Race Plan for IM Chattanooga 20 November 2016
Race Plan for IM Chattanooga – 20 November 2016
Goal: Find a good draft pack on the swim, hold a consistent pace but not go all out (~1:45/100), have a strong bike but hold back, maintain consistency in the run until mile 16 then build
Projected weather: 81 degrees, ~21% humidity, Winds E 5-10mph (this is a little hotter than I was expecting, but not overly concerned due to the low humidity)
History on this course: 1st IM race in Nov 2013; spectated in 2014; special needs bag volunteer in 2015
Pre-race prep:
Monday – get new battery for heart rate monitor and bike power meter, easy s/b/r
Tuesday – swim, swap out brakes and race wheels, final packing and prep
Wednesday – drive out, s/b/r easy, stock up on groceries
Thursday – no training, pick up packets, pick up friends from airport, get new spare tubes for bike and special needs bag, get gu's
Friday – s/b/r easy, done by noon, test out bike, go to expo as needed
Saturday – easy swim, walk around and drop off gear bags, bike, special needs bag, done early and back home to sleep
Equipment:
Swim - Full sleeve ROKA wetsuit, Aquasphere Cayenne Tinted Goggles, race cap, foggle/anti-fog stick, RoadID wristband, D3 Trisuit, Garmin 920XT watch, heart rate monitor
Bike - Specialized Shiv bike with front/rear Roval race wheels, continental gps 2 tires (25mm), 2 rear bottles 24oz bottles (old gatorade bottles), Garmin Edge 1000, aero helmet, Oakley sunglasses, bike shoes, bike top tube bento bag w/ gu and salt pills
Run - Newton Distance shoes with newton socks, hat, race belt with number and gatorade chews in canisters, run water bottle with salt pills and gu in side pocket
Nutrition:
Friday, Nov 18: Carb load day – heavy breakfast (pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, etc), carb lunch, pizza dinner
Saturday, Nov 19: heavy breakfast (IHOP), medium lunch with veggies, Olive Garden Soup and Salad or lighter meal at home, will keep it medium (est 2000-2500 calories)
Morning of (Nov 20):
Able to cook - 2 eggs, english muffin, almond butter, honey, almond milk, banana, coffee (need 800-1000 calories)
Not able to cook – IHOP breakfast sampler (worked well last year IM Chatt 2015)
Race Nutrition
Taking this from Nick's IM Plan I used for IM Chattanooga in 2015 – worked like a charm (barring bike issues leaving me stranded for an hour)
Swim – 15 min prior, 1x gu, 1x salt pill, 12 oz water
Bike:
Hour 1 – 42 oz Gatorade Endurance + 2 salt tabs + 8 oz water
Hour 2 – 42 oz Gatorade Endurance + 2 salt tabs + 8 oz water
Hour 3 - 42 oz Gatorade Endurance + 2 salt tabs + 8 oz water
Hour 4 - 42 oz Gatorade Endurance + 2 salt tabs + 8 oz water
Hour 5 - 42 oz Gatorade Endurance + 2 salt tabs + 8 oz water
5:00 – 5:30 – 24 oz Gatorade Endurance + 3 salt tabs + Gu (mile 108) + 10 oz water
**During last year's bike, I was dragging towards the end. I'm debating about putting a bottle of Coke in my bike special needs bag and chugging it. I think it will be mostly out of my stomach to not affect my run, I'm open to options here. I've tried it on training rides and runs, don't think it will be an issue
Run:
Hour 1 – 16 oz Gatorade Endurance + 5 salt tabs + 3 Gatorade Endurance Chews + 12 oz water
Hour 2 – 12 oz Gatorade Endurance + 1 cup coke (75-85 min) + 5 salt tabs + 3 Gatorade Endurance Chews + 12 oz water
Hour 3 - 12 oz Gatorade Endurance + 1 cup coke + 5 salt tabs + 3 Gatorade Endurance Chews + 12 oz water
Hour 4 – 8 oz Gatorade Endurance + 2 salt tabs + 8 oz water
**Based on the Race Nutrition Plan, I'm supposed to take only 1 cup of coke an hour on a 1:1 swap with Gatorade Endurance. I've found that when I start bagging towards the end based on IM Chattanooga 2015, I needed more caffeine, so I may adjust on the fly based on how I feel.
Racing/Pacing:
Swim (Goal time 70-80 minutes). They changed the swim to time trial format so it's not the beast that it used to be. I'll work on finding a good draft pack and settling in. If I get under a 1:10, I'll be happy...don't think I'll be setting any records here. I hazard 1:10-1:20.
T-1 (Goal time: 3:00-7:00) These IM transitions are always a pain in the butt – I grab my stuff, put it on, and run out, sometimes by the side of the tent so I don’t have to deal with the madness. Goal is in and out fast.
Bike (Goal time - 5:20-5:45) This is flat so it plays to my strengths. However, the wind is sometimes unpredictable but based on the forecast, I'm not expecting too much. Based on IM Chattanooga 2015, here's what I did:
0.7IF is 196 watts and 0.72IF is 201.6 watts, so I'm going to stay around these numbers. Last year's bike fit was quad dominant so I wasn't able to use my full power, and I had those bike issues at the race (flats) so the numbers are off towards the end as I pushed the last 33 miles pretty hard.
My main goal is to make sure that my HR stays under 160 for this entire effort – the more in the 140s-155, the better. If my HR is still high when I'm at 200 watts, I'll back off. I'm not going to stick to watts to blow up on the run, been there and done that. However, if I'm still feeling good, I'll hold on. It's been awhile since I've raced this course, but here's something that should work:
1st loop out – get settled in, keep watts steady going uphill to turnaround
1st loop in– take advantage of the downhill, push as needed to turnaround
2nd loop out – keep it steady, push uphill as needed
2nd loop in – take advantage of the downhill, push as needed to turnaround
3rd loop out – final push out and uphill to turnaround
3rd loop in – fuel up, stretch, get ready for the run, don't go too crazy on the downhill
T-2 (Goal time: 3:00-5:00) Goal is to escape the madness as fast as I can – grab the bag, change on the side, throw bike crap inside, then start the run.
Run: (Goal time 3:20-3:45) The last few years have been cold on the run, so that will be good for me if it stays the same. Goal is to keep consistent 8:00’s (or sub-155 HR) and hold to mile 16 while fueling. Once I hit mile 16, see what’s left and start the push. At mile 20, re-assess and see. Goal is to hit the last 45-60 minutes hard and finish strong all the way through. During IM Chattanooga 2015, my HR strap died when I started the run so I went by feel, then my watch died at mile 16, so I crashed and burned hard. The hardest part of the run for me will be holding back until mile 16-ish, so I need to control myself and just focus on pacing, HR, fuel.
Overall, I'm ready to get this over with and see how well I can do.