Bruce Thaompson - 2016 IMAZ Race Plan
Searching for the Eye of the Tiger
(For my Friend who works at the LP Zoo)
This will be my 10th Ironman and my 2nd time racing IMAZ. I’m going to give it my best each and every moment. My only goal is to run the entire marathon. I’ll string together hundreds of good moments and let the results be as they may. I feel very fortunate that I “get” to race an Ironman. Be happy & thank God that I am healthy & strong enough to be racing. I am so lucky. Finally, my old friend “The pain” will come in his own due time, so welcome him when he shows up.
Thursday: Fly to AZ. Pick up bike at TBT & wheel at Race Day Wheels. Go to packet pick up. Check out transition & expo. Get checked in at hotel and unpack. Dinner with Brian Kelly.
Friday: Sleep in. Buy food early. Go to 4 keys talk @ 10:30. Go for easy spin of 15-20 mile recon ride on Beeline Hwy with EN teammates. Go for EZ 1 mile run with 3 x 30” strides. Put feet up rest of the day. Pick up JT at airport. Go to EN dinner if possible. Make up gear bags. Early to bed by 9:30.
Saturday: Big breakfast early– pancakes, eggs, OJ, meat. After breakfast, go for short practice swim. Then short ride with 3 x 1’ bursts at FTP. Then big lunch – chicken or turkey sandwich by noon, rack bike and drop off gear bags, back to hotel to rest, review training log, make up Infinit bottles. Check forecast and adjust run target race pace by EN heat calculator. Dinner – early meal @ 4:45 pm - grilled chicken, pasta with marina sauce, bread. Bed by 9.
Race Day:
Wake up at 4 am.
Breakfast: 2 bananas, 2 bagels, 2 bowls cheerios, coffee. 1 power bar 1 hour before swim start, sip on 20 oz Infinit.
Special Needs Bags: drop off bags, put Infinit bottle into SN bags
Transition: work from my list: pump tires, check brakes, turn on garmin, fill torpedo bottle with water, rack Infinit bottle, put Infinit bottle in run gear bag, get in/out, use toilet. Feel blessed that I “get” to race an Ironman. Hang out with JT. Laugh.
Swim: wetsuit, plastic bag with cap, goggles, body glide. Drop off clothes bag. Warm up on land as best possible. Get a place in line with 1:10 pace signs. Jump in and go EZ at start, then settle in, find feet & go steady to end. Sight every 15 stokes. Kick harder last 100 yards to loosen up legs. Don’t worry about the time. Walk first 5 steps out of water, then begin running. Goggles up & strip wetsuit down to waist, use suit strippers, cap and goggles off while running to T1.
T1: Get bag & find a seat. Put on watch, headband, glasses, helmet, grab shoes, go. Put on shoes at bike, steady jog to mount line. Press garmin start timer button after mounting. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
Bike: Get settled into the aero position and stay there. Breath! Just ride along and watch for unsafe riders. Ride @ 180 watts first 15’ to bring HR down to 130, and eat & drink H2O. Ride 190’ watts for next 15’ or until hit mile 10. Then target 195 watts for rest of the ride. Goal: 194 NP & 92 cadence for entire ride. Cap watts @ 220 on all climbs. Keep cadence high, kill ‘em with cadence!! If above 80F, back off by 5-10 watts. Get and stay aero the whole way except if speed falls below 12 mph on climbs. Target HR: 130-135. Drink water right away. Drink Infinit after 10’, and sip at each 5 mile lap. Take water bottle at each aid station & refill torpedo, pour extra H2O on back of my head. Take a banana at 1 hour into ride. Stay in control on climbs and really push the watts on the descents (miles 20-30, 55-70, 90-105). At BSN, get Infinit bottle, and bagel. Take banana as needed at aid stations. Stay aero and push the watts on the descents. Pee 3 times, including last 5 miles. Keep the power @ 195w for the last 30 miles and I’ll pass tons of people who went out too fast.
T2: feet out of bike shoes last ¼ mile of ride, unstrap helmet while running to T2, get bag and find a seat in tent. Put body glide on toes, socks & shoes on, grab run go bag (visor, headband, race belt, S-Cap bill box, Infinit bottle) and start running. Start watch on run settings.
Run: Put on stuff in this order while running: race belt, headband, visor, pill box into pocket, race saver bag; adjust fit of everything while running. Take short, quick strides. Go easy on mile 1. Count strides for first 3 miles to get turnover right. Target pace – 9:30 first 2 miles, then 9:15 next 4 miles, then 9:00 to mile 18, then whatever is left to the end. Keep HR under 140 thru mile 18, and then let it drift up to 150+. If above 80F, adjust pace targets upward by 30” per mile, or HR to max of 135. If above 90F, adjust pace targets up by 60”. If hot, focus on HR, and not on pace. Walk only 10 steps each aid station just to drink water or GE. Sip Infinit during first hour until bottle done, and then switch to on-course GE. Take 2 cups water at each aid station, take cup of ice (put in go bag and stuff under top if hot). Take a banana as needed. Take 1 Scap at miles 0, 6, 13, 20.
At RSN, get new go bag with dry head band, extra Scaps, new Infinit bottle. If really hot, put dry socks and shoes in RSN bag. Stop to change socks and shoes (probably won’t do this but just in case). Put on dry stuff while running. Start racing once I cross over the river to the north bank on 2nd loop. From mile 18 on, count people I pass to keep my mind occupied. Go to my “One Thing” – Just Keep Running (JKR) and Run the Entire Marathon. Focus on perfect form & keeping turnover at 170/min in last half of race. Stay in the present. Drink coke after mile 20. The race will be decided in the last 10k. Go to the dark place once across the river until I reach the finish line. Let HR go above 150 for last 10K. Target 8:30 pace for last 5k. Race all the way to the finish line. Smile when I cross the finish. Celebrate life!!
Comments
I like you positive attitude about "getting" to race.
@Bruce - you know how to do this and execute like few others.. Don't be afraid to push if you feel it! Wish I could be there to high five you as you were there in WI, always most enjoyable being at an IM with either of the Thompson brothers in the mix!
Very detailed play as usual. I only noticed the bike not to back off 5-10 watts if over 80. You've done a lot of these so I'm assume based on how you feel and how high in to the 80's it gets.
Have a great race.
see you next week !
Bruce, you had me at "This will be my 10th Ironman...."
I remember IMAZ 2014 when we raced that venue together and I was able to meet you. I believe, like myself, you had flats on the course due to the wind blowing thorns on the road. Unlike myself, I believe you still made it to the podium.......nice definition of NO Excuses.
I wish you all the best, a great day, have fun and catch that podium again in the process!!
SS
Thanks for all the comments and feedback.
@SS ...Thanks. I remember meeting you in 2014 too. Yep, we both had flats that day. Hopefully, no repeat of that this year. Fingers crossed.
@FP ...see you in Tempe. Thanks for setting a great training example for the IMAZ racing group.
@DS...thanks.
@GS...yes, depends on the temp. My Garmin gives me a temp reading on my bike so I adjust watt target on the fly.
@TC...I now have a new "One Thing" -- Don't get caught walking by Cronk.
@SD...Thx. JT will be there to provide mojo.
@AT...Thanks. Ok.
@GS...yes, this is normal plan language. I've actually have never yet put shoes in my RSN bag (I decide based on the forecast), but I have put dry socks in it. However, I can't image how much crap I'd get from Cronk if he caught me sitting on the curb changing socks. So probably won't change anything.