Ironman North American Championship Mont-Tremblant : Official Thread (Page 7)

Originally posted by Fred D

I would never recommend driving the course. No help, even might be a negative.

I would relax, take in the sites and enjoy the experience. I will probably swim Saturday am before the race and hope to set up a meet-up at that time, otherwise I will enjoy MT and the experience.

Originally posted by Fred D

Hey, just posting my experience, especially for this race...

First, unless you are swimming 52 minutes and planning on riding sub 4:50 for the bike, I can guarantee you will not be in the true lead of the amateur race, i.e.; you won't get lost.

Second, the course is very easy to follow.

Third, and this is based off my 5xIM experience, I find driving the course rarely helpful. You tend to drive it so much faster than you would bike it that the perspective is way off. For instance, when you drive it always seems more difficult to me as I notice hill after hill after hill. The reality is that your speed in the car makes it seem worse, when in fact there are many breaks between the climbs. I find driving the course rather deflating. But again, that's me, have at it if you want.

Lastly, I would recommend riding the steep climb section near the end of the loops that everyone talks about to make sure you are geared properly.

Just my 2 cents.

Originally posted by Fred D

Hey, just posting my experience, especially for this race...

First, unless you are swimming 52 minutes and planning on riding sub 4:50 for the bike, I can guarantee you will not be in the true lead of the amateur race, i.e.; you won't get lost.

Second, the course is very easy to follow.

Third, and this is based off my 5xIM experience, I find driving the course rarely helpful. You tend to drive it so much faster than you would bike it that the perspective is way off. For instance, when you drive it always seems more difficult to me as I notice hill after hill after hill. The reality is that your speed in the car makes it seem worse, when in fact there are many breaks between the climbs. I find driving the course rather deflating. But again, that's me, have at it if you want.

Lastly, I would recommend riding the steep climb section near the end of the loops that everyone talks about to make sure you are geared properly.

Just my 2 cents.

Originally posted by Fred D

Hey, another question, especially for the IM newbies, is what is your race suit/clothing plan for the day?

1 or 2 piece?

Change in T2?

Originally posted by Fred D

Yes, I do. I am a big fan of Zoot ultra products. Currently I am planning on using a performance Tri Team Zoot top and shorts. Yes, yes I'm sponsored by Zoot, so take it with a grain of salt lol, but I actually bought these on my own. I seem to be comfortable on 5 hr rides and 2 hr runs with these. If you are not a Zoot fan, I would say consider the Louis Garneau line. My personal opinion is that for IM I would go with the higher end stuff, as it is designed for long distance comfort.

Originally posted by LarchmontTri



Not sure what Fred's rationale is about NOT driving the bike course...I would think driving it would help. (BTW, no slight intended towards Fred here...) I've driven the bike course of my races (when I've arrived in time to do so), and think it's quite helpful. You get a feeling where the hills are, if there is any rough pavement, any sort of technical turns, other road issues, etc. - the more information you have about the course, the better imho. So, MATT if you're arriving on Tuesday and have a hour or two, I would drive the course. I don't see any downside. (I'll prob drive the course on Wed afternoon or Thursday.)

In terms of swimming, I would think Thurs and Friday mornings would be good days. Not too far, but somewhere around a 20ish min practice swim. Go easy. The point is to get used to the water, used to your wetsuit, where the bouys are, etc. Saturday morning...probably ok too, but again, take it easy. (I'll see you on the beach prob both Thurs and Fri.)

As for where to bike, can't say. I would suggest a few light rides to keep your legs limber and ready to go for race day. I wouldn't do any hills, but perhaps a 30ish min ride (or two) is probably sufficient. In terms of testing yourself on the big hills, I wouldn't. You've had 6-9 months of training to get ready for the race, and I think pushing yourself too close to race day isn't wise - you don't want to shatter your legs so close to the race. The best way to get ready for the hills is to train on them. Not sure how hilly your typical training ride is, but I would do hills *now*, no 2-3 days before the race.

And what else you should do before the race....relax, eat well, get some sleep and basically get ready for race day. We have to rack our bikes and turn in our transition bags on Saturday, so Saturday morning should prob be reserved for prepping your bike and bags. Once you do that, get off your feet and relax. My suggestion is to do as little as possible 'extra' stuff before the race.

Also, for all the days leading upto the race, don't do anything new. If you have a pre-race routine, then do it. If you like to eat certain foods, bring them and/or buy them at the local food store. Just because we're at an IM race, you should prepare yourself as if it was any other race - don't let the hype/excitement change the way you do things pre-race. Don't get me wrong, an IM is awesome and will be different than any other race you've done to date, but in terms of getting yourself ready to toe the line on Sunday morning, follow your plan/routine.

Hope this is helpful.

Originally posted by Fred D

Hey, another question, especially for the IM newbies, is what is your race suit/clothing plan for the day?

1 or 2 piece?

Change in T2?

Originally posted by Fred D

Had a strong ride today, first century in the books. Then got home to find out something opened in the athlete village, so now we will be closer. I am likely in for a Friday am swim meet up. I'm happy to coordinate, either way I favor doing it early.

Originally posted by strikyr

The swim on Friday morning would be great and it would be nice to get to see and meet everyone. We are closing in on 9 weeks to go and I have to be honest I've been pretty tired this week both mentally and physically. The training has been wearing on me a bit. I'm looking forward to a little break next week cutting back the training hours a bit as I'm doing Syracuse 70.3 next weekend. I'm finally going to get a race in before IMMT and catch a little break for the final push with the last 8 weeks of training. I can't wait to do MT.