Ironman 2015
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00snook
Posts: 16
Hello All,
My friend and I have committed to competing in an Ironman some time in 2015 (2 years to prepare)
Any hints or tips you can give would be great. Have bought a couple of books and am reading through them; however it is worth noting that I am entirely a novice at this sort of thing.
The swimming shouldn't be too much of a problem as I swam at a very good level when younger and my technique should be fairly efficient. I do a lot of Mountain Biking so am expecting to be able to convert that to road biking with relative ease. And then we come to running. I have had replacement ACL surgery on my right knee, and currently have a injured left Achilles. I also got shin splints so badly when training for the Great South Run last year that I couldn't compete. So I feel running is clearly my weakest link.
The thought of competing seems very daunting at the moment, but have taken a lot of inspiration from reading others stories and I will complete it no matter what.
My friend and I have committed to competing in an Ironman some time in 2015 (2 years to prepare)
Any hints or tips you can give would be great. Have bought a couple of books and am reading through them; however it is worth noting that I am entirely a novice at this sort of thing.
The swimming shouldn't be too much of a problem as I swam at a very good level when younger and my technique should be fairly efficient. I do a lot of Mountain Biking so am expecting to be able to convert that to road biking with relative ease. And then we come to running. I have had replacement ACL surgery on my right knee, and currently have a injured left Achilles. I also got shin splints so badly when training for the Great South Run last year that I couldn't compete. So I feel running is clearly my weakest link.
The thought of competing seems very daunting at the moment, but have taken a lot of inspiration from reading others stories and I will complete it no matter what.
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Replies
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How is the training going?0
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Hi Guys,
Great to see a few IM / Tri mates on MFP. I've just joined so have my fingers crossed that this will turn into a useful support / advice group.
Until about a year ago I was a competitive runner (on and off road, 5 miles to 50 miles) and had done a couple of sprint distance pool triathlons. Since then I've lost fitness and gained weight. I've decided I need to get back on the wagon and have signed up for 70.3 UK and IM UK 2014. There's nothing like a few hundred pounds of entry fees to focus the mind! I did a mid distance tri in September (1km, 80km, 12km) but am only just learning freestyle, have never been in open water and have a lot of work to do to get back to fitness and build IM level endurance.
00snook - it sounds like you've got the perfect base for IM. As I'm sure you've read, it's all about a swim efficiency and bike fitness. The marathon is mental strength. I know a lady who walked the run (she was recovering from a hip replacement!) and still finished in under 15 hours. A few tips from my experience and what I've read (apologies if none of it is new to you - something that's highly likely if you're reading Joe Friel!)
- Build your endurance through cycling, not running. Running has a much higher injury risk and running speed / fitness is a poor indicator of IM performance compared to cycling speed / fitness.
- Join a gym with a pool and good exercise bikes (Watt bikes are fantastic as you get technique feedback). Justifying the monthly fee will soon get you into a regular routine.
- Include a few shorter races in your IM build up so you can practice technique / nutrition / open water racing etc.
- Choose your IM race sooner rather than later so you can prepare specifically for the course (e.g. temperature, terrain, season, nutrition).
- Find a local club or other experienced IMers to chat to. They're so inspiring and always excited to meet newbies. We can continue the tradition when we've done ours and can be considered "experienced"!
Anyhow, I'm not going to bleat on for too long as you probably know all this and more. I'd love to know which one you're thinking of doing and how your injuries etc. are getting on. It would be great to share stories and help each other with motivation.0 -
Problems with my knee's yrs ago got me into swimming..the doc said i didn't need surgery just get to the pool. 9 months later after joining a non competitive swim club i swam a relay across the English channel with the eltham swim and traing club. My legs were getting stronger so i entered the London marathon and also a half marathon the following year as part of my next target...that being a solo swim of the English channel....since then i have banged out many marathons and 1 ironman up in bolton . I agree that getting your swim and bike in good order and the run can be completed with a walk run strategy. The boltonuk ironman was a very hilly affair. Get your swimming in and jump out of the pool and run...or out of the pool then cycle. That way you don't need to put as many hrs in on your legs. They're called brick sessions. Eventually working up to bike then run. This will stand you in good stead. Nutrition and water/salts are all so very very important on the day.0
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So all, the training has been going well.
Am back onto MFP so I can keep a track of my diet as need to lose a couple of stone at the moment.
IF you check out my blog you can see what I have been up to www.ironsnook.co.uk
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Great job on keeping up! I just finished my first Ironman two weeks ago (Ironman Louisville) and am ready to spend the fall season on weight management while prepping for a 2nd 2015 ironman-- before the training gets too intense!
I had hoped to lose some pounds while in Ironman training (roughly 6 months focused in an IM training group), however I found it hard to lose weight there. You have to focus on eating enough to fuel your training once you get going. My plan for the fall is to recover mentally, and work on shorter distance speed & weight loss.0 -
Louisville 2015 will be my first full IM!0
