IM Canada-Whistler Course Notes
Swim
· Self-seeded start. Orderly, because it’s Canada. Two rectangular loops.
· Practice bilateral breathing. I found I was blinded by the sun as it came up. On the return from each loop.
· 2 loops in the water. If you’re planning to draft off other swimmers, it might be best to let the paces all get worked out for 5-10 minutes, and once you’re past the first buoy, latch onto a pair of feet.
Bike
(EDIT: I talk about caps on 'zones,' but I am actually referring to 'gears' as they are outlined in the EN racing with Power guide. You can access it here athttp://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Racing+with+Power+Kit
... just hit the "free" version).
General
-you must recon this course in the car during race week. Repeat, you must recon this course in the car during race week. Bring your bike and follow SOP. Also bring a printout of the bike map, and make handwritten notes about where to carry speed, where you expect will feel tough, etc. etc.
· 11-28 and compact unless significantly above >4.0 w/kg. No shame in 11-32 or 11-36 whatsoever.
· Safety first, particularly on this course there are a ton of rumble strips, and ubiquitous pylons. Head’s up ball for the first 2 hours or so. (EDIT – Head’s up ball ALL DAY. With the half racers on the course at the same time as full racers, there’s a lot of activity).
On the point of two races taking place on one field: it might be useful to have a third bottle cage on the bike … yup, there’s a weight or aero cost, but around loop 2 or 3, there are a lot of people stopped, swerving, braking, and cluster-f’ing the bottle handup. I HATE missing out on a bottle and not having fluids, so see this as insurance. Then again, by my BBS estimate, carrying 1 extra lb on this bike course = 1 minute.
· The road is generally windy, so there are good changes to ride tangents, even while staying within the position rule of riding to the right. Look for the shorter line where you can.
· Tactically and strategically, every decision you are making on the bike should be informed by getting to loop 3 without any fatigue. And then completing loop 3 without accumulating any fatigue.
The bike course is about decision-making all day. And many many decisions. The course is a lot like WI where a precisely-executed EN strategy (using gears as above) will set you up for a good run, but there a zillion chances to make mistakes. Do what you can to keep your head clear (caffeine, mental queues, keep nutrition going).
· If you are being competitive on this course, ‘not making mistakes’ will put you much further ahead than trying to make things happen. Here, more than any other course I have done, is where it is critically important to ignore what everyone else is doing. there are many chances to carry speed through rollers; descending in aero is key; figuring out the legal slipstream when descending is useful (hint: it’s much longer than the draft zone); in light of a few windy parts, look for a lot of ‘wind shadows’ for legal drafts all day, even when moving slowly uphills. Pedal until spinning out on descents; pushing watts when you’re already at speed will come at huge cost.
I really have to emphasize this is a “paint by the EN Numbers” type of course. Even if you’re from a relatively flat area, use the EN bike execution model to plug in your numbers. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE OF THESE. (I will set my alarm on my Garmin for 20 watts above Z4 to keep myself in check and annoy the crap out of anyone around me.)
Whistler to Callaghan
· Zone 1 power, zone 4 on short climbs
· Be prepared to go very fast in certain areas with a lot of people
· Safety first.
Callaghan climb
· Zone 3 cap on climb
· On descent, zone 1, with zone 4 on short pops
-expect everyone around you to be pushing like they are working for a points bonus. Congratulate them as they go past, and do the opposite.
Callaghan back to Whistler
· Zone 4 cap on climbs
Whistler to Alta Lake
??????
· Anticipate that you’ll be riding into headwind at times, so descents are not as fast you would hope
Run
· There is no flat – you’re going up or down at various pitches all day. GPS pace is useless, and be prepared to run by HR or perceived effort. Again, frequent decision making, so keep a clear head.
· In light of the above, know what you want to do wrt HR or efforts on hills. Do you want to push a bit on shorter ones, or just stay on like a diesel? Have this decision made before you set foot on course.
· Great chances for running tangents. The course is serpentine.
You’re on the course with HIM racers, so aid stations may be crowded. Your EN “walk the aid stations” strategy is good here. Grab an extra gel. (My ricky-racer trick will be to fill and stash 2 2-litre bottles of water in a tree along the course to grab in case I want more fluid.)
· If there was ever an “run insanely easy for the first 6 miles ” course, this is it. First, the bike is tougher than most, and shaking off some of the earlier part of the day is important for long-run success. Second, the hilly nature really beats people up in lap 2, and I suspect (again, look at the stats) that there is a much higher attrition or “slow down” rate across the general population at mile 18 + than there is at other races.
-there’s a lot of shade on the run course. And a variety of surfaces … everything except concrete.
I would not wear super-light road racing flats on this course – I have raced with DS Racers here, and the out-and-back path around Green Lake (?) had lots of midsized stones that I couldn’t avoid stepping on, and hurt like mad with the thin-soled lightweight shoes. Run in an adequately cushioned shoe, and save the 2oz somewhere else.
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