How to go faster without training more™

Two years ago, after my 2010 Ironman South Africa, I jotted down some thoughts as to how to go 55 minutes quicker without training more (than 10 hours on average a week). Patience and strategy (and writing tactical lists) were in abundance as I took the year off from Ironman racing with the arrival of my daughter, Em. 55 minutes, based on my ho-hum 2012 results, was what I required to go sub-10.

Below are my 2009 and 2010 results, and my 2012 guesstimates for ease of reference.

2009 IMSA    2010 IMSA   2012 IMSA

59 swim          58 swim         57 swim

5.06 T1           2.51 T1         3 T1
5.50 bike         5.42 Bike      5.26 Bike

4.43 T2           2.07 T2         2 T2

3.58 run           4.06 run        3.30 run
10.58 Total      10.55 Total   9.58 Total


Here are the points I noted:
Swim (save 1 minute)
• Technique, technique, technique!

• Better swim suit. Easier shoulder movement.
• Better goggles. More relaxed.

T1 (save a few seconds)
• Unitard; race number under wetsuit

• Food and shoes on bike
• No Socks (meths on feet)

Bike (save 16 minutes)
• New Bike frame and flightdeck

• Aero Position. Reduce drag. Bike Fit.
• Aero helmet.
• Legal pacing from 60k’s.
• Peeing on the bike


T2 (save a few seconds)
• speed laces
• shammy cream at start of race means no changing into run shorts

Run (save 36 minutes)
• Bricks, long runs and all other runs at race pace of 5m per k

• High cadence, lean forward, knees up, kick butt, hands gentle, elbows back
• Walk aid stations for 1st half. Keep heart rate in check.
• 10 steps at aid stations for 2nd half. Keep heart rate in check.
• Ignore HR for last 14k's.
• Be prepared to suffer with 10k’s to go
• No-one overtakes me in last 10k’s.
• Heat-seek runners. Overtake. No mercy.

With 5-ish weeks left to IMSA, I am practising fuelling before and during the ride, pacing, bike set up and attire is all in line with race day. There is still hard work to be done so now is the time to keep on top of key sessions, sleep and deleting invites off the social calendar.

I'm a bit like Arnie in the clip below (mainly because we wear the same colour Speedo):

 
Getting ripped and ready to roll,
~RobbyRicc
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