Jeff Horn Chatt70.3 Plan

Ironman Chattanooga 70.3 Race Plan

This is hometown race and my A 70.3.  I know the course pretty well as I’ve raced several times before and train a lot on the run course.  I had a pretty good race last year but was coming off a sprained ankle and had zero run fitness.  Last year was short swim due to current issues, but raced in 5:00 flat.  Year before was 5:21.  Current run fitness is real good, but severe plantar fasciitis has made running very impossible this last 4 weeks.  I have been in PT for two weeks and they think I’ll be ready to run.  Therefore goals may be limited again by run.  Bike fitness is right where I want it.   Swim fitness is good.

Will check into race early Friday between work and get out.  Hate milling around the village – too much nervous energy.  Plus it will rain or have rained and be a mud pit.  Saturday will check bike in and hopefully hang out with EN folks in town for lunch.  I will sleep at home for this race which is nice, but means driving to race site in am rather than an easy walk from hotel.

Sunday wake up at 3:00 and get some breakfast.  I like bagel with peanut butter and honey, unsweetened applesauce, and sportsdrink.  Head to race / park and get T1/2 set up early.  Catch shuttle to swim start and get in line.  Relax and find port o john.  Gel 30 minutes prior to race with some H20.

Gear:

Swim:  Wetsuit / swimskin (rain this week will probably keep temp legal), double swim cap, goggles tinted, earplugs, anti-fog, gel, anti-chafe

Bike:  TrekSC, socks, shoes, helmet, headband, computer, tubes and co2s

Run:  Red Newton’s, headband, race belt / number, sunglasses

Nutrition:  2 bottles EFS pro for bike.  Salt tube in bike bento.  Salt tube in run # belt.

Post race clothes:  my gym is right downtown so can go get some hot tub / shower and change after race.

Plan:

Swim:  Most likely will be wetsuit legal as history of the race shows.  The last 2/3 of this swim is downriver with not much body contact, so I will focus a good bit of energy on the front end to fight the mob up river to the first turn buoy, then turn and relax but have steady effort to the finish.  We are expecting thunderstorms Thurs and Fri, so I’m hoping current isn’t too bad, or at least bad enough to shorten the swim.  My swim is decent (not Sabra Gonzales decent mind you) and hate to lose advantage on short swim. 

T1:  Long run up to transition on concrete (oh my aching heel).  Strip wetsuit off on the fly while wet and carry to bike.   Socks, shoes and helmet on and go.  Try to correct the huge T1 I had at Haines City.  Be efficient.

Bike:  Will ride out of town at lower power 180-185W ~ 70% to get heart rate down.  Let people fly by if they need to.  Don’t get antsy on admin portion of course going out of town.  When heart rate eases down about 10 min in, start on liquid nutrition.  When exiting St. Elmo just north of town (mile 5), start ramping up power to 84%.  Next few miles are pretty steady.  Then there will be rollers before mile 19.  Flatten these out without spiking power.  Next section to the turn around is steady.  Left turn up Andrews hill have to keep power in check.  Don’t let the mashers draw you into their game.  This is not a Zwift race.  Steady she goes.  On other side of hill steady at 0.84 again to Chickamauga, after which there is long low grade hill out of town.  No need to crush this.  After hill steady work back to T2.  Nutrition plan is EFS pro 2 bottles at 240 Cal / bottle, and then take a bottle of GE at the last aid station and get that in as well .

T2:  Roll into T2 with feet out of shoes, flying dismount (this is every race for me).  Run to spot, run shoes on, new headband, glasses and race number belt and get ass in gear. 

Run:  I feel like I know this course so well, I know where it likes to eat me for breakfast.  Pace out of T2 will be TRP (8:45 / mi), trying to match bike heart rate.  There is a hill before end of mile one behind the aquarium.  I will take it easy here.  Can’t win the race here, but certainly can lose it.  Once over hill keep on TRP pace to mile 3.  Once there will increase pace as tolerated to about 8:15/8:20.   I will keep on this pace until mile 10.  At that point I will increase to 7:50/8:00 pace if able.   Despite pace, must not burn matches up hills at Battery place and over the Walking bridge (mile 5 and 6.5).  These will slaughter me at the wrong effort.  Got to remember than I run these all the time in training and they are not that difficult.  I have the course split up in my mind as easy sections and difficult sections.  Must make sure that I stick to pace on the easy stuff, and if I need to slow down, the hills are a good place to ease off the gas.  Nutrition.  I carry a small hand bottle with GE that I sip on each mile, sometimes in between as thirsty.   I will switch to coke at mile 6 and then switch GE / coke in to the finish at each aid station. 

Goals:  

I would say that running the entire ½ is primary goal as I always struggle with the late run fade and walk/run late in day.   Record for this course is 5:00 but that was short swim.  Swim goals around :30 - :31.  Transition goals of 3min or less.  I can bike the course in 2:30, but should bike it in around 2:35.  Last couple runs here have been 2:06 / 2:07.  I should be able to do 1:55 if I run smart.  Ironically my heel doesn’t hurt too bad during runs.  Usually just the morning after.  I think overall a 5:00-5:10 is reasonable target to aim for.   

Thanks for reading, any input is appreciated.