Jon Bergmann's Race Plan
This will be my 4th IM, 2nd at IMWI. Best time was 11:16 at IMAZ in 2014 (My last IM) on a crazy windy day. Previous IMWI was in 2011 (11:58)
Race Specific Goals
· Enjoy the day
· Finish Strong (I have a tendency to go out too fast in each sport)
· Steady on the bike (Self talk—Slow down) Watch the powermeter
· Start slow on the run –force this
· Don’t walk (except for aid stations) on the run
· Stay in the box all day
Numbers
Reached a high CTL of 127
FTP: 232—70% of 232 = 162
VDot: 41:
I believe my numbers are higher, but didn’t test later in the season. But I am going to go with these numbers and race conservatively.
HRM should be 121 for last 60 min of bike
Swim
My strength has always been the swim. I am usually in the top 3 swimmers for my age group. The real test is the run.
Logistics/Schedule
Monday
Bike 45 min: Threshold
Total Work: TSS 59; IF 0.77
WU: 15' Easy, include 3-4 x 30 SpinUps.
MS: 4 x 8' (2') @ 75-80%/Zone2 to 3/Steady to Mod-Hard.
WD: 10' Easy.
Run 30 minMS: 3 x 3' (1') @ Zone 2. Remainder @ Zone 1, just as you will run on race day. Finish with 4 to 6 stride repeats.
Work hard on Biz stuff at the computer
Tuesday
Swim: Taper
WU: 500, include Swim Golf.
MS1: 10 x 150 (30") as 100 @ race pace, counting strokes and focused on form, 50 easy.
MS2: 8 x 25 (15") as odds Sprint, evens Easy.
CD: 200.
Total: 2400
Wednesday
Run 30 min
MS: 3 x 3' (1') @ Zone 2. Remainder @ Zone 1, just as you will run on race day. Finish with 4 to 6 stride repeats.
Coach Notes:
Easy run with some sharpening efforts; don't work too hard!
Massage with Josiah (3:15)
Thursday
Organize Stuff for the race
Swim: Taper
WU: 300, include Swim Golf.
MS1: 6 x 150 (30") as 100 @ race pace, counting strokes and focused on form, 50 easy. Set Total: 900.
MS2: 8 x 25 (15") as odds Sprint, evens Easy. Set Total: 200
CD: 200
Total: 1600
Friday
· Leave home at 7:30
· Arrive in Madison around 9:30 am
· Check-In
· Athlete Brief 11:00 am
· 12:00 Swim
o Recon Swim at Race Venue
Swim no more than 30' total. Count strokes, focus on form, practice head lift, get your navigation markers, and think happy, confident, and smoooooth thoughts! Do at race start time to note environmental variables such as position of the sun, likely temperature, etc.
o WU: 15' Zone 1, 6 x 30" strides.
MS: 3 x 2' (1') @ Zone 2.
Coach Notes:
30 minutes if done as a brick workout; if done as a separate session do up to 45 minutes.
· Head to Annette & John’s House
· Team Dinner
Saturday
· Sleep-in
· Good Breakfast (Bring eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.)
· 11am: Check in Bike
· Back to Annette & John’s to rest.
· Early Dinner (Spagetti with meatballs around 4-5pm)
· Prepare Sunday’s Breakfast
· Go to bed by 8pm
Sunday
· 3:00: Wake Up
· Relax, stretch, Breakfast, clean out
· Dress in race gear under old clothes
· Leave Annette & John’s at ?? (4:45?)
· Arrive at 5:15
· Bring Water bottle for course and for torpedo.
· Mount watch on bike
· 7:00—Wave 5—Start Race
Swim
· BE in line by 6:2-6-30: 7am start
· Start at the front of the pack
· Go hard (ish) for 400 yds and see if you can find some feet to draft on
· Settle in—Going to be a long day
· Focus on saving the legs—Steady strokes
· Target—1:00. It would be fun to be under 1:00
· Careful of slower swimmers in front of you.
T1
· Jog to the helix
· Walk on the inside up the helix
· Get bike bag and put on helmet
· Take time to put on socks
· Prepare for cold if necessary (arm warmers)
· Get out of there—6-7 min goal.
Bike
· Overall goal: 162 Watts NP
· 15 miles: 156 Watts NP
· Mantra—Spin up the hills and ride smart. Lots of places for free speed if I ride the EN way
· Stay safe
· Remember the 5 times you toured the course—
· Nutrition
o Hour 1: Cliff Nutter Butter (1/2 bar each ½ hour)
o Hour 2: 2x Berry Gels
o Hour 3 2x Vanilla Gels
o Hour 4: 2x Berry Gells
o Hour 5 2x Vanilla Gels
o Also drink 1-2 bottles of Gatorade as needed
· Last 2 miles take off bike watch from bike and put in pocket
T2
· Put on watch
· Pee
· Reapply lube if needed
· Shoes, Hat, fuel belt, ziplock bag, nutrition
· Don’t hang out.
Run—Where the rubber meets the road
· Overall HR goal: 139 bpm
· 9:50 pace first 6 miles but focus on HR, not pace—122 bpm for first 6 miles
· Mile 6-18: 9:15 pace
· 18+--See what you have left but don’t go crazy at mile 18
· Walk 10 steps per aid station
· Nutrition
o Mile 1: 1 gel + one Gatorade
o Mile 2: Gatorade
o Mile 3: 1 gel + one Gatorade
o Mile 4: Gatorade
o Mile 5: 1 gel + one Gatorade
o Mile 6: Gatorade
o Miles 6-18—Gels as you can handle it
o Miles 18+ Salt, coke, etc as needed.
· Steady wins the game.
· Mantra—stay in the box.
· Really, Really focus on slowing down miles 1-6
Time Goals
|
Swim |
1:00 |
|
T1 |
7 min |
|
Bike |
5:45 |
|
T2 |
5 min |
|
Run |
4:10 |
|
Total |
11:07 |
It would be really nice to go under 11:00—Let’s see what I have at mile 18
Checklists
Use Team EN Checklists….
Comments
Good plan. Hope you have a great day. I suspect more people overbike Moo than any other course. So be really focused on keeping the watts in check (hopefully you have the gearing to allow you to spin up the steep parts sub-FTP). The real "free speed" on the bike course is actually on the run course.
The other big issue that gets people in trouble is nutrition. I would cut out nearly all protein and fiber a day or two before. I'd skip the eggs and wouldn't even consider meatballs the night before (they'll still be with you on the run). You don't describe breakfast on race morning, but check the protein and fiber content there too.
On the bike, you propose eating a bar and eight gels. Gatorade too? Salt? Depending on your weight, this could easily take you above the 0.6 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per hour your gut can likely digest. I'd take the 5 minutes to run the math. You don't want to overeat, just like you don't want to under-drink or under-salt.
Same for run. 3 gels + Gatorade in the first 45 minutes is probably 500-600 calories/hour, which is WAY too much for the run. You will not bonk on the run. Eat when you can, but don't force it. I usually get down 3-5 gels whenever I feel good during the first 15 miles, then GE and Coke to the finish.
With your swim speed, experience and fitness, if you nail nutrition and pacing, you'll set yourself up for a great run. Above all, enjoy the experience.
Mike
Good luck, Jon. Have a great race!
(btw, I really enjoyed your book - picked up a copy for our org's professional library also.)
And thanks for reading my stuff--Good to know it made a difference.