Gabe's IM Santa Rosa Race Plan
Race Plan: Ironman Santa Rosa
Keys to the Race
The theme for this race is gratitude. I am a lucky dude to be able to do this crazy shit. My One Thing is my Dad. He was a competitive surfer, kayaker, and avid outdoorsman. He has Parkinson's Disease now and a good day is when he can walk to the kitchen to get his morning coffee. It's a reminder that there will be a day when I can't do this shit, but that's not today.
After my dirt adventures last year, I didn’t know if I’d ever do another Ironman. I did all the training for Ironman Boulder in 2016 but had to pull out race week when my uncle passed away. I swore I would never waste another summer training for an Ironman dragging myself around the heat of the Salt Lake Valley when I could be up in the mountains having adventures. My plan this season was to do an early season Ironman to build a big engine for my outdoor adventures later in the season, culminating in the Wasatch 100. I could do most of the training indoors since triathlon doesn't take a ton of specificity compared to trail running and MTBing, and also bank SAUs to spend later in the year.
I’m keeping my race strategy simple.
|
Swim |
The easiest swim I’ve done all year. It will basically be 2.4 mile pull set with just enough kicking to keep blood in my legs and avoid cramping. |
|
Bike |
Setup a great run by going conservative and loading up on good nutrition. Be willing to leave 5 minutes on the bike course to turn it into 10-15 minutes on the run. Follow the Best Bike Split power course prompts and ride a conservative 70% IF or lower. |
|
Run |
This is my race to have a great run! Follow RPE and HR – pace is just an output that will largely depend on temperature.
|
Keep reading if you have the fortitude for a bunch of detail. Otherwise, skip to the last section with my questions.
Equipment
Swim
Roka Maverick wetsuit (2014 edition) and Roka X1 goggles. EN Castelli San Remo trisuit.
Bike
2013 Cervelo P2 "Classic" with Stage power meter, Flo 60/90 wheels, and Cobb V-Max saddle. Garmin 810 bike computer (Garmin Fenix 3 as backup). Torhans 30 on aero bars, Xlab aero bottle on down tube for nutrition, Xlab Sonic Wing with pod for repair kit and free slot for bottle of sports drink.
LG P-09 aero helmet with visor.
Run
Hoka Napali running shoes. Race belt for bib number and GU gels. EN visor and Roka Aviator sunglasses. Garmin Fenix 5 for pace and HR.
Pre-Race
Thursday
· Fly to Sacramento and drive rental car to Santa Rosa, arriving in the early afternoon
· Go to Ironman Village and check in
· Retrieve bike from Tribike Transport
· Buy CO2 cartridges
· Prepare bike with stickers and install pedals
· Shakedown bike ride to ensure everything is still working
· Prepare gear and special needs bags (see below)
· 6PM – Attend EN team dinner???
Friday
· Shakedown run on the run course, ideally crossing the finish line to visualize success
· Drop off run bag at T2
· Drop off bike at T1, drive the course on the return
· Put on race tattoos before bed
Bike Bag
· Aero helmet
· Cycling shoes
· Sunscreen
· Socks, in case I want to wear them
· Old cleat in case I break one
Bike Special Needs Bag
· Old tire in case one of my tires is dodgy
· Extra tube and tire levers in case I go through the two tubes on my bike
· Old cleat in case I break one
· 2 CO2 cartridges
Run Bag
· Socks
· Hoka Napali running shoes
· Race belt with number loaded with 2 GU Salted Carmel and 2 Untapped Maple Syrup gels (go-bag)
· EN visor (go-bag)
· Aviator sunglasses (go-bag)
· Sunscreen (go-bag)
· Arm coolers (go-bag
Morning Bag
· Wetsuit
· Tinted goggles plus clear set as backup
· Swim cap
· Trislide lube
· Sunscreen
· Bike computer (fully charged)
· Bike nutrition
o Aero bottle filled with concentrated Tail Wind
o Bike bottle with Tail Wind to go in Torhans 30
o Old bike bottle with Tail Wind
o GU Chomps and cutup Untapped Maple Syrup Waffles in bento box
Race Morning
· Wake up at 4:00AM
· Eat breakfast + coffee up
· Apply two layers of sunscreen
· Put on tri suit under casual clothes
· Depart by 4:30AM
· Drop off special needs bag and catch shuttle to the T1
· Drink sports drink on ride
· Arrive at 5:30AM
· Setup gear in transition and load bike with nutrition
· Connect HRM and put on wetsuit and swim gear
Swim
Swim Course: This is two laps around Lake Sanoma. The buoys will be on my right, which sucks because I breath on my left. I’ll use my trick of swimming inside the buoy line except the turns to avoid the aquatic melee to ensues at an Ironman.
Goals
· Use the least amount of energy to finish the swim by maintaining good body position. Think taughtness.
· Smooth strokes, getting arm into a good catch position before pulling and then follow the stroke all the way through. Don't "pet the kitty."
· Mostly pull with occasional kicking to keep my legs awake.
Swim Execution
· Seed myself in the 1:25 group.
· When the horn sounds, go easy counting strokes to get into a good rhythm.
· Stay inside the buoy line except for the turns.
· About 400 yards out, start kicking again to wake up legs.
· On swim exit, walk out pulling the top of my wetsuit off. The swim exit is a long, steep ramp, so just power hike up it.
· Run on the flat until finding a free wetsuit stripper.
T1
1. Jog from strippers to bag area.
2. Jog to bike bag (walk if I don’t have my land legs back) and grab bag with free right hand. Memorize location on walkthrough.
3. Jog into changing area.
4. Put wetsuit, cap, and goggles on chair. Stuff them in swim bag.
5. Put bike bag on top of chair, open bag.
6. If it’s going to be over 90F, I’ll have arm cooler pre-rolled and calmly put them on.
7. Grab shoes and socks out of the bag and put them on.
8. Put helmet on head and buckle.
9. Head to exit, handing swim bag to an unsuspecting volunteer.
10. Jog to bike area, running to bike location. Memorize during walkthrough.
11. Jog down aisle to bike.
12. Unrack bike and move crank to wake PM.
13. Start bike computer.
14. Walk bike (don’t break a cleat) to mount line.
15. Clean mount at the line, pedaling away softly and safely as I confirm PM is up and running.
Bike
Bike Course: The bike course runs through beautiful Sonoma wine country. I grew up in Northern California and have been on these roads many times. Stoked to ride them.
Goals
· Go conservative to setup a great run. Be willing to leave 5 minutes on the bike course so I can turn it into 10-15 minutes on the run. Best Bike Split predicts 5:43 at an IF = 0.69, but I'm not attached to that number.
· I’ll have the Best Bike Split power course on my Garmin 820. Follow the prompts for power targets. It’s just another day on the trainer. Memorize power targets in case power course malfunctions. Capture free speed on the downhills and fast flats while everyone else is coasting and soft pedaling.
· Stay on top of nutrition plan. Use concentrated Tail Wind mixed with water to get a bunch of easy to digest calories down. When it runs out, switch to on-course sports drink.
· Pee at least once. Stop if needed since I’ve only peed once on the bike.
· Execute clean hand ups. Point to volunteer and shout what I want.
Power Targets
|
CATEGORY |
WATTS |
|
Flat/Roll |
168 |
|
Flat/Roll |
165 |
|
Flat/Roll |
168 |
|
Minor Hill |
187 |
|
Medium Hill |
200 |
|
Major Hill |
210 |
|
Extreme Hill |
217 |
|
Minor |
144 |
Nutrition Plan
Target: Consumer about 300 calories per hour and about 500mg of sodium.
|
Nutrition |
Frequency |
Calories / hour |
Total calories |
|
20 oz of Tail Wind or on-course sports drink from Torhans 30 on aerobars |
Take down at least 20oz / hour |
200 |
1200 |
|
Eat Gu Chomps and cutup Untapped Waffles from bento box |
30 min |
100 |
500 |
T2
1. Roll to the dismount line, hop off the bike, and hand to a volunteer.
2. Run to run bag and grab bag. Memorize location on walkthrough.
3. Go to changing tent but sit outside.
4. Take out shoes, socks (if wet from bike), and go bag.
5. Take off helmet and cycling shoes, putting them in the T2 bag.
6. Put on socks (if needed) then shoes.
7. Grab go bag, and head to a port-a-potty. Memorize location on walkthrough.
8. Give T2 bag to volunteer on the way.
9. Use port-a-potty.
10. Jog out of T2.
11. During first half mile of run, open go bag:
A. Put on EN visor and aviator sunglasses
B. Put on race belt
C. Put on arm coolers, if needed. Otherwise, stick them in my pocket.
D. Apply sunscreen
Run
Run Course: The run course is three loops on the Santa Rosa Creek Trail. It looks flat and other former racers have told me it’s shaded. Perfect for a PR. I don’t have time goals for the above (well, I do but not telling), but I’d like to break a 4-hour marathon. The run is my jam.
Goals
· Go conservative the first 6 miles, keeping HR in below 142. From all my ultras, I know I can run all day, literally all day, if I keep my HR below 142.
· Pick up the pace after mile 6 with a target HR around 145-146.
· The last 6 miles is maximum effort with a target HR of 150 or higher.
· Keep core temperature under control by keeping go-bag full of ice. Wet my head and arm coolers as needed.
· Walk 20 paces at every aid station to take in nutrition. Keep Coke as a reward until mile 18.
· Set Garmin Fenix 5 to autolap every mile and just focus on hitting the targets for that mile. If I have a bad mile, just let it go.
· Change my perception of effort by smiling and looking at spectators’ faces.
Pace
Focus mostly on HR and RPE, but the below paces are guidelines. Add about 15s / mile for every 10F above 65F.
· 0-6 miles – easy LRP (8:45/mi). Don’t let HR go above 140.
· 6-20 miles – TRP (8:15/mi). HR should be at around 145-146.
· 20-26.2 – Take out my One Thing. Balls-to-the-wall effort!
· Finish – slow down and enjoy it!
Nutrition Plan
Target: Consumer about 200 calories per hour.
|
Nutrition |
Frequency |
Calories / hour |
Total calories |
|
3-4 oz of Gatorade from aid station, walk 20 paces |
Every mile |
150 |
400 |
|
Gu and Untapped Gels |
Every 6 miles |
100 |
400 |
|
Take water as needed. Dump ice water on head if hot. |
As needed |
0 |
0 |
Questions
· This is the first race I’m doing using Tribike Transport. The thought of doing the 12-hour drive back to Utah after the race was hard to take. My big worry is the airline losing my luggage. I’m thinking I’ll take the race critical stuff as carryon. This would include helmet, cycling shoes, running shoes, race kit, wetsuit, goggles, and Torhans 30 since these items would be hard find at the race. Bike tools and pedals would go into my checked bag since they wouldn’t make it through security. Anyone have problems bringing triathlon gear as carryon?
· Anyone know the water temperature? I can’t find it online. I’m guessing mid-60s. Oceanside was about 62F and felt great to me.
· The Athletes Guide says that you will have no access to your run bag after you drop it off Friday. Seriously?
· What do the cool kids use these days for a go-bag? I used a Ziplock bag for Oceanside but didn’t need it for ice.
Looking forward to another adventure! Thanks for reading!
Comments
- I have used Tri Bike Transport many times with zero issues. I have also brought helmets and other bike gear carry on with no trouble. I imagine a bike repair multi-tool would be the only thing that would get questioned. Check that.
- No idea about run bag.
- I still use zip lock bag, but @Coach Patrick sells a more robust version
- I heard rumor water temp is currently 63, average temp from the lake website says surface temperature is 68 for this time of year. The forecast says the low will be 50 degrees so I am sure lake will be in the 60s.
One more thing. If you can you might consider increasing the gel intake on the run. In standalone marathon I do every 10k, but in Ironman I do every 4 miles. If your stomach can handle it, eat as often as you can! This will power you in the last 8 miles.
As to your questions, the thing I see missing in your list of "things I will ring with me 'cause I'm afraid of losing them" - your saddle?
Go-bag - the ice carrier Coach P sells is too small to be a go-bag - it should go INTO the Go Bag. I found at a hot race last year that putting ice into it (about the size of a quart Ziplock), and then tucking stover my heart under the front zipper worked great at internal cooling. A gallon Zip-lock is what I use, with visor, sunglasses, sun screen, nutrition, wrist band (which I wear for my nose), number belt and the little ice bag going into it.
I always check my bike bag and haven't had problems in the past.
Can you do a pre-race swim? It's good to practice sighting and try out the wetsuit if you haven't used it in a while.
Water temp 62.. https://www.fishingnotes.com/fishing-report/ca/Lake-Sonoma
How do you keep track of all those power ranges? I usually keep it to a couple, so flat, slightly up and steep up. Ignore down. Have you practiced drinking course materials yet? If not, go buy a can of it from Amazon (bike is usually Orange Flavor) and make sure you can tolerate it. If necessary, consider putting a few of your bottles in special needs (with lots of ice in the morning) so you don't have to rely on Gatorade.
For T2 I always spend an extra few seconds to have volunteers apply sunscreen to make sure you are covered. If you have chaffed badly in the past, consider vaseline applications also. When running, I like to carry a sports bottle with me so I can measure fluid intake better. I find with cups they often get spilled, are not all filled the same, etc. At my last race, I drank a bottle an hour, when done I filled it back up.
I realize the race is pretty close, but if you haven't practiced nutrition exactly as outlined above, you should do so immediately.
For Gatorade, you have 150 calories per hour. For 4 hour run, that should be 600 calories, not 400. If you are eating every hour, then you probably aren't going to eat at hour 4 when you are done. So at 100 calories per feeding is that 300 calories (Hour 1, 2 & 3)? Can you eat more often, say 30 or 45 minutes? For fueling, do you have your watch set up for alerts so it's easy to remember?
If it's hot, consider a ziplock bag for ice that can be refilled as needed.
Have fun!
SO excited to race with you, Peter, Matt and the others! Love your race plan. Looks like a veteran. Tom, Al and Peter give some good feedback!
I'll add one more item for you to think about. Living in TX having raced IMTX, IMFL and IMAZ, I have some experience with nutrition and heat. I am a bigger body and as a result, a heavy sweater. The more sweat that comes out the higher the sodium loss. During a long event like IM that can add up.
Depending on the temps, you may want to also be cognizant of your sodium loss and intake. For me, 80+ degrees means 1200 - 1500 mg of sodium/hour given my sweat rate. The night before IMFL, my dessert was a handful of salt tabs. My go bag for the run has a separate small bag of salt tabs as well. If I am sweating profusely during the run, I am taking in both GE, water and salt tab every two miles or more if needed.....
Looking forward to some smack talk Saturday night!
ss
@Tom Glynn wow, thanks for the detailed feedback! Here are my thoughts:
- Reassuring to hear your positive experience with TBT! I did purchase the VIP package. I wasn't sure how that worked, so it sounds like I can just walk away from the finish and get my stuff in the morning. I didn't know if they'd let me keep my bento box on the bike -- great tip on throwing CO2 in there!
- Good idea on the pre-race swim. The athlete guide say you can swim pre-race. Maybe I'll do it when I drop off my bike on Friday.
- On the power ranges, I have a good memory.
Actually, I'll have the power prompts programmed into my Garmin using power course. I've used it a bunch of times and it's money. It's basically like having BBS on the course. The ranges are just in case it doesn't work for some reason. I have pre-ridden much of the course power profile by exporting from BBS and importing to Zwift, and developed a pretty good intuition for the optimal power. - I'm lucky that I've never had chaffing. It may be my superpower! I keep a small thing of Chamois Butt'r in my race belt pocket just in case. I also have a suncreen stick so I can apply it as I'm running.
- My nutrition is pretty dialed in. I love Tail Wind for high quality nutrition. My plan is to load up on that on the front half of the bike and then switch to the course nutrition. I don't like Gatorade but have no problems stomaching it. It just saturates my palette after a couple hours and then I have to force it down, but it should be okay if I'm drinking it primarily on the run Looks like my math may have been off for calories on the run.
- Definitely plan to use the ziplock bag! I'm surprise how few endurance athletes use that trick. I've used it in ultras and have literally never seen anyone else do it. The aid station volunteers give me a puzzled look when I ask them to fill it with ice but then happily oblige.
@Shaughn Simmons looking forward to meeting you in person! Good point on the sodium. I usually can't take more than 500mg per hour without getting a rotten gut. I've used S-Caps in the past to supplement on hot days. I'll throw some in my bento box and race belt pocket just in case. Hopefully, the weather forecast holds and I won't need them.Have a great race!
If you only pee 1x on the bike, you'll likely be in trouble later... Drink more and be prepared to pee more...
I don't know what the timing is on shipping your bike with TBT (has it already left your possession yet?). I have had nothing but great experiences with TBT (have rarely - actually never - heard of them losing a bag or a bike). When I use them, I also send a bag (transition bag size) and I put ALL of my stuff in it (put a luggage tag on it with your name and cell phone number on it - You can also put a pig piece of tape on your bag with your name and cell phone number and IMSR on it written with a Sharpee marker). I don't take anything off of my bike... I leave all the cages, seat, CO2, spare tire kit, etc. on it. As if my bike was going to come off the truck, I will put my pedals on and then immediately race on it. I also throw a luggage tag on my bike as well (in addition to the TBT tags). In the TBT bag you ship goes your: Wetsuit, Bike Shoes, Helmet, Nutrition, CO2s, Tools, Razorblade, Tape, Chain lube, etc. etc. etc. Put your pedals in a ziplock bag and put them in the bag LAST (so they are on top). That way when you pick up your bike and bag at IMSR you can unzip the bag, pull out your pedals and simply hand them to the TBT tech and ask him to put them on for you. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! I treat this bag I send with TBT as my extra piece of "checked luggage". The only thing I take in my actual suitcase is my kit because I hate to check bags on airplanes and my actual EN Tri kit weighs nothing and packs small...
Those are a LOT of Wattage targets (as you commented on already). Your Garmin and BBS will give you some good guideposts, but Don't be a slave to them, it might feel different after a 1+ hour swim... There are a lot of rollers and interesting terrain on that course, use it to carry momentum and conserve energy. Use "Legal" draft opportunities wherever you can to slingshot by people when you pass.
Do your ultra-training self proud in the last 8 miles of the run!
Good Luck!
I love your overall approach to the race and the gratitude for being able to do this fun, crazy, expensive, but otherwise meaningless activity! I'm an eternal optimist by nature and while I've never had a bad race (yet) I also think that it's self-fulfilling as it gives you the mental conditioning to react and adjust to things as they come vs. worrying/dwelling on what went wrong.
Your plan is VERY detailed. That's not right or wrong, but the more detailed the more likely it is that something goes off plan sooner. Do you have an overall NP/IF goal? I would suggest you should and have a 15 minute autolap to serve as your barometer of effort. Given the granularity of your targets you may overcook or undercook a little each segment but that could all add up to a material deviation from your overall bike plan. Once a segment is complete forget about it, your goal is to hit the target for the next segment.
Go Bag typically refers to the bag you have in T2 (usually ziplock) with your race belt, sunglasses, visor/hat that is ditched once said items are in place. For applying ice on-course it's helpful to have something with a handle (like @Coach Patrick's Race Saver bag, but I've also used smaller ziploc bags.
Look forward to following along.
what do you tell a 100 mile finisher? Be careful to meter out your effort so you can finish an IM? Welcome back to the Ironman game, well detailed and planned, I know you can execute , and I look forward to see that recent HM speed I saw put to the test! Good skill!
As many others I have used TBT in the past and its amazing. They take care of everything and have a team of mechanics ready to help and install anything you need on the bike. I personally like to take care of putting the pedals and making the final check myself but they will provide tools, pumps, and a bike stand if needed. The best part is that they take care of everything after the race. You just tell them what you want to be removed from the bike.
I also travel with helmet, pedals, etc in my carry-on. The only time I ever had a problem (and wouldn't even call it a problem) with TSA was once they asked me to remove my P1 pedals from the case and open the battery lid. I had a multi tool with me so it was pretty easy.
Have a great race
@Al Truscott thanks for the vote of confidence -- I hope you're right! My saddle will be on my bike with TBT. I had the fit dialed in by Jim at Ero Sports and haven't disassembled it since. That was part of my decision to use TBT instead of taking it on the flight.
@Derrek Sanks thanks!
@Tom Box awesome course beta! I thought the metal pedals would be tough to get through Security. I should have said I'll pee at least once. I have to really, really go to do it on the bike. At IMAZ, I went straight to the porta-potty right off the bike. I'll just plan to have no access to my run bag on race morning.
@Tom Glynn good story and will do!
@John Withrow great info on TBT! I don't have to drop my bike off until this weekend. I'll consider adding the gear bag option, sounds like a good way to avoid the hassle of traveling with it. I love rolling courses, so this should be fun! Last time I did an Ironman, 26.2 miles was the farthest I'd run. Now that's a big training run for an ultra. Will be interesting to see how the ultra training translates, or if it does.
@Jeremy Behler Ha, definitely fun, crazy, expensive, and otherwise meaningless! I'm targeting an IF=.7 which is a NP=174. I have IF on a screen on my Garmin that I check periodically. I don't like having it on the main screen because then I obsess over it. In the past, I just saved the zip-lock go-bag bag and used it for ice. I'll just roll with that since the race is a week out.
@tim cronk thanks for all your support, advice, and encouragement! I hope all the running speedwork pays off in this race -- and the rest of the season.
@Jorge Duque I'm definitely feeling better about the decision to go with TBT after all the recommendations in the thread. There's a thread on Slowtwitch that's pretty negative, but I guess that's pretty much every thread there. I wouldn't have guessed you could get pedals through Security -- thanks for the confirmation!
I never had issue bringing tri stuff in my carry-on.
Pedals, shoes, gps stuff, helmet and elbow pads.
good luck for that race and will track you !
@Francis Picard Ha! Never thought an Ironman would seem like a "small" distance.
One option is for you is to give everything to Araceli. You will meet her Thursday night. She will be there from beginning to end and probably end up walking farther than the marathon we will run. She is Super Sherpa....
As for this race I'd save the extra salt for later, weather permitting, particularly if you switch to coke even at mile 18. A 12 oz can has 45mg of sodium, so you might 3-4 oz will give you ~11-15mg of sodium and no other electrolytes.