for bike dropoff tomorrow.
Thursday (today) - legs up and relax with family. Prep bike and gear bags this evening. Sipping electrolytes to stay hydrated.
Friday - team pancake breakfast in the AM. Back to room for chicken lunch until bike check at 2:30. Walk through transitions at dropoff and return home. Early (5pm) light pasta dinner and bed by 9:30.
Race Day (Saturday) - wake at 2AM for 2 Naked Green Machine Smoothies. Back to bed and wake at 4:30. Have a banana and clif bar. Depart with team at 4:45. Bring bottle of GE to sip and clif bar to munch on.
Enter water after national anthem. Take one GU, wash with GE, and find spot in middle right and wait for cannon.
Swim - LG M2 SS Trisuit with Roka Viper swim skin - goal is to swim strong and smooth. Practice swims in the bay have been at 1:30 pace and expect to be slightly faster with good navigation and drafting. Find a pair of feet at a sustainable pace and don't get rattled by bumping and kicking which will likely last the entire 2.4 miles.
T1- focus - smooth, focused, and methodological. I'm not competing for a KQ so be willing to take a few extra seconds to make sure I have what I need to best deal with the conditions.
Bike - Ventum One with integrated hydration, Torhans 30 BTA, and single behind the seat bottle. 53/36 crankset and 11/25 cassette. Bell Javelin helmet with face shield removed for cooling. Torhans will be loaded with water and GU electrolyte tabs, all other for GE. Hydrate early and often. Consume GU waffle every 30 minutes, switching to GU only after Hawi.
Goal IF .72 which is 215NP. Hard cap of 250. Target cadence of 90. Goal HR of 135...cap of 145. Initial focus of getting HR in check and riding conservatively until Queen K. Once on Queen K focus on staying aero, racing MY race, ignoring anyone around me. Stay aero above 10mph and use natural windbreaks for protection from crosswinds. Be careful on Hawi descent, especially in heavy traffic. At the airport start going through admin checklist. Have I taken in enough to prepare for strong run start?
T2 - same focus as T1. Unstrap helmet on run to changing area. Simple transition with socks rolled up in running shoes and ziplock with all items I need that I will need for the run (hat, race belt, electrolyte tabs).
Run - goal HR 140. Hard cap 150. Focus on slowing down the first few miles. Target 7:40 pace with first few miles at 7:50s and target pace from there between 7:30-7:40. Adjust as HR dictates. Keep cadence near 80. Focus on consistent, smooth breathing and efficient strides. Embrace the crowd when they are there. Give high fives. Smile. Embrace the suck and tell yourself everything is great. Take a GU every 3 miles and alternate water and GE through mile 10. After that switch to the magic elixir of Coke. Switch earlier as conditions dictate. Queen K will suck. Break it up into smaller sections and disconnect the mind from the body. Energy Lab is where it gets fun. Mentally prepare to enter the steam room. Take on hydration and calories to prepare for a strong final 10k. On the return look for opportunities to draft into the headwind but balance with the cooling benefit of the ocean breeze. Final climb at mile 24-25 then it's all downhill on Palani to Ali'i. Gather myself. Removed sponges. Zip up kit. And get ready for a great picture crossing the finish line at the Ironman World Championships ??
Comments
It looks solid, rock solid, with numbers I can barely comprehend. Proud of you and your accomplishment. Will be watching you and the rest of the allstars from call room.
Patience.
ps: you'll need a new EN trisuit, yours is like 2 sizes too big now
JB, a very special guy like you needs a strong stretch goal.
I like the way you boldly put that goal out there, just another sign of what you are capable of in my opinion.
I know you can do this,.......been watching you, your work, your posts, your leadership......
EN is lucky to have you on our team and we are all sending the secret mojo vibes now and throughout race day to help carrying you through to successful completion of this one bro.
SS
My only advice is that I can guarantee at some point it will completely suck! We chatted about this on our long ride to and from Vail... Maybe it will be during the big swells, maybe with the crazy cross-winds coming down the hill from Hawi. Maybe it'll be while riding into a headwind as you pass the airport, or maybe it'll be when Madame Pele sucks all of the oxygen out of the air in the Energy Lab and replaces it with tiny water particles. Or maybe all of the above and more... When it sucks (and it will suck) just smile and remember that this is EXACTLY the suck you asked for. This is EXACTLY where you want to be at that moment in time. Force a smile and get through the suck. Just don't forget to also hand out a few high fives and smile as you come down Ali'i for one of the coolest moments of your life!