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Tim Cronk IMAZ 2017 Race Plan
Starting Ironman #17, finished 13, racing the M55-59AG . 2nd IMAZ with the first being a DNF so its fair to say I have some unfinished business on this course... This will be my last full Ironman distance until 2019.... Heather was signed up to do IMAZ but chose rotator cuff surgery instead to fix and injury she got during our CascoBay SwimRun this August... We both have our sights on Ultra running this weekend and next year... She will be my trusty sherpa...
Prep- KONA 4 weeks ago, 1 week recovery, 2 weeks training, 2 weeks taper.... Aside from the 1st recovery week did quite a bit of intensity in all 3 SBR.... Weekly long rides after KONA were 2.5hrs, 3.75hrs, 5hrs, 2.5hrs.... Weekly long runs were 60', 90', 120', 70'.... Numbers have been pretty good , FTP is actually looking a bit higher than pre-KONA at about 215, swim threshold 1:30 per 100yds, and still guessing vdot of around 48 , body feels great, weight has crept up a few lbs since KONA 120-121 vs. 118-119 pre-KONA ... Confidence is high...
Friday AM- finish up my taper here in Tucson with a 30-40min ride and 2 mile brick run, drive to Tempe' , packet pick-up look for EN'ers , check in to hotel, go out to eat with Heather at Green....
Sat AM- up early , carbo load breakfast at hotel of bagels and cereal etc, pack up bike and bags, head to SwimStart/Bike/Bag Drop Off's look for EN'ers , practice swim 5-10 minutes at the most just to check water temp with my thin skinned ROKA, then drop bike/bags off, review swim in, bike out, bike in , run out routes.... Back to the hotel for sweet potato lunch, feet up, couple short dog walks, dinner of noodle bowl and a naked smoothie... Snacks pretzels, banana's, chocolate etc... 1/2 serving of skratch hyper-hydration...
Sun AM- up 4am , breakfast of oatmeal, banana, raisins, peanut butter, maple syrup and coffee and the other 1/2 serving of skratch hyper-hydration.... Relax in the room for a bit... After the business is done, lube, sunscreen, LG-EN-M2 tri-suit, chip... Bring warm clothes pre-swim..Leave early to get good parking spot, hang in car a bit, head to body marking look for EN'ers , then bike for set up tires, computer, nutrition... Review swim in, bike out, bike in, run out routes again...Get in swim line around 6:30 for a 6:50 start... 2 years ago I was able to work my way to the front but it was rather difficult.
Swim- goal 1:03-04 vs. 2 years ago was 1:03:30... Line up as close as I can to the sub 1hr group... Will be wearing my thermal BlueSeventy wetsuit unless the water is in the high 60's which I do not expect... 2 years ago I was very cold in my ROKA and I will be very comfy in the BlueSeventy.... caffeinated gel 15min pre-start , water bottle to rinse and spit in goggles since no warm up... Follow the crowd and swim hard...
T1- goal 4min vs. 2 years ago 4.5min... Forecast is for high 50's at the start which should put the temp right around 60 at 8am... If this forecast holds I will suck it up, in favor of a few seconds, willing to be uncomfortably cold for 30-60minutes, and forego gloves, arm warmers, toe covers, and vests or castelli jersey, however all of those items will be in my T1 bag as well as hand warmers already open in the jersey and the shoes if I thought it was cold enough after body mark/bike prep.... hustle out of the water , wetsuit stripped, to the bags, to the tent, slow is smooth , smooth is fast, move with purpose so as not to have to do anything more than once.... helmet on, shoes will be determined based on how far from bike and how cold, either on or run to bike in hands....
Bike- goal 5:05-5:10 on wattage target of 165 give or take 5 watts- No comps to be had on this course since I DNF'ed after second lap 2 years ago... Past flat IM's and watts make 5:10 or less predictable... Find clean spot past mount line, mount bike, soft pedal and pay attention to EVERYONE until in the clear, drink, breathe, go to work! Within 5-10minutes I should be ramped up to target watts , will more than likely go above to stay warm until I dry off... Drink every 15 minutes, Eat every 30 minutes... Starting with 1 bottle of skratch and then GE off the course, food will go clif bar, clif blocks , gels... 2yrs ago my DNF here was caused by a lower back issue, after I called it a day unable to practically walk, I felt like I could run an hour after 4 advil.... I am very much against taking any kind of pain med while racing even tylenol which is useless to me anyway but I will have advil on the bike just in case... Not "too" worried as I have done many 5hr rides this year, including IMLP and KONA, including many flat ones (not without feeling it in my lower back but no debilitating) ... However I will do some standing up early to loosen up from the swim, will sit up on the admin turns and again at the 180's of the course, in addition when I eat or pee... Staying alert on this course, knock off 22+ 5 mile intervals at 165 watts... Coming into town after lap 3, feet out of shoes 1 mile out, sit, stand, stretch, drink, pee..Slowly stop just outside the dismount line, hand off bike!
T2- Goal 2-3min based on past years best times in the M55-59AG, run to bag helmet off while running, to tent, sit, socks and shoes on, grab visor and race belt, go as soon as I know volunteer has my bag, visor on head, race belt on body, watch on race belt hit the start button when crossed the line...
Run- Goal 3:40-45 based on past IM performances.... Mile 1 get established, watch off the belt and on my wrist, gel flask out of the belt and into my hand, run by RPE while feeling myself out and listening to my breathing, see what pace I settle in at , walk every single aid station starting at mile 1 slowing to a walk taking one breath drink GE another breath then back to work, this is only about 10 seconds of walking, every 3 miles sip off the gel flask, after 2-3 miles I should have a good idea of what pace to settle on and think it will be around 8:30's, repeat this process till around mile 18, gel flask is gone, switch to coke/RB, I am not at MY line yet but its getting more difficult and more uncomfortable, keep/maintain this difficult effort, I will allow myself to skip walking the last 3 aid stations and bring it home with what ever push is left... Will stop to kiss Heather every time I see her... I feel like I have not pushed a run since IMMD last year and maybe its time....
Questions, comments, suggestions, all welcome????
Prep- KONA 4 weeks ago, 1 week recovery, 2 weeks training, 2 weeks taper.... Aside from the 1st recovery week did quite a bit of intensity in all 3 SBR.... Weekly long rides after KONA were 2.5hrs, 3.75hrs, 5hrs, 2.5hrs.... Weekly long runs were 60', 90', 120', 70'.... Numbers have been pretty good , FTP is actually looking a bit higher than pre-KONA at about 215, swim threshold 1:30 per 100yds, and still guessing vdot of around 48 , body feels great, weight has crept up a few lbs since KONA 120-121 vs. 118-119 pre-KONA ... Confidence is high...
Friday AM- finish up my taper here in Tucson with a 30-40min ride and 2 mile brick run, drive to Tempe' , packet pick-up look for EN'ers , check in to hotel, go out to eat with Heather at Green....
Sat AM- up early , carbo load breakfast at hotel of bagels and cereal etc, pack up bike and bags, head to SwimStart/Bike/Bag Drop Off's look for EN'ers , practice swim 5-10 minutes at the most just to check water temp with my thin skinned ROKA, then drop bike/bags off, review swim in, bike out, bike in , run out routes.... Back to the hotel for sweet potato lunch, feet up, couple short dog walks, dinner of noodle bowl and a naked smoothie... Snacks pretzels, banana's, chocolate etc... 1/2 serving of skratch hyper-hydration...
Sun AM- up 4am , breakfast of oatmeal, banana, raisins, peanut butter, maple syrup and coffee and the other 1/2 serving of skratch hyper-hydration.... Relax in the room for a bit... After the business is done, lube, sunscreen, LG-EN-M2 tri-suit, chip... Bring warm clothes pre-swim..Leave early to get good parking spot, hang in car a bit, head to body marking look for EN'ers , then bike for set up tires, computer, nutrition... Review swim in, bike out, bike in, run out routes again...Get in swim line around 6:30 for a 6:50 start... 2 years ago I was able to work my way to the front but it was rather difficult.
Swim- goal 1:03-04 vs. 2 years ago was 1:03:30... Line up as close as I can to the sub 1hr group... Will be wearing my thermal BlueSeventy wetsuit unless the water is in the high 60's which I do not expect... 2 years ago I was very cold in my ROKA and I will be very comfy in the BlueSeventy.... caffeinated gel 15min pre-start , water bottle to rinse and spit in goggles since no warm up... Follow the crowd and swim hard...
T1- goal 4min vs. 2 years ago 4.5min... Forecast is for high 50's at the start which should put the temp right around 60 at 8am... If this forecast holds I will suck it up, in favor of a few seconds, willing to be uncomfortably cold for 30-60minutes, and forego gloves, arm warmers, toe covers, and vests or castelli jersey, however all of those items will be in my T1 bag as well as hand warmers already open in the jersey and the shoes if I thought it was cold enough after body mark/bike prep.... hustle out of the water , wetsuit stripped, to the bags, to the tent, slow is smooth , smooth is fast, move with purpose so as not to have to do anything more than once.... helmet on, shoes will be determined based on how far from bike and how cold, either on or run to bike in hands....
Bike- goal 5:05-5:10 on wattage target of 165 give or take 5 watts- No comps to be had on this course since I DNF'ed after second lap 2 years ago... Past flat IM's and watts make 5:10 or less predictable... Find clean spot past mount line, mount bike, soft pedal and pay attention to EVERYONE until in the clear, drink, breathe, go to work! Within 5-10minutes I should be ramped up to target watts , will more than likely go above to stay warm until I dry off... Drink every 15 minutes, Eat every 30 minutes... Starting with 1 bottle of skratch and then GE off the course, food will go clif bar, clif blocks , gels... 2yrs ago my DNF here was caused by a lower back issue, after I called it a day unable to practically walk, I felt like I could run an hour after 4 advil.... I am very much against taking any kind of pain med while racing even tylenol which is useless to me anyway but I will have advil on the bike just in case... Not "too" worried as I have done many 5hr rides this year, including IMLP and KONA, including many flat ones (not without feeling it in my lower back but no debilitating) ... However I will do some standing up early to loosen up from the swim, will sit up on the admin turns and again at the 180's of the course, in addition when I eat or pee... Staying alert on this course, knock off 22+ 5 mile intervals at 165 watts... Coming into town after lap 3, feet out of shoes 1 mile out, sit, stand, stretch, drink, pee..Slowly stop just outside the dismount line, hand off bike!
T2- Goal 2-3min based on past years best times in the M55-59AG, run to bag helmet off while running, to tent, sit, socks and shoes on, grab visor and race belt, go as soon as I know volunteer has my bag, visor on head, race belt on body, watch on race belt hit the start button when crossed the line...
Run- Goal 3:40-45 based on past IM performances.... Mile 1 get established, watch off the belt and on my wrist, gel flask out of the belt and into my hand, run by RPE while feeling myself out and listening to my breathing, see what pace I settle in at , walk every single aid station starting at mile 1 slowing to a walk taking one breath drink GE another breath then back to work, this is only about 10 seconds of walking, every 3 miles sip off the gel flask, after 2-3 miles I should have a good idea of what pace to settle on and think it will be around 8:30's, repeat this process till around mile 18, gel flask is gone, switch to coke/RB, I am not at MY line yet but its getting more difficult and more uncomfortable, keep/maintain this difficult effort, I will allow myself to skip walking the last 3 aid stations and bring it home with what ever push is left... Will stop to kiss Heather every time I see her... I feel like I have not pushed a run since IMMD last year and maybe its time....
Questions, comments, suggestions, all welcome????
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Comments
You do well pushing the bike and then having a solid run just try to keep track or watch the early effort above target watts to stay warm. If this turns out to be a bigger effort for 60 minutes rather than 30 it may affect the run. Perhaps a trade off of gloves and arm warmers would help an minimize the T1 time. If you have a longer T1 run to your bike you might have extra time for gloves and rolled up arm warmers.
If you've been feeling good with the body maybe it's time to push a run and see what you've got. Given you are not looking for a Kona qualification this might be a good time. Finally not sure there is a trade off here per say but if you want to push the run set yourself up on the bike and this might mean a few extra seconds in T1.
Have a great race.
I am a rookie but the only thing I might add is to have the socks rolled in T2 to make it faster.
Good luck and see you on Saturday
It’s your last IM for a while, so really enjoy it.
MR
@Jorge Duque Nice recommendation on the socks... I pre-lube prep my bike shoes and run shoes with a thin application of glide through out , my socks for T2 I turn inside out , prep with glide, turn them back to inside in , and then roll halfway down , then slip them in each shoe open...
@Mike Roberts I've been paranoid about the water/air temps on this race forever... I had avoided it for this purpose alone (did the same with IMLP)... In 2015 I was so cold in my ROKA I could feel my forearms through those see through panels freezing, it was really beginning to affect me towards the end of the swim.. I DNF'ed with that back issue, and then it rained all day , while I watched the race it was evident I may have been a DNF from the cold/rain anyway while I watched every one shiver... I have also watched this race twice wearing a light winter jacket almost all day.... HOWEVER I think the IM gods are with us this year... The weather has been mid 80's every day with lows in mid 50's, the water should hover in the mid 60's at least, air and wind forecast are light and warm .... Really could not be better for a freezebaby:-)...
Have fun, Tim!
"If this forecast holds I will suck it up, in favor of a few seconds, willing to be uncomfortably cold for 30-60minutes, and forego gloves, arm warmers, toe covers, and vests or castelli jersey, however all of those items will be in my T1 bag"
I don't like to ride cold; doesn't seem like you do either. Saving a few seconds to skimp on clothing diverts energy and costs valuable power -- even for 30 minutes. Good idea to have warm stuff in T1; maybe put it in a separate Ziploc bag. If you're cold after the swim use it
"... Will stop to kiss Heather every time I see her..."
Absolutely fabulous idea! Time spent for repeated kisses on the race course pays off with a much happier and healthier life*
My race plan is similar to yours. Only a lot slower ;-)
Hope to see you there.
@Al Truscott "I'm here to win." Every single time... Except of course we are in KONA where reality comes into play!
@Paul Curtin - yes this freeze baby will have options in T1... funny I was walking the dog this am and thought this is really cold for mid 50's, turns out it was mid 40's...
@Brian Hagan @Scott Dinhofer, @Rich Stanbaugh thank you so much for the kind words and well wishes
@Peter Carroll and @David Richmond , be good to see you again David and to meet you Peter, I'm not gonna make team dinner on thursday, Friday will be at packet pickup midday , then dinner at Green later, Saturday am bike drop and swim practice around 10am, planning an Indian Food Buffet lunch on Monday midday after awards... Will check in on GroupMe and have my eye out for ENers each time to try and connect!
Impressed how fast you bounced back from your RR at Kona : ) You're amazing ... good luck.
Great plan! I like how you go off of "feel" on the run and settle into a pace...definitely an IM Ninja Execution Master!
I'm looking forward to tracking you. Have a great race and I hope the weather cooperates.