Rob

Wasn't sure if you had kids. Your reply was exactly the incite I was hoping to get. Basically, time management ideas. Success = good plan, good time management, and hard work.

Thank You again!

It's simply 2:1 ratio of maltodextrin to fructose. This time I change the ratio very slightly, not on purpose but just because I was heavy handed when pouring it. So over 2 bottles I had 95g fructose, 240g maltodextrin. I put it all in a blender with warm water to make it dissolve nicely. Then I add a scoop of BCAA powder (I use Scivation Extend but it doesn't really matter which brand. Unless they would like to sponsor me, then of course it matters). Then I just distribute the mixture across the Torpedo bottle and the bike bottle, leaving enough space for a bottle of ginger beer in each. Then I add the ginger beer.

I sourced the maltodextrin and fructose powder from Honeyville Grains. A 50lb tub of each cost me about $70... it's really a lot, I still have the originals that I purchased when I moved to the USA in early 2011!

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Thanks Jim, it was Fred who you know well!

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Great to hear. Congrats...you're clients rave about you. I have no idea how you find the time!

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

Great race and nice RR! Love the bike too! A few questions:

1 - Did you pretty much build up that ride all on your own, or have it put together for you like that from Dimond? Is that a custom paint job or one of those hydrographic dipped ones? Either way, it looks awesome.


2 - It seems like both your bottle up front and the rear bottle were higher concentrate mixes. So what did you do with the aid station water bottles? Did you dilute your mixes, or ride with a water bottle until it was empty and the start over? If you rode with it, where did you keep it?


Thanks,

Dimond ships me all the parts, and I have a local pro mechanic, Will from Roadworx in Boulder, who built it up. He is really head and shoulders above any bike shop mechanic. He is responsible for the clean front end. He hid the di2 junction inside the stem, and figured out all the cable routing to make it super clean.


it's a custom paint job from a custom Harley outfit called Fatbaggers in Demoines, just down the road from Dimond. The paint job also feels amazing if that makes sense. The finish quality is superb.


Bottle of water #1 was at about 40 miles. I just drank it and tossed it at the aid station. The 2nd one I got at around mile 90+ once my Torpedo was empty, and dumped the whole thing into the Torpedo. The concentrate is actually very drinkable. It just about the same consistency as apple juice. So on a cold day like Sunday, I don't even need much water. If I start feeling a bit bloated then I just take on more water, but I didn't need that at IMAZ. The overall process was: get on the bike, drank a flask of spicy stuff (because I knew I was going to cramp) that also had some calories. Then 1 roctane gel just before aid station, washed down with a little water from AS, tossed bottle. Then drink from Torpedo, small sips every 5-10 mins. Once Torpedo is done, pull out bike bottle and refill Torpedo. Toss bike bottle. Once done with that, refill Torpedo with water from AS, and shift to the contents of the bento (gummy worms and cola blasts). For once, it worked out perfectly where I was done with all my nutrition about 10 mins before the end. Usually I have to take one more thing from an AS (gatorade) to get me the final stretch.

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Actually there are 4 kids in Rob's family. There are two actual kids, then there is Rob and then there is the training plan. Michelle's got this massive juggling act that puts this entire crew in podium position, so kudos on that front too!

Congratulations Rob well done.

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Barry Dmitruk
2017: Florida 70.3 (done); Mont Tremblant 70.3 & Ironman

The icefriction chain...do you train with it or swap it just for racing? And do you get it "retreated" every 400-600 miles?

And, of course, is it any faster?

no I only use it for racing, I switch it out for a normal dura ace or ultegra chain in training. I haven't got it retreated yet, but I need to start thinking about that now. I used the same chain at Kona and IMAZ, but with all the rain at IMAZ I saw the chain was a bit rusty when I left it at TBT on Monday. So for my next race it's probably going to be a new one, and the current race chain will get cleaned up relegated to become a training chain. I do the same thing with tires. New ones for important races, after that they become training tires.

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Great point. You can have all the spokes of the successful IM wheel in place but a great spouse and partnership is the rim that makes it all roll possible.

Thanks man. Hope to see you in Kona one day. Go enjoy vaca and stop giving away your speed secrets.

Tim Reimink

Rob, great race man. It was a pleasure meeting you!
Two questions:
1. Did you feel the Ginger Beer helped with digestion or were there other reasons for trying it this race?

2. Why the switch to the Turbo Cottons?

Thanks,

I chose it mainly because it tastes awesome. But yes also because ginger is great for calming the GI system. I don't usually have GI issues, but I figure anything that helps digestion can only be good in an IM. It was especially nice on the run.


I've read the recent reports on the great rolling resistance. I've also heard people having issues with flats. But I figured since I had no pressure of KQ that I would just take the risk. Not only did they not flat, but those tires are still pretty hard today (even with latex tubes). For my next race I think I'll keep the turbo cotton on the disc and maybe go with a 23mm supersonic up front. I think that would be a pretty sweet and fast setup.

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Rob, great report and race. You talk about being a high volume responder, so assume that most of your miles are 'easy'. Do you do any tempo / faster pace work in your build for an ironman and when is it implemented?

Thanks,

Hi Rob, just a further question on your concentrated bottles for nutrition. I follow much of the same strategy (HIM races only) and try to keep my nutrition separate from my hydration.

Do you find any merit to the school of thought that says your body battles to absorb high concentrations and that you shouldnt mess with the recommended dilution? I mean I'm guessing obviously not because you concentrate your sports drink but I'm still interested on your take on that argument.

Just a case of everyone's different?

This year I've been a bit time crunched, so my training has actually been lower volume, and higher intensity, but nothing much above threshold for bike and run

Swim: everything is pretty high intensity - no easy swims ever
Bike: mainly IM effort rides and HIM effort. Nothing over FTP. Nothing super easy either unless I'm tired or I have lots of time
Run: 95% easy. The only hard workouts I did was 30x1km @ half marathon pace (but still, that is just under threshold). I find higher volume running more doable since it's not very time consuming.

That's what I did, not what I think is ideal. I'd like to do a higher % of hard runs, and more hours of long easy biking. But I just do what I can based on the rest of my life. When I have less time, intensity goes up, and with more time volume goes up.

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

I think the science around osmolality is valid, but yes in normal conditions I drink plain water too, not just concentrate. In a hot race like Kona that might be 1-1.5 liters per hour of plain water. At IMAZ it was cold so intake of plain water was much lower. I haven't actually calculated the osmolality of my mix, since it doesn't cause me issues. Interestingly, if I mix commercial products in a concentrate I get GI issues. But with plain powder I don't. It doesn't make sense but that's what happens to me.

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Well, that's because the plain maltodextrin powder is the closest thing to real beer to which you body probably made adaptations to over 20 something years of consumption, so it is a case of "nothing new here....same old same old..." :-)