Coach P's IMTX Race Plan & Stuff
A lot of folks have asked me about my race plan for Ironman Texas this weekend, so here it is in abbreviated form. I welcome all feedback and input, so don't be shy!!
Race Week Training
I will keep it pretty light, just staying loose and finalizing my gear set up, etc. Monday is 2h easy bike, 2k swim. Tuesday is an hour bike with some 3' pick ups at 85%, hard 15' run off the bike. Wed is swim only before I fly.
Travel
I arrive at midnight on Wednesday, the race is Saturday. Totally optimal. 
My plan is to just get a bike and run in on Thurs, a swim on Friday during the practice and then it's go time.
Nutrition Plan
I will try some new things this time around…the "P" in Coach P is for Guinea Pig!!
* I will eat a big breakfast the day before, and taper my calories down over the day. I will switch to race-like nutrition (power bar, sports drink) after lunch, with a small dinner of pasta + chicken.
* Given the need to hydrate I am ditching infinIT in favor of Perform on the course. I will aim for 2-3 bottles an hour, with more in the first two hours. I need to pee 2x on the bike to be ready for the run. I will run a Speedfill bottle on the front to keep me aero and make using the course bottles less of a bother.
* I will not be drinking water really, as it doesn't have electrolytes or calories in it. All the Perform means no need to supplement with salt, etc.
* I will be eating food every 30' around the drinking.
* On the run it's a banana out of T2 and 2 gels sometime before 1/2 way. Clif Blok every 2 miles. All gels are caffeinated.
Heat Plan
The most important part is the hydration above. Must. Pee. Twice. On. Bike. I will run arm coolers on the bike and get wet every aid station. Last aid station of the bike / first aid station of the run are both there to get me cool….soaking wet / ice / etc to ease the transition from "cool" biking to "hot" running. I might be getting my hands on a towel that holds water / keeps you cool…that could be a weapon in my arsenal.
Pacing Plan
The swim will be what it is…I have minimal goals here other than to keep energy smart and stay smooth.
The bike goal is to noodle the first hour while I get drinking and initial food down. Then I will ramp it up to my target of 250 watts which is .735 IF for the day. I usually ride .72 or lower. Given the nature of the course with minimal hills, I am actually aiming to keep it pretty steady there all day -- instead of the usual adding 10-15% for hills / headwinds. If I feel good, I will push the last 30 miles into town as I usually do, until then it's patience and discipline.
The run goal is defined by the heat, and therefore my heart rate. Given my vDOT and my recent running, I should be able to run a 3:10 on the perfect day…but IMTX will _not_ be that day. 6:45 miles in New England feels easy, but the 12 miles I ran in TX at 7:30 pace felt really hard.
So I looked at my HR files from all my hot races in Kona and see that 145 is my happy place. So it's out of T2 at that HR and then doing all I can to sustain it over the run. Hard pace numbers are nice, but even given the efficacy of the TIRP calculator, my data could be wrong on the temps and ultimately it's how that heat is affecting my body that matters…so HR it is.
There you have it. Nothing really sexy. It's a bit daunting to head into this race with my last race having been last October, but it is what it is. I am pumped to race with my teammates and to celebrate when it's all done!
Comments
Coach - have you considered something like this instant cold pack for T2 and run SN? Crack it and stuff somewhere with a lot of blood flow?
I assume you have already confirmed your tolerance of the taste and volume with the Perform. It has an amazing amount of NaCl and other salt; you should be getting 1000 mg or so an hour.
Just as on the bike, the first 1/4 of the run (JRA?) should emphasize hydration. Doing all/only Perform on the run along with could overload you on calories if you take the amount of fluid you need. Will you be diluting it on the run?
As far as switching up to the Perform, this feels dumb to say to a coach, are you use to using that
product for such a long time with Gu that are caffeinated ?
You said must pee 2x on bike is that your secret sauce for staying hydrated ?
Best of Luck All you IMTX team members.
It looks like the Houston area is going to get a heat wave next week according to some forecasts. Not that predicted highs of 88-90 on race day aren't going to suck but it looks like the race will happen before some scorching temps come to town. Same thing happened last year - similar high temps on race day and a week later it was 100 degrees.
One of these years race day is going to be awful. It's just a matter of time before one of those 95+ degree days will be bestowed upon IMTX.
Coach P
To add to David's comments. I typically need some water to help process the gel and even take a swig with gatorade. I have not used the perform but don't think I could go to no water.
Other than that remember hydration for the flight you don't want to show up Thursday trying to catch up.
Gordon
Ok, can you clarify your bike nutrition/hydration plan? I have to say I'm somewhat baffled - or perhaps I'm just missing something.
I am curious as to why you are choosing an A-Race to experiment?
-- Pushing the last 30 isn't about going too hard, but rather really no coasting and a great VI. It's not like I am going to ride at .8 or something...I have found this focus keeps me disciplined early and really gets me mentally into the race when it matters the most.
-- I have had warm perform before, but anything I carried would be warm in 91-degree heat as well.
-- I have been practicing with more calories on my workouts and watching them elsewhere, and it's amazing how much better my workouts (and recovery) are given food. I used to eat _maybe_ 200 cals per hour. I now take in 350-400 and my rides have been tons better, especially the last 1/3 of my longer workouts. Turns out that I may have well been chronically under-fueled!
-- My challenge with infinIT has been diluting it to the point where it's digestible. It's hard to do right, esp on a hot day where I need a TON more fluids than usual. Using perform ensures the carb concentration in my gut, between food and perform is a tolerable 8%......very doable. And better than putting in a mouthful of hyperconcentrated infinIT and chasing it with water and hoping it works itself out...which it has consistently proven it doesn't in my hot races.
-- I have gone perform only for the last few weeks, and it's totally doable. Different, but doable.
-- The pee 2x is a simple benchmark....watts don't matter if I follow my Pnorm into a wall and don't drink....peeing is key!
-- I like the cold pack idea...I might have to try one out! I have a special towel that drops the temp that I will be using....I will keep you posted!
Good luck and we'll have a drink for you Saturday night at the Chris G tappering at the local Brew Pub...
Have a strong race. Looking forward to following you.
Have had a sense that the EN recommendations for calories on the bike is not enough for me.
Maybe bigger and faster guys need more than 300 calories per hour?
Might we want to rework the Wiki on the calorie recommendations?
Good luck to all IMTX peeps!
P, how many KJ do you typically produce in a 112 mi RR and what % of calories will you be replacing on the bike?
I typically will do 4000-4200 kj (about 800 kj/hr) and replace 1600-1800 cal during a RR or race of 5 ish hours on bike. Do you have a range as you suggested or a more iron clad target for calories? Understand about needing to pee but I must have some water on bike. Maybe b/c my Infinit is way dialed up on electrolytes already but it is already warm and muggy down here and I still crave plain water on my long rides/RR so I know my body is telling me what it needs.
Agree to eat more as you are a bigger guy w/ higher FTP which means more KJ during the ride but don't shut your gut down w/ Perform overload! Don't be afraid to have some water and maybe supplement w/ electrolytes as needed.