IM NZ Race Week and Race Plan

Much of the timing below will really depend on how we are handling the time change (17 hrs ahead).  Plan is to strap the 2 year old to his seat and hope for the best.

Sunday  – Monday 

Stretch, Yoga, Hydrate during travel

Bringing Yamuna balls to roll on in aisle when awake

Tuesday 

Arrive in NZ with 4 hour drive to race city Taupo

Assemble bike to make sure everything is a go

Scope out the closest place to get a pump or get to know a neighbor that is racing that has one. 

If I can get it in – 30’ jog

Wednesday 

Course Ride 90’

Course Swim 30’

Will be a great day to see what access is like to the race. We are two families and 4 kiddos under 5 yrs old trying to find me on race day, so riding out to the course and getting to the swim venue will help develop those plans.

Race expo is open from 9-5 – play this by ear

Thursday 

Course Swim again 30’

Quick Ride to check set-up 30’

Quick run 30’

Athlete Check-in 9-4.  Would like to get this out of the way, either right after or right before swim/bike/run.

Race expo open from 9-5 – play by ear.

Race briefing 7PM

Friday 

No working out!

Bike/Bag check-in 10-4. Prob try to go early so he can come with – quick stroll around the venue and then back to the flat to rest.

Rest – Feet Up

Saturday – RACE DAY!!!!!

Early Morning Wake Up 3:45 – 4:00.  Eat ‘breakfast’ which includes my Bullet Coffee with cream, MCT oil and butter, some almond butter and raisins/bananas, and the typical 2 big glasses of lemon/salt water. Lemon/salt water until race start

Transition opens at 5:00.  Get there early. Get set up.  Deep Breaths.  Smile.

As far as race goals go….I tend to have a lot of them….mainly because it allows me to ‘succeed’ along the day, and also because I found that with my First (and only other IM) I needed ways to validate the day in case the unthinkable happened. As with time goals, there are so many other factors that can come into play, time goals can really get into your head if they are not met, so I usually have a time goal, an AG goal, and a ‘Feel’ goal for each discipline.  WRT the Time goals, I also have a good/better/best(usually bordering unrealistic) goals as well.  Lots of chances to ‘succeed’ J

Swim: 0700 AG swim start

Tri Kit, goggles, wetsuit, timing chip, cap

Get in and warm up by 6:40 at the latest.  Drils/swim/drills/swim

Race Plan: Book it for the first 400-500yrds then settle in for the long swim.  Keep my 5 drills in my head to keep focus.  Find bubbles.  Stay relaxed.  Stay lllooooonnnnnggggg. Smile.

Swim Goals: 

Time: 1:08/1:03/sub1:00

AG Goal: Out of the Water Top10/Top5/Top3 [38 females in my AG, so doable]

Feel: Relaxed neck and shoulders during entire swim. Come out of the water feeling rested.

T1: Can’t take wetsuit fully off until in transition, so peel top half off, get to transition, step and strip.  T1 bag – helmet, shoes, socks, chamois cream, suntan lotion. 

Bike:  Ride first 30-40 minutest to settle in.  There is a long hill less than 2 miles in so goal is to get through that nice and easy, start to re-hydrate from the swim. STAY STEADY.  The ride has 4 long hills, (each 4-6 miles long).  DO NOT CRUSH THE HILLS.  This is hard for me.  I’m a small rider who loves to crush hills to prove I’m strong, since the rest of the ride most others are passing me.  Coach P reminded me that race day is not the place to do this J  Keep HR between 137-145.  Start nutrition at bike time 40-45 min as practiced in SO many workouts.  On bike will have front water bottle with lemon/salt, on frame a concentrated lemon/salt, on frame ‘heavy’ nutrition bottle with UCAN.  Sip from front water bottle every 10 minutes.  Take nutrition every 30 minutes.  When I hit the aid stations, poor concentrated hydration into front bottle, get water to fill up front bottle and keep going.  Hit special needs with another bottle of concentrated electrolytes and ‘heavy’ bottle. 

Bike Goals:

Time: 6:14/6:00/5:36 [that last one is a 20mph avg…yeah…..]

AG Goal: Top 50%/Top 25%/Top10%

Feel: Able to stay in aerobars, Negative split, stay strong throughout. Stick to HR.

T2: Plan is to have a Ziploc bag with the items I can put on while running out of transition.  Leave bike shoes on bike.  Helmet/glasses/socks off in that order.  Put garmin on.  Turn Garmin on. New socks on, shoes on, grab bag and go. [bag has race number, visor, nutrition]

Run:  So the run is where I have the most to prove.  In my previous Ironman, I was grinning from ear to ear at the start of the run.  My swim and bike were better than expected. My seat hurt so bad from the bike I was ecstatic to be done with it, and I ran…..way……to ……fast at the start.  I ended up spending lots of time in porta potties, and walk/ran for three hours.  So, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast right?  Pace for first 3 miles is 10:00 +  Pace for miles 3-6 is 9:45 + at the fastest.  I run all my zone 1 workouts with my mouth closed.  Pace miles 6-12 9:30 +, Pace miles 12-18 9:15+, Pace miles 18 – go for it. If I need to open my mouth, I’m running too hard before mile 18.  I tend to get really caught up with numbers, so when I run with a watch, I only look at it when it buzzes at the mile mark, so running on feel is a much better gauge for me.  I can usually get up to an 8:49 mile with my mouth still closed, so these paces might be conservative, but I have to start out that way or I’ll make a repeat of IM WI – not happening.  This run is going to be different.  This run is going to be Great!

Nutrition will be UCAN carried in Hammer Flasks, take water from every aid station, if I need more, I’ll have honey gel in my tri kit pockets.  Use special needs to grab another flask of UCAN.

Run Goals:

Time: 4:30/4:18/4:08

AG: I don’t care – I just want to feel goodJ

Feel: I just want to feel good!  No portapotties. No tummy troubles.  All smiles.

Remember you are in New Zealand.  Remember you have your family and BFF at the finish.  You have so many things to be thankful for.  This race being one of so many.  Whether the day turned out as expected (which it won’t) or not, you are Powerful Beyond Measure.