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2017-10-16 9:59 AM

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Subject: 2018 Half Iron?
Ok, considering a HIM in 2018, have done multiple Oly's, have no interest in IM (do not want to dedicate the time needed) so HIM is the itch I am considering scratching. Help me understand some points

1) Realistically, how much time per week will I need to train to be a MOP'er? 10-12 hours?
2) If money were no object, which US based race provides the best experience? I am in NJ, but willing to travel.
3) A bit fearful of moving up. Would love to hear experiences of moving from OLY to HIM.




2017-10-16 10:46 AM
in reply to: hessma

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Subject: RE: 2018 Half Iron?
Great decision, HIM is probably my favorite distance! I'll try to answer your questions, but others will likely be able to add more.

1) Yes, 10-12 hours per week is sufficient to do well at this distance.

2) I'm not well traveled in terms of racing, so this isn't a great question for me. That said, the Big George in Lake George, NY is a really great event that I do every year (always Labor Day weekend, so great timing to train all summer), and not super far from NJ.

3) The biggest thing that is often overlooked when moving up (in my opinion) is nutrition. You will blow sky high on the run if you don't take in enough on the bike (my 2nd ever HIM is a perfect example). So during long training rides, practice eating and figure out what works for you. For HIM I can tolerate gels every 30 min, and also eat a Clif Bar about half way through (takes the place of 2 gels), but everyone is different. The key is to get in enough calories to fuel your run (still need calories during that too, but you will be taking in smaller amounts).

Good Luck! I'm sure you'll enjoy the new challenge!
2017-10-16 12:15 PM
in reply to: hessma

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Subject: RE: 2018 Half Iron?

Originally posted by hessma Ok, considering a HIM in 2018, have done multiple Oly's, have no interest in IM (do not want to dedicate the time needed) so HIM is the itch I am considering scratching. Help me understand some points 1) Realistically, how much time per week will I need to train to be a MOP'er? 10-12 hours? 2) If money were no object, which US based race provides the best experience? I am in NJ, but willing to travel. 3) A bit fearful of moving up. Would love to hear experiences of moving from OLY to HIM.

 

I start at about 6-1/2 hours a week and build to about 9-1/2 hours a week on peaks weeks when training for he 70.3.  Some do a lot more than that some do less. My week looks something like two days of 45-60 minutes running, one day of 90-120 minute running, two days of 50-65 minutes cycling, one day of 120-180 minutes cycling, three days of 30-60 minutes swimming.  I try to do a interval, tempo, endurance day for each sport every week.  

 

I did Ironman St. George in 2016.  It was the most beautiful course I have seen.  The swim is breath taking, and when you are going up Snow Canyon 40 miles into the bike leg it is even prettier.  The course is difficult.  That is a plus for some and an negative for others. So it really depends on what you are looking for as to what race is the best. I want to do the Ironman Boulder next year.  It used to be put on in June, but was changed to August last year, so I am not sure if a hotter part of the year will make that race as nice as it would have been if I could have done it in 2016 before the switch in race dates.  There are 100's of 70.3 races.  I some like big races with more than 2000 people, some like races under 250 people.  Some like to ride through big cities with lots of spectators, others like to ride through pretty scenery, some like ocean swims, others like lake swims, etc.  Every race offers something different.  You can have a good experience anywhere you go.  

 

Of the three 70.3's that I have done St. George is the one that I would most like to go back to.  

2017-10-19 9:37 AM
in reply to: #5229708

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Subject: RE: 2018 Half Iron?
I did my first HIM end of September. I was training for a marathon during tri season and felt like it was now or never. Looked at my logs a few weeks back and most weeks were 6 to 8 hours with 2 or 3 at 10 to 11. I didn't bike or swim much, and ran more. I swam 1 to 2 times a week and had three long bikes of 46, 50, and 55 miles. Otherwise I rode on the trainer for 60 to 90 minutes twice a week. I think the biggest challenge for this distance is the nutrition and hydration. I did one Olympic this year and one each of the previous years. You may get by with less or require more.

I thought the rev3 races were well done and would check them out
2017-10-19 11:41 AM
in reply to: nrpoulin


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Subject: RE: 2018 Half Iron?
I don't remember the volume of hours.
Also, I'm a bucket lister, so all I wanted to do was finish.
Granted, by the time you follow any kind of plan, you are stronger and will want to "race" (even if it's just racing against your earlier expectations).

I typically work out at night. But in training for this towards the later months, I just didn't want to be at the gym that late at night and then try to sleep.
So I flipped to mornings. Not even getting up super early. Maybe 6:30 early on. Then 6:00 a little later. Maybe 5-5:30 at the very earliest towards the very end. And at work by 9:00 or 9:30 depending on much I dawdled afterwards.

Weekends, I often was home from a 30 or 40, or even 50 mile ride (leave at 7:00 AM....home at 10:00) before most of the family was even awake.

In the end, I spent MORE time with my family than I normally did, trying to keep the 100+ lbs. off that I'd lost.

The caveat I'd say isn't so much the time as it is the anxiety over the time. If you're at all prone to it...you get into the process of "OK, it's going to rain on Saturday, so if I take off work early at say 2:00 on Friday...I can get in a 40 mile ride, instead of swimming and a light run. Then I can do a good swim on Saturday while it's raining in the morning and Sunday's long run after the rain stops. Then since I have my nephew's Chistening on Sunday and won't be able to do anything until after 4:00 and I'll have had brunch and cake so that's no good. That can be my day off, and I'll do a spin class on Monday morning and then a short run that night after work."

I'm very prone to the obsessiveness and anxiety that comes with.

Did a full this year, it is indeed a wholly different story. Then again, it didn't feel as bad. It could be, because I was just more selfish and didn't realize the toll it might be having. Also, we had fantastic weather just about every weekend this spring and summer. Nobody got married. None of my kids have summer birthdays or had their first communion. No funerals. We vacationed at a beach, and I got a stomach virus anyway so...I had very little to rearrange or deal with, or fret about, this summer. It could also be that I'd sorta (only SORTA as it was far more robust for the full) done it before.
2017-10-19 11:47 AM
in reply to: hessma


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Subject: RE: 2018 Half Iron?
Oh....as for picking a race....

Here's how I went about choosing mine.

1. Looked for proximity. (I'm a cheapskate/value type)
2. Looked at the regularity that portions of the race are cancelled or shortened.
3. Looked at races that were late enough in the year to get outside time in.
4. But not too late in the year that if it got cancelled/shortened there wasn't another one that was accessible within a few weeks.



2017-10-19 2:48 PM
in reply to: hessma

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Subject: RE: 2018 Half Iron?

My only HIM was 2006, and I trained minimally for that one.  

You'll want a long ride of 2-3 hours and a long run of 1.5-2 hours for your HIM.  You'll build to this and would expect these weeks to be a month before the race with a modest taper into the race.  You'll have a number of 45 minute workouts in addition to these long workouts, so add about 4.5 hours (6 workouts) to the 4-5 hours for your long workouts and you can reasonably stay under 10 hours per week even in peak weeks.  

As for race selection...Are you looking to "just race" or is the race an excuse to plan a trip somewhere?  There are advantages to both.  I did IMCdA and Vineman (both IM distance) in conjunction with 2-week trips, in the first it was a driving vacation that included Yellowstone, Glacier, & Mt. Rushmore, the latter, two weeks bouncing around NOCA including wine country, Yosimite, and SF.  I did B2B where we drove to Wilmington Friday, raced Saturday, and was back home Sunday.  

Moving from OLY to HIM:  Hydration/nutrition become much more significant (so get good practice on your long workouts).  Also, you'll be running during the heat of the day, so do some of your runs at that time as well.  (IMO, the noon-time run is what makes a HIM more brutal than even a full IM.)  

2017-10-19 11:39 PM
in reply to: hessma

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Subject: RE: 2018 Half Iron?
I imagine you could finish MOP with 8-10 hours per week. And if you pick a race like Chattanooga, then you don't have to do as much swimming... The swim there is with current & it's been said that a bag of chips could float down and make the cut-off... ha! It's prob my favorite HIM thus far and there's lots of stuff for family if you want to make it a vacation and stay a while.
2017-10-20 7:33 AM
in reply to: pistuo

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Subject: RE: 2018 Half Iron?
Throwing out this year.......

Will a bag of chips float - upstream?
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