2016 IM NC Week 20- RACE WEEK!
RACE WEEK! WEEK 20
You are READY!!! It's time!! Huge shout out to everyone for chiming in last week about the course and giving feedback on race execution. You guys are awesome and have some AMAZING mojo going!!!! So its race week. Is there any interest in a team dinner on Thursday??? If you sign up on this spreadsheet I can call and make a reservation!. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15NhXNzx45Pda1DgWtKNOcKpShv9rP6ttrnuIDCvNsA4/edit?usp=sharing
I wish I could be there with you but i will be cheering you on and tracking you ALL DAY!!
Everyone started this journey for different reasons, at different times and here we are, coming together to execute and CRUSH the Ironman North Carolina course. It may be your first or another one of many but each time we have to dig into ourselves and find out "WHY DO WE DO THIS CRAZY THING?"
You're welcome to share your "One Thing" or keep it to yourself but remember, practice this now. Look yourself in the mirror and say it out loud. Your body hears what your mind says. Tell yourself WHY however many reasons and one things it takes.
Remember to focus on the mental game. Do not underestimate this 5th Ironman discipline, it might be one of the most important ones.
When you are in doubt remember this….YOU HAVE ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED! You've put in the hard work, the learning, the training, the tank is full, you have all the tools. Put it all together on race day and be proud with whatever outcome you see. Smile and enjoy this day. Remember to be kind to your family, friends, volunteers. Represent EN well. Take time to thank the ones that have gotten you here. Love on those friends, spouses.
-----------------------------------------------------
Doing everything right for 20 weeks, executing perfectly on the swim and bike is only going to get you to the The Line as discussed previously, but make no mistake, it will come and when it does, have those One Things ready at the forefront!
Summary: During the course of your race day, expect your body to have a very convincing conversation with your mind: "Look, Mind, you've had me out here slogging away for 132 miles. This is really starting to get old and very painful. If I see another Strawberry Banana Gel I might throw up. You need to give me a good reason to keep going forward. If you can't give me a good one, I'm gonna slow down and you can't stop me!" If you don't have an answer ready, your day could be over right here.
Advice: Before the race, you need to be able to answer the question: "Why am I doing this race?" In other words, you need to determine what is the One Thing that put you in this race? To finish in the daylight with a smile on your face? To run a 4:10? .
-
Whatever your One Thing is, be absolutely clear and rehearse your mind/body debate beforehand. Practice makes perfect and this is a critical thing to have ready for when your body starts to push back.
-
Be warned: your body can be a helluva good negotiator at mile 18, especially if your mind hasn't prepared its rebuttal arguments beforehand.
Now team, do me a favor, take a deep breathe.... yes I mean it.... in through the nose, out through the mouth and SMILE. Are you doing it? Still not joking, DO IT!!!
You guys are READY!!! Post here if you need ANYTHING!!! Just to vent, have any questions etc. AND reach out to each other!! THIS IS AN AMAZING GROUP!!!
Group me will be set up this week and that will be a great way to communicate as well!!!
Comments
Folks - my original plan was to fly from Ohio on Thursday morning, pick up my bike from TBT and register etc that day, then join the Team dinner on Thursday or go to the Welcome dinner. All of this was based on me arriving on my own, i.e. no family. Well this weekend we decided that Dawn and my two girls will come to IMNC after all, so are now (wait for it) going to drive the 600+ miles to Wilmington on Thursday instead. As a result I will not be in any fit state to join the welcome dinner or the team dinner on Thursday sorry. Hopefully I will see some of you at the start or at the village on Friday.
As for Saturday - This is IM #7 for me - I have more power on the bike than ever before and have a new run strategy to try out (i.e. listen to Coach Patrick and take the first six miles slow...). I have never paid so much attention to HR and how it relates to pace as I have this year and am excited to see how I do on Saturday. The swim is going to be what it is... I am not going to break any records there. For Transitions I need to get my butt out much faster and again have some new ideas to try out there. I seem to spend XX minutes in T1 and T2 covering myself with sunscreen and then... head out past the guys with hand full of sunscreen who are capable of covering me head-to-toe in a skinny minute.... so that needs to change in NC.
The day is going to bring challenges we have anticipated/planned for and many that we have not, this is Ironman after all. I have not done this race before so the course and conditions are new for me. All my previous IM races have been in Texas & Louisville with high temps, I am looking forward to a cooler race next week although I am anticipating some very cool weather in the morning and some winds (headwinds, cross winds?) Whatever happens it is always an unforgettable experience and I wish you all the very best for the day.
Safe travels all and see you there.
Race Plan
Wednesday drive halfway
(Begin carb loading but hit protein goals today)
Thursday
Wake early; drive to Wilmington; go straight to expo and check in and get out
Bike Course recon-drive and ride; try and get OWS in
Team Dinner; bed by 9:30-sleeping pills
Friday
Race Night
Apply race number
Wake up at 4:30
Apply sunscreen
Breakfast
1 bolt house farms breakfast smoothie; 1 bagel with cream cheese; 1 cliff bar; Coffee
Pre swim 1 Gatorade Prime plus sip Gatorade. 1 Gu if tolerated
Swim goal 1:30
(July 2016 2 mile OWS in Lake Erie was 1:08; but September 1/2IM swim was 44 mins)
Focus on sighting and conserving energy; Maintain good form, swim long, avoid crowds
Alligator sight every cross breath; breastroke where needed to obtain next sighting goal
Stay towards center of channel and follow buoys
T1 10 minutes
Find wetsuit stripper and give number 1467; Find shoes; Jog to bike; Shower; Apply body glide in changing tent and sunscreen
Bike shorts, clean socks, Lifetime jersey, black shirt underneath if cold, sunglasses
Gloves, hat, and cold weather bike pants in T1 if needed
Jersey pocket - water bottle for feeding; take GE from course. If course bottles fit bike then take those and stash or pitch bike bottles
Bike
Goal 7 hours (Sept 1/2IM bike 3:02; 18.37 MPH)
Fueling plan
24 oz GE; English muffin with PB&J per hour- drinking continuously, check every 15 mins; start solid food on the half-hour and complete by full (if Gel then slowly & continually eat)
Or 1 Sleeve Clif gel plus GU
Or 2 GU
1 salt tab per hour
Average speed 16.2-only exceed if HR is below 135
Headwinds then stay aero-ok to slow to 15.2
First 10 miles are JRA
145 is HR ceiling; there is no floor if you can stay above 16.2 just take it easy
Do not get greedy with MPH above 16.2; the success in this race is going to happen on the run. The goal is to complete your first IM in under 17 hours. You can still complete this race even at a 15 mph pace! Do not waste all this time, money, and effort trying to prove anything beyond being able to complete an IM. If you're such a stud, come back next year and prove it AFTER you've successfully completed this goal.
Bike Special Needs Rockstar Energy Drink and Clif Mini. Backup food and spare tubes. If MPH is 15.5+ then stop, use Porto Potty and indulge. If not then keep moving past bike special needs
Bike flat tire -slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Re-adjust effort on bike gradually/skip bike special needs to make up time as needed.
The strong headwind will change into a tailwind at some point. Do NOT fight it unless it's jeopardizing 15 MPH. Sit up occasionally and rest your back even if there's wind unless you are in legitimate danger of missing the bike cutoff. You are only in legitimate danger of missing the bike cutoff if you've fallen below 15MPH or it took you longer than 2:00 to get on your bike. If you fall below 15.3 start to GRADUALLY increase your effort, don't panic.
T2 10 mins
Change into running shorts, new socks, short sleeve or long sleeve shirt, visor, and headlamp (to check Garmin in the dark). Skip sunglasses unless you're blinded by the sunset. Make sure to re-apply Body Glide including chest. Use Porto-potty. Drink some GE, eat a GU or 2, congratulate yourself on getting so far, then put on your game face and go run a nice, easy marathon
Run
Goal 5:15 (Sept 1/2IM 2:04-9:24; May 2016 marathon 4:03)
Fueling GE at all rest stops; GU every 3 miles if tolerated. If not, skip the station and try a GU at the next. Salt tabs at start, 6 miles, 13 miles, and 18 miles. Call out for GE, GU and water (with GU) and point to volunteer. Switch to Coke if you need the caffeine
Bring 5 PB GU in race belt
First 6 miles HR 139 max!! The pace is irrelevant but should fall 12 or just below if things go well. If you cannot regain target HR before 3 beeps then you will need to walk until you fall below 120!!
Miles 6-13.1 HR start at 141 up to 144. At this point you need to evaluate your pace. If you're holding below 11:30; certainly if you're below 11:00 then stretch this out a bit.
Run Special Needs - enjoy Rockstar & Andrea's note. If you've made it this far, just a 1/2 Mary to go. You're going to make this happen!! Re-evaluate time goals based on how you're feeling. Try and keep the Box big. Apply second skin and take Advil as needed.
If you're feeling good, then
Miles 13.1-20 HR to 146. If this results in a sub 11:30 pace then just hold 146 as the HR cap the rest of the race. You know what miles 23-26 can feel like on a plain old marathon!
Miles 20-26.2 if for some reason you are feeling great, but 146 is not holding sub 11:30 then 150 is the ABSOLUTE CAP! See above, you've never done this before, you don't know how your body will react, and if you've got something to prove, do that after you show you can complete an IM. (HR note; May 2016 marathon avg HR 156)
If you're feeling crappy (whenever that hits) then
Focus on your Mantra's and your One Thing. Work out a walk/run schedule that you can stick with and work one aid station at a time. Smile-now you're really getting a chance to prove how tough you are.
Pull out that 6:46 Pace band if you were finished with the bike by 9:30 then all you need to do is stay ahead of those times on your run watch.
Remember to think about your people, and then get yourself to Mile 25. You've got to get yourself to Mile 25. Then relax, think about what you're about to accomplish and SAVOR IT!!!
IM may not do all this stuff so I will, for the first time in years, make an effort to listen to the athlete briefing. If anyone gets any news on this stuff please share!
Hey Team,
It's time. Feeling a bit disorganized and stressed this morning, so I'm going to leave work early and go get all my stuff together tonight.
Practice Swim: there's an organized (not by WTC) swim Thursday morning at 8am starting at Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach. Tim Cronk said he saw it mentioned on Slowtwitch and, sure enough, I found the info. About 1,500 meters that will include all the of the key turns. There will be some vets there who know the currents, channels and favorable swim lines. I'll be there for sure. Water temps this morning are 74.5, so it still looks wetsuit legal, although it will be in the 80s outside through Thursday. With a slack tide and forecast for typical winds from the north, we could get a surface current that actually makes this slower than typical. Either way, it's just the swim, and the time doesn't really matter unless you're shooting for a 2:15.
Meet Up: We'll get the GroupMe going this week. My fam doesn't arrive until Friday, so I'll attend the Welcome Ceremony solo. If anyone else is going, I'd be happy to crash your party.
Shoes/showers: I very, very seriously doubt WTC is going to allow shoes at T1 for a run that can't be but a few hundred yards. There may be a few hoses dangling for a quick rinse, but I would quickly dash any notion of getting a shower.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in Wilmington in a few days.
I was in Wilmington this weekend for son's swim meet. Went out to look at tide and was able to catch it just at slack tide, which is how it will be when we start. Very little water movement at this point so shouldn't be swimming against the tide. There were typical winds Mike mentioned and this will slow us down a little but we should get a little push in the second half of the swim from the incoming tide.
I was also able to drive the first few miles of the bike course. There are multiple turns and narrow roads and even a couple speed bumps so plan to be careful here.
The shoe issue will be interesting. SetUp Events has always allowed shoes but IM may not. There are a lot more people doing this than in previous years so there's just not enough room for everyone to have an extra pair of shoes. It is not a difficult run to T1. I've done it many times without shoes and had no problems.
One thing I did figure out this past week and have changed in my normal race plan is what I'm wearing on my head during the run. I'll be starting that run very close to sunset and I get cold very easily. So instead of a visor I'm going with a Buff that I'll start out wearing as a headband and will turn into a cap as it gets cooler. I'm also going to switch from to "good" cycling sunglasses to a pair of crappy throw-away sunnies that I can ditch at an aid station after the sun sets.
The one outstanding question I have for myself is if I should start with the LS Jersey (tied around the waist at first) or just put it in the SNB and use arm warmers. I'm leaning towards the latter but will make the final decision when the forecast is more reliable. Oh, and I also decided over the weekend that I'll put a towel in the T1 bag so I can dry off reasonably well and will then put on a cycling jersey (rather than wearing a tri top during the swim and bike). That lets me stay warmer at the beginning of the bike and gives me spare pockets.
On that note- I'll be in the EN kit on the bike, but will be wearing my OBX jersey on the run (until it gets covered by a LS top).
Here are my latest thoughts since we are now talking about clothing etc:
- I am expecting to not have shoes prior to T1, I have never had it before at any IM event and don't expect it in NC. If its only a hundred yards or so well heck I will spend more time finding and pulling on shoes than just padding along barefoot. If i regret this I will just keep it in mind for 2017...
- Swim - I usually swim with tri shorts only and no tri top under my wetsuit. In T1 I will add the EN bike top.
- Bike - I will be bringing a LS top (Castelli) to wear over my EN bike top if it is cool enough, possibly a pair of (EN) sleeves as backup. I dont really want to have to pull off an expensive layer half way round the bike course if I get too hot so if there is any doubt it will be the EN bike top only. My helmet has a tinted visor but I will also bring cheap clear lens bike glasses in case it is cloudy/overcast (you can see I haven't really prepped for the weather) so I can use them instead of the visor t the last minute.
- Run - I will continue to wear the EN bike top and maybe an EN hat if I feel I need to promote the EN logo even more or if not then some other generic hat. No sunglasses. I used to run IM marathons in sunglasses and then forget to take them off for the finisher photos which never looks good. Far better to see bloodshot and tired eyes why not.
I have always keep small hand towel in both T1 and T2 but I have found that if I reach for the towel and use it I add crucial minutes to the transition time so maybe this time I will leave it out (and just spend the time in T1 doing my nails instead...)
Thats it for clothing. Comments welcome especially if you have better knowledge of the NC race than mine (my knowledge is zero beyond what you have been saying on here)
Different topic - bike winds. Sorry if I missed anything on this topic but does anyone know if the winds on the bike are likely to be cross winds or headwinds? (or both?) I am planning on using a rear disc but will bring a rear wheel too just in case.
Thats it for now. My last serious swim was today and now I just need to pack. Safe travels all and see you in NC!
As for wind direction. The current forecast is for a NW wind at 11mph. That is a cross wind for the first 20 miles then a head wind for the next 30 miles and a tail wind coming home. Enjoy it. Also, the wind usually picks up as the day goes on so hopefully we'll miss the worse of the headwinds. I wish I was fast enough to ride behind Mike so he could block the wind for me.
Safe travels to everyone.
Soooo did not necessarily see that coming- but it is what it is. Huge shout out to all the positive mojo going on.....
The biggest thing to remember is that you are TRAINED and ready to EXECUTE this race. This is a situation that is tough to deal with but as a team it’s important to remember to stay positive and keep your best foot forward...which is NOT easy. Looking at posts on FB and other social media outlets...there is a bunch of negativity just floating everywhere…. Remember the bigger picture and send thoughts to those who are recovering from the hurricane damage!!!
Your MIND and ATTITUDE play a huge part in this….SO lets keep our AWESOMENESS GOING!!!!