Melbourne Ironman Race Plan

This post is pretty much me writing my nutrition plan as well as an expectation of times for the Melbourne Ironman 2014.  
I’m going to break down everything pre-race to during race, as well as my estimated times on a good day, expected day.. and also if shit goes wrong. So if you track me you will know just how things are going!. My race number is 478 — so check me out on IronTrac .

PRE-RACE
I will look to start my heavier loaded carbohydrate meals from Thursday looking at endeavouring to consume 12g Carbohydrate per kg daily (As I am roughly 70kg) we are looking at 840g of carbs daily, this is not going to be that easy! Also going to have to shelve my standard pizza/footy Friday. The sacrifices!. I will also ensure I am well hydrated.
I don’t expect to get large amounts of sleep Saturday night, so will look to try and get as much in the preceding nights as possible.
Pre race my plan is to literally anti chafe every area of my body! Been using the Keywins Anti Chafe Cream, the stuff is awesome. Sunscreen everywhere thats required, Tape my neck for during the swim and try and settle the nerves!.
My Pre Race diet is typically a Clif Bar and 2 x Banana’s roughly 2 hours before the race, and half a Clif Blok pre starting.

SWIM
The swim I will be looking to settle as fast as possible, at Challenge 70.3 recently I noticed a big energy dump about half way into the swim and felt pretty crummy for the duration of the swim after that. As Melbourne IM is a straight 850m Swim before the first Buoy, i’ll be looking to establish a breathing rhythm and hopefully find some toes to draft from. The swim is my weakest leg, so I hope to feel strong and get out feeling not too beaten up!
ESTIMATED TIMES: (Based on the weather not being too hectic!)
BEST TIME: 1:02 EXPECTED: 1:05-1:12 ROUGH TIME OF IT: 1:12-1:15 WHEELS FELL OFF: 1:15+

RIDE
In T1 i’m planning to put socks on as well as my riding shoes as I like a certain amount of tension across my feet.
I plan to consume 1g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight for every hour of the event once I hit land. Depending on the heat of the day I will look to consume 1 bidden of water/electrolyte per hr (I use Hammer Endurolyte Fizz). If it is warm, it will increase.
My nutrition strategy on the ride consists of, Clif Gels (Razz and Strawberry alternating) – 24g Carbohydrate, Honey Sandwiches x 2-3 – 45g Carbohydrate.
Given I will have a gel every 25min and a Sandwich every 4th gel whilst on the ride hopefully this coupled with the small amount of carbohydrate in the Endurolyte Fizz I should have my energy needs covered.
I will also take 2 Nurofen at the start of the ride and 2 towards the end.
Pacing for me is definitely going to be a concern. As I have not used a HRM or Power Meter during training I am going to be largely operating on perceived effort. Currently the forecast is estimating some winds which could also make life interesting.
So estimation of time is a lot harder given the conditions and it being a course that is affected by the elements! So will base it on the nice day I wish for!
ESTIMATED TIMES:
BEST DAY: 5:10 EXPECTED: 5:15-5:20 ROUGH TIME OF IT: 5:25-5:35 WHEEL FELL OFF/STACKED/BONKED: 5:40+

RUN
T2 I’m planning to change my socks, re-sunscreen, anti-chafe, have another hit of electrolyte, cram 8 gels in my back pockets and stick my shoes on.
The run and the speed of my run will vary depending on the weather, my nutrition on the ride and pacing over the ride duration. I won’t be wearing a hat or sunglasses as I prefer to get as much airflow to my head/face as possible!.
In training I have planned for doing 4:45- 4:50 per/km which would get it done in roughly 3:20 – 3:24. However this is the ideal, the reality could vary greatly. I will attempt to largely consume just water and ice for the first half of the marathon, then from there depending on comfort, energy levels etc, I will starting using Cola. The plan is to generally try and hold myself back for the first half of the marathon also, ideally ensuring I will able to finish strongly. If the wheels absolutely fall off I will consider taking solids. In my special needs package I will pack extra gels, a can of coke and Nurofen if absolutely needed.. I am going to attempt to not take it!.
ESTIMATED TIMES:  (Again weather dependent)
BEST DAY: 3:15-3:20 EXPECTED: 3:20-3:38 ROUGH TIME OF IT: 3:38 – 3:50 BONKED/HEART ATTACK/LOST MY SHIT: 4HRS+

TOTAL TIME PREDICTIONS:
BEST DAY: 9:50-10:00 EXPECTED: 10:00-10:25 ROUGH TIME OF IT: 10:25 – 10:50 WHAT YOU HAVE JUST READ WENT COMPLETELY WRONG/OUT THE WINDOW: 11HRS +

I hope you have enjoyed my race plan, It was written as much for myself as it was for you! If you have any questions about what I plan to do or why.. please don’t hesitate to ask me.
I also hope you have enjoyed the journey! BRING ON SUNDAY.
Stephen.