TOTW: Long Course Triathlon: Discuss Everything.

My goal is an IM in the next three years for my 40th (-ish).  I've completed three sprints with a fourth comming up in September.  I'd like to do at least one Olympic (Chatanooga) next year with two sprints.  The following season, I'd like to complete a half IM.  Then hit the IM in year three.

I have a ton of questions.  What do you do in the off-season?  How much training time?  How do you balance family and work with training?  How much training do you need (weekly time wise) to hit an IM?

Atl runner:

Thanks for the great advice.  I'd been playing with the idea of one more tri this summer (I think I'll do Emerald Point in Oct).  I'm already running and swimming the "base" distance weekly that you suggested.  I just really need to be bike focused to build up beyond my standard 20 mile ride.  I'm working on it.  I'm definitely ready to try a OLY (thinking chattanooga-heard it was newbe friendly).  Is there a last summer half IM that I can shoot for next year in GA?  Any recommendations for half IMs?

I TOTALLY agree with you on the balance part.  My hubby and I also play tennis three times a week (which is GREAT cross training).  Somehow it all works out.  It can just be a little stressful at times!  It may be somewhat selfish to train/excercise as much as we do, but I think I'm a better, happier parent because I do!

There have been some fantastic responses so far, I am going to "shoot from the hip" so if I cover something that someone else has already said then forgive me.

1. Race Day Tips-First and foremost tip is leave nothing to chance on race day. For IM events you will have to drop off your T1 and T2 bags the previous day prior so that will be one less thing to think about. Make sure you have a tinted and clear set of goggles, last year at IMLOU I only had my tinted goggles thinking that we would be swimming east and into the rising sun. What I didn't take into account was the cloud cover that covered the sun and made spotting the buoys nearly impossible. Make sure you get your bike tuned up a few days prior to the race and then go for a short ride to make sure everything is working correctly, this is especially the case when you are using race wheels that you don't normally train on.  Last thing is don't get caught up in the hype, when you boil it all down its swim/bike/run just like you have done before. The distances are just longer and there are more people racing.

2. Long Course Nutrition-This will make you or break you, plain and simple. A well trained athlete can store enough muscle glycogen for 1.5-2hrs of fuel (and by well trained I mean someone who has been consistantly working out over a period of years), since even the Pro's are not finishing until around the 4 hour mark this makes refueling a must. There are a million different theories and protocols on fueling and how to figure your calorie consumption rate etc. The main thing is find a starting point and work from there to identify your personal nutritional needs. If you start at 300 cal/hr and feel bloated or sick then you are probably taking in too much. Back off and see what happens. Likewise if you are lethargic and have no energy then up the calories and see what happens. This is where a good Sports Nutritionist and detailed logs come in handy. I believe it was Brian that said stick to water, I second this wholeheartedly. Gatorade and other sports drinks are a GI problem waiting to happen since they all are made with High Fructose Corn Syrup and derive most of their caloric content from sugar. If you can find a way to get your calories through gels or a product like Carbo Pro and then use an electrolyte suppliment in additon, there isn't any reason to use anything but water for hydration.

3. Surviving the Heat-Well if you have seen my logs the past couple of days you know how I feel about the heat.  The most important thing is to hydrate!! The second most important thing is to slow down, your body cannot thermoregulate as well in the extreme heat which leads to your core temperature rising. The best thing you can do for the heat is to train in it and let your body acclimate as much as possible prior to a hot race. Also make sure to dump ice and cold water on your head as much as possible during the race.

4. Mental Strength-This is what seperates the wheat from the chaff as far as long course racing goes. In every race without fail you will have a point where you want to say "To hell with it" and slow down on the bike or walk the run (if this happens on the swim you could be in for a long day), this is where your training and intrinsic desire to excel have to kick in. If you know your race is going to be in hot, humid conditions then train in hot, humid conditions and remove that from the equation. As a mental toughness exercise I sometimes get to the end of a run and then go run another 1/2 mile just to push a little bit more. This can pay off in a race when you know you just have that last mile or less to go and you really want to stop, or if you are trying to beat a time goal and you have to pick it up to make that time. You also have to know your reasons BEFORE you ever toe the line on race day. Why are you out here? Is it to qualify for something? To accomplish something you didn't think was possible? Because you lost a bar bet? You have to know the answer to those questions before race day because 80 miles into the bike is a bad time to be questioning yourself.

5. I prefer the HIM distance to the others (although the Olympic distance is growing on me) because at the end of the day I feel like I accomplished something without wrecking my body. You can also be fairly competative at the HIM distance on 10-12 hours a week of training, which is good if you want to stay married.

My final adivce is if you are a new athlete, don't think you have to jump into Ironman with both feet right from the get go. Those races aren't going anywhere anytime soon. You are much better off taking a few seasons and building up a solid base and then tackling the Iron distance. For HIM the learning curve is a bit shorter, IMO if you can do an Olympic then you can do a HIM.

There have been some fantastic responses so far, I am going to "shoot from the hip" so if I cover something that someone else has already said then forgive me.

1. Race Day Tips-First and foremost tip is leave nothing to chance on race day. For IM events you will have to drop off your T1 and T2 bags the previous day prior so that will be one less thing to think about. Make sure you have a tinted and clear set of goggles, last year at IMLOU I only had my tinted goggles thinking that we would be swimming east and into the rising sun. What I didn't take into account was the cloud cover that covered the sun and made spotting the buoys nearly impossible. Make sure you get your bike tuned up a few days prior to the race and then go for a short ride to make sure everything is working correctly, this is especially the case when you are using race wheels that you don't normally train on.  Last thing is don't get caught up in the hype, when you boil it all down its swim/bike/run just like you have done before. The distances are just longer and there are more people racing.

2. Long Course Nutrition-This will make you or break you, plain and simple. A well trained athlete can store enough muscle glycogen for 1.5-2hrs of fuel (and by well trained I mean someone who has been consistantly working out over a period of years), since even the Pro's are not finishing until around the 4 hour mark this makes refueling a must. There are a million different theories and protocols on fueling and how to figure your calorie consumption rate etc. The main thing is find a starting point and work from there to identify your personal nutritional needs. If you start at 300 cal/hr and feel bloated or sick then you are probably taking in too much. Back off and see what happens. Likewise if you are lethargic and have no energy then up the calories and see what happens. This is where a good Sports Nutritionist and detailed logs come in handy. I believe it was Brian that said stick to water, I second this wholeheartedly. Gatorade and other sports drinks are a GI problem waiting to happen since they all are made with High Fructose Corn Syrup and derive most of their caloric content from sugar. If you can find a way to get your calories through gels or a product like Carbo Pro and then use an electrolyte suppliment in additon, there isn't any reason to use anything but water for hydration.

3. Surviving the Heat-Well if you have seen my logs the past couple of days you know how I feel about the heat.  The most important thing is to hydrate!! The second most important thing is to slow down, your body cannot thermoregulate as well in the extreme heat which leads to your core temperature rising. The best thing you can do for the heat is to train in it and let your body acclimate as much as possible prior to a hot race. Also make sure to dump ice and cold water on your head as much as possible during the race.

4. Mental Strength-This is what seperates the wheat from the chaff as far as long course racing goes. In every race without fail you will have a point where you want to say "To hell with it" and slow down on the bike or walk the run (if this happens on the swim you could be in for a long day), this is where your training and intrinsic desire to excel have to kick in. If you know your race is going to be in hot, humid conditions then train in hot, humid conditions and remove that from the equation. As a mental toughness exercise I sometimes get to the end of a run and then go run another 1/2 mile just to push a little bit more. This can pay off in a race when you know you just have that last mile or less to go and you really want to stop, or if you are trying to beat a time goal and you have to pick it up to make that time. You also have to know your reasons BEFORE you ever toe the line on race day. Why are you out here? Is it to qualify for something? To accomplish something you didn't think was possible? Because you lost a bar bet? You have to know the answer to those questions before race day because 80 miles into the bike is a bad time to be questioning yourself.

5. I prefer the HIM distance to the others (although the Olympic distance is growing on me) because at the end of the day I feel like I accomplished something without wrecking my body. You can also be fairly competative at the HIM distance on 10-12 hours a week of training, which is good if you want to stay married.

My final adivce is if you are a new athlete, don't think you have to jump into Ironman with both feet right from the get go. Those races aren't going anywhere anytime soon. You are much better off taking a few seasons and building up a solid base and then tackling the Iron distance. For HIM the learning curve is a bit shorter, IMO if you can do an Olympic then you can do a HIM.

Any recommendations for half IMs?

I know I'm a nerd...but I've started to lay out my 2009 race calendar.

That's not nerdy. I already have my 09 schedule set and am currently planning out my 2010 schedule.

That's not nerdy.  I already have my 09 schedule set and am currently planning out my 2010 schedule.