I’m praying for 70’s but just in case and if history tends to repeat itself…
If IMCDA is hot (again) - any tips on adjusting pacing plan?
I’'ll assume the swim is the swim with no changes. Its early and the water is cool.
Bike - you have the wind to cool off - no prolonged climbs to heat up too much. Heart rate may be a tad higher. Should you change your plans re: watts? Re: heart rate?
Run - this seems to be where the heat takes its toll. Run slower. Change plan re: heart rate or no? How to stay cool?
Assume you don’t have the luxury of training in the heat or acclimating…
If it’s hot, I fully plan on walking the aid stations to get in as much fluid as possible. That, and living for the cold water sponges are the only things I have come up with.
But don’t worry. The forecast is 50 and rainy (I can look into the future). Can’t be hot every year!
If it’s hot, I fully plan on walking the aid stations to get in as much fluid as possible. That, and living for the cold water sponges are the only things I have come up with.
But don’t worry. The forecast is 50 and rainy (I can look into the future). Can’t be hot every year!
Jodi
Believe me, having endured IMWI 2006, 50 degrees and rainy is NOT something to pray for…
Oh, I’m not! Just saying, that we could be in for a Wisconsin type year. Everyone training for the heat and then racing in the cold. I think I would prefer heat, myself.
I live just a few hours away from CdA and we have much of the same weather. This year has been relatively mild so far, but a little cooler than last. You never know what you’re going to get up here. It was 90° for the first time this past weekend and only suppose to hit 56° tomorrow.
Ice down the jersey, sponges under the hat, and endurolytes if it’s hot. But if you’re traveling from far away, I would pack the arm warmers just in case. My only request - no wind.
In the heat, if you wait until the run to adjust your pacing, you’ll more than likely find yourself cooked on the run before you even start. I firmly believe that heat and humidity require an even greater reserve of resources to maintain pace/effort at the end of the day, so easing up early can pay dividends later on. If you’ve got a wattage range targeted, you should definitely move down towards the conservative end in high temps. Make sure to get your fluids in. Pay attention to your heart rate and RPE and adjust your effort/watts accordingly (this mainly goes to adjustments DOWNWARD, as the standard warnings about going too hard if you’re feeling good still apply).
On the run, ice down the shorts has always worked really well for me. Take advantage of the people sitting on their lawns with sprinklers and hoses aimed at the athletes. Run to the back end of the aid stations (the first couple of tables tend to get crowded), then walk 15-20 seconds while you get your fluids/nutrition in.
Also, the DeSoto arm coolers are supposed to work wonders.
I did IMCDA last year, and the heat was definitely tough. It hurt me. Here are some thoughts from that experience…
In the heat on the bike, I did not process calories like I expected. It was very different than training. In training, I preferred a mix of liquid (carbopro) and solid (clif bars). I tried to stick to my schedule in the event, and ended up being fairly nauseus before I even started the run. I scaled back my effort on the second lap, so I don’t think it was just the headwind (and therefore effort) that caused me to not process the calories. I think the heat must’ve contributed. I suspect that when your systems are focused on using fluid to cool you off, it affects the fluid used for digestion. In the future, I would switch to just liquid as the heat turns up. Also, I had a similar experience on the run. I was nauseus most of the run. It was miserable. I’d feel better, run at a good pace for a while, eat at the next aid station, and then feel terrible again. I finally figured it out at mile 18!! Fig newtons were killing me. I suspect it’s the same principle as the bike. When I ate the newton, my body was probably rejecting that it needed to send fluid to my stomach to digest it. No more solids and I felt fine thereafter. Also, I was running/walking through mile 18-20, and I kept yo-yo’ing by this guy. He finally stopped me and said, “slow down and go steady.” “Stick with me and I’ll get you in.” It was amazing. I’d heard about the hell of the last 6 miles of the IM, and this guy’s strategy worked great for me. I felt relatively great the last six miles; no nausea, ran the whole way! Slowing down and keeping a steady pace worked great. I’m very thankful to him for making the last part of my first IM experience so good.
A word of warning on ice. Something weird happened to me at O’side 70.3 this year. I was pretty warm on the run, but feeling great and running hard (for me). I grabbed some water at mile 9ish. It was at least half ice, and I usually don’t drink my fluids ice cold. I took a couple of gulps and poured the rest on my head. All of a sudden I got really dizzy. I walked for a little while and my head was absolutely burning up. After about 3 minutes of walking I felt a little better, but it definitely shook me up. I don’t know why it happened, but I think my body was telling me to not shock my system so badly. That being said, the icewater sponges have always been great, as others have mentioned. Maybe it was the gulps I took. I won’t do that again in an event.
Good luck at CDA. It is an amazing venue and an outstanding event.