Ironman Wisconsin : Official Thread (Page 7)

OK this will be my first full IM.....what do people put in their special needs bags??

I'm 1116. Gordon_mom is 914.

Those hills on Timber are a lot of fun!!! The 3 sisters at the back end of the loop are a challenge, but I would consider the climb in to Mt Horeb (on Hwy 92) to be the first hill that will test us all.

The elevation gain on the map is for one loop. Chatted with the Race Director last Friday evening. He said they are working with Garmin to capture accurate elevation data for all Ironman races as IMMOO is not the only one that's a "little" out of whack.

Good luck everyone!
Cyndi

Sweet. Two palindromes. They are ABSOLUTELY good luck!

I have no clue what the assignment pattern is. I've registered on site all 3 times. I was 699 in 2010 and 1783 in 2012.

Riding the course ahead of time was a good idea. The only thing constant about that course is change - changing elevation, changing direction, changing gears. There's never really an opportunity to get settle into cruise control. But, at least you won't get bored, and it tends to keep the athletes from getting too clustered, so the chances of getting a drafting penalty are smaller.

Other fun facts about 434:
434 is the sum of 6 consecutive prime numbers (61+67+71+73+79+83=434!).
434 is the area code for central and south Virginia (Shout out to Lynchburg!)
In 434 AD, Atilla the Hun gained control of the Hun tribes.
Polaris, The North Star, is 434 light-years from Earth

Guys and gals - a reminder out there ...

Crashed myself today - not so much my bike - but right on my head. A little bike scrape-age, but not too bad.

Had to brake hard ... flipped right on to the front of my head. Left side.

Shoulder is jacked up ... but that will heal.

I may, or may not have began to cruise through what I thought was a 4 way stop. . Truly. You know, the slow down - look - proceed. Didn't work that time. Full STOPS for me from here on out.

On longer rides, my brain says just go and get this done with ... I guess thats what happens when tired from the ride.

I learned a lesson here, and wanted to pass along to keep the IMWI crew safe.

Best of luck, see you out there.

I think I was bib 508.

I know it is getting to be crunch time with training, but relax. I know I will.

Lucky dude here ...

I hope it saves an injury.

I made a mistake, and hope it can help others.

So you in Sept.

Yes, I was wearing a helmet.

I did the same thing 5 weeks ago (2 weeks before my HIM), except I was on the shoulder and a truck at a stop sign on the other side of the HW decided to go anyway. I flipped over my bike, nailed my shoulder, and and hit my head pretty hard. I landed right before the cab section, so if I didn't brake, I would have been a goner. Make sure you get a new helmet! They are a one and done type of deal. Also, I had a separated shoulder from this. This is a common injury when you go over your bike It hurts but it slowly gets better. I finally decided to try to swim 10 days afterwards (4 days before my HIM :P ) and it hurt like hell but believe me, that pain is good and the next day you'll have better range of motion. Keep swimming after that point and get some light weights in if you can.

Things I learned:
Don't assume some in a truck will see you...even though I don't have a stop sign.
It at all possible, brake harder on right hand and not left to avoid being flipped.

The Athlete Guide posted this morning. 'Bout time. I was starting to get worried.

http://tinyurl.com/keerbh3

I want to get one last good ride in this weekend....does anyone know if the stick is marked as well as the loop is? I haven't ridden the stick and thought I'd give it a try on Sunday.

It is not, but it is fairly simple to follow. There are very minimal turns.

Just saw this on FB if you didn't-
Tips for Making it through the Bike Aid Stations:
As a multi-year volunteer at the 1st (and last) bike aid station, I've noticed how much riders improve their aid station skills from the beginning to the end of the bike leg. Since I'm volunteering at that aid station again this year, I thought I'd share some of what I learned during my time working, and from my experience last year, racing. Feel free to comment with what you've seen/learned, too!
1. The aid stations are all set up to have just about the same stuff (Except the pesky water-only aid station at the start of the loop).
2. Think about what you need/want before you get to the aid stations - you'll likely see them with enough time to get ready to ditch old bottles/trash.
3. Please discard your trash in a manner so as not to hit anyone (riders or volunteers, thanks!). Some stations have a target you can try to hit when you're throwing. Bonus!
4. Water will be at the beginning and end of most aid stations, so if you miss it once, you'll get a second chance.
5. To improve your odds of grabbing the bottle on the first attempt, make your desires known. This is important, so the volunteers don't keep trying to hold the bottle. We don't want to just drop them, so we hold them tight until we're ready to hand them off. Make eye contact with someone 10-20 yards ahead of your attempt, and even use your grabbing hand to point them out. Some of us will even run to match your speed, making the hand-off easier. (the younger volunteers, or those with a little spacing, usually)
6. If you have a request - call it out ASAP. That'll give us time to either tell you where to find it, and/or alert that person on the line that some wants what they've got. We feel like salesmen sometimes, or carnival barkers, trying to pawn off the cold things in our hands, so we can warm them briefly until the next one. If someone wants what we've got, we love it!
7. Special request? (like take the cap off the bottle/ or gu/chomp/banana early in the ride) call it out, and be ready to slow down or stop to get it. We're always willing to help, but we may not have anticipated what you want. Give us a chance, and we'll happily get it. Why? because we've either been there, or would want someone to do it for us when it's our turn. Or we're just delusionally happy that we get to do this - volunteering is FUN!
8. Need to stop? Please be careful of those around you. Stopping is common by the port-o-potty for most aid stations, and the volunteers will either hold or rack your bike for you, and we'll even get you what you need while you're 'going', if you ask. Otherwise, be prepared to stop where the volunteers are not. The end of the aid zone is a pretty good alternative to the port-o-potty. Most riders will have gotten what they needed and moved over to continue their race. If you do stop, be prepared to be peppered with questions from helpful volunteers - we want to make sure you're OK, getting what you need/want, and are having a good experience. We tend to get a little overzealous in our attempts at this, so we may be overwhelming... please bear with us.
9. We're human. We make mistakes, and drop stuff. Some of us can't run, and we're often told not to cross the while line on the side of the road to meet you. Some of us don't listen to that rule often enough, and others won't cross it like it's a force field. We don't want to ruin your race experience, and we don't know who is having a bad day before you get to us, so please be kind. Thank us for our efforts, and forgive us our mistakes and dropped bottles. We want every racer to have as much fun as we are, so we want every hand-off to be successful, and everyone to get everything they want/need out of our aid station, safely.
10. As we often shout at our aid station - Drink, Pee, No-IV. Remember that you've got a long day ahead of you. Don't be afraid to ditch a half-full bottle to grab a new one, just in case you need it.
Anyone else have anything to share?
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You and 43 others like this.

Rhoda Miel Just to back up your Number 5. I worked at Mount Horeb last year, and it was so much easier when someone would point to one of us to indicate he/she was coming for our bottle. Others would back off, making even more maneuvering space. And speaking of m...See More
4 hrs · Like · 1

Lore Ambrose Thank you for volunteering - we could never do this race without you guys
4 hrs · Like · 5

Brian Gonzaless Thanks for taking time to write up! I like 10. It is ok to dump a half empty for a new one! Unlike beer, can't get myself to dump the half empty one.
4 hrs · Like · 6

Lisa Schiltz I volunteered at Mt Horeb last year too! Was so much fun! But yes...even if you're having a bad day, it is not the volunteers fault. It is also not their fault if the liquid is not as cool as you would like. Be prepared, if it is a warm day you may eve...See More
3 hrs · Edited · Like · 2

Yamil Arbaje Thanks. This is very helpful.
3 hrs · Like · 1

Christian Schlachter Do aid stations hand out bottles of water or water bottles? If bottled water, will it fit in a bottle cage?
3 hrs · Like

Andy Hubbartt They hand out bottled water - brand varies, typically the 700mL bottles, with some type of sport cap on it. They do fit in bottle cages, but not always the most secure fit, depending on the cage/placement.
3 hrs · Like

Faith Walter This post is awesome! Thank you for the specifics!
3 hrs · Like

I am on day 3 of taper. It has been going well.

I am getting there about the same time. Leaving MSP first thing Friday morning.

For meals, i have a bunch of family that will be in town as well, so probably have dinner with them Friday and Saturday evenings. They are all going to the Badger game Saturday afternoon, so I will be on my own for lunch. I think my hotel has complementary breakfast so I will be taking advantage of that.

Planning final race tune-up workouts Saturday morning, then dropping off my bike. Maybe drive the bike course Saturday afternoon.

You can swim in the lake, but they don't but the bouys out until Sunday morning, so stay close to the shore.

Unless they changed it last year, in 2012 the swim buoys were up on Sat. afternoon.

Edited by b.will 2014-08-27 9:46 AM

I've got good news!

The weather.com 10 day forecast for Madison shows T-Storms with an 80% chance of rain on race day. These 10 day forecasts are usually wildly off, so that means we will actually have partly cloudy skies.

I like your thinking here and tend to agree!!

I'm going solo and I'll be eating out a lot. 5-10 years ago I was deathly afraid to eat out alone. Now...I could care less. I need to eat! I may try the athlete dinner Friday night. I've never been to one before. Can anyone comment on it?

My plan call for a 45 min Z1 run on Friday (with some pick ups). I tend to skip these but going to try it this year. I'm going to hope my hotel has a treadmill and I'll just hammer it out there after check in.

I can't believe this is next week.... I've been sick so much this year and missed sooo many workouts. I have no idea what to expect. My super secret goal will have to wait. An improvement over my first IM is all I'm hoping for this year. It should be fun either way!

Edited by Blastman 2014-08-31 12:51 AM

Sun
Sep 7
Sunny 74°
53°
Sunny
CHANCE OF RAIN:
0%

WIND:
S at 6 mph
De

WHEN YOU GET TO MADISON, GO TO THE TERRACE AND GET YOUR PACKET BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!!! Everything else is minor.

I usually ride the loop on Thursday or Friday one last time (usually when my cousin who races it too comes into town), swim Thursday and/or Friday morning, easier run Friday, nothing Saturday.

I've always gone to the pre-race dinner. If you don't go to the dinner, at least consider attending the meeting after (usually around 7). There are some course-specific points you will need to know (no-passing zone under John Nolan, between John Nolan and the Expo Center).

If you're looking for pasta places, Tutto Pasta, Paisan's, Francesca la Lago are good places downtown, and Lombardino's and Biaggi's are good places on the west side. I can't think of much of the east side. Book a table IMMEDIATELY!!!, especially for larger groups, especially downtown. I know that a friend of my wife was only able to get a table at 4:00 Saturday for 8 at Tutto Pasta because everything else was taken.

Also, don't count on your hotel's breakfast being out by 4:30 or 5:00a. Make sure you have a way to eat if they aren't open (but it is great for family).

The Badger football game is at 11:00 CST, so be aware that downtown will be busy 10-11 and 2-3. Come early and have breakfast at the Farmer's Market. It is also a good way for family to spend the morning while you're dropping off your bike and bags, and it is only two blocks from the Terrace.

John Nolan doesn't get blocked off until Sunday morning (5a-2p I think is when it is closed Sunday).


Any other questions, just ask. I live four miles from the start, graduated from Verona, and I've raced and volunteered IMWI five times each (10:42 PR, 10:51 last year). I'll be volunteering on the Square again at Run Special Needs, so be sure to say 'Hi' to the handsome, helpful man.

-Peter