2019 Hacks, Best Practices & Pro Tips

I started a list after IMAZ of things I learned to be applied next year. Some were learned from the School of Hard Knocks, some were shamelessly copied from @Coach Patrick and others. I will try to give credit if I remember seeing someone else doing it. If I don't remember, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate it ... just means there will be fewer people in my next age group than in the current one! Also - these are not in any particular order.

I encourage everyone to add to the list!

• Everything 100% done the night before the race (shamelessly copied from Coach P). I thought I had everything ready - I was schooled at IMAZ
  • Everything has its own bag: Run Special Needs, Bike Special Needs, Swim Start, Transition Setup, Tools, ... the idea is to not sort anything race morning. Just open the correct bag at the correct time and use everything in that bag.
  • The only things not packed in the morning backpack are the items that you will wear. Everything else bagged and zipped close.
  • Shower, shave, put on timing chip before bed. That way, the only things left to do in the apartment race morning is to apply stuff (chamois cream, sun screen etc), dress, eat, grab bags and leave. Eliminating race morning decisions is money. Even putting the chip on the night before saves time that could be bette spent eating / chilling.

• Go Bag for the Bike (also shamelessly copied from Coach P).
  • It was a long walk/jog from transition tent to the bike. I put arm warmers, gloves, nutrition belt in a plastic bag that I was able to carry with me on the way to the bike.
  • Great idea to keep moving through transition and avoid doing things on the bike that could be a little sketchy in traffic (eg, putting on arm warmers).

• Mini Hand Pump for bike tires in transition vs. begging / borrowing (courtesy of @Al Truscott)
  • Tires generally only need topping off - a hand pump is fine for that.
  • Pump fits in morning clothes bag, so no need to worry about handing off your pump.
  • I expect there aren't a ton of requests to borrow it, so you can get on about your business.

• Honey Stingers - cut the edge off the package (as opposed to the end) while preparing nutrition so the pouch opens like an envelope.
  • The edge is wider, so it is easier to get the waffle out while riding.
  • I find that I am much less likely to drop the waffle while riding with the edge cut as opposed to the end.
  • If I don't have bike shirt pockets, I wear a stretchy nylon mesh fanny pack with the stingers in it.

• Pack bags at home. I've been doing this for a while. I am notoriously bad at packing transition bags... it is embarrassing to see. I make piles and move stuff from pile to pile and it takes forever. I've found that moving the bag packing process as far as possible from the race day makes me more efficient. Coach P improved on my approach this year by taping his check lists to the outside of the bags so he knew exactly what was in them.

• Cold weather makes me (and others) pee a ton. I haven't figured out how to stop the urge to go (apart from being warm), but I can assure you that just because you are peeing when it is cold does not mean that your body needs less hydration.
  • I had a big problem with this at Louisville and had to back way off the bike power
  • I had a problem with this at Arizona, but I doubled up on the electrolytes and was able to consume nearly double the bottle count that I had at Louisville.
  • I will consider some pre-loading on electrolytes at my next cold bike start.

• The answer to nearly anything unexpected during the IM bike is to slow down. The corollary to this is that slowing down sooner rather than later means you can slow down less and have a bigger impact.
  • I made adjustments to back off / slow down in two of my three races this year and was rewarded on the run.

• For me, the run is opposite the bike. The answer to nearly anything is "don't stop." It doesn't hurt (physically) any more to keep going. For me, it is a mental block that I am trying to overcome.
  • The few steps I take at aid stations, the faster I run. I nearly always stop for at least one beat to swallow a cup of GE / Water / Coke / RedBull without choking and to make certain that I am staying hydrated. When that one-beat stop starts turning into steps, it has a very negative impact on my pace.
  • Coach P and I discussed trying to find places on the course where it is OK to stop (to make adjustments, tie shoes, etc) that are not at aid stations. Aid stations become distracting. I didn't manage this as well as I had hoped... by the end of the race I spent too much time walking in aid stations.
  • The aid station steps to not make me feel better. I do not run faster after taking them. There is a time for the 'angry man walk' during a race. My point / goal is not to let it creep into my game and erode my pace.

• Calories matter on the run. This year, I forced myself to consume more calories on the IM run and I feel it helped a lot.
  • A banana in run go bag (Coach P) and 3-4 gels.
  • I've started switching to coke earlier (very beginning of lap 2) because it has more calories than GE (and, by then I am completely sick of GE).
  • I believe that consuming more calories has helped me maintain run energy longer.

• Heat matters. Even a little. It matters more to big guys.
  • In Michigan, it is cold every morning. During the summer, it is hot every afternoon.
  • Most of my buddies run early morning... then when we get to a race, they moan about how hot it was (75º and sunshine).
  • This year, I did two things that helped substantially on warm runs: 1.) I did the majority of my run training in the afternoon heat and sunshine, and 2.) I dumped my bike / tri top in T2 in favor of a loose singlet. It doesn't take long, but the heat-shedding benefit is substantial. A 20" transition hit to stay cooler pays big dividends on the run.

That's my list. Maybe some of it applies to others? I look forward to seeing your hacks!