My First IM Race Plan
This will be my very first IM and therefore, my very first IM race plan. Thanks to all who have posted plans for this and other races as it has truly helped me think through how I will execute this race given where my training has brought me so far. For this race, I have two goals: finish and have fun. Here’s my plan.
Breakfast at 4 a.m. – cup of oatmeal, whole wheat bagel with almond butter, cup of coffee. Leave by 5 a.m. for 30 minute drive to Cambridge to arrive by 5:30. Get to transition and body marking, do last minute check on bike, make sure Garmin is ready to go, do one more recon of transition in/out, take care of any calls of nature, start putting on wetsuit. Sip bottle of nuun while waiting for swim.
Swim – line up with the 1:40 to 1:45 swim group (assuming it is time/100). Make sure goggles are down before getting in the water (yes – I have jumped in the water with my goggles still on my head in other races!). Go hard to first buoy then settle into comfortable pace. Try to stay with other swimmers to minimize need to site. Swim thoughts will be “stay long,” “rotate” and “climb the ladder.” I will smile when I come out of the water because I am having fun and the swim is over!
T1 – find a wetsuit stripper and have them help me. I’ve never done that before so this will be a first. Grab transition bag and put on helmet and glasses. Put on socks. Apply sunscreen. Grab bike shoes and put them on at the mount line. Eat a PBJ while heading out.
Bike – JRA pace to first aid station at mile 15 to get my legs working. After that, look to maintain watts at 150 to 170 to end. Don’t worry about what others are doing. Bike thoughts will be “stay in the box,” “hydrate” and “eat.” I will stay focused on nutrition. I will be carrying Infinit, with 180 calories per bottle. Goal is to drink one bottle each hour, taking sips every 10 minutes. Supplement the liquid calories with the following, calories in parentheses:
60 minutes Skratch bar (210)
120 minutes Science in Sport Gel (80)
150 minutes Science in Sport Gel (80)
180 minutes Skratch bar (210)
240 minutes Science in Sport Gel (80)
270 minutes Science in Sport Gel (80)
300 minutes 3 Cliff chews w caffeine (100)
330 minutes Science in Sport Gel (80)
360 minutes 3 Cliff chews w caffeine (100)
I hope to finish the bike within 6:30 but will have another gel with me in case it takes longer. I will smile when I get to the dismount line because I am having fun and the bike is over!
T2 – hand off my bike, take off helmet and glasses. Change socks and put on running shoes, number belt, and visor. Reapply sunscreen. Place 3 SiS gels in each side pocket of tri-suit. Grab water bottle with nuun and head off to the run.
Run – Plan is to get legs under me for first few miles. I tend to run too fast out of transition and need to focus on pacing to not blow up. Plan is to take a SiS gel at miles 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24. I will drink GE at the aid stations, alternating with water if I am experiencing any GI issues. I plan to drink cola toward the end of the race for a caffeine jolt as needed. Run thoughts are “stay smooth,” “glide” and “turnover.” I will thank as many volunteers and spectators as possible and I will smile when I cross the finish line because I will be an Ironman!
Comments
It's your first IM, so I'll be very basic. Your stated goals are absolutely correct: finish and have fun. Part of the fun will be discovering how you respond to the day's challenges, and your interactions with those on the course, both verbal and non-verbal.
Swim: The line up is usually by total time for the 3800 meters. So a sign "1:10-1:20" means these folks expect to finish in 70-80 minutes. If by 1:40 you mean expected pace per 100 yards, that's about a 1:12 time. So lining up at the start of the 1:10 group or at the end of the 1:00-1:10 corral would work. Goggles under your cap, right? So no one knocks them off. Going out hard may be OK if you are racing, but better to just ease into the melee and not redline yourself before you even have a chance to get going. You can't get those matches back unless you stop somewhere along the way to rest.
Wet Suit strippers: find a pair who are free. Make eye contact and point at them. When they look back, lie down at their feet and lift your legs. They'll grab the upper part of your suit, which should be below your waist. (You've already taken the top off, right? With your cap and goggles in your sleeve.) Let them pull you back upright.
Transitions: Don't bake any cookies. Keep things moving, keep things simple. Don't talk to the other racers, just get your stuff off and on and get out. Shake your head at those guys who were sitting when you got in and still sitting when you got out.
Bike: The steadier the better. Main focus is (a) don't tire yourself out for the run and (b) maintain your hydration and carb intake so you don't enter the run even mildly dehydrated, or having lost any glycogen stores.
Run: If you can hear yourself breathe during the first 8 miles, you are going too fast/hard. BACK OFF! Your future self (three hours ahead) will thank you. Really. Don't worry about HR, Pace, watts, whatever, Just listen to your breathing. If you notice it, slow down. Stupid slow. After those first 8 miles, then see how you are sizing up metrics-wise. You'll have a LOT of time to ponder how that's all going and whether you can keep it up. BTW, that's my #1 rule on the run: continually ask myself, "Can I keep this effort level up from now until the finish?" Don't be surprised if you start not wanting to take any gels after, say 11-14 miles in. Pretty common. Don't force it. You've been saving that glycogen for the last 2 hours, right?
Oh, yeah, when you start promising yourself you will never do another IM if you can just finish this one, then you know you are really starting to have FUN!
Remember, you have never before run 26.2 miles after swimming an hour and biking for 6 hours. So discovering what that is like is part of the fun. Don't mess it up by trying to hit a particular run time or total time. Walking for any part of the last 10 miles is really a drag. Add a third goal: Don't Blow Up On The Run.
@Steve Theobald I am damn excited for you and I have enjoyed following your training!
I like to take a caf gel and sports drink bottle just minutes before the swim. I am not an example swimmer but I do find one simple strategy to be most effective for that long swim. I focus soley on swimming straight to the next buoy while maintaining form. Once I get to that buoy, I reset, refocus, recommit to form and swim straight the next one. I rinse and repeat until I run out of buoys......way to overwhelming for me to comprehend 3,800M of open water swimming, so I just break it down to a one buoy to the next exercise.
Best advice in this string is from Al: Keep things moving, keep things simple. All day long, slow is smooth and smooth is fast no matter what surprises come your way.....always moving forward.
Bike: don't be surprised if your HR is up higher than you have seen in the past at the start of the bike, you just swam 3,800M and transitioned with a purpose. At this point, your whole purpose in life is to get that HR down no matter what is takes, regardless of what everyone else is doing or not doing. One way to really f-up your day is to spend the first 40 miles of the bike to hard and skip your nutrition requirements. IMMD is a stupid flat course, aero all day, smooth watts, with short periodic stretches is a solid strategy yielding high ROI.
RUN - follow your pacing / HR plan. When things get dark, and they will get dark, cola, water and salt pills from mile 18-20 on in will carry you through.
This will be a special day, enjoy it, be thankful you have the ability to do it, hug your supporters that made it possible for you to get here and remember, there is only one time to cross the finish line for the FIRST time!
Represent strong and KMF!
SS
@Steve Theobald Have a great first IM race.
Not too much to add.
@Al Truscott Thank you for the sage advice. I have never put goggles under my swim cap but I do remember reading that in a forum several months ago when the race seemed a long way away. I will definitely do that on Saturday. You totally read my mind about keeping things simple. So many variables to contend with that I have intentionally tried to make my goals and plans as simple as I possibly can.
@Shaughn Simmons Thank you for the thoughts and mojo. Gratitude will definitely be part of my repertoire on Saturday. Your kudos on Strava did not go unnoticed during my training, and when the going gets tough at mile whatever, I will just repeat to myself "Keep Moving Forward."
@Gordon Cherwoniak Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. It's what makes this team so amazing. I totally forgot about the special needs bags so thank you for the reminder! My plan is not to use them, but my plan should include them as the old saying goes "man plans and God laughs."
@Steve Theobald Nothing like the first time.
Special needs bags saved my ass on my first IM. I had extra food, an extra tube, and an extra CO2 just in case. For the run special needs I put some Smarties (M&M's) that served as a reward at the half point of the 26.2.
As Al mentioned, the primary goal is to finish, there will be plenty of time and races to get faster in the future. Make sure to create the conditions that will let you cross the finish line.
Are you peeing on the bike? If not, do you know where the portapoties will be located?
Good luck and have fun
@Steve Theobald nothing like IMMD as your first, I did it in 2015! Solid plan, take what the team has said to heart! I looking forward to meeting you and hit me up if you have questions! I’ll be in Cambridge tomorrow!
@Jorge Duque Thanks for the reaffirmation on the special needs bag. I suspect my ass will need to be saved several times on Saturday so will definitely pack a few supplies for both the bike and run just in case. As for peeing on the bike, my first objective is to drink enough that I have to pee. Was an issue in my earlier training that I think I have fixed but must stay on top of. When nature calls, I plan to make a game time decision to let it fly or stop and be more civilized. To your point, speed is not my top priority so it might be good for me to get off the bike and stretch.
@Jeff Kane Looking forward to meeting you and some of the other EN peeps. I plan to make the drive in from the DC area tomorrow morning to give myself plenty of time. Can't wait for race day. Also, thanks for posting your race plan earlier this week. Was helpful to me in crystalizing my own thinking. Hope you have a great race on Saturday.
@steve Theobald I’m late to the party but the team has you covered. Kudos to you for using EN’s best tool (writing a race plan and a race report ) the interaction and thought process is absolutely invaluable. I Recently was having several discussions with another EN’er which prompted me to go back and review my race plans as far back as 2012. I’m so glad I wrote them. Wishing you Good Skill.
Thanks @tim cronk I agree. Getting feedback from others who have plowed this field before has been invaluable. Thanks for the good thoughts!