2019 Hacks, Best Practices & Pro Tips
I started a list after IMAZ of things I learned to be applied next year. Some were learned from the School of Hard Knocks, some were shamelessly copied from @Coach Patrick and others. I will try to give credit if I remember seeing someone else doing it. If I don't remember, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate it ... just means there will be fewer people in my next age group than in the current one! Also - these are not in any particular order.
I encourage everyone to add to the list!
- Everything 100% done the night before the race (shamelessly copied from Coach P). I thought I had everything ready - I was schooled at IMAZ
- Everything has its own bag: Run Special Needs, Bike Special Needs, Swim Start, Transition Setup, Tools, ... the idea is to not sort anything race morning. Just open the correct bag at the correct time and use everything in that bag.
- The only things not packed in the morning backpack are the items that you will wear. Everything else bagged and zipped close.
- Shower, shave, put on timing chip before bed. That way, the only things left to do in the apartment race morning is to apply stuff (chamois cream, sun screen etc), dress, eat, grab bags and leave. Eliminating race morning decisions is money. Even putting the chip on the night before saves time that could be bette spent eating / chilling.
- Go Bag for the Bike (also shamelessly copied from Coach P).
- It was a long walk/jog from transition tent to the bike. I put arm warmers, gloves, nutrition belt in a plastic bag that I was able to carry with me on the way to the bike.
- Great idea to keep moving through transition and avoid doing things on the bike that could be a little sketchy in traffic (eg, putting on arm warmers).
- Mini Hand Pump for bike tires in transition vs. begging / borrowing (courtesy of @Al Truscott)
- Tires generally only need topping off - a hand pump is fine for that.
- Pump fits in morning clothes bag, so no need to worry about handing off your pump.
- I expect there aren't a ton of requests to borrow it, so you can get on about your business.
- Honey Stingers - cut the edge off the package (as opposed to the end) while preparing nutrition so the pouch opens like an envelope.
- The edge is wider, so it is easier to get the waffle out while riding.
- I find that I am much less likely to drop the waffle while riding with the edge cut as opposed to the end.
- If I don't have bike shirt pockets, I wear a stretchy nylon mesh fanny pack with the stingers in it.
- Pack bags at home. I've been doing this for a while. I am notoriously bad at packing transition bags... it is embarrassing to see. I make piles and move stuff from pile to pile and it takes forever. I've found that moving the bag packing process as far as possible from the race day makes me more efficient. Coach P improved on my approach this year by taping his check lists to the outside of the bags so he knew exactly what was in them.
- Cold weather makes me (and others) pee a ton. I haven't figured out how to stop the urge to go (apart from being warm), but I can assure you that just because you are peeing when it is cold does not mean that your body needs less hydration.
- I had a big problem with this at Louisville and had to back way off the bike power
- I had a problem with this at Arizona, but I doubled up on the electrolytes and was able to consume nearly double the bottle count that I had at Louisville.
- I will consider some pre-loading on electrolytes at my next cold bike start.
- The answer to nearly anything unexpected during the IM bike is to slow down. The corollary to this is that slowing down sooner rather than later means you can slow down less and have a bigger impact.
- I made adjustments to back off / slow down in two of my three races this year and was rewarded on the run.
- For me, the run is opposite the bike. The answer to nearly anything is "don't stop." It doesn't hurt (physically) any more to keep going. For me, it is a mental block that I am trying to overcome.
- The few steps I take at aid stations, the faster I run. I nearly always stop for at least one beat to swallow a cup of GE / Water / Coke / RedBull without choking and to make certain that I am staying hydrated. When that one-beat stop starts turning into steps, it has a very negative impact on my pace.
- Coach P and I discussed trying to find places on the course where it is OK to stop (to make adjustments, tie shoes, etc) that are not at aid stations. Aid stations become distracting. I didn't manage this as well as I had hoped... by the end of the race I spent too much time walking in aid stations.
- The aid station steps to not make me feel better. I do not run faster after taking them. There is a time for the 'angry man walk' during a race. My point / goal is not to let it creep into my game and erode my pace.
- Calories matter on the run. This year, I forced myself to consume more calories on the IM run and I feel it helped a lot.
- A banana in run go bag (Coach P) and 3-4 gels.
- I've started switching to coke earlier (very beginning of lap 2) because it has more calories than GE (and, by then I am completely sick of GE).
- I believe that consuming more calories has helped me maintain run energy longer.
- Heat matters. Even a little. It matters more to big guys.
- In Michigan, it is cold every morning. During the summer, it is hot every afternoon.
- Most of my buddies run early morning... then when we get to a race, they moan about how hot it was (75º and sunshine).
- This year, I did two things that helped substantially on warm runs: 1.) I did the majority of my run training in the afternoon heat and sunshine, and 2.) I dumped my bike / tri top in T2 in favor of a loose singlet. It doesn't take long, but the heat-shedding benefit is substantial. A 20" transition hit to stay cooler pays big dividends on the run.
That's my list. Maybe some of it applies to others? I look forward to seeing your hacks!
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will come back. but to start.
i get everything ready on my bike when I check it in. I don't understand why people do all the stuff race morning.
all fluid and nutrition on the bike when I check it in. Unless not allowed like whistler (bears). nothing will go bad even in heat.
tires are pumped before check in. practice pumping higher pressure so with pressure loss overnight the pressure is correct race morning. this works with latex tubes too. the worry about tubes popping in the heat is not a real thing and makes no scientific sense.
so race morning i am just turning on bike computer. (which i do put on the bike in the morning so not stolen). feel tires. sometimes i will use portable electronic pressure gauge to check. calibrate power meter.
Rich, this is Golden. I will admit that I have learned a few things which I Know To Be True for Ironman training, preparation, and racing. Maybe someday I should collect all of them in one place. At the moment, though, it is snowing, and the slopes are calling me...
Until then, one little aphorism: "Ironman racing is not about who's the fastest, but who slows down the least" This is true, I've discovered, for each individual leg, for the race as a whole, and over the course of years (and decades). Sounds simple, but getting oneself into the position to apply that principle pretty much covers everything it takes to do well on the day.
Thank you very much for the long list, extremely insightful. I also believe that when you go to bed everything should be packed and ready for next day, timing chip on your ankle and tri kit / heart rate monitor/shoes to walk to transition/warmer clothes etc.. all ready on a chair so that you can just execute your process the next morning and stay cool and relaxed.
I shower in the morning to kick start the day ( if i shower at night i can't fall quickly asleep) but don't shave. Why shaving? and do you mean just face or also legs ? does it really make a difference or is it more psychological?
Great idea to carry a mini pump in your race day bag. As for the banana in T2 bag i will have to try (if Coach P recommends it then i really have to try), usually i avoid banasas before going on a run as they give me stomach aches but i've never really tried them during a race.
Thanks again Rich, Al and Robin,
@robin sarner You have a good point. I'm not worried about tires popping. Depending on the course, I ride at about 80f/85r. Too much below that, and pinch flats are an issue. One way or another, it is an easy check race morning without the uncertainty of what has happened in the 18hrs between bike drop off and start of ride.
@Al Truscott 100% agree. One thing that you have said that I think about many times during a race is to ask yourself: "Can I sustain the current level of effort / intensity until the finish line?" If the answer is 'no', then adjust.
@Vincent Sivirine I shave (face) because, if I don't, I end up with a raw spot somewhere on neck, shoulder, etc from where my chin rubs while taking a breath swimming. Not sure that it is an issue in every wetsuit that I have. I am certain that, when it happens, it is a distraction I don't want/need on race day.
Whether it is a banana (they work great for me) or something that works better for you, learning to get calories in early in the marathon is a game changer if you are running the second half of the marathon. The higher the intensity of the run, the more important early fueling is (end of bike, T2, start or run). As we run, most of us reach a point while running where we don't want anymore and calories during the last hour don't really help much. My view is to hydrate the entire run and make sure to feed everything up until the last 45'-60'.
great thread, my 2 cents