I guess it's as good a time as any to start a countdown...49 days, 21 hours.... That's 1 day from 7 weeks. I listened to a podcast from Iott & Zucco from their archives about IMWI. Some interesting info. Most I was aware of or gleaned from Daniel Bretscher on my course pre-ride.
Most noteable info:
1) Swim start - get in before 6:30...and just realize you'll be treading for 30 minutes. Plan pre-race nutrition accordingly I suppose. Though I found that Kansas it was a non-issue and I probably did better with a totally empty stomach. Plenty of time to feed on the bike. Line up past the ski jump if you plan to swim a faster time and don't mind a little congestion. I tend to fall into that camp I think. I want a good draft and clear sighting early on. "banking" 1-2 minutes on the swim by going 59:00 instead of lets say 1:03... would make the rest of the race easier.
2) Swim pacing - don't go out too hard. IF you start at or near the front line congestion shouldn't be an issue anyway. I do tend to go out hard and really fall flat near the end. I think I should go out "smooth" and strong, but maybe with quicker turnover starting out. Something to practice. I just need to realize that like most of my triathlons, I'd be near the front, clear and mostly alone pretty early on. In the tough choppy water last year, a 1:01 minus the pros was about 55th out of the water. So not very congested even at that point really. I think trying to be in the top 60 amateur out of the water is a descent goal. That's 50 spread over about 7 minutes roughly. So about a person every 8-10 seconds. I should expect to see groups of 2-4 every 20-30 seconds or so I think. The biggest gap you'll bridge is probably 25 yards, realistically... or about 15 seconds.
3) Bike Pacing - not much to say about this, just restating the obvious... that you should go out easy, and if paced right, other than just general "exposure" you should feel pretty good at mile 90 as you head to the 3 sisters for the 2nd time and still feel solid going into Verona at the last aide station.
4) Run pacing - You will go out too fast. Kansas showed that for me. A little fast, isn't a bad thing. I think I held on well. We'll see how I feel on my long run this week. I'll have fairly fresh legs, so I might go ahead and give the "lower end" on my IM pace a try. Maybe try and roll a 7:15-7:20 on flats.
So I crunched some numbers from where I'm at, at this point. Steelhead will be a clear indicator. Geode told me that I do fairly well at a "B" race on limited rest. I think a "perfect race"... one where I just kill every leg, is probably about 9:22. A worst case scenario has me in around 9:54. I ultimately just have to go out there and stick to my plan and the numbers fall where they are. I'd love to be really "racing" it, but its' a long day and I'll have to just stick to my race and focus on my getting to the line in the top 4. I guess in the back of my mind, I'm selling myself short is I'm not on the podium...or even racing Iott for the win... as right now, he's the known leader.
SO here's how I like to visualize my race unfolding...
I might do the 3:30 AM pre-breakfast. Then a 4:15AM wake up to get things rolling and get my GI awake and doing it's "business" probably two times. I have a normal breakfast and start on my first bottle of perform from there. I roll out just before 5AM, park and get to transition by 5:30. Get everything sorted and find a toilet for one last pit stop. Find my wife around 6AM. Finish my sports drink, have a gel and then head to the water around 6:15-6:20. Work my way out there and tread water for 30 minutes. Try and relax and enjoy the moment, the scene, soak it in. It could be the only time I'll do this race... and could be my only IM if things go really south during the day.
Gun goes off. I go out strong, but not too hard. Let the fast guys go and try and settle in early. Sight well and marvel at what's going on. Remember, that I'm a fast, strong swimmer. I've put in the training and while I've never swam over 3000 straight... it's still not an issue, it will go by fast. Just get to the next marker, find some feet. It's just me and 200 or so of my "closest friends" immediately around me out for a swim in the lake. I fight for a line through the 1st turn, sight to the 2nd turn and find feet again. Round that turn and things start the clear out from here. Just find a rhythm and cruise the back stretch. Swim straight check out the scene. Reach the next turn and realize I'm almost there. Take rough inventory of my position. Should be the leader reaching the beach. I should be maybe the the 10th or so "group" out there.
Hit the beach and get "stripped". And head up the helix. Watch my pace and enjoy the crowds, look for my wife and friends. Find my bag, go to the next room and dump it. Put on my glasses and helmet, Stuff my wetsuit in there, grab my shoes and head off. Get to the roof, find my bike and head off. At the line, into my shoes, strap them real quick and mount, clip one in pedal, 2nd in and roll. Time to relax a bit down the helix and bike path.
Onto the main road after the bike path..."neutral zone". Quickly settle into a steady 215-220 watts and no more. 250 up and rises. No hard accelerations out of corners, just relax. Get aero and start reeling in some fish.... terrible pun, but so true. I should catch a few of the younger guys early on with road bikes and less than aero set-ups. I hopefully shouldn't see Brunold or another "uber biker" until maybe Mt Horeb. Since I'm no slouch on the bike myself. I'll have to wonder where Iott is at this point. I'll have to mentally "mark" his bike location in transition still there or is he up the road. We should be within 1-2 minutes.
Once 2-3 miles out town I can start to take some sips of water and a gel and start my fueling plan so long as I've burped a few times, stomach feels good. Otherwise just small sips and ride maybe a little easy and "lean" on my aero. Listening to Zucco & Iotts podcast, they were at about 280W to my 255W. So I'm running a fair bit more aero that Scott... or so I think. I'm a little shorter and smaller athlete. This bike course should suit me very well. I would not want to play football against either of them. Easy on those early climbs, staying under threshold. Find a nice rhythm on the highway and the section leading to Mt. Horeb. I actually thought this was my favorite stretch overall. I'll probably pass up the 1st 2 aide stations and wait to Mt Horeb unless I've lost a bottle. That still can get me to the next station on my original 2 bottles if needed (40 mi). Eat a 2nd get around 40 minutes. I should finish my first bottle around 50 miles in and can toss my reserve at the 2nd aide station. Keep to my plan the 1st loop and see how I feel. Eat a waffle just past 1 hour and another gel and the end of hour 2. Waffle middle of hour 3 and gel just past hour 4 mark. Eat my last gel and start my 5th bottle around 4:30ish as I head back on the stick. I should be able to ditch my last bottle at the final aide station and be part way through my 6th bottle....unless cool, then 5 bottles but consider a 6th gel if my stomach feel hungry. No more eating after 4:40.... last 30 minutes. Just liquid. I should feel good the last time of the the 3 sisters and heading into Verona for the stick. Enjoy the crowds one last time and ride steady on the stick. If I feel good I might up my watts just a little to the edge of tempo and ride into my opponents...banking time for the run. Ride strong into T2. Find my legs running into T2. Unbuckle my helmet, find my bag, into next room, dump bag, glasses off, helmet off, shoes on, visor on, and I'm off. If stomach feels good, grab 1/2 a banana. 3 gels are on my running belt. One for each hour. Then it's just sports drink, water (for thirst) and coke from there.
Heading out of T2, start my GPS and hit start when outside. It should go off the foot pod for a moment until it finds satellites. HR under 150 (should be a bit elevated), cadence under 92 (indicate not going too fast), pace over 6:55. but settle down to 7:00-7:15 ish...should feel horribly slow. Keep leg drive going, get relaxed, enjoy the crowds. If I'm doing well, I should be up to the top 30 overall (including pros) by this point. Top 10 amateur. Hopefully I have a solid 5-7 minutes on Iott. 10' even better. Going out fast might work well. I'll force him push for a 3:00 flat run split to catch me by targeting a 3:10 pace myself. Keep drinking, staying relaxed and push through the miles. Eat a gel every 45 minutes or so. Stay relaxed and keep the cadence up. Go easy up the hills, watch HR there. Find a good rythym and feed off the crowd. Legs should stay "feeling it" by mile 16 or so. Keep rolling. Mile 18, just 8 miles left. Mile 20, just 10k...push on like the last 1/2 of a 70.3. Pace could slow to 7:30-7:45, that's OK and expected. Keep the legs turning. At 23mi... get the arenaline pumping.... almost there. Time to hit the Coke and see what my legs have left. Get back to a 7:30 if I can. 2.5....2...1.5...can feel it over the lst small hill..... 1mi to go. Check my place.... roll the downhill...feel the energy. 3/4, 1/2mi.... take a deep breath, realize that all the training paid off, I'm there.... last 1/4 mile towards the like I can "feel" the finish like. Ease up and really enjoy the finish chute. High 5's all around, find my family... if I can.... fist pumps ... I did it! If things go well I crushed it... sub 1hr swim, 5:02 bike, 3:10 run.... roll across at 9:19!!!.. 1st in 35-39! . ok..maybe a stretch but it would be awesome. I have a feeling I'll really pay for last of bike mileage over the last 3 years.... on the run. But hey, a 3:20 run and a 2:29 isn't bad either, but probably won't win the age group.
On that note...
Thinking about my long run next week. I think I might run 2 loops so I don't have to carry a bottle very far. So leave 1 bottle at my house then carry 3/4 of a bottle to about the 2.5 mile mark. Then maybe a mini bottle of flat coke to mile 4. So I'd have Perform@ 2.5, Coke @ 4, C@6, P@7.5, P@10, P @ 11 (carry it 1 mile), P@12.5 (carry 0.5 mi), C@14(runs out?), P@16 (carry 1mi), P@17, P@19...finish. SO 11 "aide stations". Not bad. I think I'd carry 1 gel to eat as well. So that would be 44oz (18+18+8), about 192 calories per hour.
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