Vineman Full Ironman : Official Thread (Page 8)

Have fun. Looking like awesome weather this weekend.  I'm doing my first ever 6 hour ride tomorrow.  Yikes!

I'm looking for some input.  I have a slight ankle injury that's kept me from running a bit.  I thought it was healed but I re-aggravated it on my last long run.  Without running my training has changed (running is my main discipline) and being this is my 1st IM I'm want to make sure I'm still on track.  I've upped the swimming a ton and kept with the biking.  My long run is a little over 16 miles.  If it turns out I can't run for a couple more weeks, will the swimming and biking be enough?

I hope everyone's training is going well!  We're almost there...

Mitch,

You'll be fine as long as you tune your race strategy to what you've trained.  Patience early in the day (for the bike and the first half of the run) will be key. 

Thanks for the input! 

Keep up the good work all!!

An unrelated question and comment that just happen to be in response to two sentences that were back to back in your post.

1. Last lap on the sidewalk? Uhh, we have to run on the sidewalk? For miles 132 - 141? Surely not, right? I'm shocked at how often I see people running on sidewalks... concrete has much less give than asphalt and is much harder on your musculoskeletal system. It should be avoided.

2. The risk of drinking too much water, especially with inadequate electrolytes in the heat is hyponatremia, which is a potentially fatal condition. I think there was something about this in the letter we all got from the race doctor. You need to do rehearsal runs in the heat, taking electrolytes and fluids as you will on race day, weighing yourself before and after to make sure you're neither gaining nor losing weight.

Have you tried aqua jogging?  I've known people to aqua jog during IM and they actually survived the IM run and did fairly well.  That would be my recommendation.  I'd also see a doc to find out the extent of your injury.  Good luck- I had peroneal tendonitis and PF and had to duck out of the race since I'm still not able to run- take care of that ankle!!!

re: the last lap, this doesn't sound right to me (at least from the 2 times I've done VM including last year).  All the laps are the same route.  There is a stretch at the beginning out of T2 that is on the sidewalk for several blocks, but on the return, it is actually on the edge of the road.

Mitch, what folks said above, doc if you can, water jog if you can.  But if you can walk without pain... do that,  lots.  Last year I had to only walk for 2 of the last 3 months before the IM.  I walked 20 to 30 miles a week.  I was able to jog the IM, not fast, but was able to saty jogging the whole way.

It depends on how fast you are.  If you are slower than 11:00:00 they moved folks to the sidewalk for perhaps the last 0.5 to 1 mile of laps 2 and 3.  It was pretty narrow with folks going both ways and an orange cone between the sides of the sidewalk.  Again it is only 1 mile max, but on that last lap or two going up and down the curbs and passing folks in and out of the cones on the sidewalk was annoying.  Just watch your step on the curbs if you end up in that boat, you really don't want to catch a toe or tweak your back.  The rest of the run loops are on blacktop. 

The boys are not happy with my bike milage.  Have been having a hard time keeping them from getting friction.  Saturday's ride is gona suck. 

Yep, only part of the run on the sidewalk is out of transition to the first aid station, everything else is country road, there  are no sidewalks.

Awesome -- thanks for clearing that up.

Riding a single loop on the course tomorrow with my tri club at 9am from Windsor HS.  Anyone interested in joining?  

Abbie, you're in GGTC, why don't you come on out?

Some great advice!  Thanks everyone...

Aqua jogging sounds like a very good idea.  No doc as I have done this many, many times. Being an ex basketball player my ankles are kind of like rubber bands.  I feel a lot better but still need a little more time.  I'm just out of constant pain this week so I'll take the advice and walk and aqua jog.  I think I'll be able to get a couple long runs in before the race but I'll definitely listen to my body and not push anything.  If I have any pain I'll keep to the walking and Aqua jogging and hope my fitness will carry me through!

Injury or not this has been an amazing Journey!!!

Nice job Steve!  That sounds far tougher than Vineman will be.  That which does not kill you...

I did the vineman loop yesterday.  Roads are still crappy.  doesn't feel like they've done much to fix them up these last few years.  Even the place where I crashed in 2009 isn't repaired.  

Just before chalk hill, there was one of those big steel plates covering who knows what.  Would be nice if that weren't there on race day for you all (although you're going slowly anyway).  Earlier on chalk hill road there was also a significant depression right in the middle of the road that caught me and the guy riding along with me by surprise.  It's just jarred me (glad I had a decent hold while in aero), but the other guy ended up getting his nuts squished from it.

Ugh!  Crashed my bike this weekend.  1st crash on it and 1st ride on my brand new derailleur.  Of course that's the side that hit so I had to by another one today. 

Didn't realize how sore I was until my masters swim workout this morning.  Feeling a little beat up right now.  I figure I'll use this as my mental training and push through his little down-slope I'm feeling.  Still no running but If I can make it through then next week with some good training I'll feel pretty good about myself.

Oh the trials and tribulations!!!

Everyone's looking very good, keep it up!

Poo!  That's not what we want to hear!  I'm glad that your injuries seem to be limited.  Condolences to on derailleur.  I hope the bike -- and your body -- are fixed up soon!