Ironman Chattanooga : Official Thread (Page 17)

lol! I think I saw you posted this on FB right?

had an awesome weekend in Chatt doing preps for the race - I did the River Rat Race 2.4 mile swim - it was held on the other side of the river from where we are going to be swimming, which supposedly has more current than our side - i managed to finish in 1:04:xx - which surprised me and I was still in the bottom half of the results (the winner did it in 46:xx)

after that we met up at the bilo (on Tennessee Ave) and heading out on a loop on the bike ride - the trick is going to be not going out too hard on the first loop - the majority of the rolling hills were on the front half, with the back half being faster - there was also a fairly large chunk of distance where there was no place to stop for refills on water bottles, so if you are riding now, make sure you carry much more than you think you'll need - didn't see the dog that had been causing trouble

we did an out and back on the run Sunday morning - only did like 4.5 miles of the loop, but the run is really nice and shaded - the majority of the elevation on the run is at the beginning/end of each loop, the main part is fairly level

Glad you had a good training weekend. For fill up needs...
There is a great spot to fill up at far end of loop and has clean restrooms...Mountain Cove Farms (Resort). It is about a mile or so past the left turn onto Hog Jowl rd. If you go straight down that hill you'll run right into it. That would make a gas station at about mile 19 (xsection of 136 and 193), Mtn Cove store at far end of loop (31 miles), Gas station as your coming into Chickamauga (on the left right before town...50miles), Gas station on the right before going up final hill out of Chickamauga (53 or 54 miles). If your only doing one lap, there is also a gas station on the left if you come back to chattanooga on 193 instead of chattanooga valley rd, and another as you re-enter st. elmo.

So how's everyones training going? we're getting eerily close (relatively speaking) and its the heat of the summer. Everyone getting good long rides in the hot summer sun?

Wait a second.....
You mean you guys are training already?

Just Kidding. Hopefully 1 week until Doc says I can go outside again (clavicle surgery), just tryin to maintain the last 6wks on the trainer.

someone mentioned that place after the fact, we weren't riding with any locals so didn't know about it - we did stop at the BBQ/burger place on Hog Jowl to top up water/grab gatorade - those burgers looked soo good!

I'm getting excited about the race, but I know I have a lot of work to do come the bike ride

It can't be as chaotic as Escape from Alcatraz - 2000 people on a Ferry and it gets unloaded in under 5 minutes. The volunteers are nearly pushing you off to prevent people from getting second thoughts or hesitating - likes cows off to the slaughter

I might be planning to head up to train on the course in August.

Is it possible to swim in the river on the weekends as a practice swim or not really?

Thanks - Amy

Hey where has everyone been? Its kind of quiet here, hopefully everyone is out training and getting some good miles down.

I did a Century ride this past weekend, 5:21 total time, so hopefully that will translate into a fast bike split on what I understand is an easier course at IMChoo. I have plans to head up to Chattanooga this coming weekend. One loop of each, mostly to learn how to pace myself and just getting a feel for the area. If anyone has any specific questions they want answered about the area let me know and I will do my best to find out!

It has been quiet here. Just finished waterfront triathlon here in town. Had a banner day for me, although not fast by any stretch of the imagination. This course usually puts the smackdown on me, but glad to have a confidence boosting race for a change - PR by 24 minutes. Its a good indicator that the training is on track. And I had a bike wreck the day before on a training ride, luckily nothing broken just ego.

Just found the race page here.

I will be coming in from Houston for the race. The past few months of training have been nearly unbearable. Been averaging in the mid 90s daily and humidity 85%+ regularly. Had made nutrition and hydration tricky so I am looking forward to a much MUCH cooler race.

Curious to get any thoughts on the course from the locals. I did use to work for Alstom here in Houston so I used to travel to Chat regularly for all of '11, 12' so I am familiar with the run course (will hurt). More curious on the bike course. Here in Houston most of the stuff we ride north in the country side is chip seal in some stage of it's life. Most of it is fairly smooth though... but it really varies as you go between the counties. Is the bike course similiar? Does anyone know what the road surface actually is?

Right around 15 hrs/wk currently. Just came out of a 3 week build and in a recovery week now which has been much needed. Will likely complete two more big builds and then begin to dial it in for sub 11 hour race

Expecting my first kiddo at the end of October so this could be my IM swan song for a long time :)

Happy training all

I agree. Waterfront was another good indicator for me that helped my confidence. I was initially concerned that I was trading speed for endurance through the volume of z2 workouts, but this was my 2nd Oly with a PR and feeling good at the end - not trashed. Also did a 5 mi run Sat on the "hilly" loop of the IM run course then 1 loop of the bike on Mon before driving back home. I guess I'm just surprised I feel this good after all of that, LOL.

Congrats on the upcoming arrival! My third is due at the same time, so Full IM's will be on break for me for a bit. The nice thing has been my wife and I are both tired and hungry all the time together My last IM drove her nuts that I was ready for bed by 8:00 each night - now we go to bed earlier then our other 2 kids.

What was your impression of the course from what you rode/ran while you were there?

Hi folks, hope everyone's training is coming along. I was able to travel to Chattanooga last week and check out the bike and run course. Here is a non locals view. This will be IM #8 for me and the bike seemed similar to IMKY to me. Easier than IMLP and IMMT, harder than IMFL. I broke it down into a 12 mile ride out from town, 2-44.5 loops and an 11 mile ride to the finish. The first 3 miles are on concrete city streets with numerous rough sections and potholes. Miles 4.5-6.5 on Tenn Ave were rough also with potholes and drainage grates. I lost count of the RR crossings, it's IMCHOO for a reason! The local bike club has clearly marked the obstacles with orange paint, easy to see when riding solo, not sure about race day with lots of bikes packed together. The rest of the ride the roads were fine. It was mostly a net uphill ride until the turn around at mile 32 on Hog jowl road, no real climbs just rollers for the most part. I had a wind from the SW which was a headwind out and a nice tailwind coming back (hoping for the same race day). There was a nice downhill section past the town of Chickamauga on 341(Chickamauga Rd). You can hammer that section as it brings you near the end of the 1st and 2nd loops. Very little shade on the bike course, the scenery was mostly farmland and a nice view of the mountains along the way. The numerous rollers will take a toll if you go out too hard, but overall a good ride. I only rode the course 2 times, but that was my view of the bike, I hope that helps those who can't make it out to train. I was on a road bike I rented from the Trek Store on the North Shore, very nice folks.

My view of the run was the first 8 miles of mostly flat trail/road and 5 miles of either up or down. The run started with a small hill outside of transition prior to the Riverwalk, once on the riverwalk it was a nice shaded FLAT 4.3 miles before turn onto Amnicola Hwy. I ignored advice to skip the 4 mile section on Amnicola Hwy and ran it mid afternoon to simulate raceday. IMO that section sucked, no shade, hot asphalt road with nothing to look at but industrial buildings and fast food places. It was mostly flat until turning on Lindsay St prior to the bridge. As soon as you reach the North Shore the first hill will hit you for about .5 miles on Barton Ave. the north side has some shade and a nice view for the most part. It is either up or down all the way until you cross back over the Walnut St Bridge (a wood planked pedestrian bridge) and start loop number 2. I had a good pace going for the first 8 miles, but the hills took a little out of me the last 5 miles. It was 90 degrees with 80% humidity so that did not help me either. I wish we could do an out and back on the Riverwalk and skip the Amnicola/riverfront Hwy but it is what it is.

This was posted on Slowtwitch, a few pictures from the run course:

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Fo...

That was my quick recap of my experience of the bike and run, feel free to add or disagree with what I saw. My goal was to give a picture of the race course for those who cant make it to Chattanooga.

Best of luck to everyone in there training and stay safe, Jim

Im going to echo a lot of things that godekjames said above me.

So I had my first real experience on the course this past weekend, running 1/2 of the course twice and doing a loop on the bike (65 miles). A lot of what he said is excellent advice.

As far as the bike is concerned, it can be really easy to get carried away and hammer. Remember folks, its a two loop course, and those rollers that didnt seem too bad the first time around can get you on the second half. It is very easy to gain some time/speed coming back into town and on the back part of the loop, where it is either fast and flat or a net downhill. Though car traffic is light for the most part, be very careful of RR crossings and potholes, they can be bad at certain segments.

For the run, the first portion will be on greenway and in industrial wasteland like godekjames mentioned. The second section will go over a bridge (the elevation is not too bad) and straight into a long .5 mile climb and .5 mile descend. Getting into the North Shore was hilly and hot with little shade. Coming back into town you have to cross over the Walnut St bridge, which will give you an amazing view of the finish line come September. Great for those finishing, but kinda sucky for those that still have another lap to go.The hills on Northshore were bad, but you can use them to your advantage as well. Just like biking, take your time spinning your legs to the top with steady breathing and a nice cadence with the legs, and use that downhill to recover and build back some time.

Overall I think its a good course, and we will see some killer times come race day. Just keep in mind that this is an Ironman: pacing is everything. I can already tell that this one in particular will require a lot of thought and intelligent racing as opposed to just going out and hammering all day. Gearing choice will be critical on the bike course, and pacing will be uber important on the run, where it can be easy to have a death march on the hilly Northshore end (especially lap two).

Stick to your plan, trust your training, and when it starts to get difficult remember to dig deep!

This is my first IM so my impression is based on what I observe of the course (no other course to compare to) and it's highly individual anyway. I've ridden the bike course twice now and the run course several times. I live in a hilly area, but my hills are short and steep. Nothing on the bike course compares so those constant low rolling hills are what stand out for me, not the 2 climbs on Cove Rd. I will have to watch myself not overdoing it on those rollers. It will be tough for flatlanders. I think the road condition is great although I've seen many complaints about it. Again, it's a matter of home base perspective. I have terrible chip seal roads by comparison. It's not fresh asphalt, but for the most part it is nice and smooth with few hazards. The run course is divided into two sections on the loop. The first section leaves from T2 going out on the riverwalk. Some of it is boardwalk, most is shaded with a view of the river and 95% flat. Then you turn to come back (paralleling) on an ugly, wide-open industrial highway. Cross a bridge (not much climb) then begin the second section with an uphill/downhill/uphill that will take the wind out of your sails. That's 1.5 mile worth of suck/whew/suck. Turn into a beautiful country club neighborhood with easy rollers and come back out to the uphill/downhill over the bridge and repeat. That's my take on the run. The majority of the run is really nice. It's just the three .5 mi climbs on the north shore section that will slow you down. Two on the way out and one on the way back on the loop. Here's my Garmin data from the north shore section of the run: http://connect.garmin.com/jsPlayer/532514280

HTH!

Very accurate after experiencing the course this past weekend. The hills, while not too steep, are relentless. Picking a good gear and pacing will help out a lot.

Myself and 3 others who are doing IM Chatt in sept rode two loops of the bike course and ran the north shore section of the run this weekend. We have all done IM Louisville so that gave us some comparison.
We started our ride at the Chattanooga valley Baptist church on Nick a Jack road. The temp was @ 70 and rose to 90 ish by the time we were done. I can definetly say that the first half of the loop is harder than the back half. The back half has a mostly elevation loss. While there were hills, they were not as taxing as the front half. The one real climb that stands out is steep incline right before you make your left onto Hog Jowl road to begin the back half. You will know you are almost to that hill when you see the house with the metal red roof on the right. After 92 miles on this course, Louisville is much more difficult. We only drove the 11 mile section out of town. It has many rail road tracks with nasty bumps over them. Watch your bottles and gear going over them. If you kill it going out if town, I think you will regret it by the time you head back into town after the loops. The roads are mostly in good shape. Lots of beautiful scenery.
Sunday morning we ran 9 miles of the run course. Starting out in transition, we ran the north shore section that is across the veterans bridge. This is the hilly section and you would be smart to prepare for them as they are no joke. But, the first section, which we ran part of, is more flat. This, like the bike,is two loops.
Overall I think that this Ironman will become very popular as the City itself has a lot to offer in restaraunts, hotels and entertaiment. I am very much looking forward to this Ironman.
Train hills and train using your gears the best you can is my best advice along with not overdoing it on the first loop of the bike.

Thanks for all of the great information! It is refreshing to hear honest yet positive views of this IM. I am a member of the facebook group and it seems like every post I read there is a bad story of a training injury or a complaint about the course.

Funny side story. I rode this past Saturday and only had 75 miles planned. I hit the end of my ride with a training buddy who is doing IM Wisconsin and he needed about 20 more. He looked me dead in the eyes and said "I will buy you an oatmeal cream pie of you keep going with me." Sad to say it worked! Little Debbie wins again.

How can you pass up an oatmeal cream pie for only 20 more miles! I would have dome at least 30. I just signed up for the Aug16 2.4 mile swim

http://outdoorchattanoogafriends.org/chattanooga-2-4-mile-open-wate...

Anyone else doing this, I am driving from Va Beach on the 8th and spending the week in ChooTown for some training before the Sat swim. I know a club has a Wed river swim at 5:30pm and I'll be there for that as well. If anyone is in town and want to bike or run let me know. Also I have a room at the Staybridge suites from 9-17 Aug if anyone need a place to crash. My number is 757-647-1010 all are welcome.

I won't be able to go on the weekend of the 16th but I'm considering going up the weekend before.

How is everyone's training going. I'm currently a little stressed because I just finished a 10 day family vacation. I'm just trying to convince myself that I'll be okay just jumping back into training :-)

69 days CHOOBS!!

you WILL be ok! at this stage, as exhuasted as we all are with training, its more a mental thing than a physical - I still haven't done more than 86 miles on the bike, or run more than 14 miles, but I know I can do it and dammit I will!