IMLouisville Plan

Wake up at 4:15 AM or so. Breakfast at about 4:30 AM. 900 calories in the form of two English muffins with peanut butter, a glass of OJ and a V8. Also, two cups coffee. Carry a water bottle with me from here until the race starts and drink as thirst dictates, but not forcing fluids.

Swim start: The swim start at Lou is unique in that it's a time trial start. Everyone is supposed to be in the water within a half hour. I'm not going to rush to try to get in line early. Instead, I'll just get in line when I am ready. As far as pacing goes, there isn't much of an option except to use RPE. How deep of breath I require is a good indication at the start of the swim or at other times when adrenaline may override RPE. In addition to pacing, I MUST FOCUS THE ENTIRE SWIM. No letting my mind wander to other parts of the race and letting my effort slide. Maintain a steady effort through the second half of the swim. Focus on effort, arm entry, extension, catch, and pull (though not necessarily all at the same time).

Transition 1: Grab the correct bag. GRAB THE CORRECT BAG! I've screwed up a transition in each of my last two IMs, and my screw-up in LP cost me probably a minute a so and potentially the AG win. Otherwise, relax. RELAX! Saving two seconds by sprinting isn't going to win the race. Be calm, yet attentive, and keep the HR down.

Bike pacing: Early in the ride pace based on RPE, but let power control. Don't go much above 220 W on flats. Don't work too hard to pass people, as I may have a lot of passes to complete. Do not be afraid to sit 7M behind an overzealous rider that passes me. Try to figure out how many W are going to be required for a pass before making it - do not kill myself just to pass one rider.

As the ride goes on, settle into a steady IM effort. DO NOT CHASE WATTS! Do not try to sit at 220 W the whole time if that effort feels hard. If that effort feels easy, be very, very cautious. Cross-reference HR if it is available (on that note, I believe I simply need to change the battery in my CPU to get HR going again - I'm making the change today). Cadence should be 80-85, but don't worry too much about checking this because that's where I typically naturally ride.

Be prepared to beging feeling ftigued before 80 miles. You've ridden hard before and still been able to run, you can do it again. That said, ride my own race and don't pick up the effort to make passes that will only save a few seconds. Sit 7m back from anyone that passes me or is going a good speed.

Spin a high cadence and decrease the effort the last two minutes or so of the ride.

Bike nutrition: Begin drinking fluid whenever I feel like it, likely just a few minutes into the ride. Drink Gatorade as thirst dictates, but ensure that I'm going through at least one bottle per hour, providing 200 cal/hour. (That's about the bear minimum I ever drink, so I doubt drinking less than that will be a problem.) If I don't have to pee by mile 60, considering increasing fluid intake.

Eat Powerbars at the beginning of the ride. Carry 2 bars (>400 cal total) and the bars in pieces over the first two to three hours. That gives me a minimum of 300 cal/hour, and I'll almost certainly drink another 50 cal/hour or so in Gatorade (i.e., in addition to the 200 cal/hour mentioned above) because I'll probably drink more than 1 bottle/hour. I will also carry 5 gels in a gel flask. That's 500 calories. Begin supplementing Gatorade with gel once Powerbars run out.

Drink water instead of Gatorade as taste dictates. Consider grabbing water to wash down Powerbars and gels if an aid station is approaching. Reduce calorie consumption around mile 105 to give my stomach time to settle.

Transition 2: Same as transition 1. Relaxed, not hurrying, calm and attentive. Hurrying is more likely to cost time than save it here.

Run racing: RPE is my guide. Override RPE during the first mile or two. 160 HR expected. If it is hot, be cautious and start slow. Start a notch below where RPE would dictate if the temp feels warm. Slowing 30 seconds a mile for two or three miles only costs 1:00-1:30. Going too fast could cost 20:00. Do not chase a split - let RPE and the conditions be the guide. Quick cadence.

Run nutrition: Carry salt tablets. Eat them frequently. Each pill only include 40mg of sodium, so even 10 pills/hour isn't too much.

Otherwise, have coke and water. If I feel like Gatorade, gel, etc., have it. If I have a gel, eat is slowly between aid stations. Pay attention to how I feel and let that dictate how much to consume. If I'm really thirsty, that's a sign that my body needs water. Slowing a bit to drink more is going to be faster in the end. Think and be aware and attentive.

Have a flat Red Bull in a sports bottle in my special needs bag. Red Bull is tasty, and I'm told it "gives you wings", whatever that means.

Put ice down my shirt. Dump water on myself. Do whatever cools me down.

Always: Stay positive. STAY POSITIVE! Repeat a mantra if necessary. Know that I can run every step of the race. Know that I can finish no matter how I feel. Keep going. The point is to have fun - have fun. Smile and embrace the pain - I may not know I'm doing my last IM until after the fact.

Result: Win AG. Set a new PR (yeah, yeah, there are no PRs). Enjoy the finish, no matter what. Go get some beer and pizza and ice cream.