Ironman Wisconsin : Official Thread (Page 7)

Allison,

Sorry to hear about Ian. It is hard to understand why things like that happen. I don't thing there are "right words" to say to someone that has been through tragedy. You will be in our prayers.

Welcome back and safe training!

Hey Jeff,

Thanks for volunteering and congrats on last years race. I have volunteered a couple of times and have always heard the finish line is the best place. I did body marking both times I volunteered and really liked it. You have to be there at 4:45 but it gives you a chance to interact with the athletes, which I liked. It was fun to see the wide range of emotions. I also liked being done early so that I could go spectate the race and support the people I knew doing the race.

Thanks again and good luck.

Allison

So sorry for your loss. I am sure there are not enough words to express your grief and sadness.

I hope your training goes well, and I get to see you out on the course.

Training prgram-  When I did my first IM, I followed the free 20 week plan on here, with some changes, and I finished. I would say, find a plan, and commit to it. You will accomplish your goal, and hear those words that never get . . .  "You are an Ironman."

I will keep you in my thoughts.

Nicole

Allison I'm so sorry for your loss and I can't even imagine how you feel. I think it's awesome that you decided not to pull out and that you are going to do IMWI for Ian. I wish you best of luck with your training and I hope I get to see you out there on the course. As far as training programs go I am going to go with Don Fink's Iron Fit plan. I will do a combination of the intermediate and competitive plans. I agree with Nicole, pick at plan and commit to it and trust in your training. You can do it.

Hi, so sorry for your loss  BT is a great group of ppl who can offer all kinds of advice and support beyond IM training plans if you poke around....

I am doing the Be Iron Fit intermediate plan.  My first IM as well, so no prior experience with it.  Only really concerned about hills on bike since there are zero hills here in Chicago.

Good luck with your training, you certainly have an inspiration to keep you going.

I'm using Fitzgerald's Level 7 plan. Can't wait for March 25th to get here I'm ready to start the journey!

Wow Folks!  I have been riding the Wisconsin Computrainer Course.  Hills anyone???  I am certainly not near my best on the bike right now as I laid off much of last fall and have just started back up with the BT half iron plan (will switch to full iron plan in April) but the course has me worried already.  I know I have a long time to prepare and plan to train hard but my early efforts on the video course have been less than stellar.  Lots of turns, long hills, short hills, steep hills, downhills into turns, etc, etc.  I ride a Tri bike but think all of you on road bikes will be just fine.  Seems to be the type of course that as soon as you think you will be able to ride and relax for a while it's time to make your next decision.  Kinda wishing I didn't have a compact!

Does anyone know the avg bike time or mph from any prev years?  Oh, and yes I know its early for my first freak out but I am sure I will have many more to come!!

Training is actually going very well.  So far balancing family, work, and training better than I thought I would be able to.

Here is a site that has some pretty good statistics;

RunTri: Ironman Wisconsin 2012 Results Analysis

I bet you will end up being faster than what you avg on the computrainer course. For me, the steep hills feel about the same as the actual course but the 3% grade hills seem harder for some reason. Also remember when you are riding the trainer you are pedaling on the downhills and when you are on the course you can coast.

You will be fine with a Compact. I ride with one and have no issues on the hills at all.

Computrainer VS Outside. It does prepare you for the Hills, but once you ride the course the hills are not what they seem on the Computrainer. I mean the hills are not as hard. I train on a Computrainer in the winter, and even during the season, depending on the weather, so you will be fine.

Yes WI is a busy course, turns, hills, ups, downs, need to know your climbing gears. As I am sure you know, there is a Lot of crowd suppot on the bike course.

Any questions, ask away. PM me if you want to, this is my 5th time doing WI, and I live in Madison.

Nicole

Similar training conditions here in Chicago, but I found last year I was able to get some hills by driving about an hour out of the city on weekends. It's a pain in the butt, but worth it to get a good long ride with some hills in. Are there any hills within 80-100km of you? If so, I'd recommend doing that at least 5-6 times this summer. Otherwise headwinds, riding in a higher gear than normal, or trainer workouts will help. 

I'm having fun with training so far and have enjoyed the roller-coaster weather!  About two weeks until I officially start the Fink Intermediate plan.  So yay for that!!

 But, I'm starting to get worried about the swim.  I currently go to the pool at the Univ. of Chicago about 3 times a week and can easily swim 1,500-2,000 yards, but I definitely need help with technique.  I feel a little lost.  there are two options at my pool.  Personal swim lessons or masters swim.  I inquired about the personal lessons and there is a wait-list (which I'm now on).  Masters swim kind of intimidates me for some reason.  I'm not sure why.  I'm not the fastest swimmer by any means (about 2:30 / 100 yards), but I only really know how to do freestyle and for some weird reason, I'm only comfortable breathing out of my right side.  Also, I can't do a flip-turn to save my life.  I'm sure there's a lot I can improve on!  I've been looking into other instructors around town, but get a little overwhelmed.  There's also a Total Immersion workshop coming up soon, but gosh, that's a lot of $$.  

Anyway, I'm just rambling now...  Hi everybody!

If anyone has been in my swim situation, I'm open to suggestions..  Also, does anyone in the Chicago-area (downtown/Hyde Park-ish/South-ish) have an instructor they really like?

Hey,

I'm living right in the Loop so I know what you're facing. I'm around 1:50/100y and wanted to swim at the UIC also because of the downtown proximity.

I tried Chicago Masters but they seemed too "hardcore" for me So, I went with Chicago Blue Dolphins and, even if I don't think they're the best, they offer some good workouts and some good pool time that fits my schedule.

I can't do flip turns neither (and I don't really care... ). A lot of time, they have 4 strokes session BUT they have special workout for triathletes and usually, I'm the only one in the lane

Give it a try  

Swimming is a lot about technique, with the right form it can be almost effortless.  I swam  since I was 9 and up until college.  There are some great drills that can help with getting more comfortable the "finger tip drill" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAqBSgMX3es there are also tons on youtube that help. Even being comfortable with swimming i am going to focus 1 week strictly on technique and drills before I put in the yardage.  Honestly I have always favored my right side when breathing, however practicing the left side can help keep the body balanced. try breathing every 3 stroke forcing you to breathe on the left too ( I wouldn't worry about it too much, I am sure on race day I will breathe only on right).  Masters can be intimidating but the coach/instructor will help you with technique and guarantee within a few weeks your level and yardage will increase  I have so many success stories of people who couldn't even swim 25 yards without stopping and within a few months they were able to do 20x500 set! 

 I would be happy to share technique tips or swim sets any time. Good luck!

Allison

http://ironmanjourneytomadison.blogspot.com/

Hey, everyone!

So glad to be back at it like so many of you.  I had a down two weeks due to the death of my MIL and the logistics involved.  Back to work and in the pool this morning.

Allison-so very sorry to read about precious Ian.  He was loved dearly and knew that.  Take care. Let your body heal.

I am following very loosely Fink Competitive Plan.  Really, I just look through the plan a lot but am doing a MIW program, plus the free cycling plan here on BT.  I am preparing for a June marathon so am working on building base mileage at this point.

Unfortunately I am convinced I have developed a Morton's Neuroma in my right foot.  Consulted with my PT SIL at the funeral and she jiggled and pushed and pulled on my foot and toes and concluded thusly.  Has anyone dealt with this?  If so, how did you treat it and how long did it take to resolve?  Rest and downtime are not in my game plan.  But, man alive does my foot hurt!

Hey Dave , I am a pretty slow swimmer and never had any type of lessons...I know that I am never going to be fast and just try to survive the swim. Like you I only breathe on the right side. I have all kinds of instructional DVD's and have mixed  a lot of different things together to come up with a stroke that I am comfortable with. Here is a website that I think has some pretty good info and it's free;

Swimming Technique: Animations & Articles From Experts Swim Smooth

Good luck and just keep swimming...

I hope you have some happy moment in your training.

After a month of procrastination, I finally kicked in my training and making my coach happier

Tonight, I had a great moment on the trainer. After about 25 min, in the dark, closing my eyes, I had a rush of endorphin and I was visualizing myself on the road of Wisconsin. That felt great ! and that stayed for a while. I would say, I loved this trainer session !!

Now, back to reality...

Thanks for the swim tips!!!  I'm going to study the Swim Smooth website and after talking with some coaches, I've decided to sign up for the swim class at Chicago Endurance Sports.  Hopefully, I can get things where they should be.  Did a solid 1,500 yards last night and my legs were pretty sore today.  Probably shouldn't have gone so far this early, but I just kind of wanted to see if I could do it before training started in a week and a half.. 

Today's rumination:

I am definitely going to do Racine in July and am trying to decide between the Rockford or the Pleasant Prairie Tri olys in June...  Racine is a week later of where Fink recommends doing a half, but I think I can fudge things around to make it work...  Something about Muncie the week before just seemed like too far to go for a race that will surely be hot and was cut short the year before.  Plus the shirts from Racine look cooler with the sailboat.  And I like blue..

I'm just too excited about Wisconsin!  My friends/co-workers are probably tired of hearing me talk about it, but I'm in super-planning mode right now, so it's pretty-much dominating my mind.

Yay that the race is officially full!  And congratulations to everyone who got in!! 

/end rumination...

edit:  accidentally a word...

Hey, everyone!  How was your week?

Today I suffered through two hours on the Kinetic.  It is so hard!  All I could think is how in the world will I be strong enough to go the distance at a sustained effort?  Then I remember, this stage is all about building base strength and endurance.  My hope is to come out of winter hibernation and transition to outdoor training strong and confident.

Otherwise, had three solid MIW workouts this week and two other bike sessions plus yoga and abs.  Running has taken a backseat due to foot issues.