Ironman 140.6 Recap & Program

Intro:

“Just get to the next aid station” 

“By any given means”

“As with any major endeavor- this was a team effort.”

“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far go together.”

“Everyone’s getting their flowers on this one!!!”

#1 Thank you to Liz. Those 10-14 hour training weeks can be tough. Your support means more than you know. 

#2 Thank you to Bob Johnson- My coach & mentor for providing the program, the expertise and motivation to help me get through this 7 month training program

#3 Thank you to my training partners. Race week competitors & finishers Kyle & Colin & the crew. Training partners and future Ironman Lake Placid racers Mark & Billy. 

#4 Thank you to the teams at BullfrogFit for always continuing to push & motivate me to do hard things.

#5 Thank you to Providence bicycle for keeping my wheels spinning smoothly.

#6 Thank you to Ice Physio For providing me with an excellent baseline knowledge in bike fitting, running technique and running rehab. 

#7 Thank you to the rest of my friends and family for the encouragement along the way. 

#8. Thank you to my swim coach Dave Estrada for keeping my swim technique crispy

#9. Although they probably will never see this….thank you to the volunteers, race organizers and police that worked hard to put on a great race and keep us safe! 👮‍♀️

The Training Program

Phase 1: 7 weeks

Predicted time: 6-10 hours per week

(tables below will scroll to the right to show more columns)

Block 1: Ramping Up (50% Volume)
Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat Sun Weekly Running (mi) Weekly Biking (mi) Weekly Swimming (yd) Workouts
B6S0.75 R3B15 R1.5S0.75 R3B5 R1.5B30R5 S1 14562.52
B6S0.75 R3B15 R1.5S0.75 R3B5 R1.5B35R7 S1 16612.52
B6S0.75 R3B15 R1.5S0.75 R4B5 R1.5B40R5 S1 15662.52
B6S0.75 R2B10S0.75 R2B5 R1.5B35R8 S1 13.5562.52
B6S0.75 R3B15 R1.5S0.75 R4B5 R1.5B40R5 S1 15662.52
B6S0.75 R3B15 R1.5S0.75 R4B5 R1.5B40R9 S1 19662.52
B6S0.75 R2.5B15 R1.5S0.75 R3B5 R1.5B40R5 S1 13.5662.52

Phase 2: 16 Weeks

Predicted time: 8-12 hours per week

(tables below will scroll to the right to show more columns)

Block 2: Ramping Up (75% Volume)
Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat Sun Run (mi) Bike (mi) Swim (yd) Workouts
B9S1.1 R4.5B22.5 R2.3S1.1 R4.5B7.5 R2.3B45R7.5 S1.5 21.1843.72
B9S1.1 R4.5B22.5 R2.3S1.1 R4.5B7.5 R2.3B52.5R10.5 S1.5 24.191.53.72
B9S1.1 R4.5B22.5 R2.3S1.1 R6B7.5 R2.3B60R7.5 S1.5 22.6993.72
B9S1.1 R3B15S1.1 R3B7.5 R2.3B52.5R12 S1.5 20.3843.72
B9S1.1 R4.5B22.5 R2.3S1.1 R6B7.5 R2.3B60R7.5 S1.5 22.6993.72
B9S1.1 R4.5B22.5 R2.3S1.1 R6B7.5 R2.3B60R13.5 S1.5 28.6993.72
B9S1.1 R3.8B22.5 R2.3S1.1 R4.5B7.5 R2.3B60R7.5 S1.5 20.4993.72
B9S1.1 R2.3B7.5S1.1 R2.3R2.3B52.5R13.5 S1.5 20.4693.72
B9S1.1 R4.5B30 R2.3S1.1 R6B7.5 R2.3B60R9 S2.3 24.1106.54.52
B9S1.1 R4.5B30 R2.3S1.1 R6B7.5 R2.3B75R13.5 S2.3 28.6121.54.52
B9S1.1 R4.5B30 R2.3S1.1 R6B7.5 R2.3B45R15 S2.3 30.191.54.52
B9S1.1 R3B15S1.1 R3B7.5 R2.3B82.5R9 S2.3 17.31144.52
B9S1.1 R4.5B30 R2.3S1.1 R6B7.5 R2.3B60R15 S3 30.1106.55.22
B9S1.1 R4.5B30 R2.3S1.1 R6B7.5 R2.3B45R11.3 S3 26.491.55.22
B9S1.1 R3.8B15 R2.3S1.1 R4.5B7.5 R2.3B30R7.5 S1.5 20.461.53.72
B9S1.1 R2.3B15S0.8 R2.3S1.1 R2.3B3.8S2.1 B56 R13.1 2083.85.12

Phase 3: 16 Week Race Prep

Predicted time: 10-14 hours per week

(tables below will scroll to the right to show more columns)

Ironman Training Schedule: 16 Week Prep
Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat Sun W/E Sunday Weekly Running Weekly Biking Weekly Swimming
B12R6S1.5 B30 R3R6S1.5 B10 R3B60R10 S2Jan 31281125
B12R6S1.5 B30 R3R6S1.5 B10 R3B70R14 S2Feb 7321225
B12R6S1.5 B30 R3R8S1.5 B10 R3B80R10 S2Feb 14301325
B12R4S1.5 B20R4S1.5 B10 R3B70R16 S2Feb 21271125
B12R6S1.5 B30 R3R8S1.5 B10 R3B80R10 S2Feb 28301325
B12R6S1.5 B30 R3R8S1.5 B10 R3B80R18 S2March 7381325
B12R5S1.5 B30 R3R6S1.5 B10 R3B80R10 S2March 14271325
B12R3S1.5 B10R3S1.5 R3B70R18 S2March 2127925
B12R6S1.5 B40 R3R8S1.5 B10 R3B80R12 S3March 28321426
B12R6S1.5 B40 R3R8S1.5 B10 R3B100R18 S3April 4381626
B12R6S1.5 B40 R3R8S1.5 B10 R3B60R20 S3April 11401226
B12R4S1.5 B20R4S1.5 B10 R3B110R12 S3April 18231526
B12R6S1.5 B40 R3R8S1.5 B10 R3B80R20 S4April 25401427
B12R6S1.5 B40 R3R8S1.5 B10 R3B60R15 S4May 2351227
B12R5S1.5 B20 R3R6S1.5 B10 R3B40R10 S2May 927825
B12R3S1.5 B20S1 R3S1.5 R3B5IronmanMay 1635.21498.2
Notes:

S2 = Swim 2000 yards
B12 = Bike 12 miles
R10 = Run 10 miles

Build into the starting point of this plan for several months using a similar pattern of workouts while gradually increasing volume.
Swim placement within the schedule is not that critical.
Mondays and/or Fridays can be taken as "off" days.
Adjustment should be made around races inserted into plan to ensure adequate rest and recovery before and after.
Take note of the weekly and monthly recovery cycles — these are important. It is not just about getting the distances in.
Try to do the Wednesday bike and run as a continuous workout at least occasionally.
The schedule is flexible, but try to observe the relative order of workouts and balance stress + recovery.
Do not try to make up missed workouts.
Always balance rest and recovery with hard workouts.

My Training Log (actual)

16 weeks of prep

Actual Time: 6-12 hours per week

(tables below will scroll to the right to show more columns)

Week Ending Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat Sun Run Bike Swim Workout Totals Training Time Notes Nutrition Hydration Supplements Alcohol
Feb 1Snowboard & Hike L45R6R3S1.5 B30R3Ice FishingIce Fishing10301500L454.2 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsCould be betterIntermittent20 drinks
Feb 8B12S2.3 R8B30R10L45 Pond HockeyL45 Pond HockeyPond Hockey18422300L1:306.5 hrsFeeling OKHigh CarbsCould be betterIntermittent20 drinks
Feb 15SickFuneralFuneralR3B10 R3 L30B85R1117950L307.2 hrsSICKHigh CarbsCould be betterIntermittent0 drinks
Feb 22SickSickSickSickB10 R3 L35B60R1619700L356.5 hrsSICKHigh CarbsCould be betterIntermittent0 drinks
Mar 1B12R6B30 R3 L35R8B10 R3B80R10301320L3512.15 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGoodIntermittent0 drinks
Mar 8B12R6B10 R3S1.5 R8OFFOFFR1932221500L07.38 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGoodNone0 drinks
Mar 15OFFR5OFFS1.5 R6OFFB60S2 B20 R1021803500L08.15 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGoodNone0 drinks
Mar 22L45R3B10S1.5 R3R3B70R1827801500L4510.1 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGoodNone0 drinks
Mar 29B12S1.5 R6B40 R3S1.5 R8L30OFFR1217523000L3010.4 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGoodNone0 drinks
Apr 5OFFS1.5 R6OFFR6OFFL60 R18B100301001500L6012.1 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGoodNone0 drinks
Apr 12S3SickSickSickL60SickB6063000L603 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGoodNone0 drinks
Apr 19B12 L60S1.5 R4B20S1.5 R4R13.1B40B70221453200L6013.6 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGreatNone0 drinks
Apr 26B12S1.5 R6B40 R3S1.5 R8B40OFFS4 B30 R20371327000L014 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGreatNone7 drinks
May 3OFFR6 B12B10 R3 S1.1R8OFFOFFR118221100L04.5 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGreatNone0 drinks
May 10R15OFFB10S1.5 R4OFFR10B4029501500L07.6 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGreatNone2 drinks
May 17S1.5 R3B20R3S1.5 R3 B5OFFIronmanOFF341387482L014.2 hrsFeeling greatHigh CarbsGreatNone0 drinks

Training Notes

  • Overall training block: went really well. If I could change anything… I did unfortunately miss a 20 mile run about 4 weeks ago, which would have been a nice fitness builder. I also would occasionally skip some of the smaller distance runs during the week. So my weekly run volume could have been a bit better.

  • Training Program Style: Simple, intuitive base building, with intensity based on the “80/20 principle“ 80% of the runs easy, 20% having a little more tempo. More intuitive means:… go for it if it feels good. Don’t push it if it’s not, but at the end of the day: just get the mileage in. Longer runs & bikes are meant to be a bit slower. This program’s purpose was to get me across the finish line… without absolutely blowing up. And it was extremely effective. Especially with flexibility in my work & life schedule.  Of course- there are many types of programs out there. Many are highly specific/ detailed/ dialed in training programs. Many programs will factor in things like: heart rate based paces, zone 2 workouts, wattage based paces on the bike, Fartleks, speed workouts, threshold workouts, sweet spot workouts, interval based training. These more specific & detailed programs also can be great- and they can work really well for the right athletes. Especially for athletes looking to push into the next level or just get really dialed in. But for this race and my training background, and busy scheudle- this program was the perfect program.

  • Consistency: I did end up skipping some swim and bike workouts too, but overall I got 80% of my training in for the past 6-9 months.

  • Races: Having a marathon in October 2025, a 70.3 last summer 2025, and a 70.3 the prior 2024 was all super helpful to keep my cardiovascular engine/ fitness and training consistent.  Allowed me to pull from a nice base of fitness into this program.

  • Strength workouts/gym workouts were done 1-3x/ week (full body, moderate intensity, never pushing to failure). Tapering down to 1x/ week, and then 0x/ week the last 3 weeks before the Ironman.  The idea for these was to not beat me up too much, and keep my joints strong/ make me a better athlete.

  • Mobility work: comprised of stretching as needed, massage gun as needed, banded rehab drills as needed, usually just as part of warm-ups, cools downs.  5-10 min per day max, 2-3x/ week. Luckily i didn’t suffer an injuries during this training block, so i didnt have to add additional rehab/ mobility related work.

  • Sauna/ Heat adaptation: was important for this prep to help with heat adaptation. I got 3-5 total sessions in the last month of training. More could have definitely been better! Would have been cool to experiment with heat suits, or sauna then immediately running or biking. 

  • Nutrition: wasn’t tracked, other than during my carb-load immediately before the race, (this could be opportunity for improvement to get more dialed in), but was heavily focused on eating when hungry & eating enough carbs & protein rich foods throughout my prep.

  • Bike tuned up and parts swapped/ upgraded by Providence bicycle. I honestly can say that this made a massive difference. The bike felt so smooth and fast afterwards. New aero helmet felt fast. Power meter pedals were a super nice upgrade to allow me to track my wattage better.

  • Final Bike upgrades 2 weeks before the race: NIGHT AND DAY difference with the bike upgraded parts (40mm riser on aero bars for comfort), shorter crank for hip comfort, new cassette, new chain, upgraded tires & tubes

Race Week

  • Tuesday Night: packed up my bike in my hardshell bike case and packed my clothes & gear. I checked the other options from bikeflights.com and shipping options, but i decided that bringing the bike myself and keeping it under 50lbs was my best & least expensive option for airfare and travel. Took some practice getting the bike disassembled, but not bad at the end of the day. A bike shop can also do this for you.

  • Wednesday: Fly out of TF Green Providence, RI.

    • 4 am wake up (slept poorly… 4 hours)

    • Wednesday arrive at VRBO/ Air Bnb house at 9:30am with Colin after uber from airport

    • Put bikes together in the garage

    • Met up with Bubba & Kyle

    • Went to grocery store for a food haul & supplies

    • Went for a shake off run & mobility work done at the local gym: Iron House fitness Jax

    • Wind down/ responded to some emails, bed

  • Thursday

    • Slept ok: 7 hours

    • Shaved legs, arms & chest

    • Shake off run : Ran to barber for a cut (need to look good for race pictures!)

    • Shake off: bike ride: 5 miles around neighborhood with the boys.

    • Shake off Swim: 1500 years in pool (YMCA-a beautiful YMCA too) with Hunter & Kyle

    • Walk to venue, checked out athlete area & vendors, free swag!

    • Checked in, got welcome packet

    • Back to VRBO/Air Bnb: Wind down & responded to some emails, bed

    • Watched Independence Day. Great movie. Boys were fired up.

  • Friday

    • Slept INCREDIBLE: 11 hours (amazed myself)

    • Did some work emails

    • Went back to venue: Checked in bike, bike bag, run bag, personal needs bags (I packed vaseline, gels, pop tarts and a mini-spray sunblock in each special needs bag) to transition area

    • Got pizza at craft pizza spot in Jacksonville

    • Back to VRBO/ Air Bnb: Wind down & responded to more emails, bed

    • Watched Mogul- jungle book. Another great movie.

  • Saturday 

    • Race day!

    • Up at 4:45 am

    • Get to Venue by 5:30am

    • Pump air in bike tires, Put bike computer on, Last minute prep bike bag, run bag

    • Bathroom/ port-o potty

    • Got ride to swim start by 6:45am

    • Another port- o potty break

    • Race start at 7:30am

    • Finished Race by 7pm

    • Hung out watched the boys finish

    • Pizza, athletic brews, water

    • Kept the legs moving

    • Get everything packed up bikes bag, get home by 11:30pm

    • More pizza

    • Hang out with the boys, recap the day

    • Bed by 1am

  • Sunday

    • Slept poorly (5 hours)

    • Pretty sore in legs… tired

    •  7 am wake up

    • Pack bike up 

    • Get to Airport

  • Monday

    • Some continued significant soreness

    • Full work day

  • Tuesday

    • Still pretty sore, stairs are tough

  • Wednesyday

    • Sore, but good, stairs still feel it a bit

  • Thursday

    • Low back a bit achy today

    • Legs feel fine, i could go run 5-10 miles if i had to

    • Went to Bohdi Spa

  • Friday

    • Generalized fatigue still lingering, but body feels great

Fueling Strategy

Carb loading & Hyrdation prep

3 days prior to race day

  • Mild uptick in carb focused foods

  • Tried to stay very hydrated

  • Stomach felt great

2 days prior to race prep

  • 4,147 calories, 627 grams of carbs, 110 grams of fat, 176 grams of protein

  • Drank about a gallon of water , with electrolytes on : off. Pee was light yellow.  Clear at times

  • Breakfast

    • 3 egg

    • 1 Bagel

    • Butter (1 tbs)

  • Lunch1 

    • Egg x2

    • Uncle Bens rice (1 pouch)

    • Ground beef (16 ounces)

    • frozen mixed veggies (1 cup)

    • butter (1 tbs)

  • Lunch 2

    • Excat same thing

  • Lunch 3

    • Cliff bar

    • Bagel (x1)

    • Butter (1 tbs)

    • Oat milk (1 cup)

    • Honey (1 tbs)

    • Cereal (1.5 cups)

    • White bread Dav’s killer (2 slices)

    • welches grape jam (1 tbs)

  • Dinner

    • 3 slices of thin crust margarita pizza

    • Heinikein 0.0 beer

  • FELT AMAZING, no bloating, no gas, not too full


1 day prior to race

  • 4,812 calories, 757g carbs, 136g fat, 172 grams of protein

  • Drank about a gallon of water , with electrolytes on : off. Pee was light yellow.  Clear at times.

  • Breakfast (in one sitting)

    • Banana (x2)

    • Butter (unsalted)

    • White bread (dave’s killer) x2

    • Egg (x3)

    • Whole milk plain greek yogurt

    • peanut butter (natural jiff) 2 tbs

    • blueberries (3/4 cup)

    • Honey (1 tbs)

    • Cheerios (1/4 cup)

  • Lunch (spread out across 3 hours)

    • Uncle Ben’s Basmati Ready rice: 1 pouch

    • Welches concord grape (3 tbsp)

    • Pre -sliced cinnamon rasin bagels (3 bagel)

    • Cheerios (1.5 cups)

    • Oat milk (1 cup)

    • Peanut butter (2 tbs)

    • Daves killer bread (4 slices)

    • Clif bar

    • Banana (x2)

  • Dinner

    • Greek yogurt (1.5 cup)

    • honey (1 tbs)

    • Cheerios (1 cup)

    • Pop tart- strawberry (1 pouch)

  • FELT AWFUL, lot’s of bloating, lot’s of gas, super full

  • Did not digest as well( too much grain (too much bread & bagels?) Not enough rice?

  • Too much in one sitting? should have been more spread out?

  • Race nerves caused bad digestion?

During Race Fueling

Pre-race (wake-up)

  • Instant coffee

  • banana x3 

  • Pop tart (package of 2) x2 

  • Cup of water 

  • (Wish I had another bottle with some electrolytes to take with me with my morning clothes bag) went 2-3 hours without drinking water ***

Overall Fueling Plan:

(based off the calculators on https://www.maurten.com/ and https://www.precisionhydration.com/ )

Swim: nothing!

Bike: 3 carb gels (40g- maurteen each, 120g total) per hour. 750-1500g of sodium (ph1000) per hour. 24-32 ounces of water per hour. About once an hour i would swap a gel for a solid. I swapped a regular gel for a caffeine gel every 2 hours. Felt incredible. Felt fast.

Run: 2 carb gels (40g- maurteen each, 80g total) per hour. 750-1500g of sodium (ph1000) per hour. However around mile 10 my appetite for gels slowed down (stomach nausea). By mile 20 I was unable to take in any gels or liquids . So had to finish raw dog for last 6 miles. Heat/ just pure exhaustion likely a major factor? Or maybe my stomach had reached its limit? Or maybe I sucked down too much water at aid stations. Or maybe 80g/ hour of gels was too much.

Recap: Hindsight 20/20 I’d probably try do a gel every 40 min on the run, and take in a little less water/ electrolytes at the aid stations

The Race- Play by Play

Swim

  • Swim went fantastic.

  • Started slow (first 500-1000 yards).

  • Slowly increased the pace as I was feeling good, but mostly relied on streamlining, and sighting

  • Then really tried to pull super hard through my lats and started kicking through my legs as I got into my last 0.5- 0.25 mile, as I was feeling fantastic 

  • Water was very brown. Many people had brown / black “dirt” on their face / around their mouth coming up from the swim

Bike

  • 32 ounces (1 bottle of fluid per hour), 1500 mg electrolytes first hour, 1000mg second hour for and then 750 mg electrolytes with aid station bottles. (Pre-mixed). 4 big swigs every 15 minutes allowed me to stay on track of this perfectly. 

  • Carbs: 40g carbs every 20 min (120 grams per hour) - felt great with this. Ate 1 solid every hour for first 3-4 hours. Had 2-3 caffeine gels spread throughout the ride.

  • Started very slow in the city. Kept with the pack

  • Rode with a group of guys going about 20 mph for the first 50 miles 

  • Felt good

  • Could feel sunburn coming on

  • Stopped at special needs bag for extra sunblock, volunteer was able to spray me down

  • Then I started feeling really good, pushing the pace to 21-24 mph, with high cadence without much leg fatigue.

  • Felt a tiny groin muscle starting to want to cramp on mile 100, decided to chug 1 & 1/2 bottles of water & electrolytes. Felt great after. Continued to ride for another 30 min. 

  • Felt incredibly aero, I think new helmet, sleeveless tri suit, shaved legs and arms, and “pop-on” plastic disc wheel in back all helped a ton. The recent bike tune -up for sure helped here too.

Run

  • Felt pretty much like hunchback of Notre dame coming of the bike and into transition area 

  • Took a little 4-5 min to get fully upright 

  • First 1/2 mile- Legs felt jelly at first, felt like an easy pace , watch said 7:30… slowed it down to 8:30

  • 8:30 felt amazing , decided to keep that pace for the first 8 miles-ish

  • Felt on top the world

  • Felt easy 

  • Downtown Jacksonville was exciting, hoses, people cheering 

  • Gels (40 grams of carbs) every 30 min. (maybe I over-did this?)

  • Drank small cup of water & small cup of electrolytes every aide station (every mile) (might have drink too much water here too?)

  • Put ice in hat & tri suit every mile (this helped a ton)

  • Felt great until becoming a little nauseous mile 10… kinda started to hate the taste of gels , stomach getting a little upset… but stuck to the plan

  • Pain cave started to set in mile 10

  • Fully into the pain cave miles 13-17

  • Began to start walking up all the steep on-ramps as a strategy to keep the legs fresh/ from giving out

  • Mile 18,19,20 was absolute worse I felt, walking every aid station, very nauseous, had to stop gels completely. Every step was an absolute grind. “Just get to the next aid station so I can walk and get ice and reset” was the plan. 

  • Miles 19 & 20- still not great - had to mostly stop drinking water & electrolytes 

  • Fully stoped drinking water, electrolytes or anything the last 6 miles and honestly…. then I began to feel better, caught second wind, was able to run more, less nauseous 

Tips From Bob

Tip #1

….You can take lessons from every race.  One thing for sure, be sure to be well prepared for the Ironman.   

So, do you have a marathon planned this fall?  If so train up to that, recover and then maintain a weekly routine of 25 to 30  miles of running 50 miles or so of cycling and a couple days of swimming 1-2K yards.  Take an easy week every 3 weeks and just be consistent with building that base.  As you get closer to the 16 week schedule gradually build up to the first week so you aren’t making a big jump then.  Same advice whether you are running a fall marathon or not, really.  Just consistently work on building a good base.  That is what will really pay off in the end.  I am attaching a picture from the finish of the 2003 Hawaii finish.  It illustrates the difference between good preparation and execution and not good preparation and execution. (lady in the back right of the photo)

Tip #2:

Hi Matt,

…Sounds like you are on a good track.  It would make sense to get a few races in during your buildup.  During my preps for LP I ran Boston at training pace (3:21 for me at the time).  I did half Ironman races in early June at race pace and then a pretty zippy sprint the weekend before LP.  I also did Mt Wachusett and Mt Washington road races in late May and mid-June respectively.  If you do things like this try to fit them in where it makes sense in the schedule.  You don't want to compromise any of the major long bike and run weekends.  I was just looking at my old logs to figure this out.  Man, was I doing a lot back then!  It reminds me that I figured out that it was best to just take things a week at a time and only look at the big picture occasionally.  It can be a bit overwhelming at times!  Stay steady!  Remember "the will to win is nothing without the will to prepare"!

Tip #3:

…your training plan sounds fine.  You have a much steeper ramp to the start of the 16 week plan which means you will have less base going in.  The 80/20 split sounds fine but I would suggest prioritizing building base over working on speed.  I think building up your miles is best with such a compressed schedule.

Tip #4:

….you really did well considering the winter we had.  No real tips for the taper other than what I have shared in the past.  A little zip in the weekend before workouts always worked for me.  Other than that, just work on staying hydrated, eat well and get plenty of rest.  Make sure you have a solid race day hydration and nutrition plan.  I would stick with fluid fuel and Gu on the bike.  I found that eating anything solid while being bent over on the bike for so long was a bad combination.  Everyone is different though so go with what you know.  I used to pack some pop tarts (really!  Can you believe that?) in the special needs bag on the run.  You usually get that halfway.  I would just take a little break and eat them and drink a lot.  Really gave me a nice boost for the last half.  Whatever you do, don’t get over excited and crank early.  It is a long race and you really have to marshal your effort.  I remember people pounding by me on the bike and reminding myself to stay patient and not try to keep up.  I know I passed a lot of them back hours later.  This is a lot different than a ½ IM.  In a ½ you can get away with really pushing it.  A full IM is a different beast.  Managing pace, fueling and hydrating are so important.  Plan well!  Really excited for you and I will be keeping track of you on race day…if IM has figured out a reliable tracker yet.   Have a great race!!!!

Cheers,

Bob

Tip #5

….sun screen!  Take all the time you need for that.  Special needs bags too just in case.   Last thing you want is a bad sun burn making you miserable at the end of the race.  Reminds me of the time I was at the start of the Boston Marathon on a hot sunny day.  I mentioned to a guy that I had a slight acquaintance with that I was glad I had put some sun screen on.  I will never forget the look of fear in his face.  Not sure what happened to him but he had clearly failed to consider  it.

All the best to you Matt!  I am sure you will do great!

Bob

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