Ironman St. George : Official Thread (Page 3)

Hi Bill!

I raced IMSG this past May so I'll answer from my experience...

It is a cold water swim. The recorded temp was 58 degrees. In the middle of the reservoir it felt colder(as someone who swims in 52 degree water year round, it felt closer to 52 in the middle)

Most folks rolled tri bikess, but saw many road as well. I went with my tri bike, and I will again in May. There is plenty of places to get aero, especially on a 20 mile section after the biggest climb to Veyo.

This was my first IM and I found it fantastic and just right. However, I run and ride on heavy hills and swim in the San Francsico bay that is around 52 degrees.

Folks from flatter areas and/or are not acclimated to cold water had a rough time. It 'is' pretty much all hills, they just keep coming. BUT if you are able to train on big hills for both riding and running you would be fine. That seemed like the biggest limiter.

St George is an insanely beautiful area to race, everywhere you look it just brings awe. Signing up for the first IM is so personal so I wont say 'do it' or 'dont do it.' You know yourself and your ability best.

Hope this helped a little!

Suzanne.

Hi all, considering signing up for St. George, and just realized that in addition to hills, there is elevation   since I come from the flat michigan, could you please share if there is an elevation effect that I will need to train for?  Thank you for your help!

I live in florida (at exactly 7.2 feet above sea level there's an elevation marker on my road...)
and I was fine elevation wise when I went out there in october. didn't notice anything other than the air being dry and having to pay more attention to my hydration due to the dry air.  that may or may not have had to do with elevation.   I don't think you should worry about it as far as acclimitizing however.... beautiful course! you will enjoy it!

I am in! This will be my first Ironman.

21 weeks out. I will be starting my program in about a week.

My wife and I are signed up and in the thick of training, my second Ironman and her first. We'll be coming from Indy. Winter training is not too bad yet, probably going to get somewhat miserable with longer indoor trainer sessions in Feb/Mar. I don't mind running outside in the cold, but the snow might make things interesting.

We're looking to book our hotel soon. Anyone have any experience with hotels in the area? Any suggestions? Thanks, Jake

Also, we are planning to take a trip to scout the course sometime around the last week of March. Wondering if anyone else has plans to ride it around then...

We like the condos at Green Valley, they are older and a few miles from the finish (need a car) but nice to have the space.  Last year they were about the same price as the hotel rooms.  Comfort Inn at the convention center is newer and nice, Comfort Suites is older but the rooms have been redone and sleep six w/sofa bed.  Hilton Garden Inn is good, read the reviews about hotels close to the finish line they are old so you have to be careful.

on the 'budget' side(if you can call $95 a night budget...the Super 8 was perfect for me. Clean, updated, QUIET and 4 blocks from the finish. Has a little fridge and a microwave...all I 'had' to bring was my french press.

Hello all,
 I signed up for SG back in June, but just found the thread. I watched my brother -in-law do SG last year his fifth full IM. I was so impressed I decided that I should do it. I really needed something to get me into shape. Just going to the gym to go to the gym was not working. I just started training. I decided I needed to do a triathlon before I did a full IM so I thought I'd see if there were any races in the Las Vegas area. I found that the Silverman was here so I signed up for a half IM. I was a little shocked to get the email welcoming me to the "world's toughest triathlon"!  So I followed the BT free half IM plan and did it! Time was 7:16:30 not real fast, but it was very awesome, I think I smiled for a week after.

I' m very excited about doing my 1st full IM, and am glad I have found some peeps who are also training for it. I start the serious training in 2 days. I'm following the intermediate plan. Is that the right plan for me or should I stick with the beginner plan?

Thanks for the advice on hotels. On to another topic... I'm not too concerned about cold water, but my wife is sensitive to the cold. If anyone did the race last year, what did they do to stay warm in the cold? I've read about neoprene caps and booties, even using vaseline... What did people do or see other people doing? Is cold water temperatures normal for at this time of year or was last year unusually cold?

Thanks. Hope everyone's training is going well!

oh gosh... just signed up this am... Did Rev 3 full in sept, Vegas marathon this month, and saw that IM SG was still open. To tempting to turn down..... Now i just have to get a workout and off we go!!!

Ahhhh the water temp!

You will get several different recommendations from folks based on thier personal experience both for this swim as well as exposure to cold water swims during training...

Heres mine: I swim year round in San Francisco Bay which hovers between 50-54ish. My body is very used to cold water. The temp at the shore of Sand Hollow was 58, which for me was 'nice.' Others it was freezing. In the center of the reservoir was about 52ish(it felt just like SF bay.)

I use a Baracuda 'Hot Head' neoprene cap and wetsuit. No booties or ear plugs.

If the temps are similar this coming year, expect to get out of the water with numb hands and feet. If you want to try booties, try them before the race. If you have access to cold water swimming prior you will have an advantage in how to deal with the swim.

If you get into St george early be sure to get some swims in at the reservoir, there will be others there especially during the morning hours. This will help with your comfort level dealing with cold water.

It IS a beautiful swim. Blue water, red rocks surrounding.

Zanne.

Since Ohio is flat and in Cleveland it's cold till like end of March I'll be inside on the trainer.  I'm pretty nervous about the hills of SG.  Anyone have a better way to train or any suggestions? I have access to the spinner bike and I think they have hill programs so I"ll do those as well.

I'm registered for this IM as my first and I've been training hard but its tough this time of year and I'm looking for an on-line partner. I'd like to exchange emails with someone training for this IM and 'report' on what I'm doing and to a large degree get some motivation on the off days from what my partner is doing.

My goal for this IM event is completion in around 13-15 hours (big spread I know but the hills and altitude will be a big factor). I'm 41yo, completed 4 Half IM events and I'm training 6 days a week from 1-2 hours on most days and up to 4-5 hours for my long days.

I'm not looking for a coach but rather someone who is willing see this through to the end of the race and has a goal of completion. Drop me an email at [email protected] or reply here if you are interested.

GJK

I'm willing to! But what worked for me last yr is to do it through this website.  I also suggest logging your workouts here. It keeps me motivated if I know someone is checking in on me.

My hat is officially in the ring for IMSG again this year! Will be my second one, with St George '10 being my first (finished in a comfortable 14:37:38).

I used a BlueSeventy skull cap and booties for the swim (59 degrees on race day) and did fine. I don't know if it was adrenaline, but the water temp didn't seem bad and was a non factor for me.

I then wore a tri top and tri shorts, with leg and arm warmers pulled on in T1 for the bike. I won't use the leg warmers this year if the temps are similar as I pulled over at around mile 70 to remove them because I was too hot.

I'll keep checking this thread and give my personal inputs based on last year's race. Congrats to everyone signed up to do this race...it's a badge of honor to be a finisher here I wear very proudly. In fact, in my training group I joke with the guys who finished IM Florida and tell them to put an asterisk next to their M Dot tattoo to state they finished the flattest course compared to mine.

Good Luck training, everybody! These are the months that will get you to the finish line!

Yea!!! Another re-upper!

I too had an awesome experience at St George last year with a 14:09 comfortable finish....needless to say I am looking to push things a bit this year!

Zanne.

Edited by LittleCat 2011-01-10 12:12 PM

Yea you can check in with me. Im also 41yo. This will be my 1st IM I did the Silverman 1/2 distance last Nov. I live in Vegas and the terrrain is similar to SG, so I feel really lucky to be able to train the event. I am planning a couple of trips up to SG for training as well. My goal is also 13-15 hours, but really just to finish is what I'm after. I only started training in May. The Silverman was my 1st tri every. I am following the intermediate plan here on BT.

Mike

You should also consider joining one of the mentoring groups, Esp. One with others with IM goals. The mentoring groups are well suited to this kind of (mutual) check in

Double post.

Edited by enginerd 2011-01-10 2:14 PM

Last year I wore:

Swim: bikini, wetsuit, baracuda neoprene cap, race cap, smoked goggles.

Bike: Bike bibs, long sleeve jersey over sport bra, socks, light skull cap, thin knit gloves that I took off and on as needed(These were a 'just in case item' that I was grateful to have these at some points-especially just getting on the bike from the cold water.)

Run: regular run shorts, sports bra, socks, shoes, cap. Was just starting to feel a little chill towards the end of the mary as the sun was going down.

Pretty much everyone had some sort of arm warmer thing on, whether a long sleeve jersey, arm warmers or light jacket. The biggest place this helped was after the swim when your body is cold it can be tough to warm up. I dont think it got above mid 60's, it was perfect race temp.

The only thing I may change IF the weather is warmer is using a tri suit and arm warmers so I wont have to lose time fully changing...or I should say having an assistant dress me since my hands were numb.

I too will help in whatever way I can with any questions!! I am so excited for everyone!

Zanne.

It's so funny you mention the assistant helping you dress....I had to change outside the T1 tent because of the number of people inside, and I was pulling on a dry top from my bag. Well, with my numb hands I couldn't pull it on past my neck, so an awesome volunteer came over to pull it all the way down for me. My assistant!
Oh, BTW, the locals and volunteers for this race absolutely rock!

My assistant totally rocked! I didn't think I needed help until I somehow straight jacketed myself with my sports bra. She stepped in to help sort that out then I pulled my shorts up and sat down to pull my long sleeve jersey on.....then....

....she simply picked up my socks, put them on me then put my shoes on me. I was insanely humbled. I needed some help and she just stepped right in and was so kind.

She was the best, I wish I knew her name to thank her.

Yes, ALL the volunteers at SG are beyond the best!

Zanne.

Thanks for the update about race gear... I def think I will invest in a neoprene swim cap. I hope to get into lake erie in the spring when it's around the temp on race day so I know what it feels like. My last IM in sept was 68deg, but 10 deg is a big difference. I'm also super excited about "clothing assistance". I didnt' have a wetsuit stipper or helper at my last one and my T1 time was horrible!

Just dropping in a line to everyone to say "I am officially jealous" of all of you ;-)!!!

I have done one IM but I am way 2 chicken to do St. George...and I love St. George!!! have done the SG marathon which rocks ;-)...I live in the hot swamp land of Florida and there is nooooooooooo way I could train for the hills and the cold swim...booooooo

Good luck everyone! I will live vicariously through all of you ;-)

Happy Training...Alicia