IMMD or IMCHOO?

Anyone who has ever spoken to me about whether to do IMMD or IMCHOO knows where I stand.  So, apologies in advance - this blog post is not going to be fair and balanced one single little bit. In fact, I think my bias can be seen from space.

I hate flat Ironmans.

But, before you accuse me of not knowing of which I speak, I will see you IMMD and raise you Cedar Point, 2012.  While I had a great day overall and loved racing with the team, I made the exact mistake I have warned people for years about with flat courses - I went way too hard on the bike and paid for it big time on the run.  And that was my second Ironman, so no newbie there.

But, in an effort to try and see the positive in everything, here goes …

IMMD:  Pros

1. It's close.
2. Ummmm …
3. Oh!  I have one!  It's fast.  If you are SERIOUSLY worried about bike cutoff, then this is a course for you.  But a lot of people worry about cutoff that shouldn't, so if you're unsure, ask a coach.
4. Your BFF is doing it.  
5. Half the team is doing it.  

IMMD:  Cons

1. It's close.  I mean - you're going to do this extraordinary thing for an ENTIRE DAY, and you want to do it in your back yard?  Now, I'm not claiming that Tennessee is exotic, but at least they talk differently down there.
2. It's flat.  You know that plank challenge we had earlier in the year?  How long did you last in EXACTLY THE SAME POSITION?  Imagine that for 7 hrs.  Only folded over.  Then stand up straight and try to run, only using half the muscles in your legs.  I'm being facetious, but flat=good is a false equation.  Seriously, you're using the exact same muscles for the entire ride.  No descending to enable you to stretch your hamstrings, no ascending to engage different muscles, no reason to ever change your cadence, no reason to take the strain off your neck muscles,  no sitting up to get up and rocking back on your saddle to relieve your bits and pieces.  Nothing. Bupkiss.  Nada.  Same with the run - the exact same muscles for 4-6 hrs.  No chance to stretch out the hip flexors on a downhill.  No chance to increase the cadence on an uphill.  
3. It's windy.  Seriously windy.
4. It's boring.  Go find a corn maze, head into the middle and sit down without a book, a smartphone or an iPod for an hour.  And sit up and stay awake!  Just an hour.  Then imagine that X7.  
5. BFF is doing it.  See previous post about racing with BFFs.  This needs to be YOUR race and chosen because it's the best race for YOU.  Not your BFF, not your posse, not your parents.  You.  You will soon learn that one of the secrets to Ironman training success is that, frankly, it's an all-about-me year.  If you're not in love with the scenery and the course doesn't suit you, then you're just going to be miserable and what a waste of a year that will have been.
6. Half the team is doing it.  Well, yeah, but since when did quantity outweigh quality?  One thing I found this year that there were so freakin' many of us racing IMMT, I didn't know everyone.  And I became one among 64 (see the all-about-me note above).  The folks who are winning big time are the 2014 IMMD folks - especially the first timers.  They're going to have Team Zers fighting to strip, slather and catch them.  And the cowbells and vuvuzelas will be deafening.  (GO IMMD!!!)
7. Accommodations are thin and expensive.  You'll have to book for next year now.
8. Jellyfish.  Ugh.  Stinging jellyfish - aka sea nettles. 

IMCHOO: Pros

1. It's beautiful.  Have you seen the pictures of the bike course?
2. It's close.  Seriously- about an 8 hr drive.  If we've driven to Wisconsin and Canada for goodness sake, or sent our babies … er … bikes off with their own passports, then this is close.
3. Accommodation is plentiful and inexpensive.  
4. There are hills for a change of position and scenery.
5. Fast current driven swim.
6. Plenty of inexpensive accommodation.

IMCHOO: Cons

1. Less time (probably).  Apparently, Chattanooga sits awkwardly along the division between Eastern Time and Central Time, so the race won't start until 7:40.  And it's a rolling start, so you will have even less time.  For instance, you might not get in the water until 8am, in which case you have 16 hrs to finish since the finish cutoff will remain midnight.  OTOH, if the swim is your concern, you will still have the full 2:20 to finish the swim and the bike cutoff is 6pm rather than 5:30.  Ironman is saying that you will have between 15:40-16:20 to finish.  
2. Longer bike course (maybe).  The jury is still out on this, but it's looking like the 2014 bike course might be about 116 miles.  See above for later cutoff and faster swim.
3. Apparently it's a hilly run.  
4. Transition area is a long way from the swim start.  Shuttle busses will be available, but it does add one more stressor.

Bottom Line

Unless you are absolutely wedded to IMMD for some reason, OR you think you are going to be a 16+ hr finisher, you should at least consider IMCHOO.

Points of Comparison

It's question that comes up a lot - how does IMXX compare with IMYY?  And it's a hard question to answer because, for instance, if you only compare feet of climbing on the bike, you're ignoring the nature of those climbs - are they long and gradual rollers like IMMT requiring discipline to hold yourself back or long and steep like IMLP, requiring patience?  Or spread out all along the course like IMWI, requiring gear selection and shifting skills?

BIKE COURSE

But, in an effort to compare apples and … um … pommes, here are some Strava profiles of some of the Ironman bike courses we may be familiar with.  All use the same barometric devices to measure the elevation.  Note - the elevation and the profiles are for one loop of each course (roughly for Chattanooga and Wisconsin which are lollipops).

Ironman Lake Placid:  2x 3,376 feet

Characteristics: Course rewards good all rounders - long steep descent, tempo riding, long steep ascent.  Climbing requires patience.

Ironman Mont Tremblant:  2x 2,772 feet

Characteristics: Course rewards disciplined cyclists - long rollers, perfect road conditions, short steep stair step climbs and descents in last 10 miles of each loop.

Ironman Chatanooga:  2x 2,595 feet

Characteristics: It looks like this course rewards mentally well prepared cyclists - mostly a long false flat, with fast tempo riding down the other side and a few little rollers to keep things interesting.

Ironman Wisconsin:  2x 3,068 feet

Characteristics: Course rewards skilled cyclists who are comfortable shifting gears constantly.  Climbing is scattered throughout the course.

RUN COURSE
Note #1 - The elevations available on Strava for these courses are so wildly varying since they're all measured with GPS and not barometric devices, that I'm not listing them.  Compare individual hills by looking at the distance and elevation gain. 

Note #2 - on Team Z, we don't teach or practice running downhill and seldom practice running uphill techniques.  They're great skills to learn (especially the downhill techniques) and can really really help in saving our quads and knees. If you do choose a hilly run course, ask me or Mark about PRR's downhill running technique and we'll be happy to show you what we learned there.  Hills need not be scary and can be managed.  For instance, on the final climb into Lake Placid, I walked at the same pace as someone running ahead of me, which left me with more energy to run the last 2 miles.

Ironman Lake Placid:

Characteristics: A couple of short hills that can be walked up, otherwise mostly flattish, although the false flat back into town on the last loop and then up along the lake can be demoralizing.

Ironman Mont Tremblant:  

Characteristics:  3-4 hills at the beginning and end of each loop, with flat flat flat for 6 miles in the middle.  Hills are short enough and spaced out enough that they can be walked up and run down and in between for a reasonable run/walk interval.  

Ironman Chattanooga:

Characteristics: It looks as though roughly 7 miles of each loop are flattish. Equal downs as well as ups, roughly once a mile.  Potential for building a run/walk strategy around walking the uphills and running the rest.  Not an easy marathon, especially with the worst hills stacked towards the end.

Ironman Wisconsin:  

Characteristics: That middle hill is a bitch.  But other than that, not so hilly.

Whatever race you choose will be an extraordinary experience and you'll each have good training days and hard training days.  And if neither of these races is right for you, there's always 2016.  Ionman will wait for you.