Sheila Leard Race Plan - IM Boulder 2018
This will be my 9th Ironman. Eight finishes and one DNF. IM Texas 2017 is the DNF that haunts me. At mile 104, I crashed, and I feel the need to redeem myself. The year was spent rehabbing a broken elbow and a jammed hip and shoulder. Why can’t I just walk away from the Ironman and stick to shorter races? It’s the lure of the perfect race. Hotel California … ‘you can check out, but you can never leave’. I chose Boulder since the course suits me. Non-technical bike and a fairly flat run. Altitude is 5000 which isn’t horrible, but I know it will affect me and I will need to adjust my race plans accordingly.
I did the November OS and was able to get some fitness back mostly on the bike with Zwift. Swimming will always be a work in progress. Running hard is out. I acknowledge my limiters. My goal for this race is to have a smooth and deliberate day. It’s between me and the road.
I’ll be getting to Boulder on Tuesday with Tom. We’ll do the admin stuff and recon the bikeNight before race day.
Early no fiber meal of potatoes and salty cottage cheese.
Race morning
Early rise and choke down a bowel of cream of wheat, scoop of whey powder in soy milk and coffee.Sip on bottle of NBS Preload on bus ride to T1.
Set up bike, add air to tires, calibrate PM, load fuel on bike and double check gear choice.
Swim/T1
I’ve accepted that I am a BOP swimmer. But, I find that if I seed myself with 1:30 swimmers it’s a zig zag derby. So, I may go to the 1:20 group. Stay taught, don’t go out hard, sight every 6 strokes. Exit the water – goggles up, wetsuit unzipped, tag a peeler get it off, stuff cap and goggles into wet suit, grab bag, shoes on, sunglasses on, grab helmet, hand off suit and bag to volunteer with gift card. Get to bike stuff back pockets and go.
Bike - Need to be thinking of a few songs to get in my head on the bike. Self talk - stay in the moment, assess the moment.
Start computer 1-2 minutes after mount line. My data screen is going to have NP that resets every hour, HR, Pace, distance. I will have IF on another screen that I can peak at to keep me in check. Keep Watts and HR down the first 30 minutes. I find that my race pace has a disconnect from my training watts. I know my Z2 watts and when climbing I won’t let it go above more than 5-10%. RPE and HR will be my guide.
Fuel – Tested this in training and it works for me. Mantra is sip-nibble. No need for a timer buzzing me because fueling requires staying focused! Look for eating opportunities.
Aiming for 220 calories and 400 mg sodium per hour.
Starting with aero bottle
with three scoops Carb-NBS. Another bottle of concentrated
Carbo-NBS - 12 scoops = 1200 mg + one scoop NBS Preload =
1200 mg, 650 calories
3 bags of chews, Stinger and ProBar, 220 mg Na, 500 calories
Picky bar and Cliff bar, 200 mg Na, 450 calories
TOTALS:
planning for more than needed.
Na
2820 mg
Calories
1700
At aid stations I’ll put water in my front aero bottle with a squeeze of concentrated NBS. Any water left over goes on my back and a mouth swish to refresh.
I’ll finish the bars with two hours of riding to go. The bars are broken up and rolled into little 40 calorie balls in Bento box. In back-pocket mint Tic-tac’s and Mint TUMMs for when my mouth or gut feels funky.
If I lose concentrated bottle I will go to GE on course and Salt Stick that’s in the bottom of Bento for emergency.
Before T2 get wet with a water bottle from last aid station and stop Garmin Bike mode.
T2
No flying
dismounts for me. Get quick release Garmin and hand off bike. Get bag. Get
shoes and socks on, helmet off, hat and glasses on and go. Put belt on while
moving.
In my belt pouch is EFS pre-race caps, Tums, Salt-stick and a
little hand grenade flask full of 4 diluted gels.
Run
The first 2 miles are as hard as the last two. It’s a false flat of four miles out of T2 and I usually need two miles to just get a rhythm. Accept it. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast (kind of). Focus on self-care, form, smile when it hurts, and my why. Get mojo from teammates on the course.
I am breaking the run into four 6-mile boxes. Each box I expect the RPE to go up. My Garmin is set to HR, pace, distance, cadence. The Stryd PM is on another screen that I can toggle to if I want to see it. I will run the pace my HR gives me. This will require a lot of patience. I will sip on the gel flask and take water at aid stations. Salt stick if sloshing. I don’t want a bolus of sugar. Once it’s gone which is around 2.5 hours, I will go to Coke and Salt stick. If it’s hot stay wet.
At mile 10 I’ll take 3 caps of EFS Pre-race. It’s a golden pick me up. I’ll get into my system in about ten minutes. I’ll take two more at mile 15. And if I’m not blowing up two more at mile 20 for the last 10K suck it up miles.
Writing this all down really helped me think thru the day. What am I missing? Really looking forward to racing with EN family.
Comments
- 60' lap times for NP is too long. Some do every 4-6 miles. At the end of the lap you could be pushing much higher or lower watt and now moving the number much. You have RPE, HR and pace as a a guide with lots of IM experience.
- You note your z2 watts and the 5-10% limit, you will have to back down from these numbers at 5000'. See Al's post here https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/6869/altitude-adjust-ftp which outlines 93% of FTP at 5000'.
Have a great race.
Thanks for pointing out the NP lap reset. A talented TRi friend said the same thing. Al's article is truth serum.
Nothing wrong with cottage cheese in my book. If it works for a pre-race meal then so be it. And your nutrition plan looks perfect!
I love this line you wrote: "My goal for this race is to have a smooth and deliberate day"
"I am breaking the run into four 6-mile boxes. Each box I expect the RPE to go up. My Garmin is set to HR, pace, distance, cadence. The Stryd PM is on another screen that I can toggle to if I want to see it. I will run the pace my HR gives me. This will require a lot of patience." I love this attitude. It can be refined to think of a continuous curve of increasing RPE, rather than just increments every hour or so.
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate hearing from the smart guys. There is always something to learn. Al - your idea of hitting the IF lap at your own discretion is a great idea. The course has two significant long low grade hills. Not pitches, but the kind you can cook yourself.
If @Chris Oubre can eat Cocoa Pebbles I can eat cottage cheese. My family makes fun of me for eating it.
1000/hour. Is this pretty variable individually? I'm still dialing in nutrition for IM distance and am getting it closer to right. I think electrolyte has been part of the puzzle. Have a great day in Boulder! Can't wait to read the report.
Consider switching to coke/water/salt tabs after mile 18-20 to finish. It can be a life saver and help with stomach issues as well.
If/when you start the coke, do not stop.
Regarding sodium requirements, 500/hour is a guide. The 500 is per pound of sweat lost. Depends on how much your sweating, heat, etc. At IMTX, for my size/sweat rate, I need ~1200-1500 /hr at 90 degrees. Here are the facts:
The amount of sodium in sweat averages about 500 mg sodium/lb sweat (and ranges from 220 to 1,100 mg) If you lose two pounds of sweat per hour for four hours of intense swimming, biking, running, etc., your sodium losses become significant (4,000 mg).
At cooler races, you'll sweat less. Smaller bodies sweat less. Hence the need for each individual to do a Sweat test in race like conditions to dial it in.
Will be tracking you and cheering!
SS
For the run - the first 5 miles is where the bulk of the elevation will be so your plan is perfect for the first few miles.
I'm so excited to meet you and to see you on the course!
For me I have to plan when to stop since I can't pee while riding, that way I am mentally prepared to stop at a certain point on the race and I can use it also to refuel if necessary or check the bike if there is any adjustments to be made.
Here's what I remember about the course:
- The swim in the Res is nice and clear. It can be warm, even in June. I did the 70.3 in June and it was borderline wetsuit legal. I ended up wearing my sleeveless wetsuit the second time and that was more comfortable heat-wise. I live at altitude so I didn't notice any difference, but people say that the swim is usually where you notice it most if you're coming from sea level.
- T1 is close by the swim exit. It was a long rectangle that second 70.3 which made for a long transition.
- This is a fast, PR-friendly bike course that is basically two laps of the 70.3 course, if it is the same. But it's not flat. It has a bunch of rollers that you can use the EN approach to flatten it out -- spin up the hills and launch off to carry speed through the flats. There is one legit climb, if it's the same course, on Nelson? I think. Lots of athletes ruined their day on this hill. Be very careful on this course as it is open to traffic, and there are lots of cars. An athlete was killed in 2016 in the Ironman by a car. Local cyclists were out riding on the course, too. They'd drop the hammer everytime I tried to pass.
- T2 involves running about 1/4 mile across a high school track. I was planning to take my shoes off the last 1/2 mile on the bike and leave them with the bike. I've never done that in a race, but that last section is pretty flat so it looked doable. Otherwise, I'd take them off at dismount and carry them while I ran.
- The run course is different than the 70.3. I scouted it out with Mark. It has shade and there will tons of spectators. It has sections of hard pavement, so I'd wear your cushiest shoes. I was planning to wear Hoka Cliftons. The intensity of the sun at 5000ft is no joke. I was fried on the run for the last 70.3 which was also in June, and I live at almost the same altitude. However, the 70.3 run course is more exposed. Make sure you have your go-bag for ice and your heat control protocol prepared.
I'll be cheering for you on race day! One of these days I need to go back to Boulder for some unfinished business...@Sheila Leard - thinking of you and your upcoming race! Sending TX mojo your way!
SS
FYI- Cottage cheese rocks!
Be safe and have a great day.
Thanks for all the feedback and Team MoJo. The swim course is the same as previous years but the bike and run are new. One transition at the reservoir and then we run back to town for the finish after a few out and back flips on the run path. The dry heat will affect pacing. Patience, patience, patience. I’m adjusting my electrolyte and carb intake to accommodate heat at altitude. I tend to get over salted quite easily. I have on board mint tic-tacs that really helps with that funky mouth from so much salt.
Just know that when you see that I’ve finished the bike I will be smiling!! Please .... no mechanicals.
Thanks Team.