Keeping It Super Simple

Its Tuesday (a rest day).  Ironman Lake Placid is just 5 days away and the fact that I'm racing is finally starting to hit me.  At this point the only things I can control are eating right and getting enough rest before the race and making sure that I know and execute my race plan.  When Coach Doug sent me the race plan, I was scared to look at it.  The thought of keeping my heart stimulated and actually performing to my potential and training scares me.  I'm very afraid that while my body may be there, my mind is weak.  We'll see what happens on race day.  All I can do is try my best and my hope is that knowing people are watching me, will help. 

Swim

1:11 - 1:14 (1:41 / 100 yards).  Plan is go out at about 90% for the first 200 and try to find some feet to draft.  Settle in and focus on swimming efficiently (high elbow, high turnover)).  Follow the underwater buoy line (like the other 3000 swimmers in tiny Mirror Lake).  Limit kicking until there's about three minutes remaining and the gradually increase the intensity and frequency.

Bike

6:38 - 6:43 (160 Watts, 16.9 mph).  Ease into the first 1-2 miles and get my first bit of food down (1/2 an orange creme Powerbar).  Sit at 155-165 watts on the flats and about 205-210 watts on the climbs except for the giant false flat back into town, take that at 170-175 watts).  If my heart rate goes about 151 back off, regardless of wattage.  Active recovery on the descents.  When in doubt, spin on high cadence.  Get out of the saddle on the steeper climbs if I need to change position a little.  Otherwise its aero position at all times (unless safety dictates that I need to get up on my brakes).  At the end of the ride, my average heart rate should be 139-141 bpm.

Run

3:57 - 4:02 (9:04 min/mile).  Take the first mile out at whatever my legs have and then settle in at an 8:50 per mile pace and hang onto 8:50s for as long as I can.  "Shuffle" up the short steep climbs and power walk every other aid station.  My heart rate should be about 10 bpm higher than on the bike.  For the first 20 miles, don;t let the heart rate get above 155 bpm.  If it gets above that, back off the pace.  At mile 20, stop looking at the HRM and just go as hard as possible for the last 10K. 

Total Time: 11:56  -12:09  

So final time should be around 12 hours.  My previous best at Ironman Arizona was a 14:30 (and Arizona is much easier course).  I should be looking at a PR regardless, I just hope that I have the mental stregnth to make it a two and half hour PR.