Hoff's IMKY Race Plan
Mostly adapted from IMLPs race
plan
Looking for comments, missing items, questions - this is where the team effort
shines!
This is my 9th IM start, 2nd time at KY(last one was my 2nd IM in 2011 13:22 - where I met @John Withrow for the 1st time)
Bike:
Cervelo P5 – with new Etap 11spd components
Choice of Disc or 808 rear(wind dependent), 404 Front, all mounted with new
Conti TT Tires, Latex Tubes
compact Q rings 53/36 front 12/28 cassette. (53 is a change from 52) new rings 3 weeks ago
Btb Xlab torpedo
1 bottle behind seat
Garmin 520
Stats:
Height 5’8
Weight (153 or less) 5lbs higher than Lake Placid
FTP – 262 (SWAG)
Vdot – 47/48 (Al T suggested it’s closer to 50 after analyzing my recent OLY)
Wednesday (at home)
Run 30' early AM
Shortish? 2000 yard swim?
Thursday(at home)
Short jog & swim early
Late afternoon flight to Louisville
Friday
early AM run per plan, 30'
Registration/pickup bike from TBT
if possible find someone to drive bike course to see new section
?am Team swim at Y – Where + what time?
2PM Team Coffee - Please & Thank you, 252 East Market Treet
5:30PM - leave for Dinner at Kellie's with Team
INSPECT & CLEAN BIKE - Check flat tire kit, tubes,
tools, etc (Bike has completely been gone over by LBS 1 weekago )
Charge Garmin 520 & 920 watch
Configure both garmins for no autopause, no auto shutoff
Configure multi-sport screens on 920XT if needed
Pack bags
Race Morning bag
Sunscreen
Plastic bag with TP in case for porta potti
phone & earphones
Band aids for nipples
Aquaphor
Timing Chip on Ankle
HR Monitor Strap
Garmin Watch
EN Tri Suit (2 pieces)
Crack pipe to inflate Disc Wheel
Supermarket/convenience store for items for room - BUY HIGH CALORIE EARLY AM SHAKE, gatorade & bananas FOR SUNDAY
Morning Clothes Bag
Body Glide
Aquaphor
Wetsuit
Goggles
Work gloves bought in hardware store to toss after first aid station if needed
Sweat pants/ EN Jacket/ winter run hat If needed/ for after race
For BIKE
Garmin 520
BTB water bottle mixed w gatorade
arm warmers – old socks with toes cut off to be placed over aerobars, put on
after leaving admin miles in town
T1 Bag
Helmet – Giro Aerohead
Tri Shoes
Gloves
Rain Jacket (if expected) throw away version
LS North face shirt if temps deem it(willing to dump this at an aid station)
SBUX Gift Card for Volunteer
T2 Bag
Running shoes – Hoka Biondi Red
GO BAG (ziplock) including hat, number belt, small packs of chamois butter, Race
Saver bag, Sunglasses
Sox – Red Running
SBUX Gift Card for Volunteer
BSN Bag
2 Spare Tubes
2 Spare CO2 Cartridges
RSN Bag
Empty - nothing
Saturday
9AM - Team Breakfast @ Wild Eggs, 121 South Floyd Street
Bike & Bag Drop off TIME? (afternoon when less people)
1:30 - Team Feet up/ watch Kona/ Hydration Session at Brian Hagan's Hotel
7:30 PM - Take half Xanax at 7:30PM
– go to sleep!
Sunday –
4:00AM wake up, high calorie shake coffee to get me going & bodily functions in gear
eat banana start drinking gatorade
Apply body glide, nipple band aids, Chamois butter, sunscreen
5:00 Head to Transition
Body marking
Put 520 on bike & torpedo bottle on bike
Borrow a pump - pump tires to 90 psi
team photo?? time?? Location??
Swim - Goal Time – 1:09 (same as LP) – I
don’t think the River really gives a huge push
Line up with 1:00-1:10 group, focus on stroke and sighting, swimming straight
saves strokes! Expected time 1:07 – 1:10,
stay FOCUSED on technique, you’ve got this
T1 – Goal Time – 4:45 (based on best time of AG
4:30 last year)
Take off top of wetsuit as exiting swim – leave on goggles &
cap until wetsuit is off
RUN after wetsuit is off – get bag (make sure it’s MINE)
Dump gear on ground, CALL volunteer over to stuff bag, tell them to take the
gift card gift card, Helmet on
sunglasses on if using
Other clothes as needed
Shoes on per last year, careful running on potentially wet grass and making the
turn down the aisle of bikes. Look for announcer and yell out race # to them
(does LV give you bike the way others do?)
Bike - Goal time – 5:21 (based on BBS)
FTP – 262 (SWAG) (268 according to Strava)
5hr power – 185
Target Power:
Ride 190 per discussions with P to effect a 15’ lap NP of 185
Hills can spike to 195-205, controlled power when out of saddle
absolute high of 215
LAP button on garmin every 15 minutes (time alert is set)
Hourly Nutrition (worked out using EN
Leventhal Calculator) and used successfully in recent races
1.25 bottle of Gatorade per hour (6.5 for race), get one down ASAP in first 30’
to get ahead
1 mini cliff bar or 1/3 banana (that's the size they are usually cut to)
1 gel
LEAVE SHOES ON BIKE for T2
T2 - Goal Time – 4:45 (based on best time of AG 4:30 last year)
Dump run stuff on ground
Helmet, clothes, any bike stuff on floor on top of bag
Sox on
Shoes on
NO Sunglasses
hat/ Race Saver bag/number belt, anything else, in go bag
CALL volunteer over to stuff bag, tell them about gift card – GET MOVING
Put on race belt after departing
Run – Goal Time – 3:35 (8:12/mi pace)
Run a comfortable pace working up to 135-138 HR, HR rules the day over pace
Run at 135 - 140 as possible, NO HILLS, work up to max HR of 142-144
Miles are averages
(working on run plan based on HR w Coach P)
Walk aid stations ONLY enough to get liquids down & drink, eat on the
run, save walking Aid Stations for later miles
LOCK INTO HR
Hourly Run Nutrition
Alternate H2O & Gatorade at each aid station
Mix up solid food – mini clif bars, 1/3 banana, taking a solid at every
3rd – 4th aid station
get clif blocks ASAP from aid station and have one block per
mile
GOALS –
1st Goal is to stay in my box, focus on what is going on now,
solving problems when they come up, and they will and Keep moving forward…
KQ – to be honest, the ONLY excuse here is weight… Body comp focus has not been as strong as it was going into LP… I am probably 10# off the mark in BC to be thinking about Kona… That said, I have been tearing up every bike I have done since LP, both here and in CO not only getting PRs but top 10s on pretty heavily contested strava segments.I have been running up a storm since putting in the real mileage this year. I know based on my 2nd place OLY finish (83 in AG) 2 weeks ago that I have great baseline speed on the bike and the run. SO, I know that ANYTHING can happen good & bad to me and the people in front of me, so my goal is to have the hardest, toughest fought (with myself) race I have ever had.
I learned in a half Mary 3 weeks after IMLP & at the OLY, what fighting for it means, now it’s time to put that into an IM and see what’s possible. If my only excuse is weight, I have a shot to make the bottom of the podium and that’s a pretty good place to be.
My race goal is to get into the top 7, ideally top 5 and to fight hard for it in the last 8 miles of the run.
Overall Goal
Time 10:15
Now
for the bet, where would we be without #stupidwithrow tricks? @John Withrow &
@Mike Roberts both have PRs of 10:21… Looking for people to make a bet and
contribute to my annual World Bicycle Relief fundraiser for beating that mark!
PMC chart for those that are interested:
Comments
I also have a 10:21 PR (although I'm confident I would have shattered it at NC without the shortening), we both raced LP this year, and we're both racing next weekend. Straight-up, you beat my Kona time, you get $100. I top you, $100 to American Cancer Society. And regardless who finishes with a faster time, a separate $100 if you break 10:21.
I've optimized aero more (with a trip to TT bike fit 2 weeks ago)
good advice on "how to ride"
Bet accepted! (and thanks for the coaching support) I do have a plan in my head to bury myself for the last run miles! To quote withrow "there are really good med people at the finish line..."
Very easy to get "bored" in the ~1.7 miles of straight line swimming after you make the turn around the island... Don't. Draft on the way up and pull hard the whole long way down to the finish. Don't get lulled by the small current, you need to make up the time lost on the first 1/3 which was upstream.
Add a couple different colors of tape to your bag. Might I recommend pink/black zebra stripes mixed with separate fluorescent orange tape AND separate bright green tape?
I agree with @Mike. You should be able to produce a faster bike split with that W/Kg, not by increasing your IF... It's been a long time since I did that race and I am assuming the course is the same, but I remember a ton of places where I (and others) left free speed on the course. Collect all of your "Free and legal" slingshot drafts as you pass people, especially in the first ~20 miles and as you catch lap traffic on your 2nd loop. There are a couple of the downhills that have "caution-Slow down" signs because there's a slight turn onto a bridge or something at the bottom. If I were doing that course again, I would hit ALL of them at FULL speed. Maybe even drive to those a couple days before the race and practice them, they are not long, but provide the opportunity for a couple of mins saved to carry this speed. I passed a bunch of people there 6 yrs ago before I even learned how to handle a bike. Don't let car traffic slow you down, which means you may have to ride "unsafe", but you are racing aggressive to win (and you have superior bike handling skills), take these chances. Don't slow way down for the annoying RR tracks, carry them at speed with a slight bunny hop. Every time you slow way down, you have to use a lot more energy to get back up to speed. And don't lose concentration in the last ~10-15 miles of slight downhill back the lollipop stick.
Man up at the end of the run (regardless of place or position), you'll learn something deeper about yourself here to carry into the future whether it's racing for 1st or 38th in AG....
I'm always a game for a bet... All of these work independent to each other:
My best KONA splits which I intend to beat.
Swim - 1:12
Bike - 5:25
Run - 4:00
Overall - 10:47
I kept T's out since KONA T's are fast but you still should have an edge across the board!
I wouldn't eat a Steak if you paid me $1000 so NO Thank You to your alternative...
My above still stands and is really a one way donation to your charity anyway if you earn it ?
Your bike is your strengh.
Also glad to read that you are more confident about this race that you were last week (probably the fatigue was high!!) and still aim to KQ.
See you in a week
No experience with the IMLOU course and you have great advice above.
I'll add my anecdotal comments...I think your bike numbers are a bit soft judging by your recent training load and numbers. You need to make the call on where you want to push and where not to. Given KW is your goal I'd highly consider pushing a bit higher on the bike, especially in the first 80 miles. If indeed you are a few lbs above target on BC it will be harder for you to get the same impact from pushing on the run. So push the bike (which really isn't pushing given I think your numbers are light). Get the HR and nutrition in check in the last 90 minutes and set yourself up for a strong, steady run.
The TT start will make it challenging to track your progress relative to others so stay in your box and race YOUR best race.
Recognize that this flies in the face of input from many other smarties here, so ignore as you see fit but in my view once you are on the cusp of a big goal sometimes you need to take calculated risks and for me this is where I'd take that risk if I were you.
Count me in for some gambling.
$100 for KQ
$100 for improving sequential AG ranking after each discipline
$100 for Run PR
Thus, I decided to bite the bullet and do the E-tap upgrade. lose the wires, and get new aerobars which Todd Kenyon recommended to get my hands higher. I also know there is value in the old Di2 gear as Shimano doesn't support it at all. Thinking that getting on with selling it sooner, than later would be smart.
I did the conversion last week and have 2 rides on the gear thus far. I had to do a new hub on my 808 rear and upgraded that to Ceramic bearings. I also had to get a new OSP from CS for the new RD, and a new chain. So this was a bit more than I expected. I also picked up an 11spd Cog from Lasco that was machined to work on a 10spd hub. I am using this on my Zipp Super9 Disc, seems to work fine and true to advertising, the cog adjustments lined up perfectly with the cog on the 808, so wheel swaps are a no brainer. Aside from fine tuning the position of my new aerobars, the swap seems to have worked great, I just need to get used to the different nuance in switching gears that e-tap has. I also don't feel the sluggeshness compared to Di2 that has been reported. Also, of note is that while I had an OPS on the old RD, this one is even more friction free than the old setup, very clear just backspinning the pedals at standstill.
As for your race input, your suggestions do make sense, I am absorbing it all, and basically know that I am going to have to turn myself inside-out numerous times in this race and push myself to the limits wire to wire.. I think you can count on having to spend at least $200 of your bets unless I blow up severely on the run.. btw, I am flirting with a PR on a standalone mary in this one, not just IM mary...
so, while you don't know the course, given the nature of the continual hills on the course, how would YOU ride this if you are were trying to push the envelope? steady power? Power up on the hills? how much? ride a BBS power plan (170 intervals on it, i think) general rule of thumb? not saying I am going to follow, but you are one of the smarter people here, even if your recommendations are more outside the box than the 3 smart guys ^^up there^^, I'd like to hear it more specifically.
thanks!
Overall a solid plan...with lots of great input above...tough to beat that. Just remember at this point, it's where you put thing in your head...ie, getting your head in the right place on the day will trump anything else, including a bit of lbs. You are in a good position to have a great race day and looking forward to seeing how thing play out.
Side question regarding the fatigue. Any helpful hints you can pass on at this point? Having just raced MT, I am not not feeling 100% so will be interesting what the day brings. If you have any good advise, let me know.
Good luck and enjoy the day.
Now look at my reset since LP... lots of inconsistent bumps. All of those upward bumps are events, Half mary winning my AG, big week at end of august, big week in Aspen with Tim & Al capped with a podium performance in an OLY... ALL of these are mini events that require a recovery of a week or so and insert fatigue that prevents me from having nice steady training growth. Now I am paying for it, as i have caught some kind of bug... just feeling blah and can barely do my Wko's and am not getting to the pool!!
For me, and FOR YOU, rest is not bad at this point, follow the taper, swim a lot (which i will do as soon as this bug breaks) trust your training & trust the taper.. you will come into race day rested & will have a great pop on race day... promise, or drinks are on me at woody creek tavern next June!
It basically says there is a point at which coasting is preferred, and likely it is somewhere prior to 'spinning out' as long as it doesn't impede your ability to carry speed into an upcoming climb. I also have been personally experimenting with riding harder on the bike, particularly in the first 50-70% of the race. For example, my FTP is about 300. My target IM watts are around 210 and I typically limit myself to 240 watts on all but the steepest climbs. I have found that I can push a bit harder early on and focus the last 10 miles on getting my HR and nutrition in line to start out strong on the run. I have 2 examples from 70.3s this year where I pushed hardest on the bike and had my best runs (including a 1:29 PR). I would analyze the hell out of the course and do the math as to the 'cost' of pushing in certain areas compared to the benefit. The more data you have the better.
IMKY is probably the easiest of all IM run courses which would give me more confidence pushing harder on the bike but that's me and running typically is my best discipline.
At this point your brain is a smarter racer than your mind. Really. Just lock into what it's telling you, and only deviate if you see your HR or watts going wacko. It's another way of following the dictum to "trust your training"; you have been training your central nervous system's "central governor", and you need to trust the sense of effort you have gained from all that work. Like I told you a couple of weeks ago, following you to Marble, I gained a great feeling about how you are able to micro-control your effort at every point along a ride. That's not happening consciously, it's coming from somewhere else in your brain. Don't overthink your race...
You are strong, you have great endurance, and you are absolutely ready to let your body take control and give you a super race.
My best KONA splits which I intend to beat.
Swim - 1:12
Bike - 5:25
Run - 4:00
Overall - 10:47
I kept T's out since KONA T's are fast but you still should have an edge across the board!
Tim KONA Scott LOU
swim 1:12:57 1:04:44 $25
bike 5:43:19 5:29:20 $25
run 4:02:09 4:29:17 $0
OA 11:05:18 11:12:07 $0
Total Owed $50
Lets be clear I really wanted to pay the full $100 :-)