Jeremy's Kona Race Plan

Ten days out from the race and after contemplating a number of approaches I think I've settled into a base plan that I'll execute until conditions dictate otherwise.

As most of you know, I entered Lake Placid on below average training but managed to have a PR effort on a very challenging course. I clearly underestimated the benefit from many years of accumulated training and racing at the pointy end of the curve for the past five years. I feel like I'm pushing this 'minimalist' approach further than I would like and Kona is not the place to test it. That's not to say I'm massively undertrained...my CTL is in the 115 range now and peaked in the low 120s a few weeks ago (10 points lower than my peak prior to Lake Placid). I feel much better about my run as I did an 18 miler two weeks ago which was 2 more miles than my longest run leading up to Lake Placid. My bike and swim have dropped off though. I had a couple big weeks of biking in late Aug/early Sept but I haven't done a single ride over 100 miles in 5 weeks. I intended to do 110 in Maryland last weekend but broke a spoke on my road bike at mile 80 and didn't have a backup. But I probably put 40 miles on the loaner 3 speed Peugeot that I used to sherpa on race day! And I've only swam once per week averaging 3500 yards for the last month. I'm not to worried about the biking as I think I'll have a lot of carryover fitness. I am ramping up my swimming this week and I'm a pretty good swimmer so again, not too worried.

At first I thought I'd focus on putting in a decent performance and having fun with since I had a solid race in 2016 and didn't appreciate it as much as I should. But then I thought...Kona is NEVER fun. And by slowing it down you are hurting longer. And I'm coming off a PR performance 6 weeks ago. And I don't have the ability to turn off the competitive drive.

I leave on Tuesday morning. Until then I'm going to shoot for 10K swimming this week, a long run of 14-16 miles, and a 60-75 mile bike this weekend. Bike and Run will all be at IM pacing. I arrive on Tuesday afternoon. Once I'm settled into the condo will do a short 3-4 mile run to shake off some jet lag and begin acclimatizing. Staying at a condo right across from Huggo's so right in the heart of everything. Wednesday morning is a Stryd run so will get in a couple more miles. Later that morning is a Ventum ride so I'll get a chance to make sure everything on my bike is working smoothly. Depending on the day may try to swim that afternoon or just punt that until Thursday morning before the underpants run. Afternoons will be spent soaking up rays and enjoying the island vibe.

Team breakfast on Friday at Ihop. Will do a lunch of chicken and rice, followed by a dinner of pasta....same as 2016.

Saturday my pre race routing will be same as always....a couple Naked Smoothies at 3AM. Wake around 5. Walk to body marking. Team pick in front of King Kam. Sipping Gatorade all morning. Gel 30 minutes before the cannon. Likely a very short warmup in the water. Line up left center and 4-5 people back. Will swim hard, but if/when I feel my form slipping I'll back off a bit. I'm thinking a 1:01-1:03 swim is likely. T1 is pretty simple...only difference is making sure I rinse the salt water off sufficiently.

On the bike I'll be focused on getting my HR down and starting nutrition/hydration early. The first 10 miles are a total shit show of overzealous type A triathletes hammering along municipal roads. I'll be keeping hyper aware and trying to stay out of any chaos. Once on the Queen K my bike ride will start. I have had good experience upping my calorie in take on the bike and will continue that in Kona. I'll take in ~150 calories each our of solid food (Stroopwaffles, bananas, and Clif Bars). I'll drink GE liberally and only stop when I am too full. I'm targeting 220 watts which is consistent with my IMLP power and about 20 watts higher than Kona 2016. I was hyper worried about drafting last time, especially in the huge peloton that is unavoidable when you have 1000 participants all starting together with the same general level of fitness. I'n not going to worry about that as much. I won't intentionally draft but I won't go hard off the gas if I get caught up in a massive group like I did last time. Once the turn to Hawi is reached things should spread out enough to allow me to race my race with fewer interruptions. Goal will be staying aero which may be my biggest challenge given my lack of saddle time. Once I get to the airport I'll dial back the watts a bit and switch to liquid nutrition only.

The run....in all IMs it is about the run. Kona just takes that truth and amplifies it fourfold. I proved that I can run well in Kona. Not once in an IM have I every thought about quitting, or even walking, and this won't be any different. I'm going to run with HR as my primary metric...targeting 142-145. This usually has me running slightly above target pace early on but again, I've proven that I can do this without slowing down significantly. Lots of ice to cool my body, and initially 2 cups of GE every aid station. I usually have a target for when I switch to Coke/Red Bull but that never works out. In Kona 2016 it happened on the bike! In Lake Placid it happened around mile 6. I will certainly start by Palani Hill but maybe earlier if the situation dictates. Focus on having fun and engaging with spectators along Ali'i as I remember how desolate and boring things get once on the Queen K. I'll jog up Palani Hill (no walking unless HR spikes above 150 for an extended time). Find runners to serve as windbreaks or carrots along Queen K. Energy Lab was rock bottom for me in 2016 and I suspect the location (mile 16-18) along with the conditions will create the same dynamic this year. I'll reach for the same reminder that I have earned the pleasure of this pain and that pain is temporary and there are thousands of other triathletes that would love to have the opportunity to experience this pain. Embrace the suck to the core. Once I'm back on the Queen K it's just a matter of getting to where I can see the Palani Stoplights...from there I know I'm close and can get home with whatever is left in the tanks. I was a total mess and completely wiped in 2016 and my finishing pictures showed it. I want to be more photogenic this year :)

So what are my goals? I would like to beat my time of 9:54 from 2016. I'd like to finish better than top 50 (20%) of my AG as I did in 2016. But ultimately I want to know I raced the best race I could. New territory for me in a few ways. First time with 2 IMs in one year. Low training volume in the 5 weeks leading up to the race. Only 3 days to acclimate prior to the race. But I have the momentum of a solid race just 10 weeks ago and knowing there is a great group of teammates also on the course pushing me. @Donnacha Holmes has to be the oddsmaker's favorite right now but @matt limbert and @Coach Patrick are both not far behind. On paper they are all faster than me which is a great motivator. And @Dave Tallo has been to Kona 4-5 times and is due to crack the code. Look forward to racing with those rabbits and sharing the course with first timers @Derrek Sanks and @Paul Curtin .