Paul's Race Plan for Ironman Norway 2018 - Please read and Critique!

Ironman Norway (1 July) will be my 13th Ironman, and hopefully a lucky one at that.  I’ve wanted to race in Haugesund ever since they introduced a 70.3 there in 2013, but the venue shot to the very top of my bucket list when they added the full enchilada to the plate for 2018.  And with ultra-popular IM Austria and Challenge Roth on the exact same day, Haugesund is going to be a very, very small race.  Not counting the 70.3 which will start an hour after we do, I’ll be surprised if they have 700 finishers (Tier 1 pricing for the first 1000 never sold out). 

Like every IM before, there’s always a hitch getting ready, and this year is no different.  At the beginning of the year, my right shoulder got to the point where I needed to take off or I wasn’t going to be able to swim.  So I stopped for 1 month and then rebuilt very slowly…problem solved.  Everything was going great until about mid-April when I started to have problems with my right hip/groin on the bike.  I saw my primary care physician at the end of April and may have the beginning of a right inguinal hernia (I had surgery for the left side at age 10).  However, I’m cleared to compete with the usual ‘listen to your body’ warning.  I’ve started (and finished) IMs with stress fractures and even pneumonia (don’t try this!) so a potential hernia is just another obstacle to overcome.  To be on the safe side though, I thought I would write a race plan, something I typically don’t do.  Your inputs and suggestions are greatly welcomed.

Getting there:  Karen and I are flying Iceland Air via Keflavik to Bergen, Norway.  After dragging around my trusty PikaPack Works bike case (a softside case without wheels) for the past 10 years, I finally sold it and bought a new semi-rigid case with wheels on one end (Thule RoundTrip Pro XT).  I typically pick a hotel within a couple of blocks of the central train stations in Europe but lugging the bag for a few hundred yards is getting too hard at my age.  With a possible hernia, having a bag with some wheels may turn out to be fortuitous!

Wednesday:  Arrive Bergen Airport.  20 min train ride from AP to central city.  Check-in, 30 min shake out run, then explore and have dinner.

Thursday:  Take bus/ferry to Haugesund (there are no trains in that direction)…about a 3.5 hour trip to the south.  Check in to the race hotel, register, expo, another short run, then dinner and build the bike. 

Friday:  Early bike ride to test everything out.  Pick up a car rental for the day (already booked) with about 6 hours out of town to see Langfossen (top 10 waterfall in the world), then practice swim at venue, then big dinner.  Skip Ironman welcome dinner as usual.

Saturday:  About 60 min bike ride + 20 min run in the morning.  Athlete briefing and bike turn in.   Follow usual food plan.  I’ll be taking my apple sauce, pretzels, etc. and will source a banana and protein shake from the local supermarket.   Feet up in the afternoon and evening as much as possible.

Race Day:  Up early and take taxi or race shuttle to swim venue (about 30 min walk away).  Sun-up at 4:27 am so no flashlight/headlamp for this trip. The water temperature should be in the low 60s, so I’ll probably wear my neoprene cap, but no booties.  Put Vaseline on face, back of hands, and feet.  No swim warm-up permitted so jog a little, etc.  This will be the first IM race I’m aware of with no sighting buoys.  Instead, they have tested and manufactured 3800m of inflatable lane lines to convert the lake into one long pool swim…perhaps a new standard for other races! There is an Aussie exit about 2/3rds of the way then right back into another lane.  With a rolling start and small field, everyone should be in the water within 15 mins.  The lane will be 15 meters wide so basically, just follow the crowd with virtually no sighting required.

 T1 – I’ll walk about 50 yards to catch my breath then jog to the bag stand and on into the changing tent.  I’ve watched videos of all prior years 70.3 events and the likely weather will be low 50s with drizzle and some fog in the morning.  The race hashtag is #ColdKona.  Since I heat up very rapidly at most I’ll most likely add arm coolers (I use these as arm warmers) and some throw away gloves.  And I will probably don a black sports hernia truss over my outfit for the bike leg.  The only problem this hernia/pull/tear or whatever has given me is on the bike and whenever I sit for a long time.  I bought a belt to wear under my clothes and tried it on the bike and found that it eliminated all discomfort so I bought a sports one to use in the race.  Basically, the truss is cheap race insurance.

 Bike – The course is a one 90K loop to the north coming back by T1/2 then another 90K loop to the east.  Net elevation gain will be just over 6500 ft from many small hills.  This year I’ve upgraded my travel bike with a new, more aero cockpit and SRAM eTap.  Since I expect wet roads, I also picked up a set of HED Jet 6+ aluminum brake track wheels and will take my power pedals.  I don’t pay much attention to my power readings other than to avoid major spikes or any sustained period over my target power.  With the amount of elevation on the course, I’m going to take a SWAG that my bike split will be around 6.5 hrs.  That will require a little more nutrition than I usually carry.  Because Powerbar quit making gels, I’ll be taking 2 Power BARS (standard) plus a bunch of Gu gels I’ve trained with.  I’ll be aiming for 300 calories per hour + whatever calories I take in from sports drink. I’ll start off with no caffeine gels at the beginning and switch to caffeinated gels on the second half of the ride.  The last hour will be living off the course (HIGH5 gels) which is fine as I have an iron gut and can pretty much eat anything without distress.  With the cooler weather, I expect to have to make one pit stop…peeing on the bike ain’t happening.  Like most European IMs, there are no special needs bags so that is not in plans.

T2 – This is back at the lake, same venue as T1.   Any fog/rain is likely to be long gone and it could be anywhere from cloudy/partly cloudy to sunny. The high for the day should be upper 50s to low 60s so I will actually be able to breathe! Additional clothing beyond the trikit not needed. I’ll put on a running hat, sunglasses if needed, socks and shoes, and take the rest out in a run bag…probably walking the first 100 yards putting stuff on.  I’ve been searching for a new pair of IM shoes for the past 3 years and finally landed on a couple that I’m happy with – the Hoka Mach and the Salming Enroute 2.  I’m taking both shoes with me but will probably race with the Salming.

Run – After many tries, I have given up on triathlon mode on my Garmin 920.  I just cannot remember to start and stop the watch at the beginning and ending of each event and T1/2.  Screw it.  I’ll be putting the watch on as I start the run and go from there.  Haugesund is a typical Ironman Europe 4 loop – collect your scrunchy on each loop and finish when you have 4 different colors on your arm.  Over time, I’ve decreased the amount of fuel I use on the run.  Two sleeves of Clif Shot Blocks and 2ng Surge gels with more caffeine than was in the Gu Gels on the last part of the bike.  The rest will be Coke or whatever I feel like taking.  I’ll have sodium pills as required, but I’m not expecting to need too many in that climate.  The goal will be to run the 1st loop slowly and then to just keep running.  Sunset is 10:58 pm so finishing in the dark is not an issue.

Monday – I’ll be passing on awards even if I manage to podium in the small field.  Instead we’ll be heading back to Bergen for a couple more nights then several more in Iceland to pick up some attractions we missed on our last visit there. Recovery soak Wednesday night in the Blue Lagoon – a repeat visit.  Tri-cation here we come!