Beginner 1/2 Ironman Plan Group (Page 134)

Well, I can honestly say I feel your pain.  Weather can always change though.  I still think you need to mentally prepare for 70.3.

If things don't workout Lake Stevens 70.3 is still open for July 15th and Chelanman has a great HIM July 21st.

Having said that - just watch me stress for IM Melbourne in 2013.....

Thanks for the encouragement. At this point just have to wait and see--hopefully they will have made a decision by the pre-race briefing. I do have warm layers and raingear to deal with the crazy northwest weather as I hike and climb quite a bit--might not be the best for a triathlon but can probably make it work. But snow/ice on the bike would be a deal-breaker. Don't think I'd want a full wetsuit on the bike--mine is really thick-- unless it's really short. Even I'd overheat in that. Will keep Lake Stevens or Chelanman in mind--Mom wants a road trip in July and would probably be willing to make a detour!

My # is 95, race is the Pacific Crest Long Course Triathlon, but I don't think there's live tracking. It's not an IM branded race.

Wishing you the best... you certainly have gone from one extreme to another!  If all else fails, come join us for Lake Stevens July 15 - at least there is zero chance of snow.

That's some crazy weather.  Here in central Illinois it's been 90+ degrees for about a week.  We had such a mild winter I don't think I've even thought of snow since mid-February.

Did another crazy training day today.  Like a lot of others I think the training plan is a bit light on the bike so I wanted to get a long ride in tonight.  Did 45 miles at a pace of 17.5mph. Taking out the parts getting in and out of town it was about 19.5mph.  I'd like to be faster than that, but it I still had the never ending southerly wind at 20mph I keep having to ride the last 10 miles home in, plus it's a gentle upslope most of the way, so I'm extremely slow doing the hardest section of my ride when I'm the most tired.  Looking at the weather the wind's supposed to switch to the opposite direction by Friday and drop to 7mph.  That will be nice.  When I got home I decided to run a 5k or so to see how I feel coming off a bike ride that long.  After starting I  thought if I went 5 miles I'd have 50 total for the day, and of course I ended up running 7.25.  Felt pretty good, though couldn't do better than an 11:30 pace.  My legs were already tired from Sunday and Monday and couldn't go any faster.  I think I'll now go back to my regularly scheduled training.

That's a big time work out. 

I had to switch my workout today do to soreness in legs.  I don't know why I'm so sore.  I had a 13.6 mile run scheduled today, but opted for ows/bike brick instead because of fatigue, I didn't want to injure myself.  I have the run to tackle tomorrow, and am hoping to do it at race pace, but at this point, may be walking it if my legs don't feel better tomorrow. 

Week 5 recovery week next.  I was planning on adding times to the workouts, but maybe my bodies trying to tell me to rest a little.  Will play it by ear, as I don't want an injury at this point.  I have a 45 mile bike scheduled for sunday at a manageable pace.  This will be my longest bike to date as well, with a 50 planned next week!  YIKES!  I drove 30 of my course today in a car and it took me a looonnnggg time.  "UH-OH, this is a long way," is all I'm thinking the whole way of the drive.

Kevin, I think that was smart to let the run go and do the swim/bike instead.  I do not think you have anything to worry about on the run portion of your HIM and some swim/bike focus will probably benefit you more in the coming weeks.

I'm helping my daughter get ready for her first IM at the end of July and she is (like you) a very strong runner.  She did 16 miles yesterday at like a 8:30 pace.  I keep telling her to put more time in on the bike because if she can't comfortably ride the distance her run strength wouldn't matter.  She's not listening to me.

The long ride is such an important workout.  Once you hit a 50 or 60 mile ride a few times you will notice a pretty big confidence boost.  The sooner you get to that milestone the better.  Keep it up.  Sounds like you had a good OWS swim too.

I'm doing the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon saturday.  Heard it was a lot of fun.  Can't wait. 

Best of luck with the marathon, Pops!  Raided our LBS of its remaining size small winter gear this AM and I hope I have everything I need. (Will laugh if either the race is cancelled or it turns out to be hot after all!) In case of worst-case scenario I now have:

*Full wetsuit and neoprene cap for the swim, earplugs, clear and tinted goggles

*tri-suit

*long-sleeved capilene base layer with zip neck. Also have a Merino wool base layer but leaning away from it for bike as I can't unzip the neckline and it's thinner. Maybe will keep in a ziplock at T2 in case I want it for the run.

*Merino wool arm warmers (wear under base layer) and merino-lined gloves with fingers

*Running tights that I'll wear over tri shorts for the bike and possibly the run--I wear them a lot in winter and they are fairly warm even when wet. I've tested them over tri-shorts and they're fine.

*Wind/water resistant jacket that converts to vest--it's held together with magnets so don't need to deal with zippers

*Wool socks for bike leg; thinner merino socks for run

*Neoprene booties for bike. I don't have them for the swim as they're not available locally, no time to order, and have never swum with them.

*skullcap for under helmet if needed on the bike, or at least to keep warm in T1.

At the risk of sounding crazy, would I need another layer on the bike if temps are in the 40's at the start? I could possibly put on the merino shirt under the zip-up, if I didn't leave it in T2, or bring a Sporthill running top--a mid-weight layer that I wear alone for runs when temps are in the 40's or low 50's, or over shirts when in the 30's.  I haven't done much riding, esp. hard riding, in winter so not sure how much is needed and how much overkill. I don't want to get hypothermic but would hate to stop more than once or twice to deal with clothing.

Just crazy--it is near 80 here and very sunny, but the bottom is supposed to drop out tomorrow. Ugh!

HR, if it does rain before the race these are great while waiting for the start.  I wore one for the first six or seven miles of a marathon I ran earlier this year.  Wish I would have remembered to bring to Boise.  They sell a similar product at Fred Meyer for $1.99 in the camping gear section of the store.

http://www.amazon.com/ER-Emergency-Ready-Rain-Poncho/dp/B0007VSNCE

Ha ! Daughters don't listen to their daddies!!!  BUT she will have your advice sinking in and will do it anyway no doubt - you at least know what you're talking about.  When I speak to my dad in the UK and tell him what i'm doing he's reaction is YOU ARE MAD, I WOULD THINK TWICE ABOUT DRIVING THAT DISTANCE.  I can't say my parents have encouraged me at all ever in this crazy sport!  And that is where my lack of confidence stems from....who needs a psychologist!

Anyway - good luck in the marathon - funny once you do triathlon especially the longer distances you really look forward to single events like marathons/swim meets etc!

I swam last night with a guy who is slower than me (I know!) and he is swimming the English Channel in 7 weeks time.  Wow.  I keep saying i'll never do that, but you know how it is, the seed is planted......

I digress - did 2.1km in the pool last night and felt good.

Often they hand these out at events - while lining up at registration for Cairns HIM it was throwing it down with rain (warm though!) and we all got given the poncho to wear while waiting.  In IMNZ two years ago it rained solidly for 17 hours and all the runners after dark had to wear these - weren't allowed to continue if they didn't - could take them off at the finish chute!

OMG I have the biggest transition bag in triathlon history--now have gear for everything from 30's to 90's (farenheit). It makes Yanti's Ironman packing look minimalist.

Jo, I know what you mean about lack of encouragement--my dad and most of my friends think I'm nuts. But going with Mom who is my greatest fan--she never seems to doubt I can do things. When I warned her that this event could well take over six hours to complete, she said. "So what, some people take 17 for Ironman. You were doing 12 hour hikes when you were nine." What can I say? Just hope I can survive to the point where I run out of T2 and she yells, as she always does, "Run like a bat out of h.....!!"

I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!

Mmm the parent issue for me is because i was the unsporty child - a real rebel, more into punk rock and staying out getting drunk and bringing home boys who wore more make up than i did!

so fast forward to age 41 - I'm living the other side of the world, i'm a mother and I start running and then I'm doing marathons, now I'm 47 and I'm signed up for an IM of course my parents don't think I can do it!

My dream is to go back to the UK and do the London Marathon and they could come cheer me home - my little 'THAT SHOWED 'EM' moment!

Just logged a 13.1 mile run in the sun.  75 degrees and sunny in Spokane today.  I practiced nutrition and pacing.  got it in in 7:53/mi pace at 1:43:15. 

Popa, I know how your daughter feels.  There's just something to running.  Good runners always seem to want to get better.  I love your advice, and hope she will listen.  112 miles is a he77 of a long way.

That said, recovery week 5 up next for me.  I'm adding a second bike focus week the week after to get some of those 50-60 mile rides in. 

Good luck to HR, hope you HIM goes well!

Okay, for anyone who tried to look up results with my tri number: I did not DNS, exactly. I finished the "long-distance duathlon" fourth overall, and in my age group. (The top 5 were ALL over 40.) Just a tale of unmitigated disaster--bad weather and bad descision-making, basically. It was an "experience" rather than a race:

*Awful practice swim on Friday. Picked up packet, racked bike at T1, and attempted a practice swim Friday with temps in high 40's and light drizzle. It did not go well. My clear goggles had self-destructed on Wednesday and the new pair I was trying out leaked continually despite repeated efforts to adjust them. Water was shockingly cold but once I got moving I was okay. Swam with a group of guys toward a buoy 500m away but they stopped about 100m short and turned around as a squall was approaching. I couldn't keep up and ended up out alone in fogged-in, choppy water 400m offshore. As close as I've come to panicking in OWS in recent years. There were no kayaks out so I was on my own. Managed after what seemed like an epic struggle to get back to shore; did a practice transition but so cold and shaken up it took almost 25 minutes. Went back to registration and found out they would likely shorten the bike route to 29 miles ("Olympic" course) so just decided to bag it and do the duathlon. Just kind of lost the desire as it wasn't going to be a real HIM anyway. 

*Saturday AM it was 38 degrees, cloudy at the start. Bike course officially shortened to 29 (they said 28 but we went a full mile after the 28 mile mark). Weather on bike course was changable--warmed up to maybe mid 40's by end--mix of sun, clouds, and, at the beginning and end, light rain. I pushed the bike harder than I would have for HIM distance but my placing was awful--I think 43 or 44 out of 55. Averaged 18 mph on roughly paved roads (except for last 3-4 miles), rolling hills (it did not include the climb to the pass, which was under 3-4 inches of snow), and headwinds much of the time. No matter--people blew past on every downhill and flat like I was standing still.

*The wind and rain picked up as I rode into T2. More disaster ensued. My hands were quite numb despite gloves on bike so had trouble unknotting the plastic bag to put in gear. I was cold and legs cramped so made the decision just to change shoes and leave on all my bike layers--bad call in retrospect. Then had trouble reknotting the bag. T2 took over 5 minutes. Started running but legs cramped and trashed from bike--didn't feel good even after 1-2 miles. Felt like I could finish if I just did training pace but anything faster wasn't doable.

*Sun briefly came out between miles 1-2 but between miles 4-6 it HAILED. At that point, I was glad I had the jacket. Then at 6.5 the sun came out and temps climbed abruptly. Had to take off jacket and vest and tie them around my waist. By that point I just didn't care about anything but finishing. Tried to stay with some faster runners who passed me but legs were still dead and hauling all those clothes didn't help. So, basically, just finished. Can't really call it a race effort--dinked along at a steady training pace (about 8 minute miles) although I was quite badly cramped by end. Surprised time (1:45) was as fast as it was. Really didn't look at my watch much but I thought I was running 2 hour speed.

*In a final insult, original results listed me as third overall and third masters but official results today list me as 4th. A lot of people switched race morning from tri to du so probably a mixup yesterday.

So....a whole lot of nothing. Six months of training for this??????????? Can't get any response from my bosses about permission for leave for my Singapore backup race, so at this point am looking for a race in the region before August 4.  Don't know what my chances are of accomodation, etc. but feel like otherwise the training (like, unfortunately, a lot of my efforts in life) was all for naught.

So, for you Northwest types, Chelanman or Lake Stevens?? Or any other options? Which has the best chance of warm, stable weather?? Leaning toward the former as the latter disrupts family vacation plans but worried about chances for more of same. Will probably make a decision in the next 24 hours so I can start the logistics (accomodation, bike, etc.) all over again.

Oh, man, that blows.  Good on you for pushing through on a tough day, but so sorry it was not the race you trained for.  I never think my training if for naught--it is all the work that gives me the right to line up at the start line.  The race is supposed to be the icing--unfortunately you didn't get the chance to taste that part.  Be proud of all the work you put in; you controlled all you could to have a good race!  I hope you are able to find another one to take on.

That sounds miserable. 

The Swim on Friday sounded terrifying.  So glad you kept your witts and made it back.  That water must have been cold.  Hey HR, You've put so much into this.  So sorry this one didn't work out.  Your next race will be a true HIM distance, and you will crush it.  Chelanman or Lake Stevens cannot possibly have near the adversity that this one did, biking into snow in the summer, sheesh.  The weather has been trending towards warming here in the nw with the occaisional cool cloudy day.  Your next race will be the real deal.

Yep, weather has been weird and unstable here in Oregon today as well. Periods of brilliant sunshine, clouds, and rain both in Bend, en route back across the pass, and back in Eugene. The athletes at the trials must be going crazy! Hoping things warm up by July. Chelanman doesn't go up to snow-level alititudes, does it? The race description mentions two "good" climbs, whatever that means, otherwise mix of flat and rolling thru apple orchards. I learned yesterday that shorter and faster fries my legs a lot more than longer and slower--guess I'll have to swallow my pride and hang with the BOP on the bike---whatever it takes to finish.

There's a Google Earth pic of the swim and it appears to be quite close to shore--maybe good for my nerves after Friday!

Stay warm and dry--summer must be on its way. Around here we call this month "Junuary" and summer is believed to start on July 5.

HR - that sucks how your race turned out.  Maybe you and Pops should start a support group for traumatized triathletes.  Hope the next race has good weather.

I got my garmin watch on Thursday and used it for a run on Friday and this morning and a bike ride Saturday.  It's amazing how helpful that is.  Previously I used maymyrun on my phone, but It's to difficult to really look at while running.  Just being able to see my pace and try to kick it up to meet a goal is nice.  I did my standard 7 mile route Friday, trying to do it in an hour or less which I'm always short of.  Ended up at 1:01, though if I'd had the auto pause on which would have stopped it at the water fountains I would have only been about 20 seconds short.  It worked well on the bike as well plus I also got the cadence sensor.  Now I just need the bike mount to arrive because I was wearing the watch on the inside of my wrist and everytime I got out of the aero bars I bumped the lap button.  When I download the data from that ride I'm going to have some weird split distances.

Next week is bike focus so hopefully the extra time in the saddle will help my sit parts to finally get used to longer distances.

Chelanman it is....just signed up! I may have the worst biking relative to the other two legs, and slowest transitions in the history of triathlon, but I am stubborn! Couldn't risk that the race would fill up or no more accomodation within an hour's drive. Read one review that described the bike course as "oven with hills". So hypothermia, at least, shouldn't be an issue. If the water is cold, presumably I will dry off on the bike!

Minor issue of what bike to ride but will take that as it comes. The woman whose Trek 1.5 I borrowed said she might be interested in selling as the bike doesn't fit her well and she wants to upgrade; it fits me better (I'm a bit taller and leggier than her) and I'd be interested in buying. Failing that, rental, buy a new one, or just ride the Blue Bomber (my souped-up hybrid with road tires). There isn't a USAT rule against that, is there? Like me, the Bomber is an awesome climbing machine but not so hot on the flats and just awful on downhills. Then again, as Lance said, it's not about the bike. I'm just all engine, no body!