Tim Cronk 2019 IMAZ Race Plan
The Why?- I'm going to retire from Ironman after this race!
The Training- Last year was Ultra focus but I did get one triathlon in called Survival of the Shawangunks. So its been 2 full years since I have raced Ironman. This year was also Ultra focussed ending with Leadville 100 in August. I did do a lot of good bike work early in the season but lost all of it in the 2 months leading to Leadville. Feeling like I started near zero I had 13 weeks to prepare for IMAZ. I was able to fit in 1-2 weeks recovery after LV, 2 good blocks of IM training separated by 1 week travel, and now into the taper. Ultimately I think I would need 1 more 4 week block to get me to 100% IM racing shape. It is what it is and focussing on confidence and experience to fill the last few percentage points of fitness that are missing.
Taper - per plan except thurs 90' bike more like 30'
Nutrition- normal all week
Friday- Couple short wko's early then Drive up to Tempe, packet pick up, team dinner.
Saturday- Big breakfast, quick practice swim to see how cold the water is, lunch , bike drop off, feet up , dinner , early to bed.
Sunday- alarm 3:30-4am , breakfast/coffee, dress very warm , head to race, set up transition , stay warm.
Swim - goal 1:05 or faster based on previous IM swims of 1:03 and 1:05 (validated in RR's) line up in the front 1hr range with all the EN fast guys. Gear thermal wetsuit, booties, and cap. Steady hard the whole way.
T1- goal around 5' but priority to proper prep to survive the first cold hour on the bike - wetsuit stripped , run to tent, grab bag, find chair, Castelli EN shirt to go over LG EN trisuit, piece of bubble wrap for chest, disposable sock arm warmers, disposable gloves, toe covers on shoes, will have hand warmers in the pockets of the Castelli shirt and in my shoes, will remove the ones in the shoes. Will more than likely put shoes on then and run to bike but will decide that onsite.
Bike- goal 5:15 or better- last IMAZ was just under 160w and a 5:22 split , my couple full RR's right around those numbers, last weeks 4hr was above those, will target 160-165 which maybe a bit aggressive. After carefully navigating the danger zone which is the mount line, I will sit up breathe, drink a few calories, breathe, settle in a few minutes and go to work. I fully expect to ride a bit on the hot side initially to get warm, the key will be NOT TOO HOT. 170's will be ok for a bit. Drink every 15' , eat every 30', sit up at the turn arounds , some of the admin corners, and 30' feedings, but not too long. Riding a 8-9yr old Felt DA, Flo disc in rear, HedJet 90 in front latex tubes and Vittoria Graphene 2.0 sneakers. Approaching dismount I will sit up a few minutes early , spin easy, one last pee, take on some nutrition, feet out of shoes. Carefully dismount and hand off bike.
T2- 2-3 min goal based off 2' last time - run to tent - grab bag and find chair, take off Castelli top, socks and shoes on, race belt with watch, gel flask, and EN visor in my hands, get going and take care of everything else on the move.
Run- goal 3:45 or better - based off last IMAZ run split of 3:40 , I will have STRYD but will run IMAZ on RPE/Pace targeting 8:30-8:35min pace. Will start out a bit easy all RPE not looking at pace to work out the kinks and see what the first couple miles are and how I feel and then go from there with pace. Only short walk the AS. Drink sports drink from every AS and sip gel from flask until around mile 18 then switch to coke for the remainder.
Bottomline - all total looking at around 10:15 target vs last IMAZ of 10:14.... I kept thinking I should be able to go sub 10 on this course but have not even come close yet, and a few years have passed so that bus may have left the station. 10:15 is realistic and that was the time of the #1 M55-59 last year. If there is a KQ on the day, I will make somebody happy.
Notes: NO SN on bike or run, NO watch on the swim. Kiss Heather if I run into her on the run course.
Aftermath- get some warm clothes and phone, track Heather and try to catch her on the run course, hang at the finish to watch EN'ers and Heather come in!
Questions , comments, anything?
Comments
glad to be there and race what could be your last. U are an inspiration for many of us and always have great advices or nice words for every one. See u guys soon
@tim cronk Lots of 'retiring from IM' going around this year. You've got the experience to handle whatever the day brings you. I know others may not like this but here's to a mini heat wave, nothing crazy, so you can race comfortably. Hey just touching the 80's would be nice but it seems like that's happening early this week.
You've got this dialed in I'm sure just ensure you don't revert to any ultra grazing tendencies given the higher effort of IM. Have a great race I'll be tracking you on race day.
@tim cronk I'm really glad I will get to race with you for your last Ironman. Sort of sad to see some of the EN legends leaving Ironman behind, but I'm guessing you will continue to lead us to new adventures. Thank you for always posting your race plans and allowing us to gain from your experience. Excited to meet you all in Tempe.
nothing to say but "Good skill!"
@tim cronk - I am super excited to toe the line with you next Sunday. It will be an amazing accomplishment to go from LV 100 to this in 16 weeks. I hope to see you make someone's day at awards!
@tim cronk So great that you will celebrate your parade wave with Heather. I hope you do some mental journaling and share it with us later. Have fun with the race.
Carpe Diem Tim!
After carefully navigating the danger zone which is the mount line, I will sit up breathe, drink a few calories, breathe, settle in a few minutes and go to work. Approaching dismount I will sit up a few minutes early , spin easy, one last pee, take on some nutrition, feet out of shoes. Carefully dismount and hand off bike.
I am always finding nuggets of information I can implement in your race plans/performances/posts.
I hope you enjoy yourself and have a little fun the first 125 miles..........
From mile 132 to finish, I expect you to remind everyone what it means to be an EN trained veteran!
Wishing you and Heather a great day out there with solid execution and great skill!
KMF Ironman !
@tim cronk glad to be able to say "I knew him when..."
Excited for you and your last dance. Go deep, but enjoy the ride.
Looking forward to seeing / reading about it on the other side.
Good skill-
@tim cronk Great plan and I look forward to sharing the course with you on Sunday. I've learned a lot from your posts and hope you have the race you want on Sunday.
I have to ask... a KQ wouldn't convince you to come back to the dance one more time???
@tim cronk - Sad to hear this will be your last IM. I've learned a lot from you over the years. One thing I've learned about you is that you don't do anything half-a$$ed and typically accomplish what you set out to do. It will be fun watching you on the tracker. Have a great race...and Heather too!
@ALL thank you all so much for the very kind words... Lemme define Ironman retirement - NO 140.6 Ironman Branded Races for a while, maybe just maybe come out of retirement for the next AG which is 3 more years... There is just too much other stuff, first up is Ultraman Arizona 2020 March, then the wanna do list could look something like this, mostly Ultra Running, Leadman Series (just this would be an entire season), Everesting on Bike and Foot, Unique Tri's and Du's like Savageman Series, Triple T , Xterra, Zofinger, not to mention 70.3, sprint, and OLY WC races . So while I absolutely love the 140.6 distance and plan to race hard Sunday, I will not take a KONA slot if I am lucky enough to earn one as there is just too much else out there. Some of the coolest races/stuff I have done were R2R2R , Everest Bike Attempt, SwimRun, Survival of the Shawangunks, Sea to Summit all very non traditional events/fun . Heck I have a race in NH that I been trying to do for years called TopNotch which is a 8-9 mile MTB , 1/2 mile swim, 2 mile 2000' run/scramble up Cannon Mt.
"I'm not Dead Yet"
@tim cronk How did I miss this the first go around? My advice: Pretend you're a little kid, and you have to be Home Before Dark! (Sunset is @ 5:23, dark before 6.)
Save me some pizza...
@tim cronk Best of luck (not that you need it) and best to Heather! Ah what the heck, get that KQ and lets have a reunion in Kona 2020!! Dinner is on me! (vegan of course)
@tim cronk great plan - I can't wait to race with you!
have a great day.
i will TRY to stay ahead of you.
selfishly happy you are here. i've raced my fastest with you.
thanks for joining us.
see you in Hawaii in 2020. :)