My Ironman Wisconsin 2009 race strategy.

I’m currently tapering for Ironman Wisconsin. What I mean by “tapering” is that I’m basically reducing the amount of training I’m doing significantly (30-60%) in order to remove the built-up fatigue in my body before race day.

One of the side affects of tapering is that, by suddenly going from 22 hours/week of training to 12-14 hours/week (and that’s not including shower/dressing time, breaks during the workouts and pit stops, btw) is that I have a lot more time and energy to think about things.

So, one of the things I’m doing is making a detailed plan of how I’m going to execute my race, starting with the day before the race itself. This is what I have so far.

Style note–I’m writing this as a “letter to myself,” i.e. in the second person, with occasional comments addressed to you, the reader, in italics. So, as you read, don’t let this unusual writing style throw you off

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Cliffs Notes version:

1. Avoid stress before the race.
2. Give yourself plenty of time before the race starts to compose yourself.
3. Swim easy and to the outside.
4. Bike easy, especially in the first 50 miles. Let the bike superstars go–you’ll catch them on the run. Maintain a constant power output except for on a few hills. Stay aero.
5. Run easy for the first loop, then push and give it all you have left toward the end.

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Long version:

Day before race:

Wake up early (6 or 7-ish). Have a big breakfast, similar to what you’ll have on race day. Head over to the race site.

Workout: Swim a portion of one loop of the swim course wearing your wetsuit. Cut the loop short to make it about 20 minutes of swimming. The key to this workout is swimming the start and the exit out of the water at the completion of the swim. Get an idea of what sighting will be like on race morning.

Workout: Immediately following, perform a short bike/run workout. 10-15 minutes each, just to get your legs moving a bit and make sure all equipment is in order. On each leg, do 3-4 accelerations to race pace (zones 2 and 3). If biking is not available due to logistics, no big deal–just do the run.

After the workout, drop off your bike and transition bags. (At Ironman, athletes assemble everything they’ll need in each of the two transitions into a bag–one for T1 and one for T2.)

In your T1 bag will go:
- Helmet
- Shoes (I’m using normal bike shoes instead of tri shoes for Ironman)
- Race Number and Belt
- Chamois cream (hey, it’s an 112 mile bike ride! Gotta lube up!)
- Arm warmers
- Socks
- Sunglasses

In your T2 bag will go:
- Running shoes
- Running socks
- Body glide
- Visor
- Spare sunglasses
- Race Number and Belt

Once the bike is dropped off, you’ll head back to the hotel and get away from the crowds and stresses of the race site. You don’t want to spend any more time around the loud noises, heavy traffic and testosterone-filled athletes than you have to. Take your parents (who are awesome and driving up from suburban Chicago to see me race) out to see a movie!

After taking care of any social obligations and returning to the hotel, assemble your “special needs” bags (bags of stuff that are available to me halfway through each of the bike and run legs).

In your bike special needs bag will go:
- Bottle of special Infinit Nutrition carbohydrate mix
- Spare flat fixing equipment
- PBJ sandwich

In your run special needs bag will go:
- Socks
- PBJ sandwich

Early dinner, shave down (legs, face) and get into bed by 9pm. Take two Benadryl tablets to help you get to sleep. (I’ve used these in training with regularity, they make me very relaxed and drowsy with no adverse side affects.)

Race Day:

4am: wake up. Breakfast is your normal fare: large bowl of cereal + bagel w/cream chese OR a PBJ sandwich + fruit OR yogurt. Probably about 800 calories. No coffee. Dressed (race attire under street clothes) and out the door by 5am.

5:30am: enter the transition area. Drop off your special needs bag and your dry clothes bag (which is just the stuff I was wearing to get to the race site that I’ll wear once I finish), get bodymarked, pump your tires, fill up your aero bottle with water, put on your timing chip, take an Immodium tablet (to avoid GI issues) and perform any other last-minute preparations.

6am: If all goes well, you’ll be finished with your pre-race prep by now. Relax.

I’m giving myself *plenty* of buffer time before the race starts at 7am for several reasons:

1. I want to be able to hang out with my friends and family before the race. They are taking the time to come see me and I want them to be actively incorporated into your race experience.
2. I want to give myself extra time in case something goes wrong (flat tire before the race, missing equipment, bad weather, long lines, etc).
3. I want some time to myself just to relax and unwind.

6:30am: put on your wetsuit and swim gear, say goodbye to friends and family and start moving toward the race start. Take your first No-doz tablet (200mg caffeine, equivalent to two cups of coffee) at this time. The pros start at 6:45, and then us mortals start at 7am.

7am: Ironman Wisconsin 2009 starts with a 2.4 mile swim. All 2300 athletes start at the same time, which can be a chaotic experience. Unfortunately, you suck at swimming and will be swimming right in the middle of the pack, around 70-75 minutes. That means you’ll have to deal with a lot of traffic. Start the swim to the *extreme* outside (the shore side), but somewhat toward the front. It’s better to get swam over by faster swimmers trying to get around you than kicked in the face by slower swimmers that you’re trying to pass.

With each of the 7 left hand turns, move closer and closer to the turn buoys. The first and second turns (at 800 meters and 1000 meters after the start respectively) are going to be the most crowded, so if you can get through those turns safely you should be OK.

In terms of pace, swim easy. Your HR will be high due to nervousness and the general stress of open water swimming, but your effort should be very, very low. Make a good effort to find some feet to draft and generally take it very easy. Even split the two swim loops.

Transition 1: the transitions in Ironman Wisconsin are long, due to some long runs between the swim exit and bike/run areas. Run out of the water, get your wetsuit stripped off, and run into one of the big rooms at the convention center. Pick up your transition bag, put on your helmet, apply chamois cream, put on arm warmers if necessary, put on socks and go get your bike (carrying your shoes in your hand as they’re hard to run in). Once you get your bike, run up to near the mount line, put your shoes on and head out on the bike.

The 112 mile bike leg consists of a 16 mile outbound trip from Madison to Verona, followed by 2 loops of 40 miles clockwise to the north and West of Verona, and then a 16 mile inbound trip back to transition.

Split the ride into four sections:

Mile 0-30: this roughly corresponds to the outbound leg from Madison to Verona, plus another 15 miles toward the town of Mt Horeb. This is actually a very difficult part of the bike leg. Many people, feeling good after the swim, ride this section too hard. The terrain is also tricky, as there’s a very slight elevation gain throughout the first 30 miles, and it’s easy to get impatient with the slow pace of the beginning of the Ironman bike leg.

Keep a medium cadence (85-90) and don’t be afraid to lose some speed and shift down to the small chainring on the false flats. I’m using 50/34 chainrings and an 11-26 cassette, which gives me a very nice range of gears from which to choose, on rollers, flats and downhills.

Get started on your nutrition as soon as you get away from transition, as well. In addition to your Infinit carbohydrate mix, take a PowerGel and water at most aid stations (every 10 miles or so).

Most importantly, LET THE BRAINLESS TESTOSTERONE MEN PASS YOU. DON’T CHASE THEM. Everyone feels like a champ 20 miles into the bike course. Let them go. You’ll probably catch up with them again in a few hours when they blow. (And if you don’t catch them, no big deal–they’re probably Kona qualifiers and well out of your league anyway.)

Miles 31-60: this roughly corresponds to the rest of the first loop of the bike course. This features the most technically challenging terrain of the course, with many steep rollers and a few more significant climbs. It’s OK to go just a tiny bit harder on some of these climbs than on the flats (especially if you catch a glimpse of your friends and family!), but with your low gearing (34/26 is a pretty short gear) you have no excuse not to keep a high cadence up these climbs. Do NOT play “catch-up” games with the other athletes. Race your own race. Continue to be consistent on your nutrition, and aim to finish the first bottle of Infinit by mile 50, and pick up the second bottle of Infinit at special needs around mile 55. Take your second No-doz tablet after three hours of racing.

Miles 61-90: this is most of the rest of the second loop. This will be mentally challenging because you’re going to start to feel some fatigue at this point. Put out a bit more effort during this portion of the bike, drop cadence a bit (80-85) and focus on maintaining good pedaling technique and staying in the aero position. Remain seated on all climbs and don’t waste any energy. It will start to become more difficult to consume nutrition, but suck it up (literally).

Miles 91-112: aside from one medium climb around mile 100, this is all downhill to transition. Finish up your bike nutrition, shift down a gear and spin nice and fast (93+ rpm) into transition. This is the easiest part of the bike leg, but keep your focus so you don’t lose time for stupid reasons. Take your third No-doz tablet after 6 hours of racing.

Transition 2: KEEP MOVING! Shoes remain attached to the pedals heading off the bike. Run into the convention center, remove your helmet, put body glide on your feet, put on socks and shoes, grab visor and race belt, and head out. It will be tempting to dawdle. Don’t do it.

The run course is 6.55 miles out, 6.55 miles back, performed twice.

Split the run course into four sections:

First three miles: Get into some kind of slow, easy rhythm. These first few miles will probably suck a lot, but just take short, easy, confident strides and get through the first 3 miles in about half an hour. These first three miles are critical for nutrution, as well–take in a gel at almost every aid station to “bank” calories for later in the run, when digestion becomes more difficult.

Rest of the first loop: Stay conservative. Don’t push the pace. Continue to hydrate and take in gels. Run on the grass when possible. KEEP RUNNING! Don’t walk unless there are serious problems (such as an injury or serious chafing). Aim to finish the first loop in around 2:05, which is a brain-dead slow pace for you.

First half of second loop: This is where the race gets batty. you’ll be tired and your mental energy will be at its lowest. Again, KEEP RUNNING and do not let your pace drop. You should have the energy to run the same speed or hopefully slightly faster at this point. Nutrition will become more difficult, but it’s still necessary to keep your energy up for the last hour of the race. Take your fourth (and final) No-doz tablet at the start of the second loop.

Second half of second loop: These last 6.5 miles will be a yo-yo between “it’s almost over” and “oh man this still hurts for seriously.” Mentally, hopefully things will be getting easier, but your legs will be pretty dead. Hopefully you’ll have enough energy to maintain your previous pace and finish up the race even-splitting the run.

After the race, drink and eat what you can, get one of the brief free massages that they offer, catch up with friends and family, clean up and eat again.

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Chances I’ll remember all of this stuff during the race? Minimal. But I find that writing it down and organizing it into something coherent helps me focus on the task at hend.