10 days to first Ironman. Ok, I'm scared. A few Questions

Triathlon Forum
1

Right, I fly to New Zealand on Friday morning. As mentioned a little while ago, due to the move and job etc I’m undertrained but working to just get round in one piece. My big fear is the bike, I’ve never made 7 hours in one go, and that’s what worries me. Still, I figure if every couple of hours I take 5 mins to walk and stretch, it might help and honestly won’t make a difference to my overall time.

I’m surrounded by lists for each bag/transition/event etc, which I might post here if I’m sufficiently bored/scared/paranoid later. I would like to ask what people think of my nutrition plan. It’s what I’ve been working on prior to the move and seemed the best option given that I didn’t want to be reliant on the pro4 stuff available on course having never been able to try it.

Race Day:
3am bowl of porridge (oatmeal), chocolate milk
5am, chocolate milk.
6am, bottle of sports drink, drunk over the next half hour.
6:40, gel with water.
7:00 swim start.
8:50 bike start. first half hour, water only.
gel every 20mins with water through the bike, probably a cliff bar or two along the way.
Thermolyte tablet, 1 tabs/hour

On the run, intersperse gel/water with sports drink or coke, depending on how I’m feeling.

I found that the gels work for me, I make them up from powder into flasks which I find easier to handle than lots of packets.

this should give me an intake per hour of
240 calories
60g carbs
420mg sodium

To me this seems low on calories, but is 3 gels per hour, which seems a bit light to be honest. Adding half a clif bar every half hour would add another 250 cals which seems like a reasonable bet, and I’ve done that in training before with reasonable tolerance. I was just hoping to get by on a liquid intake, but going to 6 shots an hour seems unreasonable, and I don’t think I’d handle that much carb.

I know, this should all have been shaken down in training, but the last few months have been pretty tough on getting the required training in.

Oh yes, with 700c 23mm tires, is 12g or 16g co2 the best option for getting a proper pressure fill if I bag a flat.

Probably more questions later today as I work through the packing.

Cheers,

Justin.

2

I can relate to this. My first one is in 4 weeks…

3

which one is that? IMAZ?

Wish you luck with it, it’s not been easy training in the UK since I got back. My trainer is a permanent fixture in the bedroom.

4

No. South Africa.

5

Oh yes, with 700c 23mm tires, is 12g or 16g co2 the best option for getting a proper pressure fill if I bag a flat.

16g will take you to ~115lb pressure, if i recall correctly; 12g, ~95 - 100. i personally ride with the 12g cartridges, due to portability & cost, as well as ill experiences using the 16g inflators. just make sure you have a spare cartridge or two, just in case you get a dud. even with the more expensive, non-bb gun cartridges, it does happen.

have a great race and let us know how it goes.//d

6

My (limited) experience. Enjoy the day - don’t psyche yourself out of it. Look at the scenery, chat to/thank the marshalls at every opportunity and take whatever trhe day throws at you with a smile on your face.

Unless that is you’re trying to qualify - in which case I’ve no placeadvising you :wink:

Enjoy,

JC

7

No qualifying for me. I’d originally hoped to go around 12 hours, but with the drop in training over the past few months due to moving country and a new job, I’m just aiming to get round, with a lighthearted aim of going under 15 hours.

One day I’ll do another I’m sure, mainly becuase I know I’m capable of going faster than I will next week, but NZ is special for a number of reasons, and enjoying the day, taking it as easy as I can and just getting round is what I aim to do.

Thanks, there’ll be a race report in the days after.

8

No advice, I’m totally new at this. I just want to say GOOD LUCK!

9

I was in the same boat for my first IM (IMUK, last year). Couldn’t execute my last eight weeks of training the way I wanted (I had 21-day period where I did no miles – zero, nada – in any discipline), and I had the same concerns. It all turned out OK – 11:35. Follow the Hitchhiker’s Guide: Don’t Panic, and Always Know Where Your Towel Is.

Don’t Panic: Trust your base training, and keep the bike leg under control. Your biggest problem on the bike will be boredom!

Know Where Your Towel Is: Nutrition is the one thing you have under your complete control. You seem to have a decent plan, if a bit too conservative (i.e., I think you might wish to get in some more calories).

For breakfast, eat a lot of whatever you can keep down, as you have plenty of time before you race. Avoid gatorade for breakfast, because you’ll be tired of it later!

Pre-race: Keep a bag of dried figs (or whatever) with you, and keep munching right up to the call forward for the swim. Good for keeping your tank full, and for expending nervous energy! I would stay away from gels at this point – you will be sick of them by the end of the day! Drink lots and lots.

I think you may be too conservative on your bike leg plan – I did 300 cal per hour, and now I wish I’d gone for 400 per hour. Clif bars are great, but don’t discount bananas and other “real food” on the course as a welcome break from gels. I used no electrolyte tablets – no problems.

I carried 2 x 16g CO2, a spare tube, and a patch kit in case it really went to hell.

You’ll be fine! Good luck – looking forward to hearing how it goes for you.

10

Wow…have fun…that’s why you’re doing all this anyways…right?? My first IM (I’ve done 4 now) was a pathetic showing, undertrained…I mean I barely but in enough training for a 1/2IM, let alone a full, but the main thing is…I finished and had so much fun!!! Smile for that finish photo, you’ll be fine and you’ll have tons of people out there supporting you along the way!! IMNZ is one race I would love to do!!!

http://www.ironm4n.blogspot.com

11

I think you will need WAY more calories immediately after the swim. If you anticipate a long swim - judging from when you said you thought you’d be on the bike, you will burn over 1000 calories while swimming. This will put you well on your way to a bonk if you don’t do something as soon as possible to get your energy stores back up.

That was my big mistake in my first ironman. I just did not realize how many calories I’d spend in the water and I bonked at 3 hours into the bike. Consequently, I pack 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to go with me on the bike and I chow them down as soon as I start pedaling. This adjustment has served me very well.

A gel every 20 minutes on the bike is a very good idea. Every 30 would be OK, too. My stomach is always more sensitive on race day, I go with a swig of hammer gel every 30 minutes.

On the run, eat whatever you can tolerate, try to stick with the 20-30 minute eating plan, maybe drinking at every station but eating at every other one.

Really, I think your plan is fine but I worry about the caloric deficit you will incur during the swim. It needs to be repaid as much as possible, as quickly as possible.

12

Pre-race: Keep a bag of dried figs (or whatever) with you, and keep munching right up to the call forward for the swim. Good for keeping your tank full, and for expending nervous energy! I would stay away from gels at this point – you will be sick of them by the end of the day! Drink lots and lots.

Really not a good idea to be eating dried figs on race morning just before the start. You should really switch to a low fibre diet the night before. No need to snack on anything. Get up early like you planned and eat a big breakfast. Oats are great. Have you tried the choc milk before a big early morning swim workout? A lot of people cant stomach lots of milk before race intensity sessions. A meal replacement drink is a good option.

13

Hey Justin,

Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Don’t go and change nutrition or anything else at this late stage. Once you hit the water, you’ll be fine. You will have the best support of any race anywhere. Feel the Kiwi love as you run from the water to the T1 (long run so you’ll get a lot of love). As you head out on the bike, there will be crowds cheering you on. They’ll be there again on the return through town. That is a total rush. You’ll be fine. Just keep moving forward, and think of every person who says “good on ya” as your own personal cheering section.

You’ll have a great day! Sure wish I was going to be there.
clm

14

Replace the chocolate milk with a bagel and peanut butter

Hit the nutrition 15 minutes after T1

Don’t get off your bike…just keeping pedalling at your pace

Good luck. Tell us how it went. Smile and enjoy the process. It will be tough…but it will also be worth it. It always amazes me how so many folks look like they are in agony when they spent thousands of dollars to accomplish their goal. Just a frame of mind.

15

I would also not recommend getting off your bike to walk. You are better off just sitting up and spinning a bit to give your legs a break, or stand up and stretch. You can do this and keep moving. I find when I get off the bike I stiffen up slightly and it really serves no advantage.

16

I am prepping a race plan for AZ so going through the same thoughts/concerns. How much do you weigh? It is hard to tell if you have enough carbs / calories without knowing what you weigh. Most of what I read says to shoot for 1gm of carb / KG / HR I would also consider streamlining the pre race calories to just a big breakfast 3 hours before then just a little water (you should already be hydrated) and maybe a gel a few minutes before the race. Also, what are the temps supposed to be? The sodium looks a little low to me, especially if it is hot.

17

JC is right here…

If it’s your first IM distance race, then enjoy the day. That was the best advice I got from anyone. I think I wasted probably an hour just farting around talking with people at aid stations, and hanging out in T1 and T2 just taking it easy and being chatty.

Of course, if you are trying to Qualify for Kona, I too have no business advising you. :slight_smile:

Trae

18

Here are a few resources you may find useful:

On race planning:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/ironman02.shtml

On bike maintenance:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/ironmandisasters.shtml

and a pep talk… The lead photo is from Ironman New Zealand:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/editorials/0000086.shtml

19

Relax man, if you thought you could have done 12 hrs with good training you’ll finish in 13:30 with a lot less.

Don’t overthink the nutrition, in the morning just have what you’d have before a long bike ride. Perhaps swap the chocolate milk for Boost. Coke will save you on the run.

IF you’re going to get off the bike, do so to have a pee, and stretch at the same time.

Just remember that the bike and run are just slow intervals between feed stations.

In fact the run is just one long “all you can eat” buffet. And it’s free !! (life really doesn’t get much better than that !!)

However easy, however hard, the last 2 or 3 miles of the run will be an adventure in time and space. Look forward to it.

20

I quote Tom’s editorial.

“It is time to cast your concerns over preparation aside. You go to the start line with what you have, and you will do your very best. Do not let concern or doubt be a companion on this day. Instead, choose to take credit for all that you have accomplished- and mostly that you had the courage to take to the start line, a challenge few people ever have a bold enough spirit to answer.”

That about says it all for me. You will have a great day.

JC