Ironman Arizona 2015 : Official Thread

I'm in...volunteered at Bike Special needs this year. Very glad I went and volunteered. Nice to get away from the Minnesota cold, fun to check out the race and secure a spot for next year.

This year I will be fundraising for Fisher House. This foundation provides free temporary lodging for military members and their families during medical crises. Please check out my fundraising page;

Team Fisher House Community Fundraisers: Mike Finney - Team Fisher House

Thank you!

Edited by mikfinne 2014-11-30 9:22 AM

I'm in!

Volunteered at bike handling in the morning which was a blast.

This will be my first 140.6.

Also going back for a second time! I raced in 2013. Volunteered at a run station this year and am looking forward to next year!

I am in! I flew out to this year's event to volunteer at a run aid station and it was a blast! So many awesome people, both racing and volunteering. IMAZ 2015 will be my first and hopefully not my last 140.6. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

OK, like most of you I volunteered this year so I could get a spot. I did this in 2013 and made it just under 12 hours. So Im coming back to see if I can shave some time off.
Happy training everyone.

Mike

I'm in!

Just under 300 days to go!

What training plans are people looking at using?

I used the HIM to IM plan here at BT back in 2012, and my use it again this time.

My wife is looking at the IronFit plans, but they seem so long at 30 weeks.

Chris

I'm doing the intermediate IM plan here on BT. It got me my sub 12 in 2013 and hoping to be closer to 11 this year

So I found out that Smile Train still has charity slots for entry open if anyone else is interested!! Just check out the IM website and you can sign up!

Who starts training this week? Anybody else using Be Iron Fit?

I'm using the Iron Fit plan but I had calculated the 30 weeks to start in May.

Yep ... Today is Week 1 Day 1 for the IronFit plan.
It`s going to be my 3rd IM following this plan and it went really well the first two times !

I'm in!
Volunteered bike aid #1
This will be my first 140.6 not my last.

Started Iron Fit training this week.
Will be modifying plan a little.

If anyone is using Garmin Connect for training I created two Ironman AZ training groups. Open to all to join

Ironman Arizona 2015 training group

and

Ironman Arizona 70.3 2015 training group


always good to see where others are at with training.

I'm in for my first full Ironman!!! O_O

Hope training is going well for all.

The bump in swimming for the Iron Fit program seems like a lot, going from 5000 yds a week to 9000 yds a week. I've had to adjust the schedule to allow me to swim and run in the mornings to avoid the crowds at the pool and the heat on the run. I'm doing my swims MWF and moved my Tuesday run to the morning and my Friday run to Thursday morning.

Less than 20 weeks to the big day!

Hey, Chris! Hope your training is going well, too. I am doing the Iron Fit program as well and I did notice that the swim volume seems a bit higher than a lot of the other plans. I may end modifying slightly to trade some of that swim for bike. After Syracuse 70.3 I learned I need a bit more bike strength. Good luck to you all the other IMAZ'ers!

Wow! That is a big increase.
I am loosely following BIF - the bike rand run but not really the swim. I swim when I can which probably hasn't been enough.
My reality is I am not going to get much faster on the swim. I will swim in open water every other week to help with some recent anxiety but I was happy with my 1:25 swim in 2013 and would rather put that time/energy towards the bike. Swim fitness is important so I don't feel tired when I get out of the water but 5,000 is a LOT.

Hey, what are you all doing for motivation? I just can't get motivated to get out and train. I am really struggling to get in 1 or 2 days. In 2013 I was all over it and it was awesome. But for some reason this time around I just feel burned out.
Any advice or help we be sooo appreciated!

As a first timer, my primary motivator is the desire to finish and to finish feeling reasonably good. Each day, and especially these hot summer mornings when I don't feel like getting outside, all I have to do is ask myself if I want this. Each day, the answer is YES, absolutely.

(this is probably not so helpful to anyone who has completed an Ironman in the past, sorry)

can you find somebody to train with a few days a week? I find when I am burned out a bit, running or biking with others a few times a week makes it more enjoyable and feels like less work.

This will be my first 140.6 and I have set some lofty goals for myself that I am not sure I can hit. This motivates me to get out of bed at 530a before anyone else is up in the house. You mentioned earlier that <11 was your goal. Can you use that as self motivation??

Also, using a coach for the first time and knowing that he will be reviewing my files keeps me going as well. Not sure if you have somebody that can hold you accountable.

Anyway, good luck. We are 18 weeks away, right? You still have a little bit of time to get back into the groove.

Dude, you spent a ton of money to sign up for this race! Just get started now with some workouts once a day and take 1 or day 2 off to rest. Build it up carefully and wisely and you'll be back on track!

Mikoy, you are a far more accomplished triathlete than I am. Like some others who have commented on this thread, IMAZ will be my first 140.6 so that in itself more than keeps me going in training. But also, as I get older (just turned 54 today! ) I have come to appreciate opportunities in life and how they don't always come back around. In case I never get the opportunity to do a full IM again, I really REALLY want this. I hope you find whatever motivates you to get to that finish line once again. I am rooting for you. Cheers!