IM for first tri (Page 2)

Not sure of naysayers motivations other than my own, but i would say that, especially with the swim being a weakness, there COULD be difficulties that might be avoided or mitigated by having other shorter race experience.  You will get to experience some of the factors in longer runs and rides from a nutrition standpoint, etc, but for a weak swimmer, a IM swim with 2300+ of your best buddies in OW could be a bit much to swallow.  Not saying you cant overcome, but personally, if I am going to invest time and money into an endeavor like this, I am going to try and prepare myself best I can by training right and having put myself in a lot of situations i might see on gameday.  I volunteered in T1 last year at MOO and seeing the folks who got picked out of the swim a mere 5 or 10 minutes into the race come pick up their stuff was a bit hard to see.  Really, could you do it?  Perhaps, but i am the type that likes to stack the deck in my favor when I can.

My Mom was at that race.

I certainly believe that anyone could do an Ironman as their first triathlon with one very large caveat.  You have to be willing to subject yourself to the training regiment. 

Even though I started small and worked my way up to the IM distance, it was due to building my endurance to that level over the course of a couple of years.  The biggest challenge to training for an IM is your body's ability tosustain the high level of training without prolonged illness or injury.  If you already have a significant background in athletics and good amount of base endurance, you should have a good judge of your body's individual ability.

The logistical anomalies of IM races are such that shorter distance races (sprint/oly) won't really do much in terms of "readiness".  I believe that almost all IMs are not 'show and go' races.  You need to pickup your packet a day or two early.  You need to check in your bike the day before the race.  You don't have a transition area that needs to be set up right before the race. 

Unless you have a personally burning desire that an IM be your absolute first race, I would suggest a HIM somewhere in your training schedule.  Pick one that will mimic the terrain and structure of your IM.  It will expose you to a race-day atmosphere and the anxieties that exist within that atmosphere.  It gives you a chance to feel the conditions, and fatigue, from a long-distance open water swim.  It also gives you a chance to test your nutrition strategies in ways that you won't experience in training.  I found that the concentration of my liquid nutrition on the bike became problematic after an hour of running; which was beyond the duration of my training bricks.

Just my $.02.

Mairtin...

Can you do it your first time, yes. SHOULD you, F-NO! The HIM and IM are serious tests of endurance.

If something goes wrong: on the run (you can walk), on the bike (put it in a low gear), on the swim YOU WILL DROWN!!! I have yet to have a steward paddle beside me the whole way. If you are tired you will go under FAST. The stewards will get to you but like every emergency it will take a minute or two to get to you.

During open water swims you will have to "sight" the bouys because there are no lines on the bottom of a lake. (I swam about 900m instead of 750m on my first tri)  You may also have to deal with a cross current (ocean or river), swell (i did an ocean swim with 4ft swell knocking me from side to side... i got a little motion sickness from it (sighting wasn't so fun either)), people may swim over you (i still have women catch me on sprint tri's that start 3 min behind me), you may get kicked or slapped on the head (knocking off your goggles or at worst a bloody nose).

The last thing you need is to be uncomfortable in the water. Because when things go wrong and as life goes... things do go wrong... you will want to be able to handle the problem or adjust to the situation without freaking out.

OK. Worst case scenarios over... this is a fun sport because of the challenge it entails.

Train so that you can enjoy the event and not struggle just to survive. At the absolute least in your planning prepare to do 2 sprint tri's during your HIM training of 3-5 months (I would NOT do a full IM as your first). This will give you an idea of what to expect and prepare you for the open water swim (don't fear it... respect it).

To give you some background. I compete at 210lbs 42 yo. I am a former LSU 800m/1500m runner, played rugby for ten years, and have been doing sprint tri's for almost two years now. I just got out of the pool today doing a lite 1800yds... I was tired. Do not underestimate the event.

Train and enjoy the process of getting there.

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