Race Plan for the Lifetime Tri Tempe International on Sunday

The weather is expected to be pretty warm on Sunday with temperatures in the low to mid 80s during the race. This alters my race plan a bit and I have lowered some expectations since yesterday. Here goes:

I’ll be wearing a pink swim cap (as mandated by the race organizers for my race group). It is an appropriate color for us age-groupers. Our race will start with wave 9 at 7:25AM. I was hoping for an earlier start because of the heat, but hey start the sprint triathlon waves first.

Swim: I plan to swim in smooth long strokes, concentrating on form and keeping my head tucked in except when sighting. We will be going against the sun so I hope to draft off someone just a bit faster than me. Basically, the idea is to swim the entire 1,500 meters at a relaxed pace of slightly faster than 2 minutes per 100 meters. Swim time: around 28 minutes

T1: I’ll jog over to the transition area and stand on my towel to wipe off my feet as I wear my headband, sunglasses, heart belt and race belt. The socks and shoes will come next followed by the helmet. I expect to drink a bit of liquid (Gatorade Endurance mixed in with Carbo Pro) and eating a stinger waffle during transition. T1 time: around 3 minutes

Bike: The word that I need to remember is “relax.” I tend to get carried away during this leg and not save enough for the run. I know I am not a strong biker and tend to compensate by revving up my heart-rate above what it should be. I need to watch my heartrate and my speed to make sure my effort is at level 2 and 3 (and not level 4). If I play my cards right, I will average between 17 and 18 miles per hour. I expect to consume one full bottle of nutrition (about 200 calories) during the bike leg. This will also help me with hydration during the race. Bike time: about 1 hour and 25 minutes

T2: This transition should be relatively fast. All I need to do is remove my helmet and headband, put on a cap and change from bike shoes to running shoes. I will carry a stinger waffle with me as I start the run and eat it over the first mile or so. T2 time: less than 2 minutes

Run: It will be past 9:30AM when I start the run and the sun will be scorching. Keeping cool will be important. I expect to carry a sponge in one hand that I will dip in ice at each water station. My mantra “relax and flow” will be important to remember. I hope to do the first 3 miles averaging around 8:30 per mile. If I have anything left, I will do the next three miles at an average of 8:15, 8:00 and 7:45 respectively. Run time: about 50 minutes

If all goes as per plan, I will be right at my PR. If I am close, I will give it an all-out effort in the last mile. If I am ahead, I will cruise on home; if I am behind, I will simply lick my wounds.

As for today’s workout, I went to Lifetime Fitness only to find some sort of kiddy swim-meet in the outdoor pool. It was crowded. Fortunately, Shelly saved a lane for us and we were able to get a 2,000 meter ladder swim in.

I have enjoyed my conversations with Jon Bird. He has a wealth of triathlon knowledge. He has given me a couple of bike handling tips that I expect to experiment with tomorrow. I’ll post a picture of his P5 Cervelo tomorrow. It’s a badadd bike.

Leave a Reply