IMLP Race Plan - Henry Sacco
Lunch on Saturday, pasta with white sauce. (A bit of a ritual) Reasonable Dinner that night, nothing crazy
Wake at 4:00 for breakfast, 2 Ensure, banana and Greek yogurt.
Swim: After crossing the mat, I’ll wait on the beach until the countdown. I waited till the gun last year, but may actually leave the beach 30 seconds before the gun this year. I also didn’t have much of a problem staying close to the cable in 2010, so will attempt a similar placement. I’m a slower swimmer and expect to draft quite a bit, keeping the pace nice and easy. Expected time 1:20
T1: Strapping most of what I need to the bike as well as wearing Tri top during swim. Only need to put on socks, shoes and helmet. Oh and ask a volunteer for sun block. Expected time (with run to transition) 5”
Bike: First hour JRA. Using Joule to watch IF/NP and will lap at key sections of the race or once per hour. Plan is to race at an IF of .69 with NP of 143. (FTP is 206) Starting bike with only 1 full bottle Perform. Plan to consume 24oz per hour as well as 1 PowerBar Gel per hour (Taped to bike). Total calories per hour in the 250 range. Also taking two Lara Bars along for when my stomach needs something solid. Taking in 2 SaltStick per hour. Expected time 6:20
T2: Will only need to put on leg compression and sneakers. Everything else will be in a plastic bag to take off with. Expected time 3”
Run: Pulled something in my left leg behind the knee two days ago. Sharp shooting pain down the back, inside of leg when I run. Only thing I can think of is that I’m tight from the taper and may have pulled something.
Soooooo assuming I’m 100% on race day…..plan is to run first 6 miles at EP (9:07) plus: 30 and then hold what I can. I honestly think holding EP for 6-18 is not realistic for me. I will most likely use HR and expect to be closer to the 9:45/10:00 per mile range. Although my VDOT is 45.7 I’ve yet to meet the predictions for longer distances…hopefully next year with EN. Plan for nutrition on run is water at every aid station and 2 gels per hour. I can’t seem to drink the Perform on the run and may not want to mix Coke with gels. Will add Gels with Caffeine during the last two hours. Also two SaltStick per hour. Expected time 4:22 if my leg is better.
Finish: Regardless of time, happy that I finished!
Feedback is appreciated…
Comments
What's in the T2 plastic bag? Will you need to cary the empty far to find a legit trash can?
Bummer on the leg issue. Is it muscular or connective tissue? I imagine you've been doing the RICE thing. Sure hope is resolves itself by race day - just make sure you do all the smart things to help it allong and no more running, for now.
@Steve, I plan on putting most of what i need during T2 into a larger zip lock bag. (Hat, gels, etc) That way i can put on my sneakers and just take off. Dont mind holding the trash until first aid station. As far as injury, i think it's connective tissue, but i cant be sure. Seeing a sports medicine doctor on Wednesday.
@Bob, I've thought quite a bit about putting on the compression sleeves early. I've never ridden with then and didnt know what to expect. I do agree that it will add time.
@Brenda, Thanks!
Nutrition - If you can stomach that many gels on the Ironman run, hooray! I know my stomach became a delicate little flower and declared one gel plenty on then it was all Perform and chicken broth for me. Maybe mentally prepare for nutrition flexibility on the run?
Otherwise, sounds good!
@Beth, visiting the doctor on Wednesday. Worst case scenario is i wrap it up for the run. God, i cant imaging wasting 8 months of training.
My stomach is pretty good to me. Though i have had instances where i knew i needed to slow down on the gels. As long as i'm taking in water, i'm usually good to go.
I would say a huge "YES" to putting those sleeves on early. You will not even know they are there on the swim and bike. I wear them on all my OLY and HIM distance races, never even think about them once I have them on. I notice that they help keep my calves from tightening up when I am on the bike, so I am a big fan. They are super hard to do in transition, plus with all the time spent in a chair putting them on, you may be a little woosey when you stand up to run.
Good luck on your race!!!
And yes, I would put the calf sleeves on under your wet suit and just wear them all day.
---Ann.
@Lauren & @Ann, thanks for the feedback on Coke. I actually would love a nice cold one later in the run, but have had past (bad) experiencs mixing different types of sugars. As an example, i once mixed Gatorade with PowerBar Gel. Within 5 minutes I had GI issues. Today, i'll only mix PowerBar drink & gels as they have the same type of sugar and i've tested on long runs.
I dont know how true this is, but i once read that mixing different sugars can create a sort of "competition" in the stomach for digestion. Maybe a WSM might know more.
Have a great day out there! Looking forward to hearing how it goes!
---Ann.