Ford Ironman Wisconsin : Official Thread (Page 20)

Fred Doucette - 2011-06-17 6:20 PM

running2far - 2011-06-17 5:57 PM You will probably need a 110 bottom bracket as well....you probably have 130 right now. You can find good deals on cranks + bottom bracket on ebay. IM training officially kicked off for me. Attending a wedding tonight, so took the day off and hit the lake front path. 15 miles a little under 2hr, passed about 10 beach cruisers ". Calfs are tight as h*ll now but everything else feels good. Tried 1st Endurance liquid shot and worked well...didn't send me to the porta potty like other gels. Hoping to use this on the run instead of infinit. Want to mix it up this year instead for taking in the same thing all day.

Yeah I am always trying different nutritional strategies.

This year I am going with maltodextrin mix and plan on no solids on bike or run.

Will it work?? I dunno, but I haven't found the right solution in prior IMs so I am willing to try different things.

Fred what are you mixing with your maltodextrin? I am also experimenting with making my own liquids.

I did IMWI in 2009 with a standard crank and that SRAM 11/28. It was fine. I had a great time, felt awesome, and rode 6:30 ish.

I am seriously considering doing it on my road bike this year. I'm torn. Did HHH on my roadie and it was considerably less horrifying. Now, IMWI is nothing like HHH, but I am comfortable on my road bike and I have a compact crank. I'm running a 12/27 on the roadie.

Decisions. Decisions...

I'm going up to ride the course July 2. I think I'll bring the road bike and see how it goes.

I'd like to go better than 6:30. 6:15-6:25 ish is realistic and achievable... will just require some more bike work. 

I concur. I was beaten and battered. I actually stopped on the back side of the first loop to hold onto a kayak. It was non stop contact the entire time. It's the one part of the race I am not really looking forward to. 

FWIW, I also swam the buoy line, by accident. Got into the water late and then didn't know where to go so I went with what looked like a straight line. I swam like 6 inches from that FORD sign. I should have gone wider, and I think this year I will. I just have a tendency to want to swim from buoy to buoy to buoy, and not go wide. *sigh*

Agree with what's been said about the swim.  I was 1:09 and couldn't find clean water until the second loop, and even then it was pretty busy.

Also, somewhat related - be careful with following the people in front of you.   I was doing that into what I thought was the second corner last year only to find that a large group of us had significantly cut the second turn buoy (the sun made it hard for me to identify the buoy from a distance, so I thought I was safe in following a large group of swimmers).  Once i realized it, I went back and swam around it, but most of the line I was in never went back (probably didn't even realize they had cut the course).  Based on some of the things I've read, it sounds like others had a similar thing happen to them in 09.

I agree the swim has lots of contact, which I do not mind.

I start up front and swim the bouy line. I hardly every sight and have swam into the bouy's more than once. I think last year was the most brutal swim I have ever been in, and had contact almost the entire time.  At the first turn bouy, MOOOING is a must and it will crack you up. I just take a deep breath at the corners and expect to be swam over etc.

The deep water start is great.

I started wide last year, about halfway between the boat ramp and shore and was in the front row. I ended up with a 1:15 swim but was more prepared for a 1:10-1:12. Anyhow I had virtually no contact in that front row and swam the first couple of turns wide. Once we were on the back half I swam more on line but still not much contact. I came out pretty much dead in the middle so I would suggest swimming wide. Sacrificing a few extra yards to swim goes a long way and beats going through that scrum at the start inside the boat ramp known as the IMWI swim start.

Start wide to the right, I did the race two years ago and started a little too close to the mayhem and ended up losing my goggles swam blind for a 1:13. The year I would say I was the successful; I started between the ski jump and the shore, cut the corners wide (there is always a pile up at them) and went 1:04.04. I was not able to draft but finished the swim without being touched hardly at all.

Rode two loops of the bike course from Fireman's in the big 53 chain ring.  Not by choice.  Thanks to a bad mechanic working on the front derailleur which wasn't broken in the first place.  Anyway, the climbs were hard but very doable. I got off and ran 7 so I wasn't toasted. Going to try a compact next time to compare.  I think there are enough places that are flat enough or exposed to wind the TT bike helps.  I did NOT do descents on the aero bars.  Felt good.

Thanks for the comments about the swim.  I have never been in that big of a mass start but I usually start to the right and a few rows back, take the first buoy wide and it works out.  Sounds like a similar strategy might work.

Can someone tell me when they have the weekend when you can do the swim course?  

And...does anyone know of group rides that leave from Monona?  Everything seems to start at Fireman's and I need to get the in and out down too.  A little concerned about city traffic and missing a turn on my own.

I thought the motorists were really respectful Saturday.

I don’t know if there are any group rides that leave from the terrace. A lot of people do the weekend of the OWS. Riding down John Nolan would not be recommended though. If you do leave from the terrace, I would stick to the bike path until the Sheraton then ride Rimrock out.