In an effort of full disclosure, this post is more for me than any of you. I found it very helpful this time around to go back and review my posts leading up and following IM Arizona as I put together my race plan for Ironman Coeur D'Alene. So here are the things that I learned this time around with the hopes that I remember to look here for my next Ironman.
Swim:
- Studying old swim start footage paid off. I was able to find the line with the least amount of traffic (inside buoy line behind all of the fast swimmers) As they started out fast, Mike and I were able to walk in behind them. In addition, since we were on the buoy line we wouldn't get "squeezed" by the swimmers on the outside trying to come in. This worked perfectly.
- Clear water is better - It may seem obvious but when the water got really choppy I was able to see the swimmers around me - site less often - and use them to gauge direction siting less often. In addition, when my goggles got knocked off I didn't get swam over the top because other swimmers could see that I was sitting up in the water. Much much better than the murky water of Tempe Town Lake and Soma
- I have to get my wetsuit fixed / altered / replaced. My neck was RAW even after I used glide. This by far was the worst pain I had following the race.
T1:
- My T1 time was terrible for many reasons
- Put as much on the bike as possible including my spare tubie. There was enough fluids on the course that all that I need is my speed fill and one bottle of water. Use the second cage / bottle holder as storage and not you bike jersey. It was too difficult getting all of that stuff on with a tubie in the rear pocket
- See if I can get an aerobar drink holder and fill it with EFS. I should be able to get 4-5 bottles of EFS in the aerobottle quite possibly eliminating the entire need for a cycling jersey ie.. speeding up T1
- Use a second bento box if necessary. Again, put as much on the bike as possible and as little as possible in my T1 bag. Do the same with gloves etc..
Bike
- My bike was 170 watts and used a 28 rear cassette for 7K of climbing. The 28 was perfect for CDA
- Take both sets of front race wheels for wind conditions, ride the more shallow wheel. My 90s got a little loose on the fast downhills
- taking 2 salt caps per hour was perfect. no stomach issues
- I took in 5 EFS liquid shot flasks during the bike - perfect
- Water with ever efs intake
- Gatorade in my speed fill bottle
- I wore my soot TTs and had no blisters after using a lot of glide in T2
- I did not use my fuel belt and didn't need it.
- I took 2 E-gels in the first 10 miles of the run with water
- I drank coke for the remaining 16 or so miles
- Run through the rest stops for as long as you possibly can. At 9mm plus 1.5 minutes walking through the rest stop is 10.5 mm plus. I was able to run 9.5mm for the first half
- Take a few Tylenols with you on the run. I didn't have any this time and wished that I had
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