Ironman Arizona 2009 Race Plan

Ironman Arizona 2009 Race Plan

This Sunday is the day. The day I've been training for since December '08. In some ways I can't wait for the start of the race, can't wait for the return to non-triathlon activities, but in others I can't believe it's already here. I've been in Tempe for a day and a half and am trying to soak it all up. As a friend said "Ironman is Disney World for adults"

Race day Plan:

Pre-Race
Wake up at 2 AM and chug an Odwalla High Protein Smoothy and get back to sleep for another 2hrs. Up at 4 to shower/shave and eat a bowl of Cheerios w/whey and coffee.

Swim
Get in the water and get used to to the temp and try to loosen up my arms some. I'm not an overly strong swimmer so I'm going to place myself mid-back and count the strokes. It's a straight 2.4mi swim so just focus on form and let the distance take care of itself.

Bike

On the bike drink 3hr bottle of Infinit from seat tube, gulp every 5-10min, and water as thirsty from aero bottle. Refill the aero bottle at every aid station no matter how low it is, take 2-4 Enduralytes an hour as needed, and pick up second Infinit bottle from Special Needs for second half of the ride. Follow the EN power pacing from chart and to hell with what everyone else is doing!

Bike Pacing:

Gear	Ironman Wattage Guidance		Max
1st	0-.5hrs, slight downhills	GW - 5%	144
2nd	Goal Watts (GW)	GW	152
3rd	Long hills (>~3')	GW + 5%	159
4th	Short hills (<~1-2')	GW + 10%	167

Run
On the run drink Infinit Run Mix and water at each aid station and walk for just long enough to take in the nutrition. Follow the EN run pacing based on VDot and try to hold that pace at mile 18. The plan is to walk for 30 steps/seconds after each aide station to reset the heart rate and give my body a bit of a break. If I'm feeling great then maybe after mile 20 see if I can't add a little something to the pace. After mile 18, start counting the people passed (roadkill) but jog the chute. You only have one first IM. :)

Run Pacing:

Miles	Half Ironman VDot Guidance	Pace
0-6	Recovery Pace + 30sec	10:00
6-18	Recovery Pace	9:26
18-26	Recovery Pace (maybe)	9:26
26-26.2	Whatever I have left!	xx:xx

IMAZ 09 Race Rehearsal Report

IMAZ 09 Race Rehearsal Report

Ten days ago I did my last race rehearsal and while I should have posted this sooner, some times life gets in the way. For those who don't know, my coaches and on-line team (Endurance Nation) have us do race rehearsals in preperation for our "A" race. The idea is to mimic everything you will eat, wear, and do on race day to minimize the number of surprises that pop up and get used to any new equipment.

Got up at 2 AM and chugged a bottle of Odwalla High Protein Smoothy and went back to bed. Got up at 5 and ate a bowl of Cheerio's + scoop of whey and a Cup o' Joe. Was still a little hungry but at this point there's rarely a time when I'm not hungry.

The plan was to ride up and down on the Chicago lakefront bike path with the hopes that it wouldn't be too crowded due to the time of year. However, the weather was unseasonably nice (mid 60's, sunny, but windy) and more people were out than I would have preferred. I was trying out my new wheel cover and aside from a couple gusts of wind early on I was able to hold the bike steady without any issue. The wheel really helped as I was able to hold 18.5mph with out much effort but the number of other people on the path throughout the day made it hard to stay at this pace for too long. I ended up averaging much lower watts with a much less steady effort than what I wanted. For those who are interested, here is the breakdown:

Entire workout (117 watts):
Duration: 5:57:24 (6:17:37)
Work: 2517 kJ
TSS: 197.3 (intensity factor 0.576)
Norm Power: 128
VI: 1.09
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 95.044 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 358 117 watts
Cadence: 30 212 83 rpm
Speed: 2.2 24.8 16.2 mph
Pace 2:25 26:49 3:43 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 700 119 lb-in

I was drinking a concentrated 3 hour mix of Infinit and stopped half way through the ride to grab a 2nd bottle and refill my water bottles. This worked out great and is something I'm going to plan on doing race day.

After the ride, I dropped off my bike at home and strapped on my running shoes. I was out of my run mix of Infinit so I grabbed a gel I had laying around, ate that, and was out the door.

The pacing guidance from my coaches is that the first 6 miles of the run should be at your recovery pace + 30 seconds. In my case, I should run the first 6 miles at a 10min/mile pace. Others on the team have reported that pace as feeling way too slow and I finally understood exactly what they were talking about. On top of forcing myself to stay slow I had to stop and walk just to keep the pacing. I did two 3 mile loops by my house that include a couple of "Chicago hills" which are really overpasses. From what I hear, the Tempe run course is made up of a similar terrain. Not having my nutrition with me I was getting pretty hungry but my legs felt great and I could have run all night at that pace.

Now to put the finishing touches on the Race Plan and execute as close to the plan as possible. Just a couple more days and I'll be an Ironman.

Race Rehearsal IMAZ Raundas 2

This is my second, and last, attempt at a Race Rehearsal. The idea is to mimic everything you will eat, wear, and do on race day to minimize the number of surprises that pop up and get used to any new equipment. After the rehearsal I'll write a report the same as a race report and review with my coaches to create a complete race plan.

Saturday 11/7
Weather: High 63-70 / Low 52 deg, Sunny, hazy, windy. Wind from the West/SouthWest around 21mph with gusts up to 30.

Breakfast Plan:
Wake up at 2am: Drink an Odwalla or Ensure
Get up at 6:00 am: 1cup Multi-grain Cheerio's + scoop of whey and a Cup o' Joe


Bike
Course:
Ride 6hrs or 112 miles mostly on the Chicago lakefront bike path. The ride to/from the bike path will make for a great warm-up and cool down but I am concerned that the path will be busy Saturday. This is the first nice Saturday we've had in a month and probably the last one of the year. I'm viewing this as a positive though. Hopefully it will get me a little more accustomed to riding on a busy race course.

Bike Setup:
Three Bottles plus Aero Bottle
One bottle of concentrated Infinit with 750cal
Aero Bottle filled with water plus two water bottles in rear seat cage (will remove cage for the actual race)
Will bike home to grab replacement water bottles and Infinit bottle for second loop
No race wheel on the front but I'm riding with my rear disk
Areo helmet

Bike Plan:
Start Time: 6:30 AM
End Time: 12:30 PM
Total Time: 6:00 hours

Power & Gearing:
The bike portion of the race is based on wattage. The wattage numbers below are based on the number of Watts I'm able to sustain for a 60 minute time trial. That's 60 minutes all out, pushing yourself until you are dry-heaving. Over the summer I had a higher number but for various reasons I've lost a bit of that speed. It sux but there's nothing I can do about it now.

Current FTP: 222 watts
Goal IF: 69%
Goal TSS: 286
Race Gears:
1st - 144w - This is my target for the first hour
2nd- 152w - These are the target Watts for the race
3rd - 159w - Wattage for any hills that take longer than 3 minutes to climb
4th - 167w - Wattage for any hills that take less than 3 minutes to climb


Nutrition/Hydration:
Infinit
250 cal/hr
~600mg Na/hr
6 hr = 1500 cal
2 Bottles at 750 cal/bottle
Endurolytes 1 - 4/hr depending on race day heat

Run
Course:
Two loops of a 3 mile run through my neighborhood which includes a couple Chicago "Hills". From what I hear about the IMAZ course, these should mimic what I'll encounter pretty accurately.

Run Setup:
Shoes
Socks
Garmin
Gloves?
Visor
Fuel Belt with bottle of 1hr Infinit (not a concentrate for this workout because there are no water fountains on this path)
Endurolytes (1 - 4/hr depending on heat)

Run Plan
Current VDot: 44
Run 6 miles @ 9:26 (Zone 1) + 30 = 9:56 rounded to 10:00 for ease
VDOT is a measurement of an athletes ability to run fast. It's used as a predictor of run performance at various distances and takes into account more than a VO2 test would.

Race Rehearsal IMAZ - Report

Despite all my plans for the weekend like swimming race distance on Friday and doing my race rehearsal on Saturday, I ended up sick. So instead of a 112 mile bike and a 6 mile run it ended up being a day filled with naps, video games, and Theraflu. Not nearly as fun as it sounds. For the most part I'm better and am now working with my coaches and team to structure the last couple weeks of training before the taper.

Race Rehearsal IMAZ

A part of what my team does are called Race Rehearsals. The idea is to mimic everything you will eat, wear, and do on race day to minimize the number of surprises that pop up. Also, how to handle the ones that do happen in a way that will minimize the negative impact on your race. This Saturday is my first of two race rehearsals and this is the plan that I submitted to my team where the coaches and Wicked Smart Members critique and recommend changes to the plan. After the rehearsal I'll write a report the same as a race report and go back to the drawing board with what did and did not work. We'll all talk it over and I'll do another one in two weeks with any changes.

Saturday 10/24

Weather: High 48 / Low 34 deg, Cloudy, blustery and chilly with scattered showers. Northwest winds 20-30 mph and gusty

This is Chicago so the forecast will likely change between now and Saturday but either way it will require lots of layers. One thing I've notice while riding with several layers is that it's difficult to stay in the areo position. I haven't had too much of a problem being aero without the layers and even have no problem staying aero in the bike trainer.


Breakfast Plan:
Wake up at 2am: Drink an Odwalla or Ensure
Get up at 6:00 am: Multi-grain Cheerio's + scoop of whey and a Cup o' joe


Bike

Course:
Ride 100 miles in Frankfort consisting of two loops. This area is about an hour drive but much easier than biking around my condo.

Bike Setup:
Three Bottles plus Aero Bottle
One bottle of concentrated Infinit with 750cal
Aero Bottle filled with water plus two water bottles in rear seat cage (will remove cage for the actual race)
Will refill water bottles and Infinit bottle for second loop
No race wheels for this ride as I'm going with a rental 808 and a rear disk.
Areo helmet


Bike Plan:
Start Time: 8:00 AM
End Time: 2:00 PM
Total Time: 6:00 hours



Power & Gearing:
The bike portion of the race is based on wattage. The wattage numbers below are based on the number of Watts I'm able to sustain for a 60 minute time trial. That's 60 minutes all out. Over the summer I had a higher number but for various reasons I've lost a bit of that speed. It sux but there's nothing I can do about it now.

Current FTP: 220 watts
Goal IF: 69%
Goal TSS: 286

Race Gears:
1st - 144w - This is my target for the first hour
2nd- 152w - These are the target Watts for the race
3rd - 159w - Wattage for any hills that take longer than 3 minutes to climb
4th - 167w - Wattage for any hills that take less than 3 minutes to climb


Nutrition/Hydration:
Infinit
250 cal/hr
~600mg Na/hr
6 hr = 1500 cal
2 Bottles at 750 cal/bottle
Endurolytes
1 - 4/hr depending on race day heat

Run

Course:
Old Plank Trail 3mile out/back

Run Setup:
Shoes
Socks
Garmin
Gloves?
Visor
Fuel Belt with bottle of 1hr Infinit (not a concentrate for this workout because there are no water fountains on this path)
Endurolytes (1 - 4/hr depending on heat)

Run Plan
Current VDot: training at 44 but tested at 41
Long runs have been pretty solid but I'm pretty much toast by the end. I tested up to 44 at a 5K in July and have been using those zones to train with. However, I don't test well without a race so the last test resulted in a 41. There is a 5K test Thursday that I'll probably use to solidify my pacing with.

Run 6 miles @ 9:26 (Zone 1) + 30 = 9:56 rounded to 10:00 for ease
Run 6 miles @ 10:10 (Zone 1) + 30 = 10:40

Picked A Coach!

After a bit of deliberation, a few meetings, and several beers I decide to go with Endurance Nation (EN).  Last Saturday I got the chance to sit down with several of the people coached by them and go over the training, the season planning, the support, and all things Ironman.  It was a lot of fun and several of the people seemed very knowledgeable and helpful.  The things that attracted me most to the company were the structure of the workouts, the season planning detail, and the focus racing.  EN seems pretty focused on making sure that race day is a smooth, fun experience.

There is still some work to do with adding in races I'd like to do to their "season map" but that shouldn't take too long.  Once that's finished, I'll post that as well.  More than likely money will be the biggest limiting factor in the racing this season.  Next time I'm picking a cheaper sport!  :)

 

EN has a pretty detailed workout tracking tool and I’m going to look into ways to post the data on the sight. The training program starts next week and I’ll do manual posts until I get the automated piece figured out.

Signing Up For Ironman

One of the major differences between Triathlon and most other sports is that we get to compete against the professionals and the best of the best.  They set their bikes and running shoes up in the same transition area we do and are usually pretty welcoming when you go to shake their hands.  Could you imagine playing one on one with Michael Jordan?  Playing street football with Brett Farve?  Every race, we are racing in the same conditions, on the same course, and can potentially beat the pros.  OK, so there are only a few out there that can compete with them at that level but still...  It isn't the exclusive club that the NBA, MLB, or NFL is.  Once I started doing triathlons I knew that I would eventually attempt an Ironman.  Once I completed my first Half Ironman I knew that it was a real goal.  

During the week and in the winter, triathletes and cyclists do their bike workouts on a bike trainer.  You place your bike on a contraption that locks your rear wheel in place and applies some pressure to it in an attempt to simulate riding.  It's not a very accurate simulation but better than nothing.  While ridding on the trainer I usually put on a movie or watch a little TV.  One time in particular I had recorded the coverage of the Kona Ironman.  I wanted to sign up for one right then and there.  If you have ever seen the Kona broadcast you know what I'm talking about.  Once I calmed down from the workout I made a deal with myself:  Finish my degree and the reward will be an Ironman.  Some reward, eh?

The plan was to start school again in 09 but things didn't work out the way I planned.  I work for an investment firm and with the down turn in the market and eventually the economy I became nervous.  Last November the future was a little too blurry and I wasn't in a position to risk losing my job in the middle of the semester.  There were a few friends that were planning on doing Ironman Arizona and the timing of everything looked right.

Despite the insane distances you have to travel and that it's up to 17 hours of continuously working out, these races still sellout the first day registration is opened.  Seriously!  In a nation where obesity is on the rise, where are all of these athletes coming from??!?  The day after the 08 race registration opened and I was ready to sign up.  At just before noon I started to click on the website to register through and not even a minute into the process it was down.  It took almost 30 minutes to get into the portion to register and another 20 to get through that.  That's a LOT of web traffic to cause those problems.

After registering I called my friend, Ron, who was supposed to do the race with me.  I forgot he's a teacher and wouldn't be able to answer the phone.  Got a call from him later saying that he wasn't able to get in to register because of problems with the website.  Typically these races sell out in hours and an hour and a half passed from the time registration opened.  I was getting nervous that he wouldn't be able to sign up and I'd be doing this alone.  I missed his next call about 3:30 and he left a voicemail saying "Hey this is Ron.  Give me a call".  For those who don't know Ron, you can't read anything from him one way or another.  I had no idea if he was able to register or not and started to think that he wasn't able to sign up.  

It wasn't until close to 5 that I was able to call back and fortunately Ron was able to register.  Rather than leave that bit of information on the voicemail he decided to let me sweat.  Thanks Ron.