Scott Schneider IMAZ 18 Race Plan
IMAZ 2018 Race Plan
General Information:
Age: 43
Height/Weight: 6’04”/225lbs
FTP: 247
Experience:
· 4 HIM
· DNF @ IMCDA 2016
· DNF @ IMSR 2018.
Training: I have been with EN for a year now. I am 0/2 at the full Ironman distance, so I have made a number of changes to better prepare me for success in Tempe. Looking back at my previous DNF’s, I have come to the conclusion that I have been underestimating the challenge of the distance and overestimating my level of fitness and preparation. These have been painful lessons, but after feedback from several EN members and Coach P, I am optimistic I am ready to finally accomplish my goal of becoming an Ironman. I have been following the 2018 EN Full Plan.
I know this race presents many challenges including wind and unpredictable weather. I have considered all of these things in my preparation and have tried to account for them.
Changes: The first thing I did was look back at my Strava. In the three months leading up to IMSR this year, I averaged only 8.25 hours of training per week, which is obviously not enough. This level of preparation combined with a crappy race execution guaranteed a DNF in Sonoma. In preparation for AZ, I increased my training volume by almost 50%. I now average just over 12 hours of training per week. The next step I took was to invest in a professional bike fit. I spent a couple hundred bucks to hire an experienced bike fitter to try to dial in a more comfortable and aerodynamic position. I had a mechanical issue with my bike at IMSR that cost me a significant amount of time, so my next step was a full tune-up. This ended up being a good decision as I discovered I was in dire need of a new chain and rear cassette. I also did multiple sweat tests and re-evaluated my nutrition/hydration strategy.
Training went well until about the last two weeks. Picked up a nasty cough, which in turn led to poor sleep. This culminated with an ER trip last night due to the worst migraine ever. The good news – cough seems to be gone, headache is gone, and I’m ready to finish an Ironman!
Goal: My goal is to finish under 17 hours.
Race Day Plan:
We will be staying with family in Mesa. I did the 70.3 in Tempe last year, and it was only about a 20-minute drive to the race. Pre-race nutrition will be a Powerbar, Coffee, Naked Juice, and regular sports drink.
Swim:
I would prefer to wear my sleeveless wetsuit, but based on average water temps, I am planning to wear my full suit along with mirrored goggles. Depending on our schedule, I may try to hit the practice swim on Saturday just to get a feel for the water temp.
Line up with 1:30 crowd for rolling start. About 15 minutes out, one gel chased with some H20.
I apparently swam an extra 600 yards at IMSR, so sighting will be important to conserve energy and time. I did several open water swims during my training to practice sighting and swimming in the wetsuit. Goal is 1:30. Sight frequently, stay relaxed. I plan to stay close to the buoy line or just inside of it.
T1:
Exit the ladder carefully and take advantage of wetsuit strippers. Easy jog to T1. Helmet, sunglasses, arm coolers, socks, bike shoes. Put on some sunscreen and head out. Goal under 10 minutes. (Or maybe arm warmers instead?) Take a sip of water as I head out.
BIKE:
I will have a concentrated bottle of Skratch and a mix of bars and chomps to use every hour. This will give me 350-400cal/hour and around 800mg of sodium. I will carry Base Salt to supplement if needed (cramps). I will mix the concentrate with water from aid stations in my BTA bottle. Based on multiple sweat tests, I need a minimum of 2 to 2.5 bottles of fluid per hour. I have tested this in all of my long bike and trainer rides. Although I feel like I am drinking almost non-stop, I know it is important to stay hydrated. And I sweat a lot.
First 60 minutes, very easy pace. 65-69% of FTP (160-170) Settle into 67-69% after first hour. I will monitor 10-sec FTP, average NP with 5-mile auto lap, and heart rate. Alert on Garmin every 15 minutes reminding me to drink.
The Beeline Highway is where I need to stay focused. False flat and potential wind going out. I need to try to stay in aero as much as possible and watch my power and heart rate. I am a giant parachute when I sit up, which will not be good into the wind. Make up for the time going out with the downhill coming back. Remember it all averages out.
Stop at Special Needs and pick up a new Skratch concentrate bottle and additional bars for the second half. I will have some Pepto chewables available in case I am having any stomach issues, as well as some ibuprofen if the back is getting tight. I need to limit my time in special needs and get back on the road as quickly as possible.
Lat hour of the bike, I need to cut back on solid foods and focus on finishing the bike feeling strong. I am 2/3 of the way towards my goal.
T2
Smooth is fast. Hand off bike, get run bag, remove helmet. Put on running shoes and grab T2 ziploc bag containing hat, race number, water bottle. Get moving.
RUN:
Run nutrition will be Skratch in a handheld bottle. I will carry single serving pouches on me and mix with water at aid stations. I don’t want to mess with Gatorade as I tried it several times in training and is too sweet for me. I will add a gel every hour to keep my calories around 200 per hour. Later in the race, I may add some chicken broth and coke if it sounds good and I am needing the boost. I will ensure at least one bottle per hour of fluid.
Start SLOW. Walk out of T2 while getting everything out of my bag and putting it on. I will be carrying a tube of Base Salt to supplement sodium. Start running slower than you think you should. Set run/walk alert on Garmin watch. Run for 5 min, walk for 1 minute. Keep HR below average HR on bike for last two hours +10 beats.
Have extra run mix available in Run Special Needs.
Keep moving forward. Visualize hearing Mike Reilly tell you the hours and hours of sacrifice were worth it. One foot in front of the other.
I will monitor pace and heart rate but will stick primarily with RPE. Anything after mile 11 is uncharted territory.
FINISH
Look for my kids and my wife. Wouldn’t be there without them. Enjoy every second of it.
See you all in Tempe.
Comments
@Scott Schneider looks good and well thought out.
Try your best to not take Ibuprofen. With your sweat rate and history it's a risk to take it. Ibuprofen messes with kidneys and gut when exercising. It could haunt you on the run.
If you are running 5 minutes and walking one be careful to not spend time at the aid stations. All this walking minutes add up. Let's say you are doing a 10-11 minute mile then you could walk one minute in between aid stations.
When you get mentally tired do you have any caffeine to take? Coke doesn't have enough to make a difference. But it does wake up your taste buds.
Assess the moment when you hit bad patches. Expect them. Work thru them. You're going to do this!
Thank you @Sheila Leard. Ibuprofen is out. What do you recommend for caffeine? I think they serve Red Bull, but I was considering caffeine pills if Coke isn't going to work.
@Scott Schneider if you can drink Red Bull that can work. A lot depends on how sensitive to caffeine you are. Caffeine pills could work but take small amounts such as 100 mg at a time. I know a lot of Ultra runners take them. Caffeine dulls the pain.
@Scott Schneider I really like that you took the time to evaluate your previous races and made some necessary changes to help you succeed. Just a word taken from my own experience at Arizona in 2013. I used a concentrated bottle of infinit similar to your plan. My infinit was in the bottle cage behind the saddle and I lost it at mile 1 going over a bump in the road by the football stadium. Suddenly I was forced to go with plan B. Be prepared for all contingencies. I ended up just using the gatorade on the course which is what I've done in every IM since then but I don't mind the taste. Think through what you would do if that happened to you. I also ended up buying a better bottle cage!
I personally don't like Red bull and avoid it at all costs. Some of the gel flavors have caffeine as well. Maybe a combination of coke and caffeinated gels would give you the boost you need.
If you wear the arm coolers/warmers, roll them up so you can slip them on quickly. Then just roll them up your arms once on the bike and moving. I think you can definitely be well under 10 minutes in T1 if you think through the steps.
Keep moving forward at all times! Best of luck.
well thought out plan. I like the detail and your hydration plan on the bike. I can't tell you how important it is to stay hydrated constantly on this one. You don't have to be hot here to get dehydrated. The air is so dry there, you are constantly losing hydration through respiration.
Enjoy the day, stay within yourself and stay on your plan, you will be an Ironman!
@Scott Schneider If this were easy , what fun would it be. Looks like you have done a lot of evaluating and adapting from previous errors or weakness's. At this point do not change any of your sources of planned nutrition/caffeine/sodium = nothing new on race day. Success will be sweet. Good Skill
@Scott Schneider Nice job making the changes.
A couple comments from a 225-235lb IM finisher with a couple in the 16+ hour range.
1) Do everything with purpose, don't rush, push over your limits but keep focused. IM level swim, an extra minute or two in transitions X2 could be the difference.
2) Keep the swim steady. If you have to wear the full and don't like it as much get to that swim practice on Saturday even for a few hundred to get some sighting and an additional feel for the wetsuit.
3) Bike to the plan keeping you don't want to feel like you are pushing until the back end of the bike.
"So, for the first 30 (Advanced athletes) to 60 (Intermediate) minutes, or even 90 (Beginner) minutes, we want you to ride very easy, at a "do no harm, go all day, JRA (Just Riding Along) effort:"
http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Race+Execution+%28Ironman%29
4) I have no trouble with the 5/1, just walk with purpose.
See my 2017 IMLP race report for more details.
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/23558/gordon-cherwoniaks-2017-im-lake-placid-race-report-very-long#latest
Have a great race.
@Sheila Leard I drink a lot of coffee, so not worried about caffeine sensitivity. I will have a couple of caffeine pills with me, but will only break them out if I really need the boost. Thank you for all of the excellent nutrition advice.
@Tom Box I have rigged a rubber band to keep my Skratch bottle in the cage. Saw the mayhem in Santa Rosa when roads were rough!
@scott dinhofer sound hydration advice. Weather forecast is high of 73 and cloudy, but I will keep the fluids going.
@tim cronk exactly! I like the crazy look I get from people when I tell them what the race entails...
@Gordon Cherwoniak some of the best advice I have received. The only times I am looking to beat are the cutoffs. I plan to move quickly...but not rush. As Sheila pointed out above, little breaks along the way start to add up, and I want to limit obstacles between me and my IM finish. I will consider your advice on dialing down my JRA pace and extending to 90'. Next stop is your Lake Placid race report....
@Scott Schneider ..... You are an Ironman! .... You did it. 😃 Looking forward to your report.