Rob Sabo's IMLP 2017 Race Plan
IMLP 2017 Race Plan for Rob Sabo
This will be my 9th IMLP and 13th IM distance
Thursday
Registration
Ride to whiteface/Wilmington and back
Swim easy
Team Dinner 6 PM
Friday
7 AM swim with Team
breakfast don’t forget to eat and drink
4Keys talk at 10 AM
Easy run
Pack bags
T1 Bag
Helmet(Aerohead with visor if less then 80 degrees and Synthe and sunglasses if > 80)
Bike shoes
2 gels
T2 Bag
Orange Newton Motion and socks with lube in toe area
GO BAG: hat, sunglasses, number belt and 4 gels and base salt, Sunscreen, and run saver bag
BSN bag
Zip lock with one cut and rice papered Clif bar and 2 caf gels
Tube and CO2
RSN bag
3 gels
Sunscreen
Saturday
I will sleep in and plan a big breakfast, light lunch and early dinner. I will go to sleep early with plan of 8:30 in bed. The night before, I will mix water bottles for the next day and cut and wrap bars in rice paper for bento bike, and breakfast drink and set up my breakfast.
SUNDAY-RACEDAY
3:30AM Wake up-- 2 cups applesauce and scoop of protein powder and banana and GE. Bagel and peanut/almond butter if still hungry
4:45 head to transition and get body marked
5:15AM powerbar and perform
Torhans Aeroz/ downtube bottle with Perform and behind saddle holder empty
Will place 2 Bonk Breakers cut into 1/2 and wrapped in rice paper into Bento and 1 Clif cut in 1/3
PUMP tires load fluids put Garmin on bike
Head to lake
Drop off SN bags
Suntan lotion, lube (If you think it might or ever has had issues, PUT Lube on it. Keep hands clean with gloves.), HRM strap, chip, goggles and cap,920, and put on wetsuit
EN Team photo at 6:00 AM
6:05 gel no caf/h20
6:30AM start short warm-up and shoulder stretch
seed in 1:01-1:10 FRONT of this pack
SWIM Goal - 1:04
Expect to have some contact (Don’t let it get you down. No one is doing it on purpose.) Quick start and then settle into race pace as fast as good form will allow; finger tips down, deep entry pull, over the barrel, good body roll, grip it and rip it. Keep up the turnover. If the feet in front are too slow go by them and find other feet. Last 1/4 Long and strong
T1 Goal <5:00
I will get the top half off while moving and remove the rest of the wetsuit with the strippers. I will remove my goggles and cap after my wetsuit is off. SMOOTH. Don’t forget more sun screen for shoulders arms and lower back.
Put on shoes, then helmet, and maybe sunglasses. Head out quickly to bike.
BIKE Goal <6:00
FTP=256 W but was last tested indoor months ago so estimating lower
1st 45 min at JRA pace 65% ~ 166W till start of descent. I will be careful not to over cook the rollers before the descent and stay 65% on start of first loop and 70% thru second loop.
After the descent 70% 175W (goal watts)
Second loop will stick to 175 and up to 190W on climbs
Strong effort (HR 122-127) especially on last run into LP from Wilmington
I will try to drink 2 bottles 1st hour and a half and then 1 to 1 1/2bottle/hour (more if it’s hot). I should PEE at least twice.
I will eat ½ Bonk Breaker or 1/3 Cliff bar/ 20 min during the first loop as well as some Clif bloks and banana on the 2nd loop.
Caffeinated Gels are the BOMB!!
Drowsy? Sluggish? Feel flat? Turning your bike into oncoming traffic?
TAKE A CAF GEL
I may need a caf gel earlier but will have a caf gel on second loop at start of Ausable out and back and at Left turn back to Placid after passing by Haselton road. I will self assess at mile 70, 80, 90 and 100 in regards to caf gel. I will also take a banana at the last bike aid station.
This should give me about 400 cals/hr and 950mg Na/hr with no bars after Jay(~mile 76).
FOCUS on effort for 5 mile lap NP. I will ride my race.
If I have mechanical, be calm/ ZEN. If I get off my bike I will eat something.
Ride easy parts hard and hard parts easy. I will take advantage of free speed on crest of all hills and use all my gears to keep steady effort going up and down. Gain a gear or two if hill flattens out. Stay Aero often. At aide stations, I will be careful, I will be ready ahead of arrival. I will point to my volunteer to grab GE for my bottle cage and water over my head. No littering and thank the volunteers.
T2
Goal 
:00
SMOOTH.
Sit by door.
Turn on 920XT while finishing up the bike. Put on socks, sneakers, Grab go bag and GO. Put on hat and race belt with #. I won’t forget more sunscreen which I can put on while I run. I will put on hat and sunglasses and # belt while moving.
Run
I will walk all early aide stations <20sec. think 3-5 steps. I will drink GE 4oz then splash water on my head and grab ice for Run saver bag then right back to pace. I will have a caf gel every 4miles, starting mile 1. I will use Base Salts every 4miles 2 miles after gel
If I keep this up, I will get about 30oz of fluid/hour, 960mg of Na/hr, and 390 cal/hr. These numbers are a little high but I will probably not take that much GE and only 80% of each gel. When I see an aid station ahead, I will self assess my needs and know exactly what I need and call it out to the volunteers, thank them and keep moving. I will switch to coke between miles 16 and 18 if gels are not tolerated but definitely by mile 20. The turn around on River Road on loop two is when I start racing mode.
1st 6 miles HR 120(250-260W)
hill cap 125(275W)
7-18 HR 125 hill cap 130(270W)
19-22 HR 130 hill cap 140(280W)
after ski jump hill on second loop HR
will be 140+ don’t kill myself at Lisa G Hill
all out after aid station on the top of the hill on the out of the out and back
If my heart rate is low, I need glucose and caffeine and fluid.
I understand I will need to increase my effort just to keep my pace steady. River road turn around is where I get to start to stretch it out and bring it home. I will consider not walking any aid stations from here out but I know I’ll be on the edge. I will monitor how I feel and my HR and make adjustments as needed. Run or walk hills as needed. Hills will require absolute concentration on form and turnover (think baby steps). I will run tangents and look 30ft ahead of me.
When things get hard - Focus on form: Chin up, Elbows back, stand tall, shoulders relaxed, loose fingers, high cadence, forward lean from ankles with pelvis pulled back.
I am grateful for the support from family, coaches, and EN Team members who have supported my training on line, at races and camps. I’m happy to be racing healthy and I will honor my training-self.
I will try to smile and cheer on EN Crew.
I will finish up strong, smile at the finish, and not be pushing buttons on the watch for the picture.
My ideal dream goal time is to go under 10:29, and run sub 8’s.
<1:04; <5:50; and < 3:28 but this will depend on conditions.
Throughout the day I will be paying attention to consistent effort and the times will be what they will be.
I expect fast transitions and
no let up of concentration during the race to produce the effort I have trained for. I want to enjoy the day and get the most out
of what I’ve got in the conditions that will be presented. I will be grateful to race another IMLP.
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