Hi Slowtwitchers…i’m a long-time lurker who is anxiously awaiting my first Ironman at LP in a week.
A friend who has done Wisconsin a few times suggested a little trick that he says has always lifted his spirits during the marathon. He places a fresh pair of socks and a pair of light-weight trainers in his run special needs bag and switches into them at the halfway point of the marathon. He said it’s great because usually you’ve been sweating and spilling water all day and the shoes have become so waterlogged and then all of a sudden with the new pair, your legs feel a little bit less like they have cement blocks on them!!
I think this sounds like a good idea, and I decided that I was going to put one of my identical pairs of shoes with my 2nd custom orthotics in my run special needs, but then i read in the LP athletes’ guide that the special needs bags will not be returned. I don’t want to lose my shoes (which are nearing the end of their useful life and will likely be retired after the race) and especially my custom orthotics which are supposed to last for another few pairs of shoes.
Does anyone have any suggestions or insight?
-Nate (#106 at LP!)
You will usually be able to collect your special needs bag after the race. There is usually no security though, and sometimes things disappear or get mixed up in a massive pile.
Head down after the race or have someone do it for you. You will probably be able to collect your stuff.
So potentially, I could give a family member my bike claim ticket and have them pick up my belongings after I’ve gone through the special needs station, correct? That sounds doable.
However, if you’re planning on changing shoes/socks during the IM, you better have tried this during your long run…which already passed. Since your feet will be “wet”, putting on a fresh pair of shoes isn’t like putting them on when getting off the bike. (i.e. Sock stick, shoes feel stiff, etc)
I’m not trying to talk you out of it, becuase (in theory) its a good idea. In reality…something that needs to be part of your training.
I’ve been able to retrieve my special needs bag 100% of the time. It’s best to pick them up on race night though…
I am going to put my spare shoes/socks in my special needs bag at LP, too. I made the BIG mistake of NOT doing this last year and as a result my feet ended up looking like hamburger meat. Also, I was able to get my special needs bags the NEXT MORNING no problem.
It was a day, much like today…ominous day…a day of horror…
Bahhh…so, I have new shoes in my bag at IMLP…take them out, bend over CRAMP!!! I woould have been MUCH better off not getting these ideas of fresh shoes…and yes, you can get your bag.
I have changed shoes and socks in the last 4 IM’s I’ve done, and found that changing shoes seems to keep my legs much fresher for the 2nd half - I’m pretty sure it’s because I switch brands/styles (from racing flats to lightweight trainers) and just the slight difference (probably in heel height) stresses my legs a bit differently and I do not fatigue nearly as much. Just for info, I have run every step of the last 4 marathons, typically in the 3:20-40 range. The shoe change probably costs 15-20 seconds tops, but I’m pretty sure I get all that time back, and then some.
Two yeas ago i put socks into the run special needs bag at LP. When I got there it was raining so hard that everything inside the bag got wet when I opened it up.
Be flexible about your plan, especially over the stuff you can’t control.
My favorite for the special needs is small chocolate pieces. YMMV.