Alright, we all know the drill by now. I am a goal setter. I would also like to think that I am a goal achiever. It is hard to set a goal for something you have never done before though. But you have to start somewhere. I have compiled these goals based off of my training times. I do not know how hilly this course is going to be. I have been told that what I did the majority of my training on is intensely more difficult that the race course but as they say, anything can happen on race day. We start with my normal top five goals as seen here:1. Have Fun!!
2. Race MY best race and never give up.
3. Stay injury free. (I have a wedding in 2 weeks)
4. Race smart (pacing & nutrition)
5. FINISH! (It feels great, no matter what the clock says) From there I usually go into my time goals but I wanted a few additional non-timed goals for this race. Here is what I came up with: (yes swimming straight is a slight problem for me) 6. Encourage others along the way. It will be a tough day for everyone!
7. Stay positive. Remember my training that brought me this far.
8. Run the entire marathon. Pace myself and run efficient. No walking!
9. Swim straight!
10. Push beyond my limits during the final 10K. I really want to run this marathon. Being that I feel my strongest sport is the run, I do believe in myself for this to be possible. Though, I have no idea about what happens at mile 16 of a marathon after you have already been on the road for 120+ miles. Once I get to the final turn around point, there is roughly a 10K remaining. The first half of it is uphill and then the finish is downhill. I hope to treat the first 134 miles as a warm up and then just let anything and everything that I have left out of the bag for the grand finale. Time will tell. My swim time goals are not based off of my pool swims since those times include rests and various intervals of hard and or easy pacing. I am basing this off of my long ocean swims in which most of them were fighting ocean currents at some point. I believe these times are completely fair and if I had to guess, I would put myself somewhere around the 1:15 mark. A lot of it depends on how much clean water I get. Keep in mind the swim is a mass start so me and 1,999 of my new friends are going to start all at the same time. Look out for elbows! Swim Time Goals1. Under 1:24:29 (2:11/100 meters)
2. Under 1:20:58 (2:06/100 meters)
3. Under 1:17:26 (2:00/100 meters)
4. Under 1:13:55 (1:55/100 meters)
5. Under 1:10:24 (1:49/100 meters) The bike can really go in either direction. I wish I was more tuned into what I can do on the bike. I spent a lot of time training on the bike but I still do not feel like I understand my body like I do on the run. If the course is hillier than expected or if the weather ends up being super windy, it could have a huge affect on my bike split. However, if the course is not as difficult as what I trained on and if the weather behaves, it could mean a faster bike split than I thought possible. This one will have to be completely played by ear. The biggest thing that I have to keep in mind while on the bike is remembering that there is a marathon coming up. I have to keep something in the tank! Hydration and nutrition are going to be key! Bike Time Goals1. Under 7:00 (16 mph)
2. Under 6:35 (17 mph)
3. Under 6:13 (18 mph)
4. Under 6:00 (18.67 mph)
5. Under 5:54 (19 mph)And then there is the run. Oh yes, the run. My love. My freedom. I trained on some hilly roads and raced some hilly races in preparation for this run. Hands down my three biggest goals are in the marathon. I will try with every once of my being to not walk on this run. I have not walked on a run in a long time and I do not want race day to be the start of it. Bearing in mind that a lot of pros end up walking during Kona but they throw it all on the line from the time the gun goes off. This is going to be a nice and steady aerobic day for me. My next biggest goal in the marathon is to beat my first marathon time. My first race I ever ran as an adult was the marathon in a time of 4:41:53. I want to beat that. I want to destroy that. Lastly, with every ounce of fitness and desire in my body, I want to break 4 hours in the marathon. That is a 9:09 pace. I have run a 9:09 pace recently. It was up an 11% grade at the end of a hilly training run. But then again, I also ran a couple 6:50-7:00 miles at the end of my 18 mile progressive runs. Where does that put me in terms of running off the bike? Well, we will find out in a few short days, won't we? Run Time Goals1. Under 4:41:53 (10:45/mile) (my first marathon finish time)
2. Under 4:20 (9:55/mile)
3. Under 4:10 (9:32/mile)
4. Under 4:00 (9:09/mile)
5. Under 3:50 (8:46/mile)
6. Under 3:45 (8:35/mile)
7. Under 3:40 (8:23/mile)
8. Under 3:30 (8:00/mile)The overall time goals are different combinations of the above individual sport goals plus some transition times. I am not expecting my normal less than 2:00 sprint race transition times but then again I won't be taking any coffee breaks either. I said from the beginning of this adventure that I wanted to break the 12 hour mark. But honestly, I believe that if Saturday is my day, I could come in much faster. I marked goal #7 at 11 hours. That would be a 1:15 swim, a 6:00 bike, and a 3:45 marathon. So add a few minutes on top of that for transitions and some bathroom breaks (if I stop) and that would bring me to the 11:15 finish. I don't know. Hopefully I am not being too hard. I really should not be setting any time goals but then again, reach for the stars. Overall Time Goals
1. Under 13 hours (8:00 pm)
2. Under 12 hrs 30 min (7:30 pm)
3. Under 12 hours (7:00 pm)
4. Under 11 hrs 45 min (6:45 pm)
5. Under 11 hrs 30 min (6:30 pm)
6. Under 11 hrs 15 min (6:15 pm)
7. Under 11 hrs (6:00 pm)Currently the weather seems to be calling for mid to upper 60s, windy, and a 30% chance of rain. But like I told a friend of mine who is also racing St George:I will arrive.
I will swim.
I will bike.
I will run.
I will be an Ironman.
Wind. Rain. Pain. They all just make the victory taste better.See you at the finish line!Caleb K
Ironman St George - Bib #675
