General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Turning Cycling Fitness into Ironman Performance Rss Feed  
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2015-09-05 5:24 PM


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Subject: Turning Cycling Fitness into Ironman Performance
Hello,

I am new to the forum and I was looking for some advice.

I have never entered a triathlon and my main sport is cycling. I probably rack up 3k miles a year in the saddle and consider myself reasonably capable. I've completed several full day rides this year and can cover 100 miles in around 6 hours with 3/4,000 ft of climbing. As it stands I am looking to train for a big challenge at the back end of next year and I was wondering about and ironman? This is obviously a massive step up and a massive challenge, but a lot of the reading I have done seems to indicate that the biggest challenge for most people is the bike ride. Given that I could probably complete an ironman cycle route in under 7 hours tomorrow, is this a good enough base to target a full event in 12 months time? I have no base in swimming or running, but I am more than happy to put in the hours to add these to my existing ability.

Am I dreaming or is this a realistic target?


2015-09-05 7:11 PM
in reply to: SkinnyDogg

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Subject: RE: Turning Cycling Fitness into Ironman Performance
plenty of time!!!

u might want to try a shorter distance at the beginning of the season to how the swim goes though
2015-09-10 2:37 PM
in reply to: SkinnyDogg

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Subject: RE: Turning Cycling Fitness into Ironman Performance

It's certainly possible.  But with no swimming or running background, you'd be much better off giving yourself more time.  Start learning how to swim now and spend a fair amount time doing that, if possible.  At the same time, start very gradually building up your running.  You won't have to spend a lot of actual training time on running at the start, because ideally you want to introduce the weight-bearing pounding of running to your body only gradually as you build up the durability needed to do so more frequently.

The bike is generally not the biggest challenge for most people.  For some, it can be what determines if they can make the cut-offs or not.  If you care only about completion, then all you really need to do is learn to swim and be prepared to keep moving all day long and you can be an ironman since you appear to have the bike mostly covered already.  But learning to swim (and to do so well) is typically the most challenging aspect of any triathlon distance.  After that, it's being able to run reasonably well after completing a swim and bike before you even start.  Having good bike fitness is an important contributor in that goal, so you do have a leg up there.

2015-09-21 1:09 PM
in reply to: JohnnyKay

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Subject: RE: Turning Cycling Fitness into Ironman Performance
Couple of thoughts:

1. If you complete the training, then you can finish an ironman. Start getting 8-10 hours of training now and then start an official training plan 20 weeks out from your race (BT has some free ones).

2. As mentioned, if you don't know how to swim, that's going to be your hurdle. It takes different people different amounts of time to pick it up. My suggestion if you really want to do an IM next year is to take swim lessons starting now.

3. One option you might try is to find a race that doesn't fill up fast. This way you can start the training and see how it's going before actually shelling out the money for the race. If you do this, go ahead and make lodging reservations at host hotel a year out (you can always cancel and not be out any money). You might check out Beach2Battleship in NC. It's great for beginners and doesn't fill up fast.

4. If you pick up swimming, but it's still not a strength, then look for an IM with an easy swim... like Chattanooga... although it usually sells out a year in advance. If you go volunteer for it (it's this Saturday), then you get an automatic chance to sign up for the next year.

Good luck. It's a great experience.
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