Final (and only) RR for Kansas
Since I was in FastCamp during what would have been my 1st RR, this was the only one I have done prior to Kansas in 2 weeks. Coach P would be glad to know that I royally screwed it up and have a big list of things to fix. 
1st mistake started off last night by staying up past 11pm and then up a little after 4 to get ready. I was 'convinced' of the need to attend an outdoor movie with the fam. that didn't start until dark. Surely I got some SAU's for that, right??
The next mistake started right away by not getting enough nutrition in before I started. I was meeting a buddy at 5am, so i got up, drank some egg whites and Powerbar gel, then headed out. Yeah - that's it. WTH was I thinking??
Rode 4 miles to our starting point and headed out. Rode 54 miles in 2:58 and felt pretty good actually for most of the ride. I ate a Gu every 30 mins at the top and bottom of the hour and a Salt Stick capsule every 30 mins on the 15's and 45's. About 2 hours in, I started getting hungary and I could tell my legs were starting to get a bit tired. That's when I realized my morning nutritional mistake. But at that point, there's not much to do other than suck it up and finish. Lesson learned: remember race day (and race rehearsal) nutrition - ALWAYS!
As I was riding, I noticed my HR was jumping all over the place - as low as 150s and as high as 210 (while I was cruising in Z3) This has happend before when the battery is getting low on my HR strap. I can only assume I was in Z3 based on RPE. Lesson Learned: ensure new batteries before racing.
We broke off when we got back to our meeting point and I rode the 4 miles back to the house. Buy this time, I was out of water (carried 4 bottles with me) and Gu, so I refilled a bottle to carry with my hand bottle holder thingy and 1 Gu (another mistake). As I started off, for the 1st 20 mins or so, I found it quite difficult to run as slow as I was supposed to and had to walk a few times to slow my average down. I know that is pretty common based on how often I see others post something about it - so i'll just have to pay attention on race day.
After about 20 mins, however, my mistake mentioned above caught up with me (only taking 1 Gu with me on the run). My last Gu on the bike was taken at the 2:30 mark of the bike ride - almost an hour prior to this point of the run. Since was in a nutritional deficit anyway as mentioned above, I started getting nauseous and very fatigued - not quite "bonking" but close. I wanted that Gu, but knew that I needed to wait at least until the 30 min mark (halfway). So - I just kept going as best i could and counted down the minutes until I could have it. At 30mins I took it, but at only 100 calories, it didn't really do much. I ended up walking a bit and my average pace dropped to about a minute slower than my target pace. Lesson Learned: take more than enough Gu (or other nutrition) for every leg of the race or training session. Better to have a bit more than needed than to run out.
Then about 45 mins in, I emptied my water bottle. I had been nursing it for the last 15 mins or so, but it finally ran out. Most of my runs are either short or early in the morning when it is still cool. By the time I did this run, it was pushing the upper 80s and I was in direct sun most of the way. The finish was less than stellar due to lack of nutrition and water - but I got through it. Lesson learned: find a way to carry more water training in heat. Not sure the solution when running since my bottle holder thingy only holds 1 bottle - perhaps getting a Fuel Belt as well as I know EN gets a discount. But for race day, this will not usually be a problem becaues of the aid stations.
Overall I think this was a successful RR in that I did learn a lot and have a lot to correct. And as mentioned, better today than on race day. I think doing this will make be better prepared for KS and for future training sessions as the summer gets hotter.
Lastly, I ended up making some changes to my bike fit prior to this RR based on feedback in the "Critique My Bike Fit" thread. Moved my seat forward, moved the aerobars forward, dropped my handlebars and adjusted the angle of the aerobars up. This proved to be a much more comfortable position and I think I'll keep it this way for a while. Lesson Learned: don't be afraid to experiment - but be smart when doing so. IE - this could have turned ugly if, 1 hour in, I realized I had made a mistake and couldn't do anything about it. BUT - I did mark everything before moving so that if it did mess things up, I could put it back.
Ok - that's about it. Thanks for reading - if nothing else, it helps to write this out so that I can process it for future improvements.
Comments
A few observations:
1) Pre race nutrition I typically don't worry so much about this in a RR because of the whole "tummy butterflies" thing on race day. I tend to eat a relatively normal "toast and peanut butter" breakfast before RRs, but do a pretty much liquid breakfast before races. But before RRs, I'm probably down on glycogen which certainly is not the case for a tapered race. But anyway....egg whites? I know that's a fine thing for your high protein, low fat diet, but not what would occur to me to eat right before a 4 hour workout. But to each his own. Have you given thought to what you will eat in the 48 hrs pre race? I wouldn't pig out before a RR or immediately before a race... use the couple days pre-race to get full of glycogen. "Carbo loading" isn't done by eating lots of carbs...it's done by eating a normal diet and exercising less for a few days. And eating SOME more carbs than usual.
2) Legs If you're riding an appropriate intensity for the actual HIM race pretty much the whole time, my experience (as a 2:30-2:45 rider, depending on the course) is that the last half hour ALWAYS feels like my legs are tired and I want to get off the bike. I don't think your legs feeling a bit weary for the last 20-30 min is a problem for your RR. You MAY have been riding a little hard since you were doing it by RPE, but no harm done! For what it's worth, my "best" event is the run, and I always go into it having felt like my legs are a bit worn from the bike. That's different than shelled...and probably easier to gauge with a PM than just HR or RPE...but don't sweat it too much if you feel some leg fatigue at the end of a HIM ride.
3) Water vs. Calories Again this is just me.... but my need for water goes WAY up with the heat on the bike. Maybe triple what it is when it's cool. But I find my troubles are usually WATER related rather than really calorie-related. There are three aid stations on the KS course. According to the map, they are roughly at mile 13, 32, and 46. Plan accordingly. They are 40-45 min apart. I have two hydration strategies, depending on if it's going to be hot or cool: My "cool" one is to carry two bottles....500 cal of Infinit on the down tube and water between my arms. Live off of course water. My "hot" one is also to carry two bottles: Start with 150-200 cal of Infinit in my down tube bottle and water up top, and pick up both Perform and Water at the aid stations...making sure I down at least 3 bottles (including my starting one) of sports drink during the ride. Having the dilute Infinit trades me the ability to pick up twice as much fluid at each station vs having to drink that bilge that is Perform. (I dislike the taste of it, but it doesn't make my stomach turn.)
Again, YMMV, and I realize I'm smaller than you, but last year at KS in bad conditions (very windy on bike), I consumed only 300-330 cal on the bike and STILL PR'ed the run. Lesson for me: yeah, I need some calories, but it's fluid that matters most.
3) On the run Remember that there are calories (if you want them} virtually at every mile marker (approximately) on the run. The only horrible point of the run (as far as I'm concerned) is the part back up from the first turnaround. You go down this nasty hill exposed to the sun and turnaround at this concrete dock...but there's an aid station there...don't miss it....because the next part going back up that sucks. And finally, on the run, the amount of time lost walking just a few (10?) steps to actually down your water/fluid is a lot less than you can lose dehydrating/bonking. Again, last year I PRed my two HIM runs in sequence, with the second one only a couple minutes off my open half marathon time...while walking a few steps to get drinks at virtually every aid station. Also, remember that we are beat this week and will be rested at race time...so some of the trouble will go away. There's no getting around the fact that we're starting the run at about 10:30 am give or take a little, so it's going to be warm. Water is a good thing. :-) If it's hot on race day, don't feel shy about taking ice to hold in your hands or put in your hat. Maybe this is TMI, but on hot days, I drop ice into my shorts too. You get some funny looks, but your femoral arteries run right near the gents (you can take your pulse there, but don't do so in public....) and it's another easy place to get some core cooling.
Personally, I hate carrying anything with me on a run other than gels that are compact. I know others (e.g., Patrick) carry a lot of stuff. Just not me... I count on getting 20-25 calories (3 - 4 oz) from every race cup of Perform/coke and do my calculations that way.
See you there!
I've been digging through the wiki and still have not determined my race hydration yet. I do know that sports drinks don't sit well on my stomach, so those are out (preform, powerade, etc). I have never tried Infinit and don't want to try it for the 1st time at KS, but do plan on trying it out this summer to see if I can tolerate it for Augusta later this year. So - it'll be Gu for me for nutrition. But I have not decided on the water bottle strategy. I have bottle holders for up to 4 bottles (2 on the down tubes, 2 in the back behind the seat), but don't really want to lug that around for 56 miles. I have seen the torpedo mounts that many of the EN folks have but have never done that either and am not sure I want to experiment this close to the race. I am likely going to remove the holders in the back, ensure I am full on the down tubes, and replace every aid station. That would allow 8 bottles for the day (2 to start, 2 at each of the 3 stations). Stick with the same Gu/salt sticks as my RR.
I will not carry anything except Gu for the run. Although I do carry during training, I hate doing it and won't at a race if there are aid stations. Oh, and the ice in the pants?? I saw Mirinda Carfrae doing that at last years IM World Champs in Kona and the commentors talked about how helpful that was. Been doing it ever since and you're right - it works!
Thanks again! Oh - I saw somewhere in here that you're a doctor in ?chemistry? I think? I was a chem major in college. Kinda cool!
If you can get away with it, you WILL be faster with only two bottles and getting rid of your rear bottle hanger. The course is moderately hilly (weight) and often windy (that's the midwest). Your strategy will likely work fine.
One thing to try if you have the wherewithal and can find one.... the problem with the water bottles they are giving out at most of the WTC races these days is that they are a little too skinny for the cages in the first place, and they irreversibly crinkle up some when you squeeze them. this makes them VERY easy to lose out of a bike cage.... so if you don't want to try the torpedo mount (understandable!), go buy an aero drink thingy. There are several brands, and they run $20-60. I just bought the Speedfil A2, which is a torpedo mount doodad (see http://endurancenation.us.dnnmax.com/Training/TrainingForums/tabid/101/aft/8886/Default.aspx#110915), but if you don't want to mess with that, try one of the traditional style ones. The big advantage is that you can squeeze the water into them at the aid station (get an early water bottle, squeeze, and toss before the end of the aid station...then get the second bottle for your down tube). It's pretty universally agreed that you drink more with that damn straw right in your face...or you can get fancy and a bit more aero and tuck it away. Yes, they splash a little, but if it's only water, it doesn't matter much. Anything is better than losing your water because of the stupid bottles. That is the ONLY reason I bought the A2...otherwise, I just use a regular torpedo mounted bike bottle. You can probably get used to using some aero drink thing in 2-3 rides between now and race day if you go out and splurge today. Entirely your call, though!
Good luck whatever you decide!
(And, yeah, I'm a chemist. Life has become a little more complex since I became chair of the chemistry department at ISU. I love many aspects of the job, but it does many more very scheduled meetings!)