Beginner 1/2 Ironman Plan Group (Page 128)

Yes, Jo should be just finishing.  I was watching the live feed, but it just went MIA.  GRrrrrrrr!!  She has done very well all day, just where she wanted to be on each leg. 

HR sorry you are struggling and had such a horrible thing to deal with on your ride!  Hang in there!

Going to check the results now! So happy for her. Thanks for the encouragement. Have been through this many, many times before (well, not the wreck stuff, but training and taper madness--I have visited that zone off and on since training for my first marathon solo at age 14), so I'm sure I will get through it once again.  It's just, at some point, you'd think it would get old and one would stop getting so neurotic, but it never does. It's like no matter how old the body gets, the mind is still a freaked-out teenager! The funny thing is that when I actually do race, I'm very calm and focused.

What's Jo's actual name or race number?

Heh heh; I think we all must have neuroses--otherwise would we do this sport??  Jo's bib number is 1104.  Her finish time was 7:39:37.  She did great!

kevinbe - 2012-06-03 11:16 AM Just finished week 1 of 2 of my bike focussed make up weeks.  Got a 38 mile ride in today.  This is my longest ride to date.  rode 110 miles this week and will basically repeat for next week.  I find that I like going downhill alot better than up.

Downhill > Uphill. Exception though when passing a lot of peeps going uphill though!

On another note I signed up for my first HIM (Kerrville Triathlon Fest) before the CapTexTri last week. Race day is Sept 30th.  17 weeks until race day starting today.  I looked at the beginner HIM plan on here and it just looks like it's not enough for my goals.  Anyone have a 16-18week plan that they like?   Even though it's my first HIM, I'd like to finish in 5:30 or less, which I think is possible after another 17 weeks of training and hopefully another 15-20pounds lighter (I'm 196 right now down from 210 in Jan).  If you've got a plan I'd love to hear it.

Congratulations to Jo on her HIM.

I ran my first official half marathon today.

I'd run 15.5 miles as a long in training, but that was about 8 weeks ago and I started having Achilles trouble and Dr said to rest it for awhile.  So for the last 5 or 6 weeks I did all my long runs  on the elliptical trainer.

My goal was 2:15 and I ran 2:12 but the last two miles were really hard. Its clear to me that I did not do enough to maintain the aerobic base I built up 2 months ago as my legs are all burning and lactic acid filled.  When I did the  long training run I was a bit sore the next day, but not as bad as today.

I've always felt that I could do the bike and swim, but could never imagine in my wildest dreams that I could do a half marathon run..... I did it and now I can concentrate on being ready for my HIM on my 50th birthday  in 17 weeks!

Paul

Congrats, Paul, great work!  Sorry you struggled at the end though, and are still hurting.  I found easy walking and or massage helps me--it hurts like heck, but gets everything flushed out. 

kevinbe - 2012-06-03 9:16 AM Just finished week 1 of 2 of my bike focussed make up weeks.  Got a 38 mile ride in today.  This is my longest ride to date.  rode 110 miles this week and will basically repeat for next week.  I find that I like going downhill alot better than up.

Great ride, Kevin!  Interesting, I too find I enjoy the downhill more...

Kevin - You are coming so far so fast! Fantastic bike work.

Jo - I am so very inspired. This makes me look forward to my HIM in T - 13 days!!  Also, I can't wait to read your race report!!

I haven't posted in a bit b/c I just came off my most intense workout week ever. I did do 12 miles (running) + .6 mile walk up a sharp hill afterward. I biked 30 minutes before to make a brick workout. I swam with Ironmen the day before (no kidding - these guys have each done 2 or 3 each and both are over 50!) and they began to teach me how to 'sight' during our 1.2 mile OWS...which I was fast but horribly inaccurate at.

Anyway, the guys told me that they walk to consume nutrients/hydration at each mile when doing all races at the run portion. So, I sort of did this (to keep a long story short) and it went OK. My time was 2:19 for the 12 miles and I did walk .4 miles at one point where I didn't plan for enough nutrition/hydration. I think the lesson is: Listen to the Ironmen  

My plan is to do: Mile 1 - Heed ( I wish they had Gatorade!), Mile 2 - water, Mile 3 - water + gel, REPEAT

I had a planned 3 hour bike but it has been raining here everyday for awhile. I wasn't going to go trainer b/c I just got new tires put on but now I've decided to go for it. The new tires feel a bit too sticky anyway and I feel like one trainer ride (2 hours to round out the one hour I slipped in today between cloud bursts) will set me up for taper week. I hope this is enough and I feel that it will be. I feel pretty darn ready. And completely scared as well. I will then begin Tuesday as the taper week as if I did nothing on Monday.  I am going to try a cliff bar for breakfast tomorrow before spinning and Heed + water while spinning. Say a prayer for my tummy.

Congratulations.  That's a great accomplishment.  Achilles holding up?  Maybe you're sorer today due to a quicker pace in race than in training?

Excited for you as the next one up to HIM!  To me, It sounds like your ready.  12mile run + .6 on the run will get you to 13.1 at end of your race.  Your bike is solid, you've put in the work on all your long ride/torture group rides, and your good to go on the swim.

Excited for you and will say a prayer for stomach.  You're going to do great.

>Achilles holding up?  Maybe you're sorer today due to a quicker pace in race than in training?

So far Achilies is slightly sore, but not bad.

As for pace, my training run 13.1 split was 2:22 so 2:12 is faster, but not that much faster... Also I held a real consistent pace for 10/11 miles and the last two miles were both perceived as much harder and slower on the splits.

I did the run/walk thing and doing the first walk at the first 4min point was mentally hard, everyone else is still running and I feel fresh....ego says run...plan says walk I walked....

Paul

Hi all.  Mind if I join the group?  I started my first day of HIM training today, and it felt great!  I have completed two triathlons -- an 1800m/55k/12k race in November and an Oly distance late last month.  I am training for an HIM at the end of October, either B2B Half or Austin 70.3.

I've got some big transitions coming up.  I'll be moving from China back to Northern Virginia next month and starting a new assignment at work.  I'll lose my training partner (which is part of the reason I'm looking forward to joining this thread) but hope to join a tri club and a masters swim group in Arlington, VA.  My wife is thinking about taking some time off of work so she can spend more time with our family.  That will probably make training easier but put a hold on big gear purchases and destination races.  Our children are 9 and 5.  The elder just completed his first kids triathlon.  He loved it and has already found his next race in the mid-Atlantic this summer!

Huanying, huanying! China to Virginia WILL be a big change. Imagine the latter will be much more ammendable to tri training. I've been hanging out on this thread as I've been training for my first HIM in.....yikes... less than three weeks. No training buddies here (at least since my bike buddy moved to Saudi), pretty much all solo. Going back to US for summer on Saturday and this bunch will probably be relieved not to hear me complain about heat, etc. etc. post pictures of motorbike traffic, and relate weird training stories.

Just remember that in the US, you actually have to follow traffic laws, stand in lines, and board subway trains in an orderly fashion.

No way - your complaints of heat, weird training stories and crazy photos are the life of this party I'm glad things will get a teeny bit easier on you though!

Not to mention it's a lot easier for me to HTFU when I don't have anywhere near the issues you have to deal with on a daily basis! 

Welcome to the group, Jeff, and congrats to your son!  It's great when the kids get involved!

Thanks, all, for the warm welcome.  Karen, I had a feeling I'd run into you here.  Good luck with the final prep for your race!

Day two of training has been much less successful than day one.  I had hoped to run for 45 minutes this morning, but after 30 minutes my left knee gave out.  Well, I guess it's better for this to happen today than during my last run, which was a race!  I took a week off after the race, which might have been a mistake.  It seems my knees pay a start-up cost any time I take a week or more off of running.  Based on past experience, it will probably take me three weeks to work through this pain, so three weeks of shorter runs.  Lesson learned.

Tonight I'm off to the pool to try to put into practice some of what I've read in Sheila Taormina's book!

I DID IT!!!! 

Race report will follow.

Highlights - Macca half a dozen times, once the night before, got a hug and a photo.  On the course, high fiving everyone having a great time of it - whitest teeth I've ever seen!

Swim - my best leg, had I known they had sighted a 2m croc and a shark in there the day before I would have swum REALLY fast!  Couldn't draft, everyone was going off course, I touched every buoy i was so straight!  Dirty dirty water, bleugh.

The bike - my weakest leg, I loved every minute, beautiful clifftops, beaches of white sand and blue water (can't swim in it, too many maneating creatures!) 

Run - flat!  yay!

The day was hot hot hot.  I hydrated well but I was missing salt I think after the ride coz 10km into the run, bad calf cramps.  I had to walk a hell of a lot - but I would try to do 45secs run before the cramps hit then I'd walk a minute.  Aid stations were awesome, hoses, ice, coke and everything else you needed!  I got asked by a cycling medic if I was okay - yeah just cramps so he shoved a bag of ice down my back - lovely.

Heaps of friends from melbourne turned up to watch other acquaintances - made lots of new friends!

If they enforced it I wouldn't have made the cut off after the run, but they didn't and I didn't care even when I knew I wouldn't make it.  It was such a thrill to be doing it.  My friend Alan was there 500m from the end and he FORCEd me to run it in!  He ran with me and what a lift, all the pain disappeared!

I had an absolute ball, not once did I feel defeated or down, didn't hit the wall.  Yeah I was happy to get off the bike coz of the damned hills!

OKAY - having used this program for my training what would I say....

Swim - OWS get some if you can.  Check the wildlife report with the locals.....they know what's what!  My squad training really helped here.  45mins I think I could get that to 40mins no problem.

Bike - this program is way too light on the bike - check out your course, mine had a lot of steep climbs and descents, the trainer work helped me push through (rather than walk up like lots of people) but I needed way more long rides and brick runs I think.  I'd like to chop half an hour of my time.

Run - all good.  I couldve catered for the climate a bit better.  Without the cramps I was dead on target!

(macca and me.jpg)

Gosh I've never been anyone's hero before (except my daughter of course!)  I am loving how fellow triathletes are so proud of my achievement - this is such a good feeling.

I can't wait for my next HIM in November - a flat course and local so won't be so stressful (no crocs or sharks either!)

and then a full in March - it proved to me on the weekend that it is very much about the journey, the race is important but not as important as I figured!  loved it! 

Taking a couple of weeks easy - just some squad training on Thursday then some trainer rides and maybe a gentle jog see how my right calf pulls up.  not brave enough to book a massage it's too sore!

Awesome Jo!!!  How cool is that... Macca, really???

Thanks for confirming what I have been suspecting the last few weeks, this plan is too light on the bike.  From what I hear, my race has killer hills... I have four weeks before taper and I'm focusing on the bike.  Really appreciate your feedback!

Amazing accomplishment - can't wait to see your race report... Macca, really???

here's another....

(macca.jpg)

With the recent conversation on this here and Jo's recommendation, I will be upping the bike as well.  My course doesn't have huge hills, but there are several mediums ones.  I am not really worried about the distance, but will be getting some more intense bike sessions in over the next 8 weeks.  Thanks for sharing your experience of the plan, Jo.  Also plan on getting some OWS practice in--there is a group that meets 2x week about 45 min away--should be able to get there after work at least once a week. 

ETA: Jo, I thought it was great how on-target you were.  I think your visualization really cemented it for you