Marc's IMLP Plan
Arrived in LP yesterday and plan to relax, recon, and workout to training plan to stay loose and free until Sunday. Staying out of town in Upper Jay about 0.1 miles from bike route so getting worn out going in and out of town isn't going to happen ... close enough for nostalgia … far enough away to really have to need something to head that way. Family comes Thursday … in a good place.
Background: Coach P told me I am a red shirt Freshman, lol! Second season with team, smart but still chasing!
DNF CDA last August with mechanical issues on bike. Seem to be fixed, no problems YTD. This will be my first full IM finish. Besides training, did Quassy Half in June … found it to be difficult, but finished.
48 Years Old, 6’3”, 225 lbs., worked harder to get ready for this than I did for CDA last year. I am rested, I am healthy, no nagging issues with my body. In a good place mentally, physically, and spiritually. I try to focus on the moment, the day, not yesterday or tomorrow, but right NOW. But glimpsing back, I've made great strides with body composition, and overall health. Over the past year I've lost 40 pounds, stopped drinking ANY soda (diet coke addiction for a long time), quit smokeless tobacco, and currently eat clean, close to the source, natural foods, no caffeine, so my body has gone through a lot of positive changes ... time to see what it can do! I ONLY use sugary stuff during training and racing ... after this I will learn to race using foods consistent with the rest of my life style.
Goal: Finish in allotted time. Intimidated reading everyone’s stuff but we all have our reasons for doing what we do, me, this is part of a larger picture in life so just finishing is going to be great. Participating with all of you will be awesome, I will need your encouragement and will give encouragement freely!
Quandry: Roubaix Disc or SHIV? Did some mountain riding in Idaho and Colorado this summer on my Roubaix Disc and it is very comfortable. Contemplating riding it Sunday instead of SHIV, thoughts? I am going to ride some on the course today on both, need input, game time decision.
Week Plan:
Thursday: registration, in and out, athlete briefing. Swim for a bit, ride for a bit of course recon. Team dinner.
Friday: team swim, 4 keys talk, bike a bit, run a bit per plan. Study transition area in village and take a few pictures. Hang at the lake with family have a relaxing lunch. Soak in the MOJO happening around town. Come back to home base, pack bags, get organized.
Saturday: hydrating, packing bags in AM, dropping off bike in the afternoon. CHARGE watch and Wahoo bike computer. Mix Infinit bottles for bike and concentrate for run.
Breakfast, stuff myself to the gills.
Lunch, planning on complex carbs, low fiber.
Dinner, light fare.
Lights out 8:00
IMLP Day: up at 3:30 to eat applesauce and protein powder, then off to transition for body marking and bike prep. Infinit bottles on bike, water reservoir full, tires ready. HOPING for 5th Key visit … apply sunscreen.
Everything on under my wetsuit, trisuit, arm coolers, calf sleeves, extra pair of goggles, honey stinger gel for after lap 1. Team picture, need to get a good warm up in, ready to go.
Swim: Line up about 1:00 – 1:10 line, powerbar and Infinit bottle while waiting, I swam 32 minutes in Quassy half … that included the backstroke for recovery after going out too quick 1st 500 … lesson learned … average that race was 1:31 per 100Y … this time I want to build to race tempo. Will focus on rotation, pressing chest down, gliding, catching water, and finishing strokes. Outside just enough to see the tape but not on it. Exit after lap 1, honey stinger gel, quickly get back in groove, second lap steady effort, last turn push it to finish a bit. Exit water relaxed. Top half wetsuit down, visit strippers, head to oval. Goal = 1:10
T1: should go quick, everything in bag in inverse order I will need … put on sunscreen, bike jersey, glasses, beanie, gloves, helmet, shoes … meet up with bike, be careful at mount and until out of town a bit.
Bike: Once out of town, eat powerbar, start dosing Infinit every 20 minutes. All I will need from aid stations will be water for drinking and cooling. Like training, stay on Infinit schedule, restock Infinit concentrate mix at Special Needs … second lap, take a ClifBlok Black Cherry w/caffeine every 15 minutes, to prepare for final push back to transition. When going up, sit up, use big body on downs, pedal on descents for speed to carry up next hill, never just coast, be safe. Driving the course, pavement seems pretty bad from after aid station #1 to Keene, stay as far left as possible, find smooth car tire grooves when possible. Last 11 miles from Wilmington, stay focused, stay consistent, stay alive. On last climb counting helps me pass time so I will upshift 3 gears and stand for 18 pedal strokes, downshift 2 gears and sit down for 60 strokes, going down one more when necessary, repeat. Goal < 8 hours
T2: shed bike, change clothes, apply sunscreen, grab go bag and belt, race saver bag on wrist, head to run out.
Run: at Quassy, overcooked the bike and walked a bunch on run, don’t want to repeat. I am a SLOW Galloway Method runner, cadence will be 4 min run/1 min walk … will bypass 1 min walk from time to time based on HR and terrain, will also add walk time from time to time based on HR and terrain. Garmin set to monitor cadence and HR … if I can keep higher cadence and stay on plan to RSN, I will know I am in a good place. From RSN to mile 18 I will keep 4/1 going. Reminding myself loose hands, stacked spine, chest out, vision 50 feet ahead, go to my place. After mile 18, will run from aid station to aid station without walking, coke and ice each station until finish. Goal < 5 hours
“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”
Thomas Edison
Here's to astonishment for all on Sunday … clink clink
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