Alex 70.3 AC Race Plan
First time doing this with you all, but no need to to be gentle!
43y/o Male; 5’9”; 178lbs
FTP 252w/Run LTHR 163bpm/VDot 45.6/Swim TP 1:47/100
2018 Results: Harry Man 70.3 5:54; 70.3 Coeur d’Alene 5:51; IMMD 12:44; NYC Marathon 3:57
PR: 5:25 (70.3 Maine 2017 :37/2:45/1:55)
Challenge: I injured my foot over the winter and have been in and out of run jail since February. I’ve only been able to run for about 6 of the last 12 weeks of training, have not run more than 10 miles in a day since early July.
Goal: Dial in pacing & nutrition process so I don’t fade on the run and have a baseline for crushing my 2018 IMMD result in 2020. Dreams of setting a new 70.3 PR likely gone b/c of foot.
Mental game plan: Focus on the independent variables - power and HR. Pace and speed are dependent variables. That means the front screens of devices have time, power and HR.
- When negative thoughts arise: “What’s Important Now?”
- When you want to stop: Be grateful
- Key image: Little dudes in your head constructing resilient neural pathways
- One Thing: The struggle is the fun!
Nutrition (the big thing for me!)
Sweat test says I need >2 bottles of GE/hr on the bike. My stomach has handled this in training, the challenge is getting the stuff down w/o spitting it up. When my HR is high, I have a hard time swallowing
Friday:
- Pack up using lists, load car.
- Dog to boarder.
- Grocery shopping: Eggs, bread, yogurt, granola, fruit, rice, chicken breast
- Make bottles of GE
- Charge up power shifters on bike
- Nice big easy to digest dinner. Bed early.
Saturday:
- Wake up when I wake up, big pancake breakfast with one cup of coffee max.
- Drive to AC from NYC (2-2.5hrs), leave by 9:30am
- ~12pm Check-in to race, scope out parking situation for race day, light lunch
- ~1pm Quick bike ride to make sure everything is working, apply stickers & check bike into transition.
- ~2pm 15-30min swim on the course; memorize transits for sighting
- ~3pm Check into hotel and organize transition and morning equipment using lists
- Charge devices, set screens & repack them
- Do visualization exercises, rice and chicken for dinner, sleep
Sunday pre-race:
4am Wake up, eat eggs and english muffin w banana, yogurt and granola. Make coffee to go. Leave by 4:30.
5-5:45am in transition:
- Drink 1 bottle of GE slowly
- Body marked, computer & hydration loaded, quick mechanical check, bike in proper gear
- Load bento box w/ repiar kit, one mini clif bar, one sleeve of clif bloks with no caffeine, Motrin
Set up T area:
T1 - Helmet on aerobars, visor in ‘up’ position; towel on top of bike shoes to the right of front tire
T2 - Socks on top of shoes on top of cap on top of ziplock bag containing: number belt, a smaller ziplock containing one clif bar & one sleeve of bloks w/ caffeine (packages open), base salt canister and two Motrin (behind T1 gear)
5:45am mini clif bar
5:45 Poop & do visualization exercises
5:50-6:10 Return anything not needed to car; Lube & SPF body, wetsuit onto waist, chip on, HR monitor on, mini clif bar in one leg pocket, 3 bloks on the other
6:15 Poop & go do visualization exercises again, head to swim start
6:30 mini clif bar
6:35 swim warm up
6:50 race start
Swim
- Seed at back of the 26-35 min group
- First priority: Breathe, full exhalations under water
- Swim straight & remember your transits - Sight every 20 strokes at first; buoys will be on your breathing (right) side after first turn
- Once breathing is under control focus on high elbows
- In the groove? Start drafting
- If anything goes wrong, go back to breathing
T1
Walk 10-20 steps when you get out of the water to regain balance
Get wetsuit stripped
Smooth, easy towel off feet, shoes on, helmet on and buckled
Slide bike off the rack and jog easily to mount line, one deep breath to get left foot clipped.
Bike
150bpm = START TO COAST.
150bpm = DOOM ON THE RUN.
Maintain 80% of time on bike in aero position
Pacing:
- First priority, HR to 138 (= avg 2hr HR for last 3 long training rides)
- Once HR is under control dial in 185w for rest of the first 30min, see how you feel
- Then dial in MIN(210w, 149bpm) = 0.83 IF but HR governs
Nutrition/Hydration:
- Hydration goal >2 bottles/hour
- Drain more than 1 one bottle by the first aid station at mile 10 & reload with two fresh ones
- Alternate bar, blok, banana every 30mins until you can’t any more
T2
Easy on the dismount line, especially with your right foot
Rack bike smoothly and slowly
Wipe feet if necessary, socks on shoes on
Hat on, grab ziplock and go
Number belt on, store nutrition, salt and Motrin in pockets as you exit T1
Run
This is a wildcard given injury. I don’t even have that much data to dial in target HRs.
Miles 0-3: HR down to 140-145; GE and nutrition at every aid station (probably just bloks at this point)
Miles 3-10: HR drift up to 150-155 zone but mind RPE. It’s not time to press yet. Take in those caffeinated bloks!
Miles 10-13.1: The time to hurt has arrived. You can hold 160-165bpm for 24 mins and now is the time to do it. Just like a 5k at home except way flatter!
Comments
@Alexander E Evis Comprehensive race plan. Good luck at AC, I look forward to the race report. What is your Plan B if your foot starts hurting on the bike or run? Will Motrin get you through the run or does dialing pace back help?
Thanks!
On the bike: Motrin has worked all spring and summer. Dialing back effort doesn’t help unfortunately. If it gets really bad, a 2min break for a quick massage works too.
On the run: I the hard truth is I haven’t tested it since I re-injured it in early July. I really only started running again last week. Before then, Motrin worked and if all else failed I was always able to walk so long as I had shoes on.
"One Thing: The struggle is the fun" I loe that attitude - that's the way to race, IMO
Your 2018 results were all very consistent. You carried your HIM efforts well into the IM in Cambridge. This time around, rely on the confidence you developed last year to pull you through the latter half of the run. I think you will surprise yourself with how much you have left for that last hour as long as you stay within your limits for the first 4.5 hrs.
Thanks @Al Truscott, I hope youre right. I just have to stay disciplined.
Nice race plan. Let me know if you have any questions about the venue or course. This is my home course but will be the first time I will not be racing. I will be spectating or volunteering so I will be rooting for you.
Thanks @Robert Sabo ! Yes, I do have a few questions:
Thanks!!
I don't think there is a difference in current. It is wide enough but not too wide. Use the crowd on the bike for legal draft as you constantly pass riders. The one year they did age group waves I was in the second to last wave and I just kept telling myself if you're not passing someone you're slacking. So use it as motivation.
ABP - Always Be Passing
Thanks @Robert Sabo !
@Alexander E Evis Besides the slight water choppiness, the course is very flat and very fast. You'll be fine. On the freeway, you should be able to open up and pick up a lot of speed on the bike.
@Robert Sabo I'll be there spectating as well. We'll all have to meet up at some point.
Thanks guys!