Race plan for tri number 6

My sixth-ever triathlon is on Sunday and I am relaxed about it.  I have driven the bike course twice, got it on video, tried out the run course, tried out the swim course and checked out the course maps again today.  I know the area pretty well now, and I rode the bike course last week so no surprises there for me.  I think I am prepped and ready to roll.

I do have one question though – why the late change to the run course, and are we really running on sand for two half laps…what the hell?  That will totally slow me down!

Registration is tomorrow afternoon and swim coaching is off for two weeks due to the school holidays, so I have time to keep sorting, chucking, packing boxes, get my hair done (finally, only got three months of re-growth!), go visit my favourite scrapbook store and whatever else my heart desires, e.g. perhaps a pedicure and a latte.   

My plan for tri number six is as follows:

Setup:

Gear up and fill up car the night before

Put on timing chip before bed

Get up at 5am and eat breaky

Leave home at 5.45am

Get there very early i.e. 6.20am for a good bike rack position I can actually find. 

Pan of water for feet for transition with 1L bottle of tap water.

Ventolin, symbicort, gel in bento box on bike, with spare band-aids, and antihistamine.

Swim:

Approx 7 minutes in the water, preferably starting in the water and not a beach start.  I hope I get a good wave number. Have caffeine gel before swims start and slug of water. Swim the whole thing

nonstop and without a kick in the face. 

T1:     

No more than 3-4 minutes in T1, less being better obviously.  Pity about having to cross the main road to get to T1.  Wash feet (bucket), dry feet, socks on, bike shoes on, race number belt on, helmet on, sunnies on, gloves on, run to mount line, get on bike and ride.  Have a plain gel on outward leg.

Bike:  

11km of roly-poly hills, so probably around the 33-36 min mark including mount and dismount.  Not go too hard on way out, race down hills and flats, spin in high cadence up hills.

T2:     

Should only be 2 mins.  Rack bike, off with the bike shoes, off with the helmet, on with the running shoes, grab cap and water bottle.  Bike gloves off, cap on, run top on and turn race belt around on

the run.

Run:

Run the first minute, and then walk for two.  Cross the main road a few times. Repeat until 3km is done.  About 30 mins.

Total event time:

I am thinking about 1 hr 18-1hr 20, allowing for worst-case scenario bike ride of about 36 mins.  I have NO idea what I did it in last week, which does not help with my planning.  However, the longest bike time last year was about 55 mins and the average around what I want to do it in, so I should be fine with my 33-36 mins.  The longest times last year were around 1hr 39 so that gives me a 19-21 minute window before coming in last. 

I will be virtually flying down the flats and the last couple of hills.  The bike is where I make up the time I lose in the swim and in transition, and where I give myself a bit of a lead on the run which I end up losing when people who can run go past me. 

  

This is my plan, now it is time to make it happen.