Ironman U.S. Championship : Official Thread (Page 18)

Not as good as 70 and overcast.....(dream on....)

Biked the first part of the course at the weekend as part of my last long ride. 

I was hoping I might be able to get away with a standard crank and  23-11 on the back, but that climb immediately out of T1 and the short climb just outside the park gates back towards the bridge will be tough.  Looking at my Powertap the gradient reached 10-11% at times (albeit briefly)  and I was glad that on Saturday I had my 28-11 on the back, although didn't use the 28. 

The rest of 9W (which is steeper than the PP) will be easy - no need for more than a 39-23 at all.

I've changed my plan and will run at least a 25 on the back, just for that initial climb...

Looks like only the Swim cutoff will be adjusted and not the bike cutoff from what I have read recently.

Good Morning Team IMNYC

Just tried to download the athlete guide from the web site and I am getting an error message saying file is damaged and will not open. Anyone else have this issue?

If anyone has it saved can you email it to me [email protected]

Thanks.

KC

I sincerely hope you're still saying that after you finish the race!    However, its often pretty amazing how much harder hills feel during IM runs as opposed to training runs.  Again, proper bike pacing will be critical and I agree that it is better to have the hills at the beginning of the run as opposed to the end, but they're going to be tough!

My first thought is I will be in transition long enough for my HR to come down.  And I will probably walk the first hill out of T2.

Hi KCGolf,

I just sent you the Athlete Guide.  I downloaded it while it was still available.

Less than 3 weeks to go!!

Mark

This is actually a pretty good idea.  I can't think of a better way to ruin a race than by charging up a hill at the start of a marathon run.  I will probably take around 7 minutes in T2 to make sure I have everything just the way I like it to start the run but I will probably still walk that first hill.  I would much rather lose a couple minutes on the front end to potentially save them on the back end.

So its happening to me already!  That feeling of "OMG, how did the race get here so soon?!? I'm so under-trained!"  I should know better since the same feelings happened last year before IMSG, in which I did fine, but still its hard to silence that little voice in the back of the head and just trust in the training.  This is my first taper week, followed by a slight build next week, and taper again for race week, and I find myself having to fight the urge to squeeze in an extra workout. 

Anybody else having these feelings yet?

triguy615 - 2012-07-24 3:28 PM Hey guys, what does everything about the spectator support (or lake thereof) for this race? The Spectator Guide makes it really complicated for family and friends to watch the NJ side of the race, with a ton of focus on the Manhattan portion of the run. I would hate to have to wait 130 miles to see some sign of life out there I know there are aid stations on the bike and run, so that will be of some help. I guess I just came from Lake Placid where the was TONS of support on pretty much every mile of the course, so it set my expectations high. Any thoughts? Will it not be that big of a deal?

I'm not expecting much support until the run crosses over into Manhattan.  It would be nice to have 140.6 miles of crowd support but on a course like this there are just certain limitations.  When racing IMSG last year the crowd support was pretty sparse for most of the bike due to the course weaving through an Indian Reservation and otherwise winding mountain roads but I never really felt lonely out there with all the other athletes around.  That said, maybe the supporters will surprise and find a way to be more present on the course.

Hi Joshua.

This will be my first full IM so I am certainly questioning my prep work for sure but I am guessing you will always feel that you are not prepared enough? I have one long ride left - tomorrow - then taper begins and I know I am going to go nuts until NY.

Stay healthy everyone and have a great race. If you see a guy wandering around athlete check in or Ironman village with a titleist visor and or shirt on and I look completely lost, that is me - don't hesitate to say hello. I am also racing in a titleist tri suit if you can believe it (custome made - I am a Golf Pro turned triathlete ). What the hell was I thinking LOL .

All the best.

KC

I think there will be decent crowd support everywhere except for the bike.  Granted that is a HUGE portion of the day but I think it is more important for the run.  When you are flying by on the bike the crowds don't make as big of a difference.  Of course on some of the hills we will be hitting on the bike it would be nice to have the extra boost   

Spectators will have a fairly easy time getting to various parts of the run course from transition since it will be 2 x 3.5 mile out and backs I think you will see crowds at every larger intersection where there is room for them to stand.  Then there should be crowds on the NY side after we cross the bridge.

I don't think the crowd support will be too bad.  I did Arizona a couple of years ago and the only crowds we saw on the bike were at the turnaround to start the next loop and the aid stations. 

Mark

I think the answer to this question really depends on what your goals are.  However, for people purely trying to finish the race and are concerned about the run, I think that walking the hill makes a lot of sense.  If walking the first hill is going to allow you to keep your heart rate under control, it will probably equate to a faster overtime time than blowing up a few miles later and having to consistently walk.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with walking during the run.  The key to a successful race is being able to develop a strategy that is going to allow you to maintain/execute your game plan for the entire race.  There is a saying that "It is not about who goes the fastest, but who slows down the least."  If you're able to execute your plan and maintain a certainly pace throughout the race, you will pass A LOT of people as the day goes on.  

Thanks Mark, I think you're right. There will a nice crowd at the bike turnaround. I would like my friends and family to be there, but trying to think of the best way to get them there. I think we will be surprised by the amount of crowd support.

My family is getting to the viewing spots via the (free) ferry, because they're volunteering for bags & the turnaround water station. My friends are getting to the turnaround by taking the subway to Harlem and walking across the GWB. As out of the way as NJ seems, it's relatively easy to access.

Since I've been training solo, any cheering or competition is an improvement over Saturday bricks.

Hi Chris.

I have been looking for the bib numbers for a while now and they are not out yet.

KC

Hi Warren.

I do most of my training on my own as well but I do belong to a Tri Club in my area. This is also my first Ironman and my taper starts this week. Good luck and have a great race.

KC

Quick question - does anyone know if you can get a fellow competitor and/or family member to check in your bike on the Friday, or do you have to do it yourself?

I have to be in DC on Thursday night and am worried I might not get back up to Fort Lee in time for the 4pm cut-off on Friday.

...and, yes i know it's not ideal preparation for an IM  :-)