Monday, August 2, 2010

Ironman Coeur D'Alene Race Report

I was feeling good going into the race because I had several strong race rehearsals on the computrainer and because I really nailed my taper as far as biking and swimming (I felt great energy and power on the bike and swim in the week leading up to the race). My only concern was that my run legs were still feeling awful after I apparently overdid it with one final 2 hour trail run 3 weeks out and that I hadn’t had a “successful” run since.

For the last 6 months I always imagined my race would go like this: I’d come out of the water in an OK position, move up to 30th or 40th place in my AG by the end of the bike, then run a heroic 3:05 marathon to get a Kona slot. Since I was banking on a strong run, I was a little concerned about my lack of strong run legs leading into the race.

PRE RACE

I ate my usual 6-7 moderate meals the day before the race and actually managed to fall asleep early enough to get almost 8 hours sleep. I woke up before at 3:30 to have my usual pre race meal of 1.5 almond butter and banana sandwiches on sprouted grain bread plus a protein shake made of whey protein isolate and plain soy milk. I also ate ¾ of a cliff bar about 30 min before the start.


SWIM



For the swim start I lined up pretty far inside and wondered where everybody was! It didn’t seem any more crowded here than anywhere else along the beach even though this was a much shorter line and provided convenient buoys for swimming a straight line. I guess so many people were avoiding the crowded part of the swim start that there was no crowd!

On the beach there was the usual clear line between the aggressive people and the relaxed people and I went right behind the aggressive people. I took a few whacks early on from people swimming over me from behind, which was a little fatiguing for a minute, but I very quickly settled into a rhythm. My plan was simple- don’t go anaerobic at the start, try to always be on a pair of feet, sight well, and make sure I am swimming aerobically (occasionally test myself to see if I can do 4-5 stroke breathing). The swim pretty much went exactly as planned and I finished the swim in just 1:03:54, which wasn’t bad for me on this slow swim course.

1:03:54, 26th AG, 158th overall

T1



Walked on the sandy beach and up the steps, then jogged the rest.


BIKE



I felt great immediately on the bike. The only problem was that my heart rate was high- in the 150s and it wasn’t coming down despite doing my planned wattage (I had hoped to bank lots of time in the 130s early on the first loop). My HR stayed high for pretty much the entire first loop. My wattage was conservative, my perceived exertion was low, but my heart rate was high. As the great philosopher Meatloaf once said, “2 out of 3 ain’t bad”, so I didn’t ease off despite the high HR. Also, my heart rate was sky high for my bike last year in Switzerland, and I think I paced myself properly there. But I was aware that I was taking somewhat of a risk and I would keep an eye open for signs that I was making a mistake.

When I passed by Caroline after the first out and back along the lake she told me I was in 26th in my AG after the swim! I was way ahead of schedule! I think I did an OK job of sticking to my wattage caps (trying to stay at 210 watts or below on the flats and 270 or below on the hills, except for the steepest hills), but I was probably a bit too aggressive on the first loop.

For the entire ride I was passing people on all the flat sections, but I got passed by many riders on the climbs. I was doing 290 watts on the steep hills and it seemed like lots of people were flying by me (mostly the people I just passed on the flats by riding 210 watts) like I was standing still.

When I finished the first loop I saw that I averaged 21.7 mph. I was far ahead of schedule and I made a conscious decision to be very conservative for the second loop. I was doing some math and figured that even if I slowed my pace a little I would be in an amazing position to achieve my goal of getting a Kona slot IF I could run a decent marathon. I was especially meticulous about coasting above 29-30 mph and soft pedaling above 25 mph on the second loop. I dialed it back quite a bit but was still passing people for most of the flat section back to the hills. Some people passed me and pulled ahead on the hilly section of the course, but I let them go and rode within myself. I rode conservatively all the way to the end of the bike leg and finished feeling pretty fresh. I averaged 21.4 mph on the 2nd loop and 21.5 mph for the entire ride.

Nutrition: I poured 1 water bottle per aid station into my aerodrink and added 2 squeezes of Heed concentrate. I was also eating 1/6 of a cliff bar every 10 minutes when my watch beeped. I think I drank about 1000 cals of heed, 200 cal of gu + 4 cliff bars on the bike for about 2200 cals or about 400 cal / hour.

BIKE: 5:12:45, 14th in AG, 70th overall

RUN


For me the most emotional part of the Ironman is starting the run and realizing that I have good legs. Would it happen this time? Yes! I started the run and my Garmin was giving me good news! I was running a good steady pace and feeling great. My first couple miles were 7:07 and 6:57, which is my typical transition run steady pace. My heart rate was a little high (158-159), but not bad. When I saw my wife Caroline, she told me that I was in 13th place after the bike! This was amazing news. Before the race I had geeked out on excel and figured that I would be in good shape for a Kona slot if I was in the top 30, maybe even top 50 coming off the bike.

The first 10k I focused on keeping my HR below 160 and not pushing. My next miles were 7:01, 7:09, 7:10, and 6:59 @ 159 bpm. I was feeling relaxed and good. The only problem was that I was barely passing anyone in my AG. After the first 10k I caught someone in my AG and figured I was somewhere around 10th. He picked up his pace to run with me and we stayed together for awhile and we kept marveling at how we didn’t pass anyone in our AG! I kept up the pace though to the half marathon, but I still figured I was in 9th place, just outside of a Kona slot.

Going into the 2nd loop I was concerned that I was starting to feel a little fatigue but I found I was able to raise my effort and maintain my pace. In the past I had always been afraid to push the 3rd 10k, but this time I had visualized pushing and my body was coming through for me. I did have some stomach issues during this time & I switched from cola to water for a couple of stations then started diluting my cola some and it worked itself out. I used all cola during the run and let’s just say that the hot Sam’s Club cola they were serving did not go down as easily as my ice cold Cokes did in race rehearsals. I raised my effort and heart rate (which was now in the low 160s), but I managed to do the 3rd quarter at only about 1 second / mile slower than the 1st quarter of the race. I think I picked off a couple of people on this 10k and figured I was in 7th or so- probably good for a Kona slot --- if I didn’t get passed!

My first sign of troublesome fatigue happened on the hill before the turnaround- I looked down at my Garmin and I was going 9 min / mile! I remembered feeling this way at Wildflower and I stayed calm. I know I can stay fast on the flats and downhills just by maintaining good technique. I furiously race walked for 10-20 steps then started running again to the top of the hill.

After the turnaround I flew down the hill and mentally switched gears. I accessed that part of the brain that lets a mother lift a car off of her child. My mantra was “I can. I will.” I used anger. I used fear. I wasn’t going to put myself through another roll down. This is my slot. No one will take it from me. I told myself that even if my feet shatter I won’t slow down-- I will hold 7 minute miles on bloody stumps. I told my body that it does not have permission to slow down. In my mind there were 2 runners behind me coming on fast to steal my slot and I was running scared. To slow down or be weak for even a second would risk everything I worked for over the last year. Fatigue was hitting hard in the last 2 miles through the neighborhoods. I skipped the last aid station and race walked over the last little hill with my arms pumping like a maniac!

Turning into the last straight away was amazing. It’s a gradual downhill and you can see the finish in the distance. I was the only one on the street for most of the way down and everyone was cheering and I could hear the music and Mike Reilly’s voice. All the way to the end I was running scared even though someone told me I was all alone turning the final corner. I was so close to my dream coming true that I didn’t even dare to slow down in the chute. I was asking people if anyone was behind me, but they couldn’t hear me. I was so tired that I tried to look behind me but almost lost my balance. I was trying to high five people in the chute but I couldn’t make contact with their hands.

I managed to only lose about 10 sec / mile off my pace for the final ¼ of the race (most of it on uphills) and I raised my HR up to 166 for mile 26 and up to 173 bpm coming into the finish.

Nutrition: I carry a .75 liter bottle with a flip top in my hand. When the bottle is empty, I refill it at least half way with cola at the aid stations. I would guess I probably drank 2-3 liters of cola on the run.

RUN: 3:10:04, 1st AG, 12th overall

After the finish Caroline told me that I finished 3rd in my AG! I couldn’t believe it -- I never even considered the possibility of being in the top 3. After barely missing Kona by less than 10 minutes in my first 2 tries, I finally did it! I would barely be able to walk the next couple of days, but the pain was worth it.

OVERALL: 9:31:49, 3rd AG, 22nd overall

I loved this race and I signed up for next year. The course was beautiful. The rough water helped make the swim more than just a meaningless warm up. I saw a refreshing lack of drafting on the bike, even on the flats. And the run course has just enough undulations to keep it interesting. This was my first small town IM and the community support was amazing.

The Focus Factor-- does your workout have it?

You don't understand! Why did you feel so tired at the end of your IM bike ride? Why did your legs feel so shelled early on in the run? You did pleny of long, hilly 112 mile rides that were much harder than your IM ride and you felt great afterward! What was missing? I'll tell you what you were missing.. the Focus Factor!

I remember when I first started training for triathlon-- I lived in Berkeley, where there more or less zero flat roads to train on. So my training consisted of riding hard up hills and recovering downhill. The only flattish roads around were punctuated by traffic lights and stop signs. When I finally started racing it was a shock! I had to get in the aerobars and crank it nonstop, with no stoplights and no long downhills for recovery! My training was on-off-on-off, while racing on most courses is pretty much all "on," except for some short downhills. I realized my training was missing the Focus Factor -- the ability to crank it out nonstop with as few breaks as possible.

Am I saying that EVERY workout needs to be highly focused? No, although I tend to work out that way as a default. And if you are short on time, then focused workouts are the only way that you can come close to achieving your long course potential. (Stay tuned for a future post on how to do a 9:30 Ironman on 12 hours per week). But, every athlete needs to do plenty of focused, steady riding in order to be IM ready. Focused workouts are particularly valuable in the specific preparation period, where you are determining your limits for racing.

How do you increase your focus factor?

1. Ride Indoors. Indoors you can get into the aerobars and just, for example, crank away at 70% of FTP. 1 hour of this is a solid maintenance workout, 2 hours is a very solid aerobic session, do it for 4 hours without fading or feeling lots of fatigue or having your heart rate go up more than 5-8 beats and you know for sure that you have a Porsche of an aerobic engine. I have a reasonably flat outdoor course where I can go nonstop without red lights and it still doesn't come close to the focused workout I get riding indoors.

2. Choose a good course. Find a course where you can maintain your steady wattage for as long as possible. Bad: stop signs, red lights, long downhills. Good: gradual uphills followed by short steep downhills.

3. Pretend you are on a fixie. When you hit a downhill, keep pedaling. Sit up so the wind hits your chest. Feather your brakes. Keep your effort as high as possible as you are descending, within the bounds of safety.

4. Ride Alone. Many group rides are off-on-off-on as riders regroup and chat.

5. Limit your stops. Carry more bottles on your bike so you don't need to stop as often to refill. Make you restroom breaks as short as possible.

Up your Focus Factor to race to your potential!

- Coady

The Session You MUST do before your Ironman Race

The Session You MUST do before your Ironman Race

By the time your Specific Preparation period rolls around you should have some idea of what intensity / pace / power you think you should be swimming, biking and running for your upcoming Ironman race. You should also have a rough idea of what type of nutrition plan you want to use during your race. If you don’t have a clue about any of these things, don’t feel too bad—you are going to be much closer to figuring these things out after this session.

Here is the workout:

1. Rehearse your pre-race eating the day before and the morning of the workout.
2. Weigh yourself unclothed before your workout.
3. Swim: nonstop, at planned Ironman intensity, for planned Ironman duration.
Transition as quickly as possible!
4. Bike: with focus factor HIGH, at planned ironman intensity or slightly higher, in your ironman bike position, practicing your exact ironman nutrition strategy as much as possible, at a duration LONGER than your Ironman duration. So, if you think you’ll go 5:30 in the IM bike, bike for 6 hours.
5. transition as quickly as possible!
6. RUN: at ironman intensity for 30 minutes, or for a maximum of 45 minutes if you are a highly durable athlete who recovers quickly. Consume nutrition MORE AGGRESSIVELY than you would on race day.
7. Weigh yourself unclothed again.

Since you biked an extra 30 minutes, at the end of this workout you’ll have an idea of what you’ll be feeling at more than an hour into your IM run. The purpose isn’t to train your endurance to the 7-8 hour level, although it will. The purpose is NOT for mental toughness, although doing a workout like this will make race day seem short and easy. The main purpose is to LEARN YOUR LIMITS AND TEST YOUR PLAN.

Immediately after your workout, answer the following questions:

1. Did you fade during the second half of the swim? (yes? swim slower next time)
2. Could you have kept up the same swim pace for another 15 minutes? (no? go slower next time)
3. Did you feel tired already when you were starting the bike ride or did you have to take time to recover from the swim? (yes- go slower next time!)
4. Was it very hard to get your heart rate to go down after the swim? (yes? go slower next time.)
5. Did you have trouble biking at your normal wattage from the beginning? (Yes? Swim slower.)
6. Did the bike feel comfortable for the first half? (no? bike slower next time)
7. Did you fade on the second half of the bike ride? (yes? bike slower next time)
8. Did it take a BIG effort to hold your wattage at the end of the bike? (you are on the borderline of your proper effort, ASSUMING that you can run well)
9. Did you have to raise your heart rate greatly to maintain your pacing plan? (yes? this is a danger sign that you might have to dial back your effort)
10. Did you bonk? (you are going to have to swim or ride easier or take in more calories and/or water)
11. Did your stomach get upset? (you might have to: ride easier, consume more water, less solids, more malto based carbs and less simple carbs, or keep trying different combinations )
12. How often did you have to pee? (only once or twice? maybe you didn't drink enough water- remember to )
13. Were you able to run at your planned pace, or close to it? (no? then you biked too hard, OR your run pace was unrealistic)
14. How hard did it feel to run at that pace? (After a mile, it should feel very comfortable- steady at most.)
15. HONESTLY- could you have continued at that pace for a full marathon? (yes! Then you are on the right track! No? You are going to have ease off your pacing in the swim and bike or change your nutrition in order to have a successful Ironman. Maybe? Well...)
16. Was your heart rate at a sustainable level on the run? (No? You'll need to run easier or ease off on the bike. Yes? Good! Maybe? Well...)
17. Were you able to take in all the nutrition easily on the run? (No? Then you need to change your nutrition strategy on the B or R or run or bike easier. Yes? Then you are on the right track.)
18. How much weight did you lose during the workout? (Take your body weight before exercise * .6 (how much water is in your body); then take the # of pounds you lost while exercising and divide it by that number to find out what % of your water that you've lost. You should be well below 5%- the level at which performance declines by 25%) If not, then drink more!

Most athletes don't think about many of these things until AFTER they race. Figure this stuff out up front to race to your potential!

- Coady

Monday, May 3, 2010

Wildflower Long Course 2010 Race Report

Pre Race

Woke up @ 3:45 (7.5 hours sleep). Drove 3 hours down from Pleasanton to Lake San Antonio with a Micky D’s rest stop / coffee top off / leg stretch. Checked in (my "purple cap" wave was to leave at 8:35 as I already knew). Set up my transition. Did a little jogging & stretch cordz to warm up. I got to the swim start area a hair over 10 minutes early.

SWIM START

When I arrived I saw the purple caps about to start! The announcer started counting down. I KNOW that my wave is supposed to leave at 8:35, but it's only 8:25! I ask someone "I thought the purple caps were leaving at 8:35?" He looked at me like I'm crazy-- "No, we leave now." I asked someone else "Is my cap the same color as yours?" He looked at me like I'm crazy "yes." The announcer started the wave. I had to decide now! I looked behind me-- it didn't look like there was another wave of purple caps back there getting ready to leave in 10 minutes. I made a split second decision -- better to go with the wrong wave than to risk missing my wave altogether! And I went!
It was a case of absolutely perfectly bad timing. If I was one minute earlier I would have had time to investigate and think to ask the RIGHT question (i.e. "What age group is this wave?"). If I was one minute later I wouldn't have even seen the other purple cap wave. Turns out I was in the wrong wave (what the program called the “cardinal” cap wave which had 100% identical caps to my purple wave), so I left 10 minutes too early (which is why my swim was originally listed on the site as 21 minutes instead of 31!)

SWIM

Started pretty far back in the pack because I had to get up there at the very last second. Didn't go anaerobic at all at start since I wasn’t very far up in the bunch. I was able to draft for maybe 5 min of the race; otherwise I swam on my own. On the way back in I stopped for a second to look around for other purple caps and didn't see any so I gave up on drafting. On the plus side, it freed me to take the best line back in. On the swim to the boat ramp I made my annual mistake of aiming at the start banner instead of the orange exit banner (remember this for next year).

31:48 (rank: 195) SLOW! I now realize I swam at my regular default OW wetsuit pace (IM intensity). I have to admit I was distracted thinking about whether I had left with the wrong wave. I didn't get to start my watch, so I didn't know how slow I was, which was good. I sighted well, but I need to work on my drafting skills before IMCdA.

T1

I walked up the boat ramp a little then took my wetsuit off. Then I jogged / walked up the rest of the ramp & jogged into transition. (I used to run up the boat ramp, which is very tiring). A little sloppy in transition, but not bad.

BIKE:

This was my first WF with power. The biggest value in having a power meter was holding back on the early steep hills even though it felt super easy and I was going the same pace as everyone else around me (racers of all shapes and sizes). I spent the first 10-20 miles a little preoccupied with whether I had started in the wrong wave and I even asked a couple of people if they were in the purple cap wave, but I couldn’t find anyone who was (the “cardinal” caps were the 30-34 “B” wave). It became obvious that I had been in the wrong wave when I only ended up seeing a couple of other people in my AG the entire time I was on the bike course.

My wattage caps were 290-300 on the hills 250 on the flats. I eased off the power every time my speed was over 25 mph and coasted when my speed was over 30 mph. By coasting and soft pedaling at higher speeds I got 45 seconds of “rest” (biking in my easy zone), including 15 minutes of coasting. On the negative side, I spent almost 15 minutes above 300 watts (my wattage cap), which is surprising since I made an honest effort to stay below it! This was truly a solo TT effort, and I didn’t benefit from any legal (or illegal) packs for even a second. From what I saw it was a very legal race and I saw the draft marshals at least 10 times during the ride.

In the past I had tended to ride somewhat conservatively in HIM races, but today I thought I'd try to ride very close to my wattage caps, to see what I was capable of. In reality, the course undulates so much and my speed changed so much that I was varying my wattage almost constantly based on my speed. I did sometimes push HARDER (than I would have just based on PE) based on my power—I wonder if this is healthy.

I remember thinking after the ride that 230-240 watts on the flats and 270-280 on the hills would be my “green zone” for this course. (i.e. my absolutely safe wattages). Anything above these wattages might be in my gray zone.

Time: 2:42:03 (rank: 55)
Wattage: averaged 220 watts (240 NP)


Nutrition: 600 cals of heed washed down with plenty of water. 1 1/3 cliff bars. So approx 900 cals on the bike. (I tend to eat at IM levels at this race to test my IM nutrition strategy)

T2:

Had a pretty good flying dismount. A bit of a sloppy transition (overshot my spot, then starting going w/o garmin so I had to go back and get it). But I was still 1 minute faster than my SUPER sloppy transition last year.

RUN:

I was concerned about the run because I've been having mysterious troubles with my running in training in over the last couple of weeks. I started out running relaxed and my speed was good. I forgot how many little steep hills there are in the first few miles along the lake. I was running at my normal HIM effort. I noticed that I was feeling a little weak on the uphills, but I wasn't too concerned because I tend to get stronger as a HIM run goes on.

On the big uphill part of the course (mile 5) I realized I didn't have my run legs and that I was going to have to adjust my strategy and expectations. It was disconcerting be in survival / conservation mode so early in the run (I am accustomed to be the aggressor on the latter parts of the run.) But I went to plan B and started walking short parts of the steep hills. When I got to the top of the big hill, I was able to FLY down the hill and I realized that I would still be able to run the downhills quickly just on the basis of good technique. Miles 6-10 are primarily downhill and I was able to keep a decent average pace (6:30s) by slogging through the flats and uphills and running the downhills very quickly. I was able to muster a decent effort running out of the pit and held it together until the big Lynch Hill descent. I ran quickly but controlled down Lynch Hill then ran pretty strong to the finish, but not all out. I wish I had sprinted to the finish line (I missed 4th in my AG by just a few seconds).

I was only able to average 166 BPM on this run (last year at WF and at Big Kahuna Half this year I was able to average 171 bpm).

NUTRITION: drank 200 cals of heed in a ¾ liter bottle that I was holding in my hand. Finished the bottle by mile 6. Started to feel some hints of nausea, so 200 cal of heed per ¾ liter might be too concentrated for IM run. After this I had a couple of the small cups of water and 1 cup of Gatorade. So all in all I had a little over 200 cals on the run.

Time: 1:27:06 (rank: 14)

Finish: 4:45:19 (rank: 19th overall, 5th 35-39)

SUMMARY / LESSONS:

• Get to the swim start earlier (or later!)
• Swim a little more aggressively in a HIM. My default pace is my IM pace, so I’ll need to concentrate a little bit.
• Work on my swim drafting before IMCdA.
• Watch my wattages more carefully. I shouldn’t have spent almost 15 minutes above 300 watts.
• I’m not sure if my sub-par run was a result of biking too hard or if it was a continuation my poor running legs that I’ve had for the last couple weeks, or some combination of the two.
• On the plus side I was able to adjust and hold it together and put together a respectable run despite my not having my best legs. I probably should have adjusted earlier and started walking parts of ALL the short and steep uphills on the first few miles. It’s good to have the run/walk in my repertoire for such an occasion!
• Never give up hope! Even though I was a bit distracted and bummed out by my mishap at the start (and a little concerned I might be DQ’d), and even though I didn’t have my usual strong run legs, I ended up having a much stronger placing than I would have hoped! By the way, the WF people were very organized and nice about fixing my snafu. (Although it was nice to see a 21 minute swim for a little while in the results.)
• 200 cals of heed for .75 liters might be too concentrated for a run drink.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Wildflower Plan

Wildflower Plan

Pre-Race:
  • smile & have fun!
  • make sure my Garmin settings are what I want for a race & garmin is ON (auto multisport, speed instead of cadence, run time instead of cadence)
  • bike and run shoes open, helmet open
  • bike in a good gear
  • make sure brakes aren't rubbing, wheel is on straight
  • memorize the location of my spot (use the flags), be oriented w/r/t getting in & out of T1/T2 
  • start dryland warmup 25 min or so before my wave start

Swim:

  • dryland warmup (jog and stretch cordz, then arm circles & jog in place to stay warm while in chute), get in the water as soon as they let us & do one good swim out and back, get behind the aggressive people; NEED TO BE WARMED UP!
  • Smile and relax-- I love this stuff!
  • start- start my watch; don't go crazy, draft, BUT DO NOT TRY TO FOLLOW FOLLOW SOMEONE WHO IS TOO FAST! TRY TO DRAFT THE WHOLE WAY, 
  • sight often! (off course TONS last year, lake can have currents, so don't assume I'm swimming straight); If I'm not breathing bilaterally, then I'm going ABOVE my hard pace, so slow down!  My swimming hasn't been great lately, so aim for an efficient & precise swim (good sighting and drafting), instead of speed.  Don't pass someone I'm drafting unless it is VERY EASY to swim behind them
  • WAY BACK IN - take diagonal back to land (don't follow buoys);aim diagonally to be inside the last houseboat; don't sprint to the finish 

T1:

  • Smile and Relax-- I love this stuff!
  • take a few steps up the boat ramp then take my wetsuit off (no point in doing long run in wetsuit unless it's cold); jog EASY up the boat ramp, even walk if I feel like it
  • jog easy through transition to my spot (use the flags to navigate)
  • socks, shoes, glasses, helmet and GO! 
  • jog out

BIKE:


OUT OF PARK & BEACH HILL
  • smile & relax & have fun on narrow curvy road out of park- let HR drop, beware of other riders!; DON'T GET CAUGHT IN WRONG GEAR on short uphills before Beach Hill (shift down when going down hill next to transition)
  • chill out on Beach Hill (try to keep wattage relatively low, definitely below 290, aim for lower); should be able to chat with the people around me

ROLLERS (2-12.5 - SETTLE IN)
  • have fun- I love this race!
  • hold back some, don't need to max out my wattage caps, unless it feels SUPER easy
  • be sure to take advantage of coasting once I'm up to speed, use downhills to let my HR settle after beach hill; GET AERO at high speeds
  • only drink water until HR is reasonably low
  • once HR reasonably settles I can start taking in liquid calories

LONG DOWNHILL(12.5)
  • this is the opportunity to really let the HR settle; once it does then I can eat my cliff bar(s) (1/6 every 10 mins); BE AERO (head down, eyes & chin up)
  • should feel fresh and ready to rock when I start the next section

12.5- 40 (MEAT OF THE RIDE)
  • 250w  cap on flats, BELOW 290-300 on hills; BE AERO, ESPECIALLY WHEN MY SPEED IS HIGH (head down, chin and eyes up); if I feel good, then ride close to my caps, if not, then ride more conservatively 
  • COAST & SOFT PEDAL AS MUCH AS I CAN (ease off when speed > 25, completely coast when speed close to 30)
  • NUTRITION: 1/6 cliff bar / 10 min + 150-200 cals liquid nutrition mixed into aerodrink / station; switch to just liquid nutrition if stomach doesn't feel strong

40.5 (Nasty Grade- takes about 15 min to first top)
  • start a little easier & be up to FTP by the top (don't do all 15 min @ FTP!)
  • recover after first top and ride strong over second top (takes about 2.5 min)
  • long FAST downhill after (with ambulance at bottom), followed immediately by next hill
  • definitely switch to all liquid nutrition at this point 

46.5 & 51-  2 more decent hills
  • first hill (46.5) takes about 12 min, more gradual than nasty, get a dip after a couple of mins for rest, becomes flattish/ bumpy at top
  • second hill (51) takes about 6 minutes, pretty steep, tiny double top

Mile 53- tiny spikes until back into park
  • take feet out of shoes when back into park
  • relax and enjoy the rest & speed riding down lynch hill, try not to kill the leading pro

T2
  • helmet and glasses off, hat on, garmin on, shoes on, grab bottle & go
  • don't SPRINT out of transition

RUN

First Mile
  • smile and relax!  I'm finally at my favorite part of the race!
  • hold back until first aid station- find my form (BOF/ cadence)
  • look at GPS to make sure my speed isn't ridiculously fast

1-4 Flat / Rolling / Spiky along the water
  • fall into my pace, get into a rhythm, DRINK (try to drink at least half of my bottle during this section)
  • have another gear or two in reserve so I can handle the steep hill w no problem

4-4.5 Uphill into the Park, then short downhill 
  • hold a gear in reserve for the big hill

5 Steep Uphill followed by downhill
  • hold back, leave enough in reserve so I can FLY downhill
  • if I feel good once I'm up this hill, stop pacing and start RACING
  • FLY downhill- fast cadence; remember my trail running skills - call them up from the deep recesses of my muscle memory!

5.5- 9 "Top of the Heart"   (the course is heart shaped)
  • the warmup is over, now there is a 10k race to the finish
  • finish my bottle in this section, get a couple of cups of gatorade into my bottle for the last part of the race
  • I'll know exactly what to do here, no need to write about it!

9-9.75 - Down Into the Pit
  • high cadence!  very easy to pass people here

9.75-10.5 - out of the pit
  • max sustainable  effort; very easy to pass people here
  • get angry!  do not doubt myself.  Tell my body it does not have permission to slow down and that I will be ignoring it's danger signals for the next 15-20 minutes, so it should stop sending them.

10.5-11.7 - half mile mostly down followed by a half mile mostly up
  • fast on downhill then max effort (last year HR was 195!)
  • get very angry!  this is the true test of my mental strength!  do not doubt myself here.  override my body signals.  have no fear. remember that I only need to get to mile 11.7!
  • SUPER easy to pass people here if I can keep up the effort

11.7 down, then down beach hill!
  • let go!  relaxed, fast cadence-- no braking!  (braking causes soreness)
  • INCREDIBLY easy to pass people here if I can keep up the concentration

FINISH
  • strong sustainable pace
  • no sprint unless I'm with someone from my AG or unless my time is very fast and I think I might be placing well
  • long chute, HARD to pass people here, best to stay on their shoulder and go for a late pass if I'm in a duel 
  • ENJOY!!!!

After Finish:
  • eat, ice legs in lake for at least 20 min
  • apply more sunscreen!
  • grab a burrito & a coke at the festival to fuel for the hardest part of the day (walking the bike back up the hill)