As we get closer and closer to the last Ironman Arizona, I thought I’d share some of the race strategy and pacing tips that have worked well over the last 21 years. Every Ironman is a test of endurance, fitness and discipline to execute your own personal race plan. As you approach race day keep the following in mind – from the moment you wake up on race morning everything you do has an effect on how well you can run the Ironman marathon.
Warm up
Keep it minimal. Your warmup should consist of mostly stretching. Some light swimming may be possible at some races.
Swim
Seed intelligently. Do not put yourself in a position to be swam over by others. The exception to this is if you need as much time as possible to be the finish line cutoff. In that case, get in the water as soon as possible. This is critical in rolling starts like IMAZ. Divide the swim into thirds. The first third is super easy. Keep it at a lev 1 of 5 effort. The second third is where you hit your stride and can swim a steady lev 2 effort. The last third is where you need to maintain focus and sustain your lev 2 effort. Conserve energy in the swim. That is the name of the game. Sight as necessary and draft if you are comfortable with it.
T1
Have the process flow of transition memorized. Move steadily not hastily. Even if changing into full bike clothing, do not take more than 15 min in T1.
Bike
Respect the marathon! An Ironman is not a bike race. The bike merely a transition from the swim to the marathon. Miles 1-30 should be done at a lev 1-2 effort. You should feel like you are holding back. Start nutrition 20 min into the ride so that your stomach has time to settle after swallowing lake water. Miles 30-60 should be a nice lev 2 effort like most of your long training rides. You can drift as high as lev 3 on any hills. Miles 90-122 are where the race begins. Get to mile 90 of the bike feeling OK and you have a chance! Keep effort at lev 2 with spikes to lev 3 on hills. Stay aero, especially on those last 20 miles back to Tempe!
T2
Consider a flying dismount. Keep moving and be efficient. Do everything while still moving forward. If sick, walk the first 800m instead of sitting in a tent waiting to feel better. Get out in 10 min or less!
Run
Keep this quote in mind, “an Ironman marathon is 20 miles of hope and 6 miles of reality!” Settle into a lev 1-2 effort. Keep executing your nutrition plan. If you plan on run/walking then start executing that strategy right from the start. If you run 2 min then walk 1 min you will run 66% of the marathon! Expect to run about 40-90 sec slower than ½ Ironman run pace. Consider walking through the aid stations. Get to mile 20 and then dig deep with whatever you have left for the last 6.2 miles. Expect cardiac drift if things are going well. Don’t slow down if HR starts hitting lev 3 or higher but you feel like you are still lev 2. Run down the finishing chute and smile for the camera! You are an Ironman!
