I realize this is a late post but I greatly appreciate any insight and help!

This weekend (in a few days) I will be doing Wildflower squared.  I've never been to Wildflower.  Have heard it's a bucket-list race with the word epic thrown in.  Living in Southern CA, I've thought about doing it and was disappointed when it was canceled due to low water levels.  Well, it is back this year!  Since I don't know how long it will be around, I decided to do Squared which is Long Course on Saturday and Olympic on Sunday.  Getting the full experience!  Keep hearing how hard it is so I guess I will see.

I've been plagued with sickness from my 8 year old (now I know why I don't do spring races) but managed to get in most workouts although many were cut short.  It will be 2 days of practicing execution and I guess enjoying the wildflowers in bloom.  I would just like to finish both races which will require me to race smart. Not breaking any records but guaranteed a PR anyway since this my first time.

Never been camping so we opted for the Glamping option with VIP package that includes our food.  I know, not the FULL WF experience but with doing 2 races figure I have enough to figure out without learning how to pitch a tent.

I watched Coach Rich's course preview talk and read the race reports in the forum (thanks!! very helpful!).  

Packing list:

Swim

·       2 goggles

·       2 swim caps

·       2 wetsuits

·       Booties?

·       Trislide

·       Towels

·       Garmin

·       HRM

·       Timing chips (at race)

·       Safety pin

·       Zip-lock to organize

·       Sunscreen for face

·       Bag Balm for under HRM

·       Pre-race nutrition  

·       Gel (X2)

·       Water bottle for sports drink

·       Water bottle to clean feet

·       Sports waffles (X2)

Bike

·       Bike

·       2 aero cups

·       6 water bottles (2 for bike and 1 to fill aero cup X 2)

·       Shoes

·       Helmet

·       Spray sunscreen

·       Mat

·       Sun glasses

·       Garmin with courses

·       6 CO2

·       4 tubes

·       Tire boot

·       Tailwind

·       Little ziplock bags for nutrition

·       Beef Jerky

·       Ginger

·       Salt Stix

·       Tums

·       Imodium (for emergencies)

·       Butt glide

·       Blistex

Run

·       Race belt

·       Fuel belt

·       Hat

·       Shoes

·       Flip belt (in case for short course)

·       Cooling scarf

·       Tailwind

·       Little bags

·       Tums

·       Imodium

·       Bag Balm under HRM

·       Band-Aids

·       Ginger

·       Sunscreen spray

·       Blistex

Thursday

Leave San Diego around 5:00AM and pick-up my friend Rebecca in Carlsbad

1:00-2:00 PM arrive, find tent and set-up camp, eat, rest, start getting race stuff together.  Maybe do practice swim today if we in fact arrive this early!

Friday

• Sleep in - no alarm
• Hoping for big breakfast (normal breakfast is pancakes, eggs, potatoes etc); also have bagels etc for back-up carbs!
• Practice Swim – bring photo ID, printouts etc for expo
• Expo opens at noon-8PM
• Have lunch
• Drive bike course drink Nuun water, snack on pretzels, pita chips etc – no fiber just processed carbs and salt

• Pack gear for Saturday and rest –eat pretzels, drink Nuun, read…
• Swim: 2 pair goggles; swim hat (mine plus race); wetsuit, triglide, waffles and gel pre-race, timing chip, bottle of water to rinse feet, towel, sunscreen face
• Bike: Charged Garmin, bento with beef jerky, salt sticks (8), blistex, ginger, tums, Imodium; aero cup, 6 bottles with tailwind (3 for course and 2 for morning and 1 for run), sunscreen spray

o   Run bag: Race belt with number; Fuel belt (salt stixs, blistex, 2 bags of tailwind, ginger, Imodium, tums and water bottle with tailwind), hat

o   Sunscreen (spray and stick for face)

o   Shoes (bike and run)

o   Extra pair of socks (just in case)

o   Helmet

o   Cooling scarf for if it is ultra-hot

• Pasta Dinner (4-8PM)
• Bed by 9:00 – hopefully asleep soon after

Saturday- Wildflower Long Course

Get up at 5:00 AM – eat, get dressed, shorts, heart rate monitor, sports bra, garmin 920 watch, timing chip held with safety pin

Bagel with almond butter, chia seeds and honey, banana and bottle of tailwind

6:00 AM transition opens and stays open

6:30 AM  Leave for Transition

6:45 AM arrive at transition sip tailwind until 1 hour before wave start

Set-up T1

Turn on Garmin and set to stay on

Run bag with race belt and hat in back, run shoes on top, fuel belt on top of shoes

Bike shoes in front with helmet on top

4 bags of tailwind in helmet plus extra beef jerky, sun glasses and spray-on sunscreen

Singlet on top of helmet

Towel over bike shoes/Singlet with water bottle to spray feet

Bento box has blistex, beef jerky, ginger, salt sticks, tums and Imodium

Identify my LANDMARK!

7:30 AM eat sports waffle, load stuff I don't need in bag, put on wetsuit, spray legs and arms with tri-slide to help get wetsuit off, glide on neck, sunscreen on face, make sure I have my timing chip on!  secure with safety pin

8:15 AM eat a gel with water, goggles and swim cap 

8:20 AM warm-up if I can, water in wetsuit, goggles not fogging or leaking, swim, deep breaths

8:30 AM Purple caps wave start

Line up in the middle towards the back to avoid crowding through boat docks, deep breaths.  I've not  been swimming much and want to avoid a bad start.  Can start swimming after through ramp.  Will recon this the day before.

Relax, elbows high and fingers down, be long and swim as STRAIGHT as possible

Expect 45-50 min (no idea really have not been swimming much in open water)

Exit

Remove goggles to head

Take off ½ wetsuit and run to bike (FIND LANDMARK!!!)

T1 –

Rinse feet and wipe dry with towel

Singlet on

Wetsuit off

Put on bike shoes

Sunglasses, spray generously with sunscreen, sunscreen stick on face, blistex on lips, helmet on,

Blistex in bento

Four baggies of tailwind in pocket plus extra beef jerky

Walk to mount line

Start Garmin 

Bike

The biggest challenge for me is nutrition. It will be critical to remember to eat and drink especially early so I don’t run out of gas on Nasty grade and into the run.  Reading past race reports, must remember to take in food especially between miles 20 and 40. Major goal is to take care of myself especially as it starts getting hot (predicted high ~90).  Keep an eye on heartrate!

(projected starting temp ~60) – enjoy the cool start for bike around 9:30 finish around 1-1:30? (3:30-4hr)

Nutrition:  Start bike with 3 bottles of tailwind; 1 aero, 1 front tube and 1 back tube. A bag of beef jerky and salt sticks, tums Imodium candied ginger; 4 bags of tailwind powder.

 

Miles 1-5 -watch heartrate overall should not exceed 150-160

Mount bike and ride ~1 mile on Narrow Bike path – just stay safe and get mentally prepared for the bike Power ~110-115

Turn right onto Beach Hill (~ Mile 1.3-2.3) 6-8% grade

Keep cadence high and power < 140 ideally

Fast downhill and rollers – make sure to pick-up speed at mile 5 to get up “bump” ?– sharp right

 

Mile 5-6 – Leave park and start eating! Power ~120W up to 140W on hills but no more

Min 1.5 bottles per hour early – get uber hydrated for the hot day

Mile 11-12 – Fast downhill – do not slow down until ~33-35 MPH – no rest

Gradual climb until mile 28 – top of hill is aid station

Move to far end of aid station and find a volunteer to stop mile 20 bottom of hill or Mile 28 top of hill to Refill – ideally have had 2 bottles at mile 28 – take salt stick and few bits of beef Jerky to make sure I’m eating, fill water bottles and add Tailwind

Mile 28-35 FAST down hill- lots of speed! No resting

Mile 35 – Turn right – aid station – STOP HERE TO REFILL salt stick, beef Jerkey – PEE? - back on hilly bike course – take it easy until Nasty grade

 

Mile 40 – Nasty grade starts as a false flat – Enjoy the view of both lakes on either side – pretty 😉  Climb turn right and climb some more – powerlines are steepest part so save energy for that.

 

~Mile 45 very fast downhill watch sharp U-turn and don’t go too fast

 

~Mile 50 Significant climb when you head back into the park then careful down Lynch hill into T2

T2

Rack bike

Helmet off

More sunscreen

Change into running shoes, put on fuel belt and pick up running bag

Put on hat and race number while leaving transition

Take salt-stick

Eat a piece of Ginger

Get head set to start running uphill for the next 5 miles!!!!!

 Hit secret porta potty outside of T2?

Run: predicted high of 87 expect to take ~2.5 hrs, overall aim to keep heart rate below 150 until after Mile 9.5.  Will likely focus mainly on heartrate given the rolling hill terrain and the likely high heat (it has been very cool for my recent training runs).  Run from aid station to aid station and do not camp out.  Get ice as I run through beginning if I need it and then top-off bottle with ice (if needed) at the end.

Aim for 1-1.5 bottles of tailwind per hour, gel and salt stick (1-2) at mile 5 and salt stick at mile 9.5

·         If my stomach starts cramping (which it does in the heat) cool with water, ice at aid station, take salt stick and drink.  Slow down and take deep breaths.

Mile 1 – Short strides -nasty up and down hills -

·         Get legs moving and pay attention to pace and heart-rate, keep heart rate below 140

 

Mile 2.5 – Very nasty paved climb – short - power walk/run – keep heart-rate below 150-160 – do not overheat – (get ice at mile 2!)

 

Mile 4 – make sure plenty of ice and water for another much longer nasty climb (about 1 mile)

Miles 5-9.5 – settle into pace, fairly flat 

Mile 5 take salt stick and fill water bottle take a gel

Mile 9.5-10.5 come out of the pit – race starts here – refill at bottom of pit and get ice

Mile 12 – mostly downhill – Lynch -head into finish!  Woo hoo!!!  Eat and drink lots of sports drink because you have the Olympic tomorrow – 

 

Saturday post-race:  Repack gear early and stay off feet!  Pasta party repeat. Ignore everyone else partying and having fun post long-course.  Do not consider skipping Olympic.  Hang out, eat a few smores and enjoy being at WF.  Not breaking any records tomorrow anyway.

Sunday- Wildflower Olympic

Get up at 6:00 AM – eat, get dressed, shorts, heart rate monitor, sports bra, garmin 920 watch, timing chip held with safety pin

Bagel with almond butter, chia seeds and honey, banana and bottle of perform

8:00 AM  Leave for Transition

8:15 AM arrive at transition sip tailwind until 1 hour before wave start 

Set-up transition as before but make sure bike is in SMALL CHAIN RING!

8:45 eat sports waffle

9:30 Gel – same as HIM since I’m sure I will need calories due to deficit from yesterday’s race

Swim:  wave starts at 9:45 – do the swim thing as before

Bike:  Slow and steady up Lynch hill – pretty much up and down hills the entire course.  Apart from Lynch Hill, it is a repeat of yesterday for ~11 miles. Will not be breaking any records just follow HIM power plan.  Goal is to finish this and say “I did Wildflower Squared!”  Since I’m doing HIM pace, make sure to eat and drink as possible since I will likely be in a calorie deficit from Long-Course.  1.5 bottles of tailwind per hour and eat some beef Jerky.  Take salt stick after 1 hr. Take care of myself on the bike so I’m ready for the run.  No plans to stop at aid station other than to pour cold water on my head if I’m overheated.

Run:  Stay cool.  Run course is first and last bits of Long Course with the biggest hill being the “pit” from day 1.  Ice at aid stations.  Bring a bottle of tailwind, emergency tums, Imodium, gel and salt sticks for the run.

Yeah - I did Wildflower squared.  Never done back-to-back before.

Thanks!