Ok, so you are an IM athlete with ~10 hour fitness, and you are looking to really nail the marathon for once. You sign up for Wisconsin, figuring that it has to be cool one of these years. Then you hear the report that it is going to be blistering hot again. While you could pace the race smart and hope that you don’t still have a meltdown, you know that even if you place well your time is going to be slow, and there is NO WAY you are going to get that IM marathon PR. Or is there?
Why has the marathon at IMW been so bloody tough? 1. The bike is bloody tough and folks dig a big hole for themselves and then immediately try to run a marathon. 2. Most athletes start the marathon in the hottest part of the day. Take these elements out of the equation and you can nail that IM marathon.
Here’s what you do:
Ok, I think need to go to bed…
Are YOU in the Zone?
http://www.discomfortzone.com
Why has the marathon at IMW been so bloody tough? 1. The bike is bloody tough and folks dig a big hole for themselves and then immediately try to run a marathon. 2. Most athletes start the marathon in the hottest part of the day. Take these elements out of the equation and you can nail that IM marathon.
Here’s what you do:
- Warm up with a nice 1:20 swim. Sure you can swim the hour, but who cares about your swim time – you want to have a fast marathon, not a fast swim. Just be careful not to fall asleep – that might be dangerous.
- Take 10 minutes in T1 – no need to rush. Make sure you have lots of sunscreen on. Maybe even wear a little white mesh tent around you to keep the sun away. It won’t be aero, but you don’t care about your bike split – you want to run a fast marathon
- Drink adequately, and pour lots of cold water over yourself at aid stations. Those behind you may suffer the consequences if the RD didn’t go overboard on the fluids, but that’s not your problem.
- Roll into T2 after 6:30 or so of riding. You are capable of 5:20-5:30, so this should be a breeze. Ok, maybe the tent thing would slow things down real bad, but you probably ditched it in Mt. Horeb on loop 1.
- Now, here’s the trick: It’s 3pm and like 90 million degrees outside. You have just come in 2.5 hours before the bike cutoff. The rules state that you don’t have to finish the race until MIDNIGHT (9 hours away). And to boot, you are sitting inside an AIR CONDITIONED Convention Centre. Stay there.
5 a) Take 30 minutes to drink some fluids and ice your legs. If possible arrange an ice bath.
5 b) Get a light massage from the race massage people and, now that your hr has come down, eat a proper recovery meal. You might want to pack this in your T2 bag.
5 c) Sleep for a few hours
5 d) Wake up at 7pm and have a bit more to eat, but not too much. Get some more fluids in
5 e) Have the race volunteers bring in your bike so you can mount it on the trainer you have tied to your T2 bag. Do a nice light spin to loosen up those legs.
5f) Head out into the hallway near the exit and do some running drills and a few strides to get you set to run. You could do this outside, but the sun is still setting and you are trying to enjoy the air conditioning a bit more. - At approximately 8pm, with 4 hours to go until the cutoff, you line up in front of the timing mat ready to rock. Now is your chance, go for it! Just be sure to watch out for all those late finishing athletes who had to deal with empty aid stations on the bike (it would not be wise to explain why).
Ok, I think need to go to bed…
Are YOU in the Zone?
http://www.discomfortzone.com