70.3 Race Plan Outline
I have gathered some information from several different EN sources and wanted to summarize what I have heard and what I have formulated as my race plan for my HIM on April 18th in New Orleans:
Nutrition: keep it simple...I will use sports drinks and water for the duration of the race with a goal of 200-225 kcal per hour after I get on the bike.
Swim: I will focus on staying in my box; focused on smooth, long strokes, building into the swim over the first .5 mile and getting stronger as the swim progresses. I will also focus on getting my legs into the kick a little extra towards the last 100-200m to get some good blood flow going through me legs.
Bike: I will spend the first half in z2, then will get some low end z3 (I am a HR athlete - this will be my LAST race as one!) for the duration.
Run: I will run the 1st 4-6 miles at z3+30'/mile, then will open up to z2-3 as I can for the duration.
Overall goal: <5 (Swim 0:32 / Bike 2:35 / Run 1:40)</p>
Did I get it right?
Comments
Looks good and my thoughts.
What is your nutrition for the run?
I know as a power athlete we are told to stay in Gear 1 for the first 30 minutes and then start working it, I do not know if it is different for HR athletes.
On the run its first 3 miles plus 30 then next 6 is at race pace and last three is what ever you have left.
Have you done your RR yet? If so how did they go, if not please post your plan for them and then how it went.
Good luck
Well...today was my first RR. Unfortunately, it was my first time riding outside since the first week of December...and I blew up on the bike - was just so excited to be outside, I couldn't control myself! That being said, I also had problems which I have sought and recieved advice on in the nutrition forums with Penny...cramping.
Honestly, I think popping out of OS straight into a RR wasn't the optimal scenario...I should have logged a couple outdoor rides to get re-acquainted with the road again. My ride completely wiped my out and with the cramping I ended up bagging the run as I knew that I would have gotten 1/2 mile away and then locked up.
I am going to be primed and ready for the next RR, and I think the weather has finally turned so I can get my weekend rides out onto the roads...Tennessee is supposed to be warm by now!
I made the note on the 3-7-3...so thank you guys very much!
You have 2 weeks to your next RR, please post your plans for it. We want all the details from what time your are getting up to what you are going to do after your run.
Good Luck
Details for RR #2:
I wake up, every day, at 4:55. MOST of the time I can't go workout until around 9am because I keep my little girl until my wife gets up and going. Weather permitting, I will go ahead and exchange some SAUs to get out at 8am...which is my start time for the race in April. Prior to getting started, I will have a cup or two of coffee and a meal bar with some water...I will go ahead and try Penny's recommendation to put down some chicken broth as well...coffee & meal bar, 5:15ish - chicken broth and water 7:30-45ish.
The bike: I am planning to go out easy, getting settled into z2 over the first 45-60 minutes; then pushing closer to the top of z2 for the next 45 minutes and into LOW z3 to the end. Along the way, I will consume 20-24 ounces of water/hour, along with ~1000mg of electrolytes, and 225 kcal (all fluid based, no solid foods). I usually do this by working a stopwatch timer that is affixed to my bike...I have it set to go off every 15 minutes as a reminder to drink and 'eat' over time instead of cramming it all in at once. I will repeat the same course I did this weekend, which is pretty flat, and I am hoping to dial in about a 2:35-40 time - I put in a 2:45 effort yesterday). During the last mile of the bike leg, I am going to stand up a little, lightly stretching my back, calves, and hamstrings.
The run: I will have the transition set up outside, so, I will 'rack' my bike and change into my shoes. I will carry with me a 20 ounce water solution with Nuun in it (helps taste and provides about 300mg of electrolytes). I don't plan on taking any 'food' or fuel with me on the run, as I plan on it taking less than 50 minutes to get in the 6 miles. I will go out at my z3 pace plus 30'/mile for the first 3 miles, then I will come back at my z3 pace for the second 3 miles.
Goals: I have a goal of breaking 5 hours in the race on April 18th. I know that, assuming I have a decent swim (32-35 min.) I can dial in about a 2:35-40 bike and a 1:40 run to get there. So, my goal for this RR is to hit that 2:40 on the bike and to put in that 50 min 6 mile split...BUT, my MAIN goal is really JUST to hit that 50 min run split. I feel like THAT is the key here. If I can set myself up for a confident run, with some fuel left in the tank come mile 10 in New Orleans in April, I will have a good result.
Following the RR...I will take a cool shower (I haven't tried the ice bath thing yet) or maybe even put my lower body into my pool (which is pretty cold at this point) for a couple minutes, and then I will settle into a nice warm shower. During that time, I will put down a double mix of my Recovery formula (GameOn Sports Nutrition Chocolate Recovery), which has about 35-40g of high quality protein in it, and I will continue to drink water (another 20-40 ounces) and will have a lunch of some kind...probably something like chicken and rice. I will do some light stretching after a short lunch and relax session...and then it will be time to be daddy again for my little girl and husband to my wife.
Thoughts? Have I missed anything?
Thanks for the details Stephen, this helps us help you even more! A few questions/comments
- How exactly are you carrying the H20/Nutrition on your bike? How many bottles, where will they be, and will you need to stop to refuel or get more H20?
- Although you won't need any fuel on your run for the Race Simulation, you absolutely SHOULD practice whatever it is you are planning to consume for your race to be sure your stomach is OK with it. For example, are you planning to take Gatoraide from the course? Are you taking a GU at some point? Put this into your race simulation plan.
- I highly recommend you do a "Salt Test" as part of your race sim, especially since you are playing with the whole electrolyte thing. The basics are that you need to weigh yourself before & after the test and through some calculations you'll help find out how much water & salt you lost. You can find instructions for the sweat test that Penny has provided in this thread on the old forum:
http://www.endurancenation.us/en_fo...php?t=2709
Sounds good to me, Nemo hit some of the questions I would of asked.
Recovery you may want to after your shower lay down and elevate your legs for a bit.
two things:
Good luck, and report back on how it goes!
Mike
Becky,
if nothing else, listen to the podcast on HIM's (go up to the red bar at the top of the page, mouse over media, click on podcasts), as well as listening to the race execution resources on the train map (go to the red bar, mouse over resources, click on train map. Inside the train map, click on "Race Execution", then click on "Downloads". There's a bike one, and a run one.
We really ought to put one comprehensive "What do I need to know about HIM's?" entry into the wiki. Any wiki workers out there?
Mike
Becky -- Another great place to look are the old race rehearsal and race plans. I'd start with Matt Ancona and Nemo's and then read almost anyone else's I could find in the 3.0 forums.
@ Nemo
#1 - water bottles: I have the profile aero bottle on the front (holds about 22 ounces) and I have a 2 bottle cage on the back (profile design also), and then, only for training, I will often put a bottle on the vertical bar on my frame just to get an extra 24 ounces on the bike so I can avoid stopping. During races, I really only function with the aero bottle on the front (I reload it with water) and I keep liquid calories on the back (usually just one concentrated bottle)...that sound appropriate?
#2 - kcal on run: I certainly will take those kcal with me on the run. I will actually get 75% of a RR in this weekend just with the weekly 2 hour ride + 30 min run brick and I will tinker with this a little then and over the next couple weeks leading up to my next RR...slated for April 3rd. For the most part, I have avoided the simple sugar kcals. On the bike, I am using a more natural sports drink and Hammer Perpetuem (spelling?). During the run, I think a GU or two might be the easiest and I know my body agrees with those.
#3 - sweat test: I will do this...I will try this weekend, and will repeat a couple of times to get a feel for what my body is doing. Thanks for the guidance.
Thanks for everyone's help!