Plans, Goals, and Getting It Done

I am now a little less than a full 4 days till race day. The taper, this time around, hasn’t been too brutal. Maybe I just knew what to expect more, so that is good. I’ve felt sluggish, I’ve had some decent short workouts, and I have had some poopy ones. I’m okay with that as nothing has been pushing hard because I’m saving it up for Sunday. Sluggish workouts now mean lots of energy to attack 70.3 miles on Sunday. Amazingly enough, after following Ironman CdA this past weekend, 70.3 doesn’t seem so far or intimidating! All of the distances are doable for me. I have the fitness to do them all together. The essentials for me will be knowing when I should turn it on a little harder, when to hold back, and at what point on the run I just push it to finish it with everything else left on the course. The maker or breaker for me will be how well I handle my nutrition. It’s not problem when it’s just swimming, just running, or just biking. I have that down pat and can take some risks if I don’t have enough in me. However, putting all three together coupled with the heat and making sure I take in enough calories and water while I’m on the bike will set me up for success on the run. Failure to do so will make for a very difficult half-marathon! I have a plan, and I intend to stick to it, but if I have learned anything in the Army it is that plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy! So, plan B is always needed, and thankfully there are aide stations on the course—a Plan B provided for the racer!

I have decided I’ll declare my goals for this. I will also say that I hope I’m being conservative on these, as I’d like to go faster. As with other tri’s and running distances, when I have never done the distance before it is tough for me to know how to gauge it…so I know I’ll be able to put some more accurate guesses out for the Longhorn Half-Ironman. BUT, taking into account terrain (canyon), heat (W. TX in late June), and first time experience at this distance, I’ve given myself some ranges, so here we go:

Swim (1931 meters): 37-40 min
T1: 2 min max (should be faster!)
Bike (56 miles): 3hrs – 3 hrs 10 min (17.5-19 mph)
T2: 2 min max (should be faster)
Run (13.1 miles): 1:51-1:57 (8:30 – 9 min/mile pace)
Total: 5:50-5:55 total as a max idea

So, the big goal is sub-6 hours. I *think* if I have proper nutrition and good adrenaline that I can pace the run better than what I predicted here. I have done a 7:27 pace for an open ½ Marathon…but in the heat of the day after 56 miles of biking and 1.2 mile swim, my run time won’t be that open time. But, here is doing the best I can do with the fitness I have. I’d love to catch some great feet for drafting in the swim and slide through the water, fly on the bike, and glide on the road, so we will see.

Buffalo wrestling in T-4 days!