Ashley's IMLP Race Plan
RACE DAY Wake Up at X am
1. Eat Breakfast:
a. Toast with peanut butter and banana
2. Get Dressed:
a. Orca S shorts
b. Chamois Cream
c. HRM (Snug)
d. Sports bra
e. Sunscreen
DRIVE TO TRANSITION – LEAVE COTTAGE AT X AM, ARRIVE X AM
Transition Flight Check
1. Nutrition bottles on the bike
2. Chain / Gearing Check
3. Garmin mounted!!!!
4. Tire pressure check.
Final Suit Up
● Last chance chamois cream
● Body glide everything (neck for sure!)
● Cap
● Goggle
● Ankle Chip
● Wetsuit
● Waffle at T-20 min
Strategic Plan
The Swim -- Just Keep Swimming!
● Line up with 1:20 group
● Middle of buoy line and far left swimmers
● Focus on form: belly to the wall, balanced arms
● Only swim as fast as you can to keep your form
● Remember that at first you will feel terrible and that you are not going to get out of the water, but stay calm and find your rhythm. It will get easier.
● Never stop moving!
● Pee before exiting
T1
1. HIT FIRST AID STATION FOR DRINK
2. Back of changing tent near the exit
a. Shirt
b. Helmet
c. Glasses
d. Arm warmers (rolled down)
e. Shoes (hold them)
f. Sandwich in back pocket
3. Hand wetsuit and T1 bag to nearest volunteer.
4. Find Bike
5. Put on shoes.
6. Jog bike to Mount Line & Power On Garmin
7. Roll up arm warmers.
Bike // Pacing -- Steady + Smart on the hills
● Take your time to navigate the tricky corners out of town
● Work to get HR down after swim, this will likely be hard with the climb out of town
● TARGETS HR: 130s up to mid 140s by the end
● TARGETS POWER: 162 watt average, up to 209 (Threshold) for a brief moment on big climbs if necessary. Don’t burn matches.
● DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO SPEED, focus on HR and Power only.
● Smart on the hills, sit up and spin.
● Take FULL advantage of all the downhills and free speed
● Mental focus, especially on Lap 2 – continue to shift with a purpose – find the free speed
● Drink every 10 min, eat every 30 when safe. Eat before Keene, eat and drink on flat out and back
● Pee at least 2 times
● Tylenol at 5 hrs.
● Gel in last 5 miles to prep for run
T2
1. Turn on watch while pulling into town
2. Hand off bike and keep moving
3. Find bag, head to tent.
4. Change
5. Fresh t-shirt/tank top
6. Hat
7. Race belt
8. Socks
9. Shoes
10. Handheld with fuel.
11. Body glide
12. Spray sunscreen all over.
13. Hit up aid station for gateraide
Run
● Toggle Garmin to right screen for HR.
● Keep HR as low as possible for first 10 miles aim for mid to high 140s and up to mid 150s, pace 9:45
● Drink at every aid station 1-2 cups of gateraide (4-5 oz), hand held in between
● Eat every 20-30 min – gels, fruit, blocs, coke after mile 15
● On climbs keep HR consistent – walk 30 steps if needed
● Can slowly move pace to 9:30s after first 6 miles
● Focus on lap 2 – one foot at a time, focus on when you will see the family next
● Starting line starts at Mile 18, watch all the people that did not execute their plan!
Comments
Is 209W your FTP? If so that would make 162W avg into an IF of .77 which would seem very high. Most non-pros are .65 to .72. If your avg power/NP on your long rides was 162W and you felt good on your brick runs then great, stick with it. First 30-60 minutes of the bike is usually "JRA" "just riding along" or 5-10% below goal avg watts. You also should try to avoid hitting your threshold watts and use your gears.
What are goals for amount of fluid/GE/calories on bike?
Are you familiar with the "GO-BAG"? Search the WIKI. And also if its hot you need a Race Saver bag for ICE. Patrick sells them and can hand deliver it to you at the race.
Good luck and will meet you up at LP.
Echoing Mr. Sabo. If 209 is FTP, you don't want to try and tackle this course at .77. You should probably be targeting the 140-50 range. You are correct that you do not want to burn matches, especially the first loop of the bike, but going up to FTP "if necessary" is, by definition, burning a ton of matches right out of T1. If I were you, I would spin up the first climb with a hard cap of 135.
Other suggestions/ideas:
Regardless how well I lube my neck, every wetsuit I've owned still rips up my neck. So, I just put a large, water-proof band-aid on my neck. Works like a charm.
IMO, the two biggest mistakes folks make in IM is eating too much on the bike and pacing incorrectly. Depending on your size, it's unlikely you'll be able to digest more than 75g of carbs per hour. I know it can get complicated, but I keep track of how many bottles of GE I'm consuming, I know exactly how many grams of carbs are in a bottle (it's 42g) and in each of the chews/gels I consume. Then, I set Garming to beep every 15 minutes (or 5 miles). Drink every beep, eat every other. It actually gives me something to concentrate on. If it's really hot and I'm putting down two bottles per hour, I need very, very little additional food to keep me fuel. Which is contra to the feed-fest most racers will be enjoying on the bike. I also make sure I cut out all calories with a half hour to go. Which is why I don't personally like your gel-with-5-miles-to-go plan. Get off the bike with a calm, happy stomach, then eat whatever you want once you're settled into the run.
Speaking of, planning to eat every 20-30 minutes on the run is great on paper, but rarely materializes on race day. Eat when you can, especially early, because the odds are very little food will be going down the last 10 miles.
I turn my bike Garmin on in T1 before the swim. No need to wait until the ride starts, and you don't want to be fumbling with a device during a sketchy opening mile.
Don't overlook the mental aspect of the race. The last 30 on the bike are probably gonna be rough (they will be for me), and the last 6-8 on the run are always tough (pretty much for everyone). Make sure to spend some time in the Wiki, read some LP race reports, and then get mentally prepared for a long, difficult but really rewarding day.
Look forward to meeting you in Placid.
MR
221 is my FTP. 209 is the start of zone 4 I think. I tested FTP back in May and have been riding all my long rides at an average of 162 so I feel comfortable there. I totally get the ramp up to 162 over the course of an hour or hour and a half, but I am a bit nervous that the hills right out of town are going to affect that plan. In training, my power could get really high on steep hills even in my lowest gears (and even after I got a compact crank). Hopefully recon can help determine how I can ride the first miles out of town.
I am planning on 1-1.5 bottles every hour with 3-4 gulps every 10 min. If it's hot, I will bump this up to 1.5-2. Mix of gateraide and water. For calories I am shooting for 200-250 an hour. Taking into account what I am drinking if it's hot. This cal count has worked well in training.
As for the run, in my past IM, my stomach was not happy for the first few miles so I am worried about getting in calories in the first part of the run. This is why I was thinking of a gel (not solid food) right before t2, to hold me over. I guess I can rethink and rely on fluids.
As for the mental aspect, I completely agree. The last stretch of the bike, beginning of the run, and middle section (15-22) of the run have been the most trying in the past. This is where i really need to focus and think about seeing my family on the road and repeating my good thoughts. Thanks for the rec on reading race reports. I will be getting back to that task soon!
Excited to see everyone in Placid.
the definition of a good bike in IM is the ability to not slow down on the run..