St. Anthony's Race Strategy...

Apr 22, 03 7:26

Post #1 of 18 (2572 views)

MAJOR A race is on Sunday, and I'm ansy, so I've got to let off some steam. Here is the strategy, fine tuned by Coach Plumb...

4:45AM - Wake up and have Bagel/jelly and bananna with h2o.
5:10AM - Leave for race, sipping on h2o + gatorade
5:35AM - Arrive at race site. Get body marked + plus set up transition
5:55AM - stretch, and maybe run a 5-8 minute short run
6:20AM - Cut off the fluids!!!!
6:25AM - head to race start
7:00AM - race start.

SWIM: for first time, I am finding someone to draft off of. this will be tough for me, because everyone goes faster than me, so I'll be a bit nervous if I get behind someone too fast, that it would tire me out

BIKE: I'll be putting my shoes on in transition, as opposed to having them clipped on to start.

Hopeful times/speeds:

miles 1-8 = 21 mph
miles 9-16 = 22-23mph
miles 16-25 = 23-24mph
At MILE 20, take in gel...whichever I can get whether Cliff, hammergel, carbboom, etc.

Every 8-10 miles, take in a bit some h2o

keep shoes clipped in on dismount and haul ass to T2.

RUN: After getting my legs under me, just go. First 5K in about 20.30. Second 5K, sub-20, at least! I will be disappointed if I am not sub-40. Splash water on me throughout, maybe taking in just a bit on run, if possible, at mile markers

Key for me is to NOT think...about the pain, about my speed (run + bike), about heat...just keep moving...keep fighting, fight through pain, discomfort, anything. I hope when I cross the line, I vomit. That is what I want on Sunday, a 120% effort from me. And this is mental, not physical. I think I can physically do these things, I just have to convince myself to go over the limit, over the line, to make these things happen. DON'T think about pain, about Monday, about Gulf Coast, about injury...just about the race, about racing fast, about finishing strong and fast.

SWIM=29m
BIKE=67m
RUN=39m
TRAN=4m
TOTAL=2h19m (realistic)
optimistic = 2h14m (27s, 65b, 38r, 4t)

Last edited by: mjpwooo: Apr 22, 03 7:27

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [mjpwooo] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 7:51

Post #2 of 18 (2559 views)

In Reply To:

SWIM: for first time, I am finding someone to draft off of. this will be tough for me, because everyone goes faster than me, so I'll be a bit nervous if I get behind someone too fast, that it would tire me out

Mike,

Man, sounds like you are primed for a great race!! Go get 'em!

For the swim what I do is start off fast, then ease into my pace; then, catch a draft off the 1st one to come past me after that...if they are too fast then catch the next, and so on. What you don't want to do is draft off of someone too slow! I practice this by doing intervals in the pool doing the 1st 1/4th way faster then settling into interval pace for the last 3/4ths.

Good luck!!!

David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
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Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [mjpwooo] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 8:00

Post #3 of 18 (2558 views)

Best of luck on Sunday. St. Anthony's is a great race. I will be a just a few minutes behind you, until the run, of course.

It is going to be full sun and hot on Sunday. Make sure you use your best sunscreen and think about doing way more drinking on the bike. I am betting wetsuits will be legal this year, but you never know with this race.

If an old blob like me can do the transitions at St. Anthony's in 3.5 minutes, I don't see why someone with your footspeed can't do them in three minutes. I don't know why you wouldn't clip the shoes in for T1.

Good luck on Sunday. Run a good race, have a couple of beers, eat, grab a shower and then cheer me on at the finish as I do my best run imitation.

Question for Art [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 8:34

Post #4 of 18 (2544 views)

Hey Art,

What's your take on the bike course? It looks slow to me; way too many turns. I expect to average 22.5-23 on an olympic with less turns. Any thoughts on how much slower this course runs compared to the Disney oly, WPB TT, etc. Like Mike, I'm trying to setp up my time goals. Unlike Mike, I expect to sleep in longer and NOT break 40 on the run.

Thanks man.

Robert

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [mjpwooo] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 8:48

Post #5 of 18 (2537 views)

As a training buddy of Mike's, I would appreciate it if you all would encourage him NOT to draft on the swim. We are equal on the bike, but he toasts me on the run. If he learns to draft I will lose my only advantage, and my only shot to finish near him. . . Of course I'm kidding. Anyone willing to post their true goal times for public scrutiny must be OK.

Re: Question for Art [RA] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 8:52

Post #6 of 18 (2534 views)

For what it is worth, I am figuring to do about 2+ mph slower than I do in a time trial in WPB. Half of this would be due to the bike leg being part of a triathlon, and the other half to the course. I think I am a relatively poor bike handler, especially on my tri bike. The problems with being old and fat really show up on a course on which you need to climb (not here) or accelerate a lot out of turns.

I am hoping for about 1:14 for my bike leg, would be thrilled with 1:12. If they would lose the cobblestones and straighten out the course, I would knock two to three minutes off the time. It would be more like one to two minutes if you handle and accelerate better, which you probably do.

Thanks for not asking about the run. Like Mike, I am not planning on having a 4 be the first number in the run split either, but for a different reason.

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [jjm] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 11:12

Post #7 of 18 (2496 views)

your killing me, jjm!

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [mjpwooo] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 11:32

Post #8 of 18 (2492 views)

i'm not familiar w/ the race setup, but unless the swim is 1/4mile away from T1, you should be shooting for sub 2min transitions total, not each.... no socks etc, just goggles off, helmet on, shoes on, run... hop on.... (i'm w/ you on not clipping in shoes first, as a biker i'm perfectly comfortable running in cleats...) good luck!

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [mjpwooo] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 11:40

Post #9 of 18 (2490 views)

Good luck MJPWOOO and JJM on the race i still want to get up with you guys for a ride.Randall

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [jflan] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 12:05

Post #10 of 18 (2481 views)

there is a sock factor involved, yes...unfortunately. the the transition is not a 1/4 mile, but after that long swim, my head will be pounding, so it may not be as speedy as I'd like. T2 will be speedy. And thanks, Randall. We'll hook up soon.

No socks [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 13:05

Post #11 of 18 (2461 views)

How do you all get acclimated running without socks? I do not use them for sprints, but do for olys and 1/2 IMS. I ran 6 last week sans socks thinking I'd toughen up my feet, but blistered around mile 4.5. Do you all just deal with it, or toughen your feet up slowly?

Re: No socks [RA] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 15:11

Post #12 of 18 (2437 views)

My feet have been bleeding by the end of my last two races, and I didn't even notice it until the finish line. I guess you just deal with it. I get blisters on the heel, so I've heard you can use vaseline to help with this, but I haven't tried it yet. Could just be the way the shoes fit. Good luck.

Mark

Fit2Tri Multisport
http://www.fit2tri.com

Ok, here's the plan Mike [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 15:18

Post #13 of 18 (2435 views)

I'll tie a rope to my waist and pull you around the swim course, then we should be done with the bike around the same time, then its your turn to pull me around the run course. We'll move a bit faster through transitions and the race should turn out like this

Swim - 23

Bike - 67

Run - 39

Trans - 2:30

Total - 2:11:30

That might put us in the top 10 in our AG! Meet me at the start line, I'll be the one in the Orca Wetsuit with the rope :) Good luck Mike, sounds like you're geared up for a great race. Hope all goes as planned.

Mark

Fit2Tri Multisport
http://www.fit2tri.com

Re: No socks [RA] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 15:35

Post #14 of 18 (2431 views)

I don't use socks on Olympic distance races. You have to toughen your feet up very slowly. If you push it, you just break the skin and now you have a two week healing process.

I have one pair of race shoes. I try to run in them once every week or two for two to five miles. When I finish the last no sock race of the year, this pair hits the trash and I start breaking in next year's pair.

Nothing like long term planning.

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [mjpwooo] [ In reply to ]

Apr 22, 03 20:17

Post #15 of 18 (2405 views)

I'll be there... this Spring has been the illness and injury season, costing me all of my March and most of my April training.

Swim - 25, I've only got a few weeks of swim training... but have learned a lot about the physiology behind swimming fast for 1500m and have rapidly raised my aerobic swimming ability to high levels.

Ride - 65 - Haven't done any wind trainer intervals in a while, but have a good base from the winter months... should be interesting, pacing will be of the essence.

Run - 40 - A calf injury from last week's Escape From Ft. Desoto (where I cramped horribly) has kept me from running since last Satuday, but I'm hoping it'll heal in time for me to be able to run.

Tans - 2:30

Should get me the same time as last year... I might be able to go a little faster in the water and on the ride, depends if it's rough. I'll be satisfied with anything under a 2:13 and stoked with sub 2:10. 20-24 age group, who knows where I'll finish. Probably way down, but I've already got an AG win from previous years and the season is early. Good luck to all the racers!

Re: Question for Art [RA] [ In reply to ]

Apr 23, 03 7:05

Post #16 of 18 (2389 views)

I did the race in '99 and loved the bike course, flat and fast. It was the first time a broke and hour for the bike. The cobbles were tough, I powered through that section and made a lot of time on those around me. I was fist off the bike, but had to watch my IMH slot disapear as 8 people blew by me on the run. :-( The heat played a big part for me. I had done an easy run at home on Saturday with frost on the ground, flew down to FL that afternoon and put my bike together in 90 degree heat at 10 PM!

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [Zinc] [ In reply to ]

Apr 23, 03 7:07

Post #17 of 18 (2389 views)

Hey, we raced together at Ft. Desoto in the same AG. Sorry to hear you cramped up on the run, but you still had a pretty decent 5k (20:11 #1 in AG) over that course. The steps and the sand made it pretty slow. I wish I could say I was still in the 20-24 AG, but I gotta move up for St. Anthonys. I haven't been able to run either, except for races, for the past month because of my knee, so I'm just hoping I can hold it together. Can you really go that fast over that bike course at St. Anthony's with all the turns and the cobblestones?? This will be my first year racing it and I'm not sure what I should expect. I think I can avg 22+, but we'll see. We also got a bad break on our wave start (8th) so there's going to be a lot of bike traffic. Hope you have a great race, and your calf holds up for you.

Mark

Fit2Tri Multisport
http://www.fit2tri.com

Re: St. Anthony's Race Strategy... [Mark in FL] [ In reply to ]

Apr 23, 03 9:25

Post #18 of 18 (2363 views)

My bike time at Ft. Desoto is hard to compare to last year's to make a prediction at St. Anthony's. When I cramped up on the bike I spent a few minutes on the ground just outside transition with a spectator holding my bike... so I really have no idea what my bike split would have been to then make a prediction for St. Anthony's. In the past my bike speed at Ft. Desoto has been about the same as my average at St. Anthony's... due to the slower road surface at Desto.

At St. A's I rode about a 1:04 last year and was hoping to break an hour this year before I got sick and injured. The St. A's course is quite fast, and the cobbles are minimal. Just make sure that your water bottles are firmly attached, I lost all my water/carbohydrate on the first section of cobbles last year and turned my race into a major suck fest.

Good luck, rock it on Sunday.

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