Ironman Lake Placid : Official Thread (Page 70)

Yea hammer warns you about the spoilage issue during hot days and to prep the other in special needs.

Are you all able to go through a bottle an hour for hydration? For some reason I can't drink a bottle (24oz / 700ml ) an hour.  Even the smaller bottles (21oz / 620ml) I find hard to finish one an hour.  During 70.3 races I just had 2 large bottles, one for feeding and other for hydration.  It worked well for the race and achieved times I was shooting for.  Could this be because the climate where I live (Southern CA), or since its still cool out not as much hydration is needed? Don't want to finish the bike and start the run being dehydrated, but perhaps when the summer months start and it gets a lot warmer, I'll be sweating more and able to drink more.

Just some thoughts and ideas that I use that others might find helpful:

- I use CamelBak insulated bottles w Perpetuem.  I pack them with ice and water on hot long rides.  Cold perpetuem for 2-3 hours.  I plan on using one bottle per each lap.

- Why tape your gels to your bike?  Where do you pput your used gels?  I use a gel flask, which I put (4) Hammer gels into w/ water.  It is very easy to consume and manage.

Thats awesome.. :D

Thanks much for your wisdom - you mentioned some things I'd not have thought of, and I might start planning on some pretzels more than I would have - I can imagine that after a while getting something, anything, resembling solid food might be a godsend.

I'm still considering doing what someone did last year on the special needs run - put a baked sweet potato in with their stuff.  We all laughed when some dude also pulled out a piece of cold pizza - but we weren't about to judge

RE: Tape to the top tube.  I don't know that there is a good reason other than my tri jerseys have much smaller pockets than my cycling jerseys and I need to put the gels somewhere.  I've never tried the flask but now is the time to test it out.  One downside might be that I'm trying hard to train myself so that I'll use on raceday only nutrition that is offered on the course.  I think Gu only comes in single serving packets...unlike the larger containers of Hammergel that can be put in the flasks.  

I'll look into a flask the next time I'm in the shop.  At least for testing purposes, I can squeeze the individual packets into the flask.  Is there a certain brand or shape for which I should look? RE: Flask.

I've got two flasks - one by Fuel Belt, and the other by Amphipod.  I hate the Fuel Belt one.  The top is poorly designed, and I either can't squeeze gel out (it's the same size orifice as they have on bottles for liquid - HELLO!), or if I can, it also squeezes out the edges.  When that happens, in order to keep it from making a mess I have to practically fellate the damn thing clean every time I suck gel out of it.

I can't believe I just typed that last half sentence.

Anyway - the Amphipod one, I find, has a superior gel delivery.. nipple thingie.

I damn near spit my water out of my nose reading this!!!   Hilarious!!!   On a serious note, thanks for the tip.  I need to try this flask thing out too and will get me an Amphipod.

I use a gel flask while training but while racing I much prefer having individual packets taped to my frame.  They are taped in such a way that as they are pulled off the frame they are opened and easy to consume.  I find this to be easier and more efficient while racing.  As for the empty packets, they go into my bike shirt pocket or dropped at an aid station.

As for Perpetuum, I tried it while training for Louisville.  I love the idea of getting some protein but Perpetuum and I just don't seem to get along.  Wierd b/c I'm a big fan of all other Hammer products.

Fuel Belt.  I've used the single serve packets and also put them into the flask.  They also make a bike frame mount for the flask.  I've used that also and like it.  I plan on carrying my flask in my jersey pocket this year.  Best of luck.

Only triathletes would admit to this frustration. My shirt did not need changing after the coffee was spit out, but my laptop...well, I'm almost done cleaning it...

FUNNY stuff!!

what's your super Tuesday look like????

20 min wu

8x5min at threshold

held 240 for each set with 90+ cadence this morning and was psyched.

now this afternoon is a 30 min eeasy run. Frist run since the texting driver incident. gonna take it easy.... ya know, so I don't have to fellate any bottles... hahaha classic

One potential pitfall to the concentrated calorie bottle that it doesn't look like anyone else has mentioned is that you should have a backup plan in case that bottle is "lost" in some way, and it's more than just dropping or ejecting it because you can always stop and pick it up in that case. Dropped bottles can explode. I've seen people accidentally spill 1/3 of a nutrition bottle. Crazy things can happen...you just want to be prepared for them. It's always good to be comfortable living off what the course can provide because you'll have access to calories every 10 miles. I used to go with a single concentrated bottle, and there are PLENTY of people who use it with great success. I've now modified my plans a little bit by going with somewhat concentrated bottles and supplementing that with calories from the course aid stations.

x about a million, mikfinne - I love that kind of stuff - that is what endurance racing is all about!

(edited to fix goofy quotes)

I suppose that I have the good fortune to not have any special nutritional needs that are not provided on the course, which lets me keep it nice, simple and minimal.

I will roll out of T1 with only about 1/2 bottle of sport drink - we have a pretty good climb from the get-go where you will just be getting settled in and the first aid station is only about 6 or 7 miles out of town, I think. I will have a tic tac box filled with salt tabs in my jersey along with a couple of gels for backup just in case I miss a hand-up at an aid station, which are conveniently located every 10 miles or so. In special needs I will have some more electrolytes (in case I drop my primaries along the way) a couple of cO2s and a spare tubular in case I have flatted before then. Current plan has me carrying one torpedo bottle that I can alternate between water and perform - again, as long as I pay attention to calories I am not too picky.

In t2 I will grab a couple more backup gels and salt tabs for the run - that is it.

I do not plan on a special needs stop on the bike or run.

You have your special needs bags and your T1 & T2 bags you can put what ever you want in any of them Speical needs sometimes you don't get back. As far as T1 & t2 you get those bags back.

I have seen Mcdonalds Big Mac in speaical needs along with a bean burritio.

Assuming it is like Louisville...

When you check in for the race, you will be given 4 bags.  T1, T2, Bike SN, and Run SN.  Fill each with whatever you think you will need including a change of clothes if you want to change in transition.  They will tell you not to expect to have your special needs bags returned after the race. 

As you are coming in to transition you yell out your number to a volunteer...next thing you know you have your bag in your hand as you are running in to the changing tent.  If you want and if it is not too crowded, a volunteer will empty your bag and help you get through transition as efficiently as possible.

I volunteered at the Bike SN station at LP last year and you could get your bag back at the end or send someone to get it after you were done with your bike leg. They just needed the ticket with your race number on it to grab it.

After we closed down all the bags that were left were placed in boxes and people were free to go get the bags and no one manned the boxes. I believe they were discarded the next morning by 10am.

100 POINTS FOR YOU!!! tic tac box for salt pills. good idea! I've been wandering what to use...thanks!

tic-tax box for salt pills..

Damn, I better start writing some of this stuff down - I'm going to forget some of these great ideas.

For what its worth, I have been experimenting with pure maltodextrin as my nutrition source for long rides.  I've mixed up to a 1200 k/cal strength bottle of it and that's good for about 4 hours.  In the bottle is the malto, some Crystal Light for flavour and a bit of "lite salt" for the pottasium.  I'm really happy with the results.  For IMLP, I will do the same for my bike nutrition (altho only a 900 k/cal mix...3 hr bottle) and have a 2nd waiting for me at special needs.  I also carry Lava Salts as I am a prolific perspirer.  Will use the on-course liquid for hydration...nothing too special.

For the run, am planning on carrying my Nathan fuel belt with 2 small bottles with 2 hour mixes (600 k/cal each).  Will use the on-course hydration and Lava Salts as required.

When I was a bike handler last year, I saw a guy with a really expensive, tricked out Trek SC 9.9 and I swear he had 15 gels taped to the top tube.  I vowed not to do that so I looked to malto and am VERY happy with the result.

Funny you mention that - I recently picked up a bottle of carbogain (100% malto - amazing how unsweet it tastes for a sugar that is so rapidly absorbed!) for my homemade gel in order to get a C2MAX-like 2:1 glucose/fructose ratio by mixing it with simple syrup.  However, the past week or so I've been thinking about just going 100% malto, and using something like koolaid for flavor (although crystal lite is a great idea). 

I too saw a bunch of people with loads of GU's tapes to their crossbar as I watched the cluster@(*$ that was the T1 mount line.  I'm planning on either just running my bike through the chute down the 50' to the first turn and then mounting/clipping up, or just hopping on the saddle and coasting down before clipping in.  

Here is a picture of the gear bags from last year:

They are lined up in really tight rows and you basically come into transition, find your row, run down it, grab your bag and into the the transition tent. Blue bike bags are on top, red run bags are on the bottom. Everything inside of them should be ziplock bagged if you expect it to be dry in the morning - they are out overnight and it will rain. You also will have a "morning clothes bag" for you to store whatever you wear to transition on race day morning - you then hang it on the bottom hook with your run bag.

Bike stuff comes out of your bike bag, wetsuit/swim stuff goes in. Volunteer will return your bag to the rack. Head off to grab your bike - a volunteer may get it for you (shout your number) but you may also get it yourself.

Very good observation to get clear of the mounting line before getting on your bike. It can get really jammed up - just politely run through everyone mucking about at the mount line. It is downhill, so just hop on and roll and clip in later. You cannot have your shoes already clipped in at IMLP, btw.

When you come in from the bike, a volunteer will take your bike. You may leave your shoes on your bike if you prefer. Locate and grab your run bag. Run stuff comes out, bike helmet, etc. goes in your run bag. Volunteer will return the bag to the rack.

Off to the races!

ETA - I was able to find my bike special needs bag last year, but not my run special needs bag. Don't put anything in them you don't want to lose.