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Tim Cronk KONA 2017 Race Plan
Background/History- This is Ironman #16. WTF how did that happen ? My first feels like just yesterday in 2010. 15 started , 12 finished, 3 DNF's, 6 KQ's , and on to the 4th KONA WC. All with EN except #1...
Training/Prep- Early in the year I developed a "hip issue" and took 6 weeks off running leading into IMLP , deciding to take that DNF by calling it a day after T2 was a smart decision. After IMLP the focus was 5 weeks rebuilding the run, reducing bike volume but kept intensity very high, and maintaining a high volume OWS. The run came back , injury/issue free. Took a easy week traveling NH to AZ. 3 weeks of volume or far on top of fast consisting as 1 week of heat training in AZ, 1 week of altitude training in CO (thanks Al Truscott and Scott Dinhofer) 1 more week of heat in AZ, and now I am here in KONA for a week of tapering, humidity, and course specificity.
Numbers- Racing in the M55-59AG at age 55 , Swim, Bike , Run numbers are all just a bit lower than in the past and as obviously as I would like (they are never high/fast enough). Havent done any official testing but FTP is around 210, vdot around 48, swim threshold around 1:30. I did find some discipline and race weight has been achieved at just under 120lbs giving me a w/kg of 3.9. Going to rely on execution, experience, and the hunger to race that has been building.
Humility/Respect/Fear/Arrogance/Confidence - Having been here 3 times before , these are just some of the things running through my mind. Why? Each time I come back I have done worse. This island kicks my A$$. I had a friend once ask Heather how do you fit into the same bed with Tim and his EGO? That was long before Ironman and in an other life but still pretty funny. While many will view that as arrogant I view it as confidence, something I have never lacked , and something we really need in this game. My view of the difference between arrogance and confidence and how it applies to triathlon is, arrogance means "thinking" you can beat everybody, and confidence means "knowing" you can beat everybody. I dont really THINK I can beat everybody in my AG, but I KNOW and I BELIEVE that I am capable to be in the top 10 ... So I will approach Saturday with a healthy dose of humility, respect, and yes, even fear of this Race called the Ironman World Championship on the island that kicks my A$$... My confidence is NOT 100% like it usually is but I think it will build through the week and during the race if I take the above approach. On my way down Hawi Recon ride I had he opportunity to pay it forward to the Race/Island Gods by stopping to give a C02 cartridge to a biker in need... What goes around comes around :-)
Goals- As already mentioned I have not had a "good" race here with the exception of KONA #1 that was treated as a low key victory lap and ended up being my best at 10:47. So with that in mind, that is my first target I aim to beat. Second will be sub 10:30 which could put me top 10 as history has shown in my AG. Lastly would be a perfect race and sub 10:15 most likely landing on the podium top 5. None of this is out of the realm of past performances, If I take all my best KONA splits it adds up to a 10:40 so not over reaching too much. BTW all of that becomes possible by aging up into the 55-59AG where the average times really start to drop off.
Race Week - Heather and I arrived friday the 5th, the Ho'ala swim was sold out for the first time ever so I bandit swam today in 1:08:27 (actually my fastest time on that swim course by 2.5 minutes out of 4 Ho'ala and 3 KONA swims) , the usual taper acclimatizing work outs through the week, longrun 7-8 miles , longbike 2.5hrs, shorter stuff with short intensity to try and stay sharp while tapering, team dinner weds night , team breakfast friday am...
Nutrition/Hydration- 100% plant based as always. Day before - pancakes, sweet potato, noodles, pretzels, fig newmans etc.... Hyper-Hydration Protocol- this will be something new but that I did practice in AZ for my last RR in the heat which was drinking 1 Scratch hyper-hydration (1700mg sodium) the night before and 1 the morning of.... Race Morning oatmeal, banana, raisins , coffee.... Pre-Swim gel.... Bike -scratch then GE, cliff bar, then cliff blocks, then gels.... Run gels and GE then coke/redbull , will put a scratch rescue hydration in RSN (700mg sodium) to supplement the loss of sodium when switching from gels/GE to coke/RB... Aiming for 250-300 cals per hr and 20-30oz fluid per hour...
Gear- Racing in a EN LG M2 one piece race kit..Swimming in a new Kiwami armed swimskin.. Bike Ventum with FLO90 rear, HED40 front, latex tubes, Specialize Turbo Cotton tires, AeroHead helmet...Run Kinvera's and EN visor...
Race Day - up at 4am eat, coffee, dress, head over to transition around 5:30, set up bike with nutrition/computer, shoes, helmet, top off tires, find EN racers, relax...
Swim- Goal 1:10 or less... KONA swims have been between 1:12-1:16 for me in the past...Try not to get in the water too early, its 79 and I can get cold if waiting too long, the swim to the start is about 200yds and enough warm up for me... Line up about 1/4-1/3 of the distance from the pier and about 20-30 people back, the most aggressive take the very inside, the least aggressive go way outside. Simply swim the best I can, with effort, stay in my box, try not to get too beat up or swallow any water specially early on....
T1- Goal 3.5 minutes inline with previous times , I do have a sleeved swimskin which may cost a couple seconds but everything else should be the same. Remove swimkin on the way to bag, grab bag, thru tent, stuff suit in bag, keep moving as shoes and helmet are at bike. Move carefully but smoothly and with effort.
Bike- Goal 5:30 or less vs. previous times of 5:25 , 5:30, and 5:43... Goal wattage 155-165 , current numbers put me on the very low end of that range but if I feel good I will push the higher end... Carefully mount bike, spin out of the congested area, make sure shoes are good, drink, breathe, and then go to work... The first 8 miles is very congested and need to be on the defensive, the good news is you really dont need to worry about draft marshalls in this section (I sat with Jimmy Riccitello (head Ironman Referee) on the Airplane and we had a lengthy discussion about drafting... So you pretty much have a get out of jail free card for the first 8 miles, then you need to stay 12 meters from the bike in front of you (the reflectors on the QK are supposed to be 12 meters apart and what the refs watch)... Why do I even mention this? Because KONA is the biggest draft fest of all the IM's and its pretty much mathematically impossible to fit all the bikes on the course legally when everyone is so close together out of the swim... While its cool and low wind I will ride a little on the high side to the turn around at Hawi , the goal on the return will be to just stay aero, I will allow power to drop if necessary but gotta stay down... Going to change my garmin alert to drink every 10min from the current 15min and will eat every 30min.... Coming off the QK into the admin back to T2, sit up, stand up stretch, spin, pee, drink, get feet on top of shoes and start thinking about the transition and run...
T2- Goal 3.5 minutes inline with previous times, helmet off while moving to bag , sit, socks , shoes, racebelt, go bag, stand and get moving....
Run- Goal 4hrs or less vs. previous times of 4:00, 4:28, 5:05....Settle in with go bag out of transition, find Heather for a kiss, then go to work via RPE... Short breaks every aid station starting at #1, drink GE every mile, sip off my gel flask every 3 miles, when that runs out around mile 18 switch to coke/RB and supplement with scratch rescue mix at RSN....
Outcome - It is what it is.... I will accept whatever the outcome is and learn from it... I have Heather, I have EN, its all good... If all goes well I will reach the run feeling great and be able to apply the hunger to finish up the day...
One Things- I have plenty of those... Life is full of firsts and lasts, when Maggie our dog went the way of all good dogs a couple months ago I was brutally aware of our Last Sunset with her and our First Sunset without her.... This is the first Ironman without her... My friend Jim Soroka was also supposed to be here but will be cheering from above as well... He was gonna make me go surfing the day after which is kinda funny since we met a guy on the airplane in his AG who has been here for 8 races and always surf's the day after.
Last One- Last KONA for a while anyway, I'm the baby in the 55-59AG this year so this is the opportunity that wont repeat itself for another 5 years.... Too many other things I wanna do... So this is the One.
I know its kinda weird Race Plan... As usual questions, comments, criticism's , or anything at all are always welcome.
EDIT- Forgot the Mental Game- I'm not a big music person but as I build to a race I usually here some lyrics that seem to stick in my head, and get me pumped up for the game... While this song is definitely not my style I loved the lyrics, the name of the band is The Killers, and the song is I'm the man....Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3xcybdis1k
Training/Prep- Early in the year I developed a "hip issue" and took 6 weeks off running leading into IMLP , deciding to take that DNF by calling it a day after T2 was a smart decision. After IMLP the focus was 5 weeks rebuilding the run, reducing bike volume but kept intensity very high, and maintaining a high volume OWS. The run came back , injury/issue free. Took a easy week traveling NH to AZ. 3 weeks of volume or far on top of fast consisting as 1 week of heat training in AZ, 1 week of altitude training in CO (thanks Al Truscott and Scott Dinhofer) 1 more week of heat in AZ, and now I am here in KONA for a week of tapering, humidity, and course specificity.
Numbers- Racing in the M55-59AG at age 55 , Swim, Bike , Run numbers are all just a bit lower than in the past and as obviously as I would like (they are never high/fast enough). Havent done any official testing but FTP is around 210, vdot around 48, swim threshold around 1:30. I did find some discipline and race weight has been achieved at just under 120lbs giving me a w/kg of 3.9. Going to rely on execution, experience, and the hunger to race that has been building.
Humility/Respect/Fear/Arrogance/Confidence - Having been here 3 times before , these are just some of the things running through my mind. Why? Each time I come back I have done worse. This island kicks my A$$. I had a friend once ask Heather how do you fit into the same bed with Tim and his EGO? That was long before Ironman and in an other life but still pretty funny. While many will view that as arrogant I view it as confidence, something I have never lacked , and something we really need in this game. My view of the difference between arrogance and confidence and how it applies to triathlon is, arrogance means "thinking" you can beat everybody, and confidence means "knowing" you can beat everybody. I dont really THINK I can beat everybody in my AG, but I KNOW and I BELIEVE that I am capable to be in the top 10 ... So I will approach Saturday with a healthy dose of humility, respect, and yes, even fear of this Race called the Ironman World Championship on the island that kicks my A$$... My confidence is NOT 100% like it usually is but I think it will build through the week and during the race if I take the above approach. On my way down Hawi Recon ride I had he opportunity to pay it forward to the Race/Island Gods by stopping to give a C02 cartridge to a biker in need... What goes around comes around :-)
Goals- As already mentioned I have not had a "good" race here with the exception of KONA #1 that was treated as a low key victory lap and ended up being my best at 10:47. So with that in mind, that is my first target I aim to beat. Second will be sub 10:30 which could put me top 10 as history has shown in my AG. Lastly would be a perfect race and sub 10:15 most likely landing on the podium top 5. None of this is out of the realm of past performances, If I take all my best KONA splits it adds up to a 10:40 so not over reaching too much. BTW all of that becomes possible by aging up into the 55-59AG where the average times really start to drop off.
Race Week - Heather and I arrived friday the 5th, the Ho'ala swim was sold out for the first time ever so I bandit swam today in 1:08:27 (actually my fastest time on that swim course by 2.5 minutes out of 4 Ho'ala and 3 KONA swims) , the usual taper acclimatizing work outs through the week, longrun 7-8 miles , longbike 2.5hrs, shorter stuff with short intensity to try and stay sharp while tapering, team dinner weds night , team breakfast friday am...
Nutrition/Hydration- 100% plant based as always. Day before - pancakes, sweet potato, noodles, pretzels, fig newmans etc.... Hyper-Hydration Protocol- this will be something new but that I did practice in AZ for my last RR in the heat which was drinking 1 Scratch hyper-hydration (1700mg sodium) the night before and 1 the morning of.... Race Morning oatmeal, banana, raisins , coffee.... Pre-Swim gel.... Bike -scratch then GE, cliff bar, then cliff blocks, then gels.... Run gels and GE then coke/redbull , will put a scratch rescue hydration in RSN (700mg sodium) to supplement the loss of sodium when switching from gels/GE to coke/RB... Aiming for 250-300 cals per hr and 20-30oz fluid per hour...
Gear- Racing in a EN LG M2 one piece race kit..Swimming in a new Kiwami armed swimskin.. Bike Ventum with FLO90 rear, HED40 front, latex tubes, Specialize Turbo Cotton tires, AeroHead helmet...Run Kinvera's and EN visor...
Race Day - up at 4am eat, coffee, dress, head over to transition around 5:30, set up bike with nutrition/computer, shoes, helmet, top off tires, find EN racers, relax...
Swim- Goal 1:10 or less... KONA swims have been between 1:12-1:16 for me in the past...Try not to get in the water too early, its 79 and I can get cold if waiting too long, the swim to the start is about 200yds and enough warm up for me... Line up about 1/4-1/3 of the distance from the pier and about 20-30 people back, the most aggressive take the very inside, the least aggressive go way outside. Simply swim the best I can, with effort, stay in my box, try not to get too beat up or swallow any water specially early on....
T1- Goal 3.5 minutes inline with previous times , I do have a sleeved swimskin which may cost a couple seconds but everything else should be the same. Remove swimkin on the way to bag, grab bag, thru tent, stuff suit in bag, keep moving as shoes and helmet are at bike. Move carefully but smoothly and with effort.
Bike- Goal 5:30 or less vs. previous times of 5:25 , 5:30, and 5:43... Goal wattage 155-165 , current numbers put me on the very low end of that range but if I feel good I will push the higher end... Carefully mount bike, spin out of the congested area, make sure shoes are good, drink, breathe, and then go to work... The first 8 miles is very congested and need to be on the defensive, the good news is you really dont need to worry about draft marshalls in this section (I sat with Jimmy Riccitello (head Ironman Referee) on the Airplane and we had a lengthy discussion about drafting... So you pretty much have a get out of jail free card for the first 8 miles, then you need to stay 12 meters from the bike in front of you (the reflectors on the QK are supposed to be 12 meters apart and what the refs watch)... Why do I even mention this? Because KONA is the biggest draft fest of all the IM's and its pretty much mathematically impossible to fit all the bikes on the course legally when everyone is so close together out of the swim... While its cool and low wind I will ride a little on the high side to the turn around at Hawi , the goal on the return will be to just stay aero, I will allow power to drop if necessary but gotta stay down... Going to change my garmin alert to drink every 10min from the current 15min and will eat every 30min.... Coming off the QK into the admin back to T2, sit up, stand up stretch, spin, pee, drink, get feet on top of shoes and start thinking about the transition and run...
T2- Goal 3.5 minutes inline with previous times, helmet off while moving to bag , sit, socks , shoes, racebelt, go bag, stand and get moving....
Run- Goal 4hrs or less vs. previous times of 4:00, 4:28, 5:05....Settle in with go bag out of transition, find Heather for a kiss, then go to work via RPE... Short breaks every aid station starting at #1, drink GE every mile, sip off my gel flask every 3 miles, when that runs out around mile 18 switch to coke/RB and supplement with scratch rescue mix at RSN....
Outcome - It is what it is.... I will accept whatever the outcome is and learn from it... I have Heather, I have EN, its all good... If all goes well I will reach the run feeling great and be able to apply the hunger to finish up the day...
One Things- I have plenty of those... Life is full of firsts and lasts, when Maggie our dog went the way of all good dogs a couple months ago I was brutally aware of our Last Sunset with her and our First Sunset without her.... This is the first Ironman without her... My friend Jim Soroka was also supposed to be here but will be cheering from above as well... He was gonna make me go surfing the day after which is kinda funny since we met a guy on the airplane in his AG who has been here for 8 races and always surf's the day after.
Last One- Last KONA for a while anyway, I'm the baby in the 55-59AG this year so this is the opportunity that wont repeat itself for another 5 years.... Too many other things I wanna do... So this is the One.
I know its kinda weird Race Plan... As usual questions, comments, criticism's , or anything at all are always welcome.
EDIT- Forgot the Mental Game- I'm not a big music person but as I build to a race I usually here some lyrics that seem to stick in my head, and get me pumped up for the game... While this song is definitely not my style I loved the lyrics, the name of the band is The Killers, and the song is I'm the man....Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3xcybdis1k
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@Paul Curtin and @Brian Hagan thank you and I will be following you guys on Sunday, probably in the middle of the night here after I sleep for a couple hours :-) Brian I am a big fan of the TC tires.
@Gabe Peterson thanks buddy I will remember to smile... I like to consciously let out a little chuckle at mile 18 on the run in acknowledgement of the point where the real fun begins.
@Tom Glynn yeah its not much fluid but I have gone as low as 12oz per hour at cooler races and upwards of 30oz per hr HERE (usually IM races fall in right at 20oz per hr) ! I drink every 10 min in the extreme heat, 1 mouth full whether I want/need it or not, 2 mouth fulls as it gets warmer, 3 when thirsty and warm , and when it gets really hot on the second half I just drink as much as I want when ever I want... I will have a straw BTA for the first time here (usually just bottles) which may cause me to drink more than normal but still cant imagine any more than the 30oz per hour no matter what...
@Gordon Cherwoniak Heat management on the bike, occasional water on the body from AS, I painted my black Aerohead White and will remove the shield when really hot or slow for some added airflow.... The Run- Runsaver bag, ICE ICE ICE front and back of suit every AS as needed, I like the EN visor so when I dump ice water on my head it goes right to my scalp... Its so hot you cant really care or worry about water in your shoes , I'll be peeing on them anyway:-) My feet usually do ok but a small blister or two hardly uncomfortable compared to everything else.
enjoy your race ! we will watch it on Saturday !
Seriously Go for it and have a great time. Enjoyed learning about your views of confidence vs arrogance chasing you around CO...
Surfing, no, but I’ve always gone snorkeling the day after...
One thought/tactic to chew on, particularly where you're a lighter/smaller frame, on a windier/wavyer course: legal S+R drafting in Kona is, I would guess, good for 6+ minutes.
By my reckoning ... 4 mins from a swim where it is very easy to see and stay on some feet in clear water (without losing form) and another 2 drafting in the run, moving from wind shadow to wind shadow, for the specific legs of 1) descent into the energy lab, and 2) then the Queen K back to Kona. People really underestimate the headwind when running (think: an extra 5%+ effort running into a 10-20 mph + wind, at the worst time of the run), so anything that neutralizes it - like getting on the shoulder of a Patrick-sized racer and tucking in for a few minutes - helps.
Hope you you have fun!
The song has to go. I would put that on my beep thing to remind myself to stop over cooking the bike
Not many can add much to a guy with your background and pedigree in IM.
One thing I think is critically important is to know yourself and how to get into the mental state that best positions you. Some people are super aggressive/arrogant while others tend to be more inwardly quiet and confident. I don't think you get many that qualified to be in Kona that aren't primarily one of the two. The key is that they BOTH work if they are true to yourself. if you are comfortable (however you define that individually) when that cannon goes off you are in a great place. Because after that point nothing else matters...it's game on and you will simply do your thing.
Have a great race......will be following along closely!
@Scott Dinhofer you sound like me talking to you? thanks buddy
@Al Truscott something seems missing on the island called Al Truscott !
@Dave Tallo Thanks a lot , I already feel guilty every time I catch myself NOT running a tangent to perfection, now every time I'm not hiding behind a big guy on the run I'm gonna thinking of you... WTF thanks a lot :-)
@JeremyBehler 117.8-119lbs the last 4 days on the very nice Holiday Inn Express scale with shorts/t-shirt on , 28" ish waist..... Interesting alternative ways of looking at things... Couldnt agree more... I usually really like to pump myself up to the more aggressive mode, however this has not worked at this race, probably why my low key victory lap on #1 was the most successful, so maybe I am subconsciously trying to find that balance of humble, respect, fear vs. letting the horns and fangs grow out as I go into aggressive racer....
@Mike Roberts lets do it