The Little Things

The thing that caught me a little off guard on my first one was the wide range of emotions you will experience during the day and how quickly they change.  You can go from total bliss to total despair in a matter of minutes.  Don't let this throw you off and just roll with it. Know that if things get really bad in your head, that emotion will probably go away in a minute or so. 

Best of Luck!!

I'll be at IMWI too this year for my 8th

A few things -

Carry a water bottle & lots of snacks with you.  You don't really want to let yourself get hungry in the day or 2 before the race so always be prepared.

Don't spend too much time on your feet the day before.  Watch a movie, read a book, etc.  Don't spend 5 hours walking around the expo.

Fill your hotel room with lots of food for afterwards.  Chances are good you will wake up starving.  I did LP in 2001, finished in 12:57, but even by then, restaurants were closing since it's such a small town.  Was hard to find anything to eat!  Make sure you have Advil or Aleeve too.  And vaseline.  (Helpful tip - slather vaseline on any chafed spots before you jump in the shower.  Helps avoid that painful sting the minute the water hits it.  You will be chafed after the race.  It's a given

Pack for a wide variety of weather options - arm warmers,  etc.  Don't trust the forecast.

Enjoy the race - just remember, you've got nowhere else to be that day, nothing else to do.  IM is unique, enjoy it.

Good luck to you!! 

I've done IM WI the last two years, took this year off to drink wine and relax. But you will find that this course is awesome, the spectators are amazing and they keep you going thru out the entire bike and run course.

#1 thing is to tell yourself you belong there - your race anxiety will creep up - when it does - remind yourself that you did the training and you belong there in the water with the 2500 other people.

- remind yourself 'why' you are out there doing it? you will have low moments at some point and knowing 'why' you are doing this or for what reason...will push you thru those low moments.

- if you don't have any family or friends coming into town with you, have them write you a short note that you can place in your run special needs bag to read - if you think you'll need some motivation at that point...

- savor every moment - thank the volunteers at aid stations, etc - it can be a very fun day.

- nutrition - everyone is different - i can't eat solid foods the whole race so I am limited - but my husband puts pb&j uncrustable sandwiches, peanut butter pretzels, fig newtons in his bike special needs bag...i've heard of others putting in a mcd hamburger in their bike sn bag...

- i need gum in my run special needs bag, your teeth get all fuzzy feeling after a long day of drinking and eating GU, Gatorade, etc...or place a toothbrush in your run spec needs bag - grab it - give you teeth a quick rub - then toss

- husband had some knee issues going into the race last year, so he put a baseball in his run spec needs bag and grabbed it and rolled out his quads when he walked - helped him a lot

- professional photographers have sat in these places the last couple of years...bike: right on john nolen drive, the sharp right hand corner as it leads up to Old Sauk Pass..the run: they sit on State St, inside Camp Randall - so make sure to smile to get some good race photos

You're ready. Trust your training. We'll be out there cheering all day long.
Good luck!

Put all the small/loose gear in your T bags into a ziploc.  That way it all ends up in one place and not scattered all over the floor of the transition tent.  That made it SO easy for me to grab all the stuff that was going into my pockets and not lose anything.

Carry extra lube...a little vaseline in a ziploc takes up almost no space.  That way you can hit problem spots as they come up on the run instead of letting them fester.

Coke is wonderful.

Take off your glow stick/necklace/stickers before you get to the finish line.

Oh, and if you wear a visor, those glow necklaces are the PERFECT size to wear just like a halo over it.  Really.  SO beats having it chafe up your neck.

Otherwise, be ready to flex.  If what you are doing isn't working...try something else.  Just keep moving forward.

Ace bandage and athletic tape in run SN bag.  (Interestingly, a friend of mine in the same race also wrapped an injury mid-race to keep going...only she did it while running!)

1.  Be flexible.  Something WILL go wrong over the course of 12+ hours.  How you adapt and deal will determine your race.

2.  Control what you can and let everything out of your control go.  You can't control the weather, conditions, road, traffic, etc.  You can control your nutrition, your attitude and your pace. 

3.  Race YOUR race.  There are 2500 people in the race.  Some will beat you.  You will beat some.  Don't worry about what others are doing. 

4.  You are going to be jazzed for the first hour of the bike.  Go slow.  There is no such thing as a great bike and poor run.  That is just called bad race execution. 

5.  You will hate yourself around mile 90 of the bike.  You will hate yourself around mile 18 of the run.  I suggest eating and drinking something when you get crabby. 

6.  Unless you are elite, an IM is not a FAST race.  It is a steady race.  Pace properly and you will gain a 100 spots in the final 45 minutes of the bike.  Run smooth and it will feel like you are flying over the final 10k

7.  Once you reach the Capitol on your second lap, let it all out.  Tears, fist pumps, screams.  It is your time.  Enjoy the last five minutes because it is what you will remember. 

I bolded some of the important ones.  And as someone else said, prepare for any weather condition.  If you have it, PACK IT!!  I found out the hard way Wisconsin 06.  It's better to leave it in your Transition bag than wish you had it.

With IM MOO your T-bag is in a large room.  I put a pink boa (supplied by another BTer) on my T-bags and I was able to find it within seconds amonst the other bags.

Let the hammer heads go on the bike and the run.  Don't start pushing even remotely until you hit the loop.  Have you family/friends at the start of the run and take a moment to say HI.  This will make sure you don't take off like a rocket on the run.

Lots of good advice.

I'm so tired and fatigued right now... reading this stuff is making me CRY. I need a nap.

Last. Big. Week.

Then it's taper time. Rest a bit. Hope to shake some of this fatigue and get ready to go!

See you out there Scooby!

Make Lists for each bag and day now! Don't wait until Wed to start packing.....You'll be amazed at how much crap you take with you.

So easy if you have a few checklists....

I have excel spread sheet that I have mulitple copies with sections: T1, T2, bike SN, run SN, bento box, and also saddle bag.

My mom was in the hospital and I went to Minnesota for undetermined amount of time 10 days before we left for IM. So I started gathering and list making 3+ weeks out from my IM. It made the actual packing so much easier as I was only home 3 days before we left again. I took 2 gallon ziplocks labeled them T1, T2, bike sn, run sn and added things. I agree with Jen put the stuff that goes together in ziplocks and back up stuff like vest, arm warmers in another ziplock when your bag is dumped you'll know if  you need the cold weather stuff or not...easier to not get confused. I make a list of what to do in T1 and T2 and put it with the stuff I will absolutely use like bike and run shoes. It is easy to forget to use body glide on your feet or whatever when you are excited, happy to be off the bike and want to have a fast transition.

If flying weigh your bags before you get to the airport overweight luggage fees are expensive now.

Rich - Great question, and some great responses.  I will adds some things I wish someone would have told me, before MOO last year (w/ some specifity to the MOO course):

1) Watch the documentry, "The Distance".  [thought you might enjoy the plug]

2) You have to wade for the start, so find a good spot that is good for YOUR predicted time.  People will be seeding themselves and shouting out times, so you will have a good idea where you should be.  Some favorites include by the inside buoy (and then swimming inside the course - totally legal, coming out to the turn buoys when traffic clears) or by the ski ramp (in particular the north side of the ramp).  Don't get in the water too early, b/c that is too much wading, but don't get in there too late either.  You need to get out there and look back at the parking lot.  Its an unbelievably awesome part of this race.

3) Let the wetsuit strippers do their job.  Its great how fast they get the suit off of you.  Then, enjoy the run/jog up the helix.  Its packed.  I found there was no harm in jogging.  Yes your HR will elevate, but you will have time to get it down on the bike.  IMWI has no passing zones on the helix down and on the trail by the Alliant center.  Its nice b/c it kind of forces you to take it easy, although you will want to press, just take it easy!

4)  Bike course is awesome fun.  Between the aid stations and the various towns, there is always something to look forward to.  Just go from town to town and never think of the big picture.  Mt. Horeb has the climb, but there is an aid station on lots of people.  Then Cross plains has some crazies in costumes.  The climbs out at old sauk pass and beyond have great crowds and they will pump you up.  DON'T drink the Kool-aid there.  Stay in your saddle, keep the HR down, and enjoy the ride.  Then you get to Verona, and it is super crazy b/c there are 1000s of people and the street is all chalked and fenced off.  Its very loud, and you can hear the people as you make the turn south.  After finishing the two loops, the ride back is not flat.  Once you get over that last hill at about 101 miles on Whalen, then it gets easier.

5) Because you have been training well, your legs are going to feel good coming off the bike.  Take your time, find a rhythm and pace.  Walk the aid stations to make sure and get your fuel in.  It will NOT hurt your overall time and you will feel much better for longer.  The hill on observatory sucks...BOTH times.  I walked it BOTH times.  No need to blow yourself up on that one.  If you choose to walk, you will notice you are not losing much time on those that are running.  The rest of the course is flat and PACKED with people.  Your name is on your bib, so they will be cheering for you.  It definitely helps. 

6)  Its a long day.  Have a great attitude, thank the volunteers, enjoy every single second.   Think a lot, laugh a lot, cry a little....you will go through every emotion.  Really.

7) No matter how you feel during the race, forget the bad feelings before the finish line and take it all in.   Take your time here and really enjoy that.  Another reason for forgetting the bad feelings that you experienced is to make sure they don't come out after the finish line.  For instance, if your wife hears you say, "That hurt, and I never want to do one of those things again", she *may* take it literally.  Not that I would know this personally, but I had it happen to a "friend".

8) Have Fun.  Lots of Fun.  The volunteers and crowd think you are a freakin' rockstar.  Of course, we all know the truth, but let them think it, even if its just for one day

Edited by schmize 2009-08-26 4:04 PM

This is all really tremendous advice. I love that so much of it is about the experience, and a reminder to enjoy it. We've worked so hard to get there. See you all very soon!

Amazing advice here, folks. THANKS! This is really helpful.

Just wanted to bump this up, so much good stuff here and perhaps others will add more.

I have done IMC several times, which has a single-loop swim course.  I am always surprised at how all 2000+ athletes arrive at the turn buoys at the same time - it is amazing.  Which leads to the advice I give myself for each IM:

Patience on the swim, especially at the turns

Pace on the bike, save something for the second half

Perseverence on the run, by that point things may be going wrong but don't give up mentally

Thanks, everyone! This is awesome advice and reading this is making it real! I can't believe how close we are finally getting!

A couple other bits of advice:

In your special needs bags--if you have any clothing, make sure it's in a ziploc bag in case it rains, gets misty outside, or gets dumped around. All of my stuff at IMFL last year stayed nice and clean and dry and it all felt so good getting on clean stuff when I needed it!

I also had some biofreeze samples in my bento box last year (along with Tylenol Arthritis)...those came in so handy when my back started getting crampy and I had a headache. It made the rest of my ride far more pleasant after mile 80 or so when I stopped to apply the biofreeze and take my Tylenol.

We're going to have a great day out there!

Did 1st IM in Wisconsin last year.

Many things already covered but have 2 big one's to add.

1. If you duck into the woods around the college and runner's are going both directions, take note of which way you should turn when you are done peeing in the woods. Sounds obvious right! Well last year I duck into the woods and when I came out I turned right instead of left and didn't even know it. Fortunately, there was a turn-around mat that I had just gone over prior to ducking into the woods. I only went 1 to 2 miles out of my way but that was definitely the lowest point in the race for me. You can kind of end up in a daze on the run so make a point to pay attention when you think it might matter. My goal was to finish but my ultimate goal was to finish in <16 hours. If I hadn't made this mistake I probably would have made that goal.

2. Keep you expectations in check . . . especially for the finish. My sister-in-law had done 3 IM's and said I would be overcome with emotion at the end of the race. For me the finish was not what I anticipated. I had NEVER felt that type of physical exhaustion before and when I finished, my family (and myself) expected every emotion except what happened. My first emotion was relief which was not a surprise but my next emotion was how pathetic I felt. I couldn't believe how much I struggled on the run (swim and bike were LOTS of FUN!). I know it sounds stupid but I didn't have anything left as far as emotions go. I thought I was supposed to be crying but just couldn't do it. We were staying at the Hilton across the street and everybody wanted to go eat so I showered and ordered lots of food and ate about 3 bites. I could have fallen asleep at the table. Oddly about a week later I was SO happy about my accomplishment. You can't fake anything in an ironman.

3. One more thing. Since I didn't eat much after the race, the following morning I was buying my finisher stuff and VERY suddenly was VERY hungry. I needed to eat and eat immediately. Bought an energy bar and went up to the hotel room to get my husband to go breakfast. Be sure and give yourself nutrition after the race even if you are not hungry.

I'm so jealous. Last year at this time I was in Wisconsin getting ready for my 1st ironman. This year has been crazy with work and I am not even close to the physical shape I was in last year at this time.

Enjoy your day. It really is a unique and special experience that you really have to go through to truly understand.

Please don't use the world as a public toilet - use a porta potty instead.

Even if it's just peeing in the woods, if dozens or hundreds of people do it then it's a Bad Thing, and it's one more thing that makes it harder for local communities to support local races.

They do have porta-potties on each of the IM courses. At IMC and IMAZ they have one or two porta potta on the run at the start of each aid station; from what I've seen and heard this is common practice.