Ironman Florida : Official Thread (Page 24)

Originally posted by CarlG Yeah!! Im ready for the taper. During this peak phase I feel like Im being beat up every weekend. My lower back is stiff and achey. I did a 95mile Bike on Sat with an 1hr brick. Did a 15 mile long run Monday. Im really feeling it today, and quite frankly, I just want to quit/and give up. It is really hard for me to find any motivation at all right now. I have a 3500 yd swim today and all I want to do is go home and watch TV. But I have to get it done..... Who else feels this way????? . Need Inspiration STAT!!! Carl.

Originally posted by sbradley11

It will depend primarily on which wheels you are running them on. I run a wider tire on my Super 9 because it has such a wide rim. Plus it makes the ride a little softer. I put a 23mm up front.

Originally posted by jec03

So I'm starting to have real concerns about my wetsuit for IMFL. I am a strong swimmer and have always felt very comfortable in water. However, during the two races I've done in a wetsuit, I really struggled. In both I had serious issues with the chest constriction and had a hard time getting rid of the feeling that I couldn't get enough air. The first race (an Oly) I wore a long-sleeved suit and also felt more weighted down than normal and that it took so much more energy to move my arms. During that race I had to stop at a kayak about 5 mins in because I started to panic. The second race (a 70.3 last weekend) I wore a sleeveless suit and had the same panicky feeling of not getting enough air, but didn't let myself stop and modified my breathing to every other stroke vs every 3rd like I normally do, and eventually it got better but it took a good half of the swim to get to that point, which really affected my overall swim time. I had practiced in the wetsuits prior to the races (not as much as I would've liked, but a couple times) and didn't have any problems, so I don't know if it's related to the adrenaline or something like that. But the two races I did without a wetsuit I didn't have any problems panicking. I do have a strong kick, and I've read that strong kickers have less benefit from a wetsuit than strong pullers. I've been planning on wearing the long-sleeved wetsuit in FL, but now I'm starting to worry that it will be more of a hindrance than a help. I haven't gotten much more time to practice in it yet, but the next several weeks I should be able to get multiple swims in with it. I would go without it no question, but I've heard jellyfish are a big problem in FL. So my question for those "in the know" is: Really, how bad are the jellyfish in FL? Would the risk of jellyfish stings make it a really bad idea to forgo the wetsuit? I worry that if I do go without and end up with multiple stings that it will make the rest of the race miserable, and I know it's already going to be a hard day!

Originally posted by jec03 ... had a hard time getting rid of the feeling that I couldn't get enough air.

Originally posted by shellabree ... As tired as I currently feel most of the time, I still look at the key workouts for each week with excited anticipation.    T minus 38 days!

Originally posted by jec03 So I'm starting to have real concerns about my wetsuit for IMFL. I am a strong swimmer and have always felt very comfortable in water. However, during the two races I've done in a wetsuit, I really struggled. In both I had serious issues with the chest constriction and had a hard time getting rid of the feeling that I couldn't get enough air. The first race (an Oly) I wore a long-sleeved suit and also felt more weighted down than normal and that it took so much more energy to move my arms. During that race I had to stop at a kayak about 5 mins in because I started to panic. The second race (a 70.3 last weekend) I wore a sleeveless suit and had the same panicky feeling of not getting enough air, but didn't let myself stop and modified my breathing to every other stroke vs every 3rd like I normally do, and eventually it got better but it took a good half of the swim to get to that point, which really affected my overall swim time. I had practiced in the wetsuits prior to the races (not as much as I would've liked, but a couple times) and didn't have any problems, so I don't know if it's related to the adrenaline or something like that. But the two races I did without a wetsuit I didn't have any problems panicking. I do have a strong kick, and I've read that strong kickers have less benefit from a wetsuit than strong pullers. I've been planning on wearing the long-sleeved wetsuit in FL, but now I'm starting to worry that it will be more of a hindrance than a help. I haven't gotten much more time to practice in it yet, but the next several weeks I should be able to get multiple swims in with it. I would go without it no question, but I've heard jellyfish are a big problem in FL. So my question for those "in the know" is: Really, how bad are the jellyfish in FL? Would the risk of jellyfish stings make it a really bad idea to forgo the wetsuit? I worry that if I do go without and end up with multiple stings that it will make the rest of the race miserable, and I know it's already going to be a hard day!

Jellyfish are not bad at all, practically nonexistant really.  Check it out and make a decision once you get there

Originally posted by jashac

Wow!  Exactly what I was thinking this morning.  This week and next week are the huge ones, then taper starts.  Just have to make it through these two.

I sometimes go and look at these for inspiration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx8ae4TfwrE       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1yMnrby3w&feature=related&hl=en-GB&gl=GB   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EokseUskyDI 

There's lots of good stuff on you tube.  You can waste hours there.

I also try to stay in the moment when I'm running or biking and know that I'm out running and biking because I love being out there.  That does not help me get out of bed though. 

I encourage you to listen to your body and don't overdo at this point.  Not much time to recover from an injury at this point.  Only 6 weeks out!

Originally posted by TPepper

I keep going back and forth on something and I'm hoping some of you veteran IM have some advice.

Should I wear a tri-suit for the whole race or take advantage of the changing tents. I thought I could just wear a speedo under my wet suit, bike shorts and a tri-top for the bike, then tri-shorts and a fresh tri-top for the run. Would spending the extra time changing clothes be worth it?

Originally posted by Socks

Personal decision.  I always bike in tri shorts so no bike shorts for me.  I advise against full wardrobe changes esp for women because getting a sports bra on a wet body esp if you have any boobs at all is extremely difficult even in your house never mind the chaos of the changing tent.  Keep things as simple as possible.  I wear the same thing all day.  I usually put on a long sleeved shirt at some point during the marathon because I am one of those slow late finishers and it gets cold out there once the sun sets.  You are going to be sweaty, grimey wet and in general smelly and icky all day and it doesn't really matter how many times you change.  It is what it is.

Originally posted by TPepper

I keep going back and forth on something and I'm hoping some of you veteran IM have some advice.

Should I wear a tri-suit for the whole race or take advantage of the changing tents. I thought I could just wear a speedo under my wet suit, bike shorts and a tri-top for the bike, then tri-shorts and a fresh tri-top for the run. Would spending the extra time changing clothes be worth it?

Originally posted by rjrankin83



Not a veteran, actually a first timer, but remember nothing new on race day. I've ridden my recent centuries in both my cycling bib and tri short to see how I liked both. Didn't mind the tri shorts so I plan on going the whole thing in a tri kit. I agree with it's all a personal preference.

Originally posted by salasman

I'm glad these subtle questions are coming out, as I've been thinking the same thoughts, i.e., wet suit or not, tri shorts or bike shorts, etc?

Is the only consideration the fact that the bike shorts have the extra padding where as the tri shorts have next to none?

My intentions were to tough it out in my favorite DeSoto tri shorts, but didn't know how much more comfortable bike shorts would be. I admit with 5 weeks to go, I don't want to ride 4-6 hours in bike shorts just to test them out. One reason is that my tri shorts have compression in them which I find helpful on the bike and the run.

So for those who like tri shorts, why? And for those who prefer bike shorts, why?

Thanks, Loren

Originally posted by salasman

I'm glad these subtle questions are coming out, as I've been thinking the same thoughts, i.e., wet suit or not, tri shorts or bike shorts, etc?

Is the only consideration the fact that the bike shorts have the extra padding where as the tri shorts have next to none?

My intentions were to tough it out in my favorite DeSoto tri shorts, but didn't know how much more comfortable bike shorts would be. I admit with 5 weeks to go, I don't want to ride 4-6 hours in bike shorts just to test them out. One reason is that my tri shorts have compression in them which I find helpful on the bike and the run.

So for those who like tri shorts, why? And for those who prefer bike shorts, why?

Thanks, Loren

Originally posted by mahuwf

Re: the jellyfish.

I grew up in Panama City and now live just up the road in Pensacola. Any jellyfish that would be there that time of year aren't anything to worry about. Even if you do get stung by one of these, it's not painful (just a little annoying) and you likely won't even notice it until you get out of the water...it doesn't last very long at all either. The other day during an open water swim, I was stung in the face by one of these things and it really just felt like chapped lips and a light sunburn for about half an hour or so. That said, I don't remember seeing any jellies last year at IMFL.

I love to see the inlanders fret so much about something that's pretty much harmless. That's not to say that some jellies aren't harmful...but ours (especially in November) aren't. You should be much more worried about setting all three of your alarms correctly so that you wake up on time.

Have a great race, guys! And just worry about the things you can control...there are plenty of those to think about.