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I’ve been training for nearly 6 months for a single race so there is a lot of pressure to do well on race day. But then again, what does ‘well’ even mean? Questions have recently popped into my mind regarding this race that I have tried to ignore answering for far too long this season: What are my goals for this race? What are my expectations of my performance? What is my strategic race plan regarding pacing? Do I even have such a plan?
And now, with the race only a few short days away, I can’t ignore these questions any longer. I need to confront my fear and concoct SOME SORT of a race plan. So, here it is…
Overall Race Goal:
To finish my very first Full Ironman Race and be proud of it. I’m a SUPER competitive person and I, admittedly, HATE losing. Deep down I know that I will look back at this race and see all my mistakes and failures before I will acknowledge my accomplishment. I’m hard on myself. I know that. But, my overall race goal is, ultimately, just to finish. Saturday isn’t the day to take large race risks or to go out hard hoping that I can just hold on. Saturday is the day for pushing myself comfortably (well, as comfortable as I could be in a 12hr race) across the finish line and knowing that my next Ironman race will be the race where I can really test my limits. I just have to get my Ironman tattoo and then all bets are off.
The Swim:
Okay, so I know I JUST said that I wasn’t going to go out too hard. BUT, the swim will be my exception to this rule. I’m a swimmer and I’ve been feeling fantastic in the water. I also JUST swam a 5k Long Course for time so I know both that my pacing is spot-on and that I can bounce back very quickly from a hard swim. Like Ironman 70.3 Florida, I plan to take this swim out relatively hard. Swimming is my advantage and I will try to do the best I can with it. I know that I’ll be a bit tired for the Swim/Run Transition to the Bike. But, a few minutes into the bike and I know that I’ll be back to normal. So, the plan is to take out the swim moderate to hard and to rely on my training for a fast post-swim recovery.
The Transitions:
Smooth and Well-executed. Once I leave transition I’ll be gone for a VERY LONG time. So, I need to worry less about the speed of my transitions and instead to be very thorough in my preparation for the next leg of the race. I can’t leave anything I need behind…even if it means losing a minute or two.
The Bike:
Smooth and steady on the first lap and focus mentally to push a bit harder through the second lap. I don’t know the bike course AT ALL. I know, roughly, how tall the hills are and where they are. But, this is brand new terrain for me. I need to take the first lap out comfortably to just get to see the bike course before I will be able to figure out how hard I can push the second lap. My biggest goal is to not take the first lap out so hard that I spend the next six hours slowly dying. I want to spend the first 56 miles at a comfortable pace and to see how much I have left in the tank for the second loop once I know how challenging those hills are.
The Run:
My only real goal here is just to finish and to stay mentally positive without any real concern for my pace. The run course looks extremely challenging (although beautiful). And, I’m not 100% confident in my present run training. Regardless though, no matter how much training I did for this run, it’s definitely going to hurt A LOT. So, I plan to just enjoy the scenery and take solace in the fact that, by that point, I’ll almost be an Ironman.
And, there it is. It’s not a super-confusing or overly thought-out race plan. But, it’s something to at least show that I have put some thought into my performance on Saturday. And that’s all I’ve really got to say…
If you’d like to track me on Saturday during the race, you can do so at Ironman Live by entering my bib number (#481). Thanks for all your good luck wishes and support thusfar and...
SEE YOU AT THE FINISH LINE!!!
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