Beginner 1/2 Ironman Plan Group (Page 146)

Where are you going and do they have training facilities there?

Also, thanks for your service.

Appreciate the thanks!  I'll be in Japan for 2 years but attached to a carrier so i'll be in and out of port.  Makes consistent training hard.  Good news is that there is a HIM in Japan but I'm not sure if I'll be out to sea or not.

Hello. I am starting this program to get ready for the Eagleman 1/2 Ironman in Columbia, MD this June.  I have completed a handful of Sprint and Olympic tri's, three marathons, and a few centuries.

Best of luck to everyone.

Kevin

May be you can use the TRX equipment and the associated Suspension Training bodyweight exercises while on the ship. And, thanks for the service!!

Greetings everyone!  I'm a runner (currently in the taper for my first full marathon), but a friend of mine mentioned doing a 70.3 in late September and now I'm contemplating it since it's literally 10 minutes from our houses.

I've got my hands on a friend's road bike, but I'll be honest, the swim part is a bit daunting.  The good thing is that tri we're considering swims in the river and the swim is with the current.  Last year's swim times for the 70.3 were all in the 20-40 minute range which leads me to believe that the current helped a LOT.

Anyhow...have not signed up (yet), but just downloaded the training plan and am going to start putting some miles on the bike and get to the pool to start swimming as soon as the marathon is over.  If I decide to jump in, full training with the program would begin in late April.

I've also found a sprint and a century that I plan to give a whirl along the way over the summer.

I'm a middle school teacher, so having June and July off and being home by 3:40 in the afternoon makes the schedule seem fairly manageable. 

I never seem to do anything in the right order.  When I started running, my first ever race was a half marathon.  I realize it makes no sense to jump in with a 70.3, but it's in my backyard.  Why not, right? 

Am I absolutely out of my mind to even be considering this?

Sometimes I feel like we are all a bit out of our minds for doing this.. But isn't that what makes it fun? I'm doing my first 70.3 next month and this is my third year of triathlon. The training for a Half Iron is quite a bit steeper than that of a sprint/olympic distance. If you are a strong runner though, I think that helps tremendously.

I'd just spend as much time in the saddle as possible for now to build riding miles and might consider getting a good fitting for the rode bike you've just acquired at a reputable local bike shop. 

If you are not a strong swimmer you might want to consider getting a few lessons from a swim coach. Open water swimming is not the same as laps in a pool. 

Thanks for the advice.  I was a lifeguard in my younger days after spending every summer taking swimming lessons at the local pool, so I would say I have strong swimming basics, but I've never been part of a competitive swim club/team or anything like that.  I will admit, my breast stroke is much stronger than my free.  I think that aspect will be interesting for me.

I've already got a 'date' with the bike at the local bike shop.  The original owner purchased it from them and they said that they are happy to help fit it to me. 

I'm hoping that my run experience will be an asset.  I'm not the fastest runner in the world, but I can keep putting one foot in front of the other.  I've been told to do much of running after getting off the bike because 'running after the bike is NOT the same as 'just' running.' 

One of my co-workers teaches swim lessons and her nephew (a competitive swimmer) has helped several local triathletes with their swim training/form/etc., so I'm going to get in touch with him to get some assistance in that area.  I also believe that the local triathlon club hosts several 'training swims' in the Savannah River so that the open water swim isn't as duanting.  I've been warned about the swim start. 

I'm not going to start anything new until after the marathon (which is in 3 weeks) for fear of injury before the start, but I'm looking forward to a new challenge.

I'm new to this as well.  I want to do an Ironman in 2014, and thought I'd shoot for the Racine 1/2 this year.  I can certainly run 60 minutes and can certainly cycle more than 90, and I can swim probably about 40 without getting tired.  I am a good swimmer but of course swimming in the HIM would be my biggest concern.  I've ridden hundreds of miles and have done two marathons (a few years ago), and countless races... and now I just wanna do an Ironman!, but I know Madison is full for 2013.. and I hear the best way to get in Madison is to volunteer this year which I plan to do, hoping... and registering for 2014, God willing.

When you refer to 'BT Beginner Plan', are you talking about the plan that is referenced on the first page of this thread?

My first triathlon was a HIM as well and I got the same reactions from many people, that I was insane.   But I finished, and finished well, using this plan.  Keep at it and push yourself, you'll get to the finish line before you know it.

Good luck on your 2014 IM entry.  And, yes, we're referring to the plan referenced on the first page.

Hey Kevin,

I'm doing the same thing...BT Beginner plan training for Eagleman. Where are you in the plan? I just did the week 16 2000m continuous swim today. It was a good confidence boost, as swimming is definitely my weakest discipline and I felt pretty comfortable doing the race distance 4 months out.

Good luck in your training!

-Dan

IM Wisconsin is one of my dreams coz I grew up near Madison. BT has some great training plans. I am currently using a custom one for my first HIM scheduled for next month. It's helped me a lot and taken much of the guess work out of my training.

Thanks pops, great idea to make the freebee plan my own.  I want to get more long stuff in this season.  Ideally 2 HIM, 2 marathons, a 50k and shorter stuff in between.  Yea, I just can't get enough.  So I am going to have to merge plans regardless.  The other option would be to pick up a coach and let them figure it out, but I had a bad experience with a coach last summer and felt it was a waste. I don't know if I really want to go shopping for another.

Mrfranks thanks for your service, hope you get that HIM in while on deployment.

Good luck training folks. As always, appreciate your feedback.

Good job on the long swim.  It certainly is a confidence booster to do the race distance this early in the plan.  

This is week 16 for me too.  I was out of town yesterday so had to get in a run instead of swim but will just shuffle around the rest of the week. 

I've been attached to my house since Monday due to my wife's surgery so I feel you.  I've just been getting in trainer rides while she and the baby are napping so I can at least keep moving in one discipline.

Does anyone have the bike ride DVDs where they have you cruising through parks or mountains and such?  If so, do you find they help on your trainer rides?  I usually just put on my music and stare at my HR monitor.

Are your logs accurate?

By my calculations, you have a little over 12 weeks to get ready.  If your logs are accurate, you will need to get pretty serious from here on out.  Like today, don't wait another day to formulate a plan and stick to it.  I do think that you can do this but it will take a lot of focus.

I think you would be hard pressed to jump into the 20 week HIM plan at week twelve.  Do you have a written plan?  I wouldn't be thinking about strength training.  Swim, bike, run only.  If a spin bike is all you have access to that's fine.  Are there any tri resources in your area like a tri club or coaches?  I think your best bet would be to sit down with someone and write out a plan that will work for your situation.  Sounds like you have plenty of time during the week you just need some direction.

I am doing my first Half Ironman in April -- Galveston HIM.  

My training is going well.  I feel good about the swim and the run; but I'm feeling anxious about the bike.

I am new to long bike rides and not sure what I'm going to have left for the run after 56 miles on the bike.  I'm praying for a strong tailwind after the turnaround.  

But I'm really confused about how the aid stations work on the bike course.  Do you ride right through and grab a bottle without stopping?  

Also, I'm looking at getting a Profile Design AquaCell Dual Chamber Hydration System to mount on my tri bars.  (I have been just taking 2-3 water bottles out with me.)  I was curious if anyone has had any experience with this product... seems kind of bulky to be putting on my bike.  

Congrats on getting this close to your first HIM! Mine is Oceanside so I'm just a bit ahead of you. As for the aid stations, they are designed for you to grab the nutrition/water as you go through. If you feel a need to stop just watch for other bikes near-by to make sure you don't cause an accident.

I just bought the Dual Chamber a few weeks ago when my regular aero bottle fell off and broke during a ride. I've had the Dual cell out on a couple long rides so far and I like it. The inner cell rides up a tiny bit (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch) on a bumpy road that I ride. Other than that I have no complaints. My LBS guy who sold it to me told me he freezes water in the smaller cell but I haven't tried that yet.

I found that the first 2 miles off the bike are the worst because although my legs were tired different muscle groups slowly started to kick in...pun not intended.  After that it was smooth sailing.

As far as the bike aid stations go, I had to stop at an aid station towards the end of the bike loop so I made sure to stick as close to the aid station as I could and stopped my bike at the very first volunteer that way I didn't get in the way of anyone riding through.

That's some really good advice. Thank you.

Got in a 58 mile bike ride today. The Fl. weather was perfect. I am relatively new to cycling long distance, so it's great to know I can go that far and feel as good as I do.  3 weeks to go for me. 

Great job on your long ride.  You should be ready to go.

I think I want to move to a warmer climate.  It's not too bad today for a run but I think it will be weeks before I can ride outside and months before we can swim in the lakes.