Luke Miller IMTX 2018 Race Plan
Stats:
Age 32
162lbs
6’ 2”
FTP +/- 220 (first season with power)
Background:
I’m a Triathlon baby, IMTX 2016 (the year of the shortened bike, split run due to storms, 12:11 time adjusted for my 30-minute break during the marathon), A couple 70.3 races, PR 5:45 back in November, one Olympic. First experience with endurance sports in 2015. I chose IMTX because I live about 15 minutes from transition, and I feel like I have some unfinished business after the race was shortened last time.
As always, I’m incredibly grateful just to make it to the start line of any Triathlon, this is especially true this year. I have an almost two-year-old daughter at home, my beautiful wife Meaghan is pregnant with our second daughter (due in June). Life is very busy! Switching from a on-on-one coach to EN this season has allowed me to juggle it all, and resulted in huge fitness gains.
My training with EN began back in December, when I finally decided to quit just listening to the podcast and jump into an Outseason. I transitioned to the Intermediate Full (bike focus) plan in February. Overall I’d give my execution of the training plan a solid B, plenty of room for improvement but I’m still proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish. My job doesn’t allow a ton of flexibility (Air Traffic Controller), lots of weird shifts and six-day work weeks are the norm. I entered this Ironman build with the goal of putting family first, sleep second, nutrition third, and training last. I’ve averaged 7.5 hours of sleep per night over the past few months, kept my plant based diet and body comp on track (I’m an aspiring Vegan), and most importantly have been around for my wife and daughter a surprising amount.
As this is my first EN race, please feel free to shoot holes in this plan! I’d especially like some tips for plant based nutrition in the days leading up to the race and pacing using RPE vs. HR on the run. I'll apologize in advance for the lengthy read...
Goals:
My last (and first) Ironman I took things way too easy, trying to enjoy the day and prevent myself from blowing up. This time I’d like to turn it up just a little and prove to myself that I can put together a solid performance. If I had to pick one goal for the whole day, it would be not slowing down on the back half of the run. This will be my last Ironman for a couple years. My plan is to work on speed, focus on family, and do a lot of 70.3 or run events while the babies are young. This race will be one of the memories that keeps me motivated over the next few years of work.
Race Week:
Tuesday– 30 minute run, Bike maintenance – wash, charge Di2, etc. Charge Garmin 520, disable auto power off and auto stop.
Wednesday– Morning ride, no longer than 1.5 hrs. Race Check in, expo, athlete briefing. 30 minute swim (pool located near expo).
Thursday– 30 minute easy bike, 30 minute or less easy run, relax. Begin backing off the fiber. Try to take a nap during the day. Team dinner.
Friday– Practice swim 8 am, followed by bike check and bag drop. I probably won’t have many OWS opportunities leading up to race day, making the practice swim a little more important than usual. Home early afternoon, feet up the rest of the day.
Race Morning:
3:30 - Out of bed, apply sunscreen, banana, English muffin (white w/ a little jelly), 2 cups of coffee for breakfast. Apply sunscreen again and first layer of Trislide before leaving.
4:45 - Leave house – Have Meaghan drop me off at transition.
5:30 – Transition opens –
- Pump tires (latex tubes)
- Power on Garmin
- Calibrate power meter
- Fill bottles with GE (60 Ounces on bike)
- Check bento and nutrition (cut open shot blocks)
- Double check transition bags on the way out, add a banana to T2 bag.
- Call Meaghan for ride to swim start.
6:00 – Arrive at North Shore Park (Swim Start at 6:40). Use bathroom, drop morning clothes bag. Head to swim start.
Race Morning Backpack:
- GE for bike (60 Ounces)
- GE for Special Needs Bag (60 Ounces and some ice)
- Tire Pump
- TP
- Gatorade for sipping
Morning Clothes Bag:
- Goggles
- Extra goggles
- Foggles Anti Fog Wipe
- Swim skin
- Cliff Shot (no caffeine) to take just prior to swim
- Throw Away Flops
- Trislide
- Gatorade for sipping
- Sun Screen (hoping that applying 3x in the morning will get me through the day)
Bike Special Needs Bag:
- Tube (Butyl)
- 2x C02
- Iced GE (60 Ounces)
- SBX Giftcard
- 2 Sleeves of Shot Blocks
Run Special Needs Bag (not planning to use):
- Tums
- Imodium
- Small Sunscreen
T1 Bag:
- Race helmet (Giro Aerohoead)
- Bike shoes
- Trislide (just in case)
- SBX Gift Card
T2 Bag:
- Go Bag – Race Saver Bag, banana, shades, visor, race belt, pill container with salt stick caps.
- Running shoes
- Socks rolled down and powdered
- SBX Gift Card
Bike Setup:
Ventum One (Ultegra Di2), Flo 60/90, Latex Tubes, P1 Pedals, XLAB Torpedo with Garmin Edge 520 Mounted. XLAB Stealth Mini Pocket with 3 Sleeves of shot blocks and two caffeinated gels. Tums and Imodium in the tire repair kit (in case dirty lake water causes GI distress).
Swim:
6:40 - Self-seeded swim start, arrive early to avoid fighting a crowd. Seed with 1:15 swimmers (planned swim 1:15-1:20). Wearing XTerra speed suit, EN two piece short sleeve kit underneath. I may opt to put the top on in T1 if it doesn’t fit well under my speed suit (testing this weekend in OWS). Ease into position early, avoid contact but be aggressive. Count strokes, sight every 5 or 10 strokes depending on what can be seen to the side and swimmers around. Steady and controlled to the red buoys. If feeling good, pick it up a bit after making the turnaround towards the canal. Canal is the second right. The canal will be choppy, focus on form and try not to get a mouthful of the filthy water (much dirtier in the canal). Enjoy the nearby spectators and start thinking about T1.
T1:
Be prepared for head rush when exiting, move goggles to forehead. Light jog to transition bag while unzipping speed suit and pulling down to waist. Enter tent, it will be busy by this time. Don’t sit. Dump bag and put it on the ground, strip speed suit and place it on the bag along with goggles, swim cap, Trislide, and gift card. Ask volunteer to pack bag, say thanks, and tell them about the gift card. Put helmet on head, fasten, and carry shoes to the bike (still jogging). Put shoes on prior to unracking the bike, flip the Giro visor down. Brisk walk to mount line.
Bike:
First miles are very easy, resist the urge to push. Use admin miles around town to bring heart rate down and lightly sip GE. Remind yourself that this is one of your favorite parts of the race (as long as it’s warm out). Count the people that go flying by. Begin eating and drinking as you feel ready. First aid station is around mile 10, grab some water to rinse if needed. Enter the Toll Road at mile 20 and begin pacing and fueling as planned. Garmin 520 is set to auto lap at 5 miles. 3 second power and lap NP are at the top of the display. Target NP is 150-155 (68-70% of FTP). Last year was very windy in the afternoon, plan for this. Don’t allow power to spike into the wind, be patient. Remember that power may dip slightly with severe headwind due to energy lost staying upright or moving side to side.
Hourly Nutrition:
Top of hour: 2 Shot Blocks, 1 Salt Stick Tab
On the 20: 2 Shot Blocks
On the 40: 2 Shot Blocks
30oz GE per hour @ 10 minute drinking intervals
Total – 408 Calories, 1067 mg sodium, 108 grams carbs/hour
Add a few ounces of water to GE to increase fluid intake if weather is extra hot, use the rest of the bottle for cooling.
Optional caffeinated gel at Hour 4 with salt stick cap (replace 3 blocks from hourly plan).
Take caffeinated gel at hour 5 with a salt stick cap. No more solid calories in preparation for the run.
Special Needs – Stop at special needs and ask volunteer to hold the bag open, thank them and tell them about the gift card. Fill Ventum and BTA bottle with Gatorade, grab shot blocks and put them in jersey. Touch your toes and stretch your back.
*I debated whether or not to have cold GE waiting in special needs and decided it would be worth it if it turned out to be a windy day. I don’t mind filling up my BTA hydration on the go, but filling the whole 40 oz bottle on the Ventum can be a little tricky. Refilling at special needs should save me from having to use 2 or 3 aid stations.*
T2:
Coast to dismount line and hand bike to volunteer, flip up visor to get extra air. Keep shoes on until you get to the sidewalk, then remove and carry while jogging. Get T2 Bag and head to the changing tent. Dump bag, don’t sit. Place shoes on top of bag, helmet on top of shoes along with SBX Gift Card. Ask a volunteer to pack bag, tell them about the gift card and thank them. Slide feet into socks and tighten shoes (lock laces), grab go bag and get moving. Eat a few bites of banana while briskly walking out of transition (Coach P recommendation).
Run:
Run Nutrition:
A few bites of banana coming out of T2, non-caffeinated gel at mile 3. Gel w/caffeine just before Mile 6 aid station. 1 cup of Gatorade per aid station, small swish of water to rinse down gels at miles 3 and 6.
Hourly nutrition after first hour:
6 Cups GE (1 per aid station)
2 Shot Blocks
1 Salt Stick Tab
Total – 246 Calories, 1063mg sodium, 60g carbs
Decrease to one shot block per hour if stomach feels iffy. Plan to consume more Coke towards the end of the run. If stomach gets upset, alternate Coke and water every other aid station until feeling better.
First lap (of 3) very easy. Typical long bike HR is around 133, expect this to be the run target on race day. Allow extreme temperatures could push this number to around 140 during the run.
*My HR tends to spike in the beginning of a long run, and settles in after 3-4 miles, not sure why? I usually compensate for this by focusing on breathing, RPE, and pace until everything settles into place. I’ve also found that slowing down past a certain pace (usually about 10:30/mile) causes my HR to go up instead of down (total loss of efficiency). My plan for race day is to run at about a 10:30 effort for the first lap, walking 10-15 steps at every aid station (counting steps out loud). For comparison, my 5K pace is around 7:25, HMP is around 8:00.*
On the second lap push into the 10:00 to 10:15 pace range, while still walking briefly at every aid station. HR is allowed to go as high as 152 (top of zone 2). If heart rate gets squirrely again, back down to the 10:30 effort established during lap 1. Hold this effort until mile 22, aid station walking is now discouraged. Find a solid rhythm and stick with it, don’t slow down! Make the last 3-4 miles hurt, remember there is a comfy chair with wheels waiting for you at the finish line.
Thanks for reading!
Comments
Hello Luke – welcome to EN! Your plan looks excellent ... well thought out and at the right level of detail
A few comments/questions:
- I like how you didn't publish a goal time. I suspect you have one though, and one could
derive it from the data you provided. But
just keep to the stated goal of not slowing down the last half of the run. That feeling of nailing an IM run will
persist much longer than any official published time
- Going purely plant-based in the days before an IM is a smart
plan even for an omnivore. Stick to the
diet that works for you – just cut back on high-fiber foods starting Thursday
- Your breakfast seems low on calories. Is that your normal caloric intake before a
big WKO day?
- Race morning you’ll
cut open the Shot Blocks. Do that
the day before, they won’t go stale
- For the swim, if you have not tested wearing the EN top on
several swims, don’t wear it. One test
isn’t enough. Just put on your top in T1,
it’s much better than dealing with unexpected chafing the entire day
- Also, in T1 go ahead and take Tums and Imodium no matter how
you feel. It’s insurance, there’s little
harm in consuming them as a preemptive measure
- Your nutrition plan looks perfect. If it’s hot take in extra bottles of water. Were you planning to dilute the GE with
water? Suggest you consume them
separately
- And that banana thing in T2 … have you tried it on several
runs? I love bananas but they just don’t
work for my GI tract on race day
- “alternate Coke and water
every other aid station”. It doesn’t
work that way. Once you start the Coke
there’s no switching to anything else
- Run plan looks great.
Running by RPE those first few miles will get you into a rhythm. An HR cap seems smart for the second lap. But ditch the HR cap by the third lap; HR will
naturally seek to drift lower once you get past mile 15 or so. Maybe consider a “floor” HR number for that
last lap; it HR goes lower then push yourself harder to bring it back up
Have a great race ... looking forward to tracking you and the other EN racers on race day-I've had that exact breakfast before other (shorter) races and long workouts, but I can see how that is low in calories. I also don't have 2+ hours between breakfast and starting a long training day. I will add some apple sauce and possibly do two english muffins. Do you think the fiber from the morning banana may be a mistake?
-I've done the T2 banana with several brick workouts, but the longest run was an hour. If I skip it, do you think I should replace those calories or continue as planned?
-The plan was to dilute the GE with a few ounces of water, only if it was hotter than I've planned.. Forecast is calling for a high of 82 with 10-15 mph winds, so that shouldn't be necessary. I've been training in this type of weather and hotter on 30 ounces of GE per hour. If I do feel the need to cool myself off, I may drink a couple ounces first. Otherwise I'll avoid it all together.
Thanks again for all the feedback!
And banana in T2 should be fine as well since you're used to it. I guess I never got used to it. A key to success on the run is to eat early when your body can tolerate it, and the banana is a nice change of texture from the bike food
I’m definitely thankful that there’s an Ironman so close to home, it’ll be hard choosing to travel to another race for sure.
You cant go wrong with any of @""Paul Curtin" advice. You can search for my Race Plans/ Race Reports here on EN, 2 of them are IMTX, with lots more detail to what I use for nutrition etc. Do you have a wetsuit , just in case ? I know the chances are slim for wetsuit legal in The Woodlands but we did have one a few years back even in MAY. I agree with Paul and usually cut way back on the fiber the 2 days before IM, day before I'm something like oatmeal/bagel/pancake breakfast, sweet potato lunch , white rice dinner type stuff... Race day I go with the engineered known vegan products, sports drink, gels, blocks, cliff bars etc. I know you said it in your plan, but make sure you walk Every Aid station, that means the very first one, not the second or third.... Doesnt have to be long, but do not skip that part... That is probably the best advice I ever received on how to execute an IM, and I was stubborn taking a few before I actually applied it at the very beginning!
Unfinished business at IMTX is something I can relate to.
Last year they didn't tell us it was non-wetsuit legal until that morning. The self seeding was a mess. The wetsuit swimmers were suppose to stay in the back but that didn't happen. The canal was congested. I think you should seed yourself up further.
Since you are eating breakfast at 3:30 you may want to consider adding a small amount off peanut or a nut butter to keep hunger at bay.
If rain comes in T1 will be muddy. Good idea to carry shoes to the bike.
Last years wind was fatiguing to say the least. Watch the forecast.
Love the idea of a gift card! I'm going to do that.
Have a great race. Take care of that unfinished business.
@Jeff Horn I haven't practiced the shoeless dismount. I'll have some extra time for transition practice next week, so I may work it in there.
@tim cronk Glad to see another Vegan controller on the team! I work at I90, Houston TRACON. It's a great job, but the hours and days off get old. I'm still working on the Vegan thing. I cheat occasionally but it is definitely worth the effort, the way it effects my body comp and recovery is unreal! I have a sleeveless wetsuit on standby just in case we luck out and get to use them. The lake temp was 68 today, so it's looking good. I'm also a big fan of walking aid stations early, no matter how good you feel.
@Sheila Leard I was volunteering last year at IMTX, that wind was brutal! You know its strong when you can't keep a hat on your head. I plan to bring my speed and wet suits on race morning, just in case. I'll take your advice and seed further up for the swim as well. I never really thought about bringing extra real food to eat in the morning, I may do that. The weather forecast right now looks perfect, but we're still a week out. Fingers crossed!
Sorry I'm late to the game. Great plan. You clearly have done your homework and are taking advantage of the EN resources. Fortunately, Paul hit most of the key points, and a big one (at least to me) is the HR floor for the third loop. Everyone slows down that last loop, and for most the HR drops with the pace. But it doesn't have to. If 152 is the top of your Z2, I would probably set a floor of 150 and increase the perceived effort to keep it there/above. At Mile 3, you'll be jogging at HR 150. By Mile 12, it may take half marathon effort to maintain 150. And by Mile 22, it'll take 5k/10k effort to keep that HR up. IMO, this is the difference between having a good day and truly getting the best out of yourself.
Also, the bike course is pancake flat. So, when your Garmin auto-laps every 5 miles, make it a point to drink, stand and really stretch your hips/lower back every beep (I eat every other beep). If not, your hips/lower back may get too stiff after 5-6 hours in aero, and you'll sit up a lot the last 20 miles like most of your competitors will. This will cost you a ton of time. Oh, and the first several miles of the run will be tight, awkward and slow.
Most of all, enjoy the day.
MR
Thanks for the pointers, I'll definitely be adding both of them to my plan. Looking forward to putting it all together on race day!
Good racing!