Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 115)

This.  I feel the exact same way.  Although I have been mostly following my coaches plan, I was exteremly late to get started.  And I'm like 30 pounds overweight and none of my tri shorts fit.  So that sorta sucks too.  However, I still have IMAZ to look forward to this year and I'm going to KILL IT there!

I'm holding out for the possibility of NYC in 2012 or 2013...swimming with the syringes in the Hudson!

Anyone else out here have advice on how to go through this sport without going crazy like me? I need to learn to trust my fitness more, and be patient that it will come when I am ready. Any more seasoned people have words of wisdom?

I told myself a couple things when I started doing triathlons and repeated them when I started doing endurance events:

- I want this to be something I enjoy for the long haul.
- Never put triathlon ahead of my job unless it IS my job (not likely).
- If I feel burned out or not up for a certain workout, take a break or do something different.

For the most part I've managed a good training balance.  My logs don't reflect it right now because I've been struggling with an injury.  But the key for me is remembering that this is supposed to be fun.  Sometimes that means shuffling the plan.  Sometimes I don't take the gadgets with me and I just ride.  Sometimes I sleep in

I never want to train to hate it, so to speak.

I did last year; I'll be riding a disc this year.  Wind is not bad.  If you haven't ridden on 808s before, see if you can get a warmup ride just to get a feel for them.  But honestly you'll get more push from a car going past you than from any wind at CdA.

Rode 808s w/ rear cover at CdA last year (and will again this year).  No issues.  To be honest, I've never had issues with the 808 setup in any race/winds, and I've rolled them in some serious winds before.  As long as your bike handling/control skills are decent, you'll be fine.

Ha Ha   I'm not a mental health professional.  I just play one on BT forums. 

I think everyone has done a good job of doing the group hug thing the past couple of pages.  I'm right there with everyone else feeling tired and ready to be done... ready for race day.  I question my preparation, and only have myself to blame since I don't have a coach.  This is the first time I've done an IM two years in a row and I expected big gains that I haven't seen yet.  I am hoping that's because I also increased my volume this year and between training and illness I have yet to go into a race fresh.  But that was the plan.  Work hard. Taper smart. Race happy and healthy and see what happens.

If all else fails, go back to your original motivation for doing an Ironman.  I train and race because I can.  I use it as an active form of gratitude for my health and my amazing life.  I started doing triathlons to honor the memory of my sister.  She died at the age of 29 after surviving hodgkins but being ravaged by the treatment.  After the surgeries, chemo, and radiation she could barely breathe deep enough to do day to day activity. How amazing it is to be able to keep my body moving continuously forward for the better part of a day! One year before I did my first Ironman I sat on the rocks lining the Oceanside beach cheering the back of the pack Ironman runners running in the dark.  I didn't leave until the last one went by (my family begged for a couple hours to go home).  I thought they were the coolest people on the planet.  Now I'm one of them

I'm not doing an IM in 2012.  My daughter is graduating from high school next year, so we will be spending our money and time on college visits and fun family times.  I also plan to work on my running (I'm always working on my running).  We have really excellent trail race series around the moutain region that don't require much travel or large entry fees.  I think ultra trail runners are kinda cool and I want to be one of them too

...maybe IM Arizona 2012 if my family agrees it doesn't really impact senior year (I'm an addict)

So, I clearly have lost my marbles. In addition to IMCdA this year, I am also signed up for IMAZ.  Okay, not too much marble losing in that...2 in one year, with a good distance of time between, time to train, etc. Got it.  Then, after cheering at IMTX (my home city in fact) someone handed me a Kool Aid cup, and I drank the Kool Aid.  So, in 2012 I'll be doing IMTX as well.  For that race I really will have worries about heat and humidity! But, the support there was unlike anything I had ever seen, felt like I was literally home, and I am really excited about it.  So, 3 IMs in one year time span--a little nuts, but I likely won't be doing an IM in '13 or '14 due to job (HIMs yes), so I'm making up for it now.  And I can. 

To our other discussions, yes, I have had thoughts about my training program as well--we surely all have like we've said.  But at the same time, I do know I will be ready for 140.6. I cannot change anything that is past.  So, whatever you do, once taper gets here, do not dwell on what might've been.  Know what you have, know that you have the tools, and then look at it from a smart execution process.  Visualize the race. Walk yourself, mentally, through every aspect of it EXACTLY the way you WANT it to happen.  Visualize your perfect race day, the perfect way to feel, the perfect mantras to go to, the perfect thing that drives you and motivates you.  Determine all of those things BEFORE race day.  Then, when race day comes, go into it with THAT perfect visualization in mind.  Will you have to adapt on the fly out there, absolutely you will! But, just do that, adapt.  Change what you can change, control what you can control, and the rest of it, just go with it.  If it's raining on race day, it's raining on everyone.  If it's hot and windy on race day, it's hot and windy for everyone.  What matters is that you keep moving forward with what you have.  Due to the Team I work with, I have been able to talk to some of our pro-triathletes.  One, an up and comer who is the 2xdefending Women's Armed Forces champion and has her eyes on 2016 Olympics, stayed with me for a race she was doing. We got to talk a lot. I have 5 years of life on her, but she has the mind of a champion.  She taught me something that I use for my racing now and have shared with others (a friend that did IMTX and said it helped her run the whole marathon): race with no expectations other than giving 100% of what you've got for the day that you're given.  Don't slave yourself to a time, to a pace, etc.  Simply give it what you have for that moment, and finish knowing you gave it your best.  

Okay--time to knock out these last two papers so I can focus on important things, like planning my drive to Idaho! No more classes for the school year, just 2 papers!   

Very perceptive, "kiddo" !! There is a lot of very good advice in what you said, and I will keep that in mind going into IMFL. Only thing I might add is something I was told: "Make your plan, train to your plan, expect to execute your plan... now make a backup plan ahead of time, so that if/when the need comes, transition to and execution of said backup plan is automatic."

Good luck to you all.

As my first major destination race, this CDA experience has blown a serious hole in my wallet.  On the flip-side, hopefully the wife and kids will view it as a  "chance to visit a part of the country we've never been" as opposed to "just a selfish trip to pacific northwest so daddy can swim,bike,run".  Really hoping it's the former. 

That being said, I'm putting IM training on hold for a bit.  I did IMFL 6 months ago and need some downtime and allow my bank account to recover too.  A buddy of mine is thinking about doing his first IM at Louisville in 2012, and maybe I'll join him.  It's driving distance so becomes about an order magnitude cheaper and easier to get to.

Would like to take rest of 2011 season to do a bunch of sprints & oly's that are local to me.

Coming from a Sprint/Olympic/HIM background, I have found the training load for a full IM very hard to manage.  It's not twice the load of a 70.3, it's like four times the load.  Really early mornings, a lunch here and there, late nights, and using vacation days to keep up with the plan.  Rain/Snow/Wind/Hail/Heat/Cold?  I've been out there, even against better judgement.   

Last night I put the kids to bed, waited for the wife to call it a night (around 9pm) and I ran to the gym and did a 2 hour workout only to get up at 4:45am for my 10 mile hill run.  That is freaking nuts and not normal, but I made a commitment on day one that I would give it 100% and I'm sticking to it as this will more than likely be my first and last full IM.  

When my will and spirit are low and I feel somewhat unmotivated, all I think about is what I sacrificed since December to get to this point.  No mater what happens on 6/26, I'm already proud of what I have accomplished.     

Bravo 3Aims!

I loved that bit in the video someone recently posted of IMCDA 2010 where it has the face shots of the athletes explaining why they do Ironman and some stuck with me (pain, beautiful addiction, etc.) Now is a good time to make sure you know why you are doing this, as you may be questioning yourself at some point in the event and you need to know how to answer yourself so you don't DNF.

I think you will often hear that the training is harder than the race from a lot of folks, but I love training. There is no pressure for the most part. You can mess up and move on.

Regardless of what anybody says, race day is a different animal altogether. If you mess it up, it stays with you longer and more poignantly. Its higher stakes and you can do everything you can to prepare and be fit, but can you adjust? Can you answer the demons when it counts? Believe that you will with every fiber in your body or the chances that you DNF go up.

I'll be keeping these words in mind.

Hah!  I'm the guy who was mumbling "never again" in the finish chute  Signing up for another one doesn't even cross my mind for several weeks until I'm completely recovered.