Tony's 2019 IMWI Race Plan
IMWI Sunday 9/8/2019: Race Plan. Bib #444
Weather forecast for race day: Expect 55 degrees at start of bike, climbing to 60 by 9am and 65 at 10am. 74 at 2pm and 76 at 4pm.
Sunrise approx. 6:32; sunset approx. 7:16.
About Me: Age 59 as of 12/31/19 FTP = 272; Weight = 77 kg (169 pounds); w/kg = 3.53
This will be my 7th IM; 6 at IMMoo + 1 at IMMT in 2018
Goals
• Become a better version of myself
• Focus on the process and let the time take care of itself
• Live in, and enjoy, the moment
Race Specific Goals & Pillars
Steady effort wins the day; start slow and build to steady effort
No highs/spikes; no lows.
Start racing when get to the line at mile 18 on run
Stay focused in my box and on what I can control
Swim Focus/Process
6:50 rolling start; head down to staging area at 6:10
Never stop moving; Don’t be shy to mix it up at the start
Stay in the box
Alignment, taughtness, propulsive power
Engage lats and core; faster catch/no lazy glide
power diamond; straight back and not down to clean finish (brush leg)
Sight every 6th stroke + bilateral breathe
Stay with a group and on the bubbles; don’t wander off
Transition Focus/Process
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast
Eliminate moving parts; Simple = speed
Run to helix; stay to inside where less steep and speed / power walk (try not to spike HR); swim stuff to volunteer, shoes first (no socks) so these should be on top of the bag (make sure they are vaselined and powdered)
Helmet on
No arm warmers since race kit provides adequate coverage
Feet into shoes and start running to bike
Bike Focus/Process
Steady and aero wins the day; VI goal of 1.08
BBS predicts 5:43 but will ride easier so that have it for the run
65% FTP: 170 - 175 watts for first 15 miles (45 minutes); get HR to 132 - 135
70% FTP = 185 – 190 steady balance of the day
Cut corners and get aero right after the turn and stay there
Get wet at aid stations
Engage in loop 2: stay on top of goal watts of 70% = 190
At last water stop on Whalen take 2 bottles: 1 to holder and one to back in case back gets ejected over the railroad tracks on McCoy Rd.
Don’t take water at the Verona stop. Starting on lap 2, water is at top of Valley Road. After end of lap 2, water is on Whalen. So skip the Verona stop (safety and speed) – water is available less than 15 miles.
HRM last 60 minutes should be about 132 – 135
DO NOT GO ABOVE 135 HR on bike.
Bike Nutrition
Goal calories: 450 per hour from EN calculator
NBS (2 bottles in total) 3 servings concentrate per bottle; 1/3 bottle (8 ounces) per hour = 105 calories/hr (27 gram CHO)
1 Picky Bar per hour = 190 calories / hour (24 gram CHO)
1 Honey Stinger waffle (GF) per hour = 140 calories / hr (21 gram CHO)
Total = 435 calories / hour; 72 gram CHO / hour
Goal Sodium: 1200 mg/hr
NBS = 450 mg/hr
1 Picky Bar per hour = 65 mg/hour
1 Honey Stinger waffle (GF) per hour = 90 mg / hr
3 Salt Stick per hour – 1 every 20 min = 645 mg / hr
Total = 1,250 mg /hour
Goal fluid intake: 36 – 40 ounces per hour; 26 ounce Torpedo + 8 ounces NBS + water bottle from aid stations (1 for Torpedo + 1 for sip, cool and spritz)
Run Focus/Process
Pace: Add 30” to TRP for first 6 miles: 9:20- 9:30
Steady Pace miles 6 – 18: 8:50 – 9:00
HR focus: Maintain 132 – 135 HR off the bike for first few miles, then target 135-138 HR and maintain or with slight rise in HRM as I maintain pace and then increase.
Cut corners
Get wet and ice in hat
Wear Fuel Belt so ice stays in chest
Move through aid stations quickly – walk through every other one
Swish GE in mouth for a minute then spit
Begin racing at mile 18: 8:45 pace with 138 - 140 HR
Negative split the run
Nutrition on run
1 salt stick at each mile
5 oz LS in first 6 miles while HR is lower. This is 400 calories in the first hour of the run
Drink water at each aid station
At SP needs, pick up 5 oz flask of LS
Consume the Liquid Shot as able at the aid stations and chase with water
Gatorlytes in case of emergency
Take coke as needed on second half.
Time Targets
I’ve been up to Madison 15 times to ride the course, including both race rehearsals, so I’m confident I can ride the Madison bike course well.
Over the last 10 weeks of the IM build, I’ve averaged 28.2 run miles per week, which includes two 40 mile weeks and four 30 mile weeks.
However, my CTL has reached only 85 as I now head into two weeks of taper. I think my lower CTL is due to poor intensity in the Interval and SST workouts (not going harder on the hard days) due to overall accumulated fatigue and generally poor recovery. I’ll be measuring and setting goals for recovery going forward.
My CTL reached 124 for IMWI in 2017 and 102 for IMMT in 2018, so I’m concerned I may fall short for 2019 IMWI, with not very pretty consequences for the run.
On the positive side, I’m hoping that deep bike course knowledge, my 50/34 compact crank + 11/32 cassette with riding hills the EN way, overall run volume, past experience with IMWI and a refreshing / cleansing / re-energizing taper will help me win the day on 9/8 to become a better version of myself.
Comments
@Tony Ledden Great race report. I don't have much to add on the course given your racing history at Madison and the number of times you've pre-ridden this year. Even if your metrics on TP aren't as high as past races, I suspect your course know-how, combined with your race plan, will yield you a great day. Under-cooked on race day is better than over-cooked. Good luck and I look forward to following you on Sunday!
One question, how has your gut handled a full flask of LS over the first hour of the run with that many calories?
@Jeff Phillips : thank you for taking a look at the race plan and for your comments!
I did three 5k races back in the fall of 2018 at a 7:00/mile pace so I know the speed is in me, just need to bring it out on race day and so I'm hoping a smart taper (aka - 'peaking') with lots of swimming and recovery modalities (Marc Pro and Theragun) and clean eating will bring it out for that run.
I'll likely be weighing myself daily as well in order to stay focused on the clean eating and stay at my 169 pound weight (or gain 2 - 3 pounds of water weight to sweat out on race day).
Regarding the EFS Liquid Shot, on my hour long run race rehearsals I've consumed about 4 ounces of the 5 ounce flask, so closer to 320 calories, and that has worked well for me. I'll also take about an ounce (80 calories) of Liquid Shot in a 16 ounce plastic water bottle down with me to the swim start so as to stay hydrated and topped off.
Thank you again for reading and for you thumbs up on Strava!
@Tony Ledden , this is a very complete and very detailed race report and it is difficult to add anything, there is a lot of knowledge and experience that went into it. I may actually steal some great insight from your report for next week.
Only have two question:
· Is the level of of sodium that you are targeting (1,250 mg per hour) aligned with the the cool(er) temperatures expected for next week ? I try to go for about this number as well but I train in Atlanta in a more humid / warm weather. I don’t know what the downside of too much sodium is..
· You mention no arm warmers, we will start the bike with cool / cold temperatures and wet clothes, in your experience how long will it take to feel not cold on the bike and aren’t arm warmer of a help there?
Looking forward to meeting you in Madison next week, enjoy your taper,
Vincent
@Vincent Sivirine : thank you for looking at my race report!
I'm on Groupme, so maybe we can connect via Groupme once we arrive in Madison. Maybe Friday some time. I'll be in Madison with two other training partners / friends (can't convince them to join EN) but could make time to show you the key segments of the bike course (from Bourbon street in Cross Plaines down into Verona) sometime on Friday. For example, I could drive you out to Cross Plaines and pick you back up in Verona ...
Also, make sure you listen to the archived IMWI course talk(s) from Coach Rich and the 4 Keys. I've listened to the one from 2010 and more recent ones where he goes over key elements of the course. Make sure to hang on to your bottles when you head over the railroad tracks, especially the ones on the stick! I'm sure you've been reading the old race reports as well...
To answer your questions...
Regarding the sodium, I've found that what works for me is just to stick with the 1200mg and not tinker with it. If it is too cool, I'll just pee / sweat out the extra and white salt residue clinging to my face and arms is the only negative I've experienced...If it is too hot, I may take an extra salt if I'm drinking more water depending on how I'm feeling and peeing. Bottom line, I've felt worse when I haven't had enough salt vs. too much. If I feel woozy or weak legged on the bike, I'll increase the calories and sodium until I come back, and then back off on them until I can generate a nice burp.
Regarding the arm warmers, I don't want to take the time messing with them. Back in 2017 the temps were cooler at the start of the bike as well, and really thought about putting them on. I decided not to put them on and it turned out to be a good decision because after a few minutes I didn't notice the temps. You'll be so focused on not crashing those first few miles down the helix, avoiding other riders and debris, and through the parkway that you really won't feel the cold. If in doubt, tuck them under your seat and/or keep them rolled on your bars in order to access if needed.
Hope you are peaking nicely!
Looks good @Tony Ledden !! Don't feel you need to be stuck to that calculation of 450 calories / hour. The upper end of absorption is 360 cal/hour. Your mass doesn't dictate that many calories. My point is - follow your plan, but if you get behind don't feel you need to play catch up with calories. It could backfire. Trust yourself. Weather forecast looks great for racing.
Random comments:
T1 - I think it's OK to start a slow jog once your breathing feels comfortable, part-way up that Helix. It's a long way, you can pass scores of folks as you know by staying to the inside and going just a bit faster than a fast walk
Swim - Is the water ski jump still there? - I found that a good place to start.
You're a strong biker. As you know, you can;t let that get to your head on the uphills, but you can use it to your advantage on the downs, and especially on the stick back into town - that;s where you will make you hay.
T2 - I see no mention of a Go Bag? I assume you use one, taking your race belt, hat/visor, sunscreen, nutrition, etc out with you in a Ziplock bag, to fiddle with during the first five minutes on the run.
Run - especially considering your concern about the level of your training, you have to be very humble with your execution. No time or pace goals, just process goals. E.g., for me, if I'm aware of my breathing during the first 8 miles, I'm going too hard/fast. Back off. Also, HR as a rein, keeping it below the average of the last hour on the bike. Once past the first 2 hours, it's more of a head game than anything else - walking is just not an option, except throughout the aid station. Pay attention to your stomach and the back of your throat to make sure you don't overload on fluid or calories.
Good luck with the weather. My one and only IM Moo was on a 95F day with humidity to match. The only good part - it made it very easy to negative split the run, by 19 minutes, once the sun went behind the trees and my eyeballs stopped melting. Hope you don't have to face that.
@Sheila Leard Thank you for looking at my race plan. Definitely agree that I likely won't need 450 calories / hr on the bike. In fact, as I double check my notes, on my last race rehearsal, I was consumed 327 calories / hour on Friday and 295 calories / hour Saturday over a 6 hour bike and had great runs after. Definitely will modify nutrition on the bike to target what I've been actually doing on my race rehearsals.
@Al Truscott : Many thanks for your comments -- I forgot to tag the WSMs and so I was hoping both you and @Sheila Leard would still comment.
Ski jump is still there. With the rolling start, I should be able to get to (and hold) the land side of the ski jump and find my rhythm.
Thank you for the Go Bag reminder. I forgot to include T2 in my race plan! I use a plastic bag to hold hat, glasses, race belt, EFS Liquid Shot, Garmin (I don't wear it in the swim or on the bike - use Elelment on the bike - but just clip it on my wrist for the run) and shoes/socks - prelubed). I'll put shoes and socks on in T2 grab the Go Bag and go -- using the plastic bag for ice if neeeded.
So after listening to the December 2018 seminar about using metrics for training and racing last week (yep -- late to the party!) I started to freak out about the CTL numbers in my PMC, especially since the body feels generally exhausted. I use a power meter for TSS on the bike, but this year the TSS for the run was based on pace (I don't have a Stryd power meter for the run). Prior years had the TSS for the run based on hr. Although pace on the run was generally slower this year during the IM build, I felt like I was really working hard on those runs. So for consistency with prior years and because I felt hr was a better representation of the stress on my body during the run, I changed over my run TSS to be based on hr rather than pace. My CTL now maxes out at 115. Needless to say, I'm happier (and more feel confident about achieving my race goals) with this higher CTL number. For the off season, I'll invest in a Stryd in order to get a more accurate representation of the work I'm doing on the run, and pay more attention to the overall ramp rate and CTL during the build.
Thank you for the reminder to focus on execution / process on the run and cues such as breathing and hr for the first 8 miles. I definitely will need to do that in order to hit a 4 hour marathon.
@Tony Ledden Solid Plan! You've been given a lot of good thoughts / suggestions here... I'm going to give you two small ones:
T1 - Depending on where you are racked, it can be a long push to the exit ramp. Running in bike shoes always makes me nervous (small slip may mean muscle/hamstring strain). When I am not able to put shoes on bike, I put a rubber band around my shoes so they stay together, then I run barefoot with shoes in one hand while pushing bike with other, then I just pull them apart (breaking rubber band) and put them on at Bike Mount. I find that I get to the Bike Mount much quicker and much more surefooted. You can consider / decide when you see how far you have to go.
End of Bike - IMWI is hypnotic on the lollypop stick ride back into town... Then it is slow in the technical parts around the parking lot, under the bridge, etc. People that have ridden well all day seem to get into a trance on this part of the course. keep your speed up all the way back to Transition. Of course, be super careful / as slow as needed on the tricky technical parts, but then get your speed back up and pass all the folks that lost focus.
I hope you have a great day!
@Rich Stanbaugh : Great tip on rubber banding the bike shoes and running barefoot with the bike -- I'll plan on doing that depending where I'm racked!
So true about maintaining speed on the stick and back into town. As I reflect back on past experience at IMWI, I can clearly see your point -- I never really noticed that before but as I think back, I do recall cadences being slower, and people are more upright less aero. I guess the physical fatigue of 112 miles compounded by the mental fatigue due to all the decisions on the bike really does take a toll. Great tip to keep on the gas into town! Thank you!
@Tony Ledden I'm so jealous of that weather forecast. I like your carb grams and sodium/hour, but you're getting a lot of calories from 74g of carbs, so I suspect that some/many of those calories are from sources other than carbs. If you're gonna eat solids and any fat or protein (stuff you need 364 days/year), my unsolicited advice is to stop halfway through the bike. Pamper your GI system with ez-digest carbs from thereon, especially the last 30-45 min of the bike (once on the stick home). If you get off the bike and feel hungry, the good news is you'll have 25 drive-through's to hit on the way back to the Capitol.
Although I have no data to prove it, I still suspect that 90% of IM racers make one or more of the three big mistakes each and every race: bike nutrition (they eat too much, drink too little), over-cooking the bike (especially the first half) and over-cooking the first 6-10 miles of the run. Seriously, if you simply avoid these, you'll put yourself in a position to do some cool things.
I like that your CTL, using prior methods, shows 115. You may actually race fresher. I've peaked before at 140 and 150, but was pretty flat on race day. For me, a shorter, steeper build that only peaks me at 115-20 seems to work best (over a 12-month period, I started NC at 107, LP at 104, WC at 100). If you think the guy with the 170 CTL is 50% fitter than you, think again. He's more likely 50% more over-trained than you.
Also, a cumulative CTL number in a vacuum doesn't tell much of a story at all. A 150 CTL could be comprised of 50S+50B+50R or 20S+70B+60R or 100S+45B+5R. Thus, for me, the most benefit I get form CTL is comparing my individual S, B and R CTL's to prior builds. Knowing that I'm less fit than usual in a discipline, for example, may lead me to modify my race plan a bit. E.g., don't swim with the sub-60 group if my swim CTL is 12, feel free to move to goal run HR in Mile 2 (instead of Mile 7) if my run CTL is 55. But, again, that's just me.
If you have the base fitness (you do), then IM still comes down to execution. Go out and execute your plan, don't let that HR drop when you hit Mile 15 of the run, and then fight all the way to the finish (mask the fight with a smile if you can).
MR
90% of IM racers make one or more of the three big mistakes each and every race: bike nutrition (they eat too much, drink too little)
So on point! @Mike Roberts
@Mike Roberts Thank you so much for the feedback. Weather is predicted to be in the low 60s all day and partly cloudy. I believe most people will neglect their hydration due to the cooler temps...I'll make sure to stay on it and not make that mistake!
I will definitely cut back on the calories and CHO, especially in light of my race rehearsals. I'm targeting 330 calories / hr on the bike = 45 gram of CHO/hr => 1 Picky Bar and 1 Gluten Free Honey Stinger. This will be supplemented with 36 - 40 ounces of water + a Salt Stick tablet every 15 min. In this way, I'll be sure not to make the mistake of drinking too little and eating too much on the bike!
I do like your advice of going easy on the gut during the second half of the bike. I will plan on that and if I feel a bit woozy, will take in some calories. Although with the cooler temps, don't think that will be a problem. I will take in about 200 - 250 calories of EFS Liquid Shot (easy to digest calories) on the stick back into Madison (last 30 - 45 minutes) to set up for the run.
I took a look at my past S/B/R CTLs:
The main story here, I believe, is that given the higher bike fitness relative to the lower run fitness, I would be wise to conserve on the bike in order to parse it out on the run. In other words, I have the fitness to get aggressive on the bike, but I would likely give it all back on the run. Better to save the matches for the run!
Again, thank you @Mike Roberts for your insights!
Great detailed plan! @Mike Roberts makes solid points regarding CTL...it is not a measure of how prepared you are to execute a great race. Knowing the course will give you a big advantage. Smart execution wins the day. Have patience and disciple from the swim to mile 18 on the run! Good luck!
@Derrek Sanks : thank you for the feedback! Agreed that I have the fitness and that smart execution will win the day. A chance of rain has turned up in the forecast for Sunday. I hope it does rain since I know every pothole on that bike course that will be covered by water and while other folks are freaking over the weather I’ll be executing EN ninja style...
So how did it go?
Full Race Report is forthcoming over the next few days.
Bottom Line: finished 20th/110 in my 55-59 age group with a 12:23:51.
Swim was choppy and couldn’t find a rhythm: 1:26
Nailed the bike; spot on with a TSS of 275, IF of .68 and a time of 5:57.
Struggled on the run: 4:48. Had gut issues and leg cramps.
Will post full RR after the body stops hurting so much - still having trouble moving the legs!