Ironman Arizona : Official Thread (Page 9)

Greetings all.  I just found this thread, and after spending parts of the last couple days reading all of the posts, I thought I'd introduce myself.  

Arizona will be my first IM, and I too am using the "Be Iron Fit" plan.  I'll probably use a blending of the competitive and intermediate plans, depending on work/family life for any given week.

I wont actually start until week 28 though as I've got a charity century ride this weekend and my first HIM on May 5th.

For my HIM, I'm going into it solely for the experience and to test several of my "nutrition theories" from training sessions.  No question I'm a bit under-trained for it at this point, but again, I'm considering this a "C" race for me.

There is another local HIM in September that I'll actually race, and use to fine tune any final nutritional issues leading into AZ.

As for November, my hotel is booked, and it's still too early to think about flights.  I'll also be using TriBike Transport, and I'll probably also use the race wheel rental service as well.  

Oh, as to the earlier wet suit questions, one of the volunteer slots I did for 2011 was at the swim exit, so I physically laid hands on a good number of all of the athletes coming out of the water.  I only saw 1 person exit without a wet suit... and he looked blue to me.  I'd say the same for most of the sleeveless participants and even a many of full sleeve swimmers.  That water is cold.  I'll probably purchase a head covering for my wet suit before race day.

Looking forward to lots of good discussions between now and race day. 

If you follow it with consistency it will likely give you the ability to race at your personal best.  I don't know anything about the specific plan, but in general different plans do not contain magic workouts that make you competitive.  If you have a plan that you can follow that takes you too new levels, but allows you to recover along the way you will be able to go big on race day.  For my first Ironman (Arizona 2009) I followed the BT Beginner plan with the intention of just finishing and hopefully being in the 13 - 14 hour range.  I went 10:37 on race day.  The key to any plan is consistency without getting injured along the way.

Happy training everyone!!!  For those of us doing the Be Iron Fit plan, today is day 1.  It's officially a rest day, but thanks to my crazy schedule with the kids, I'll be doing one of my 30 minute runs this evening.  

Enjoy the journey.

Yea I too will start today, tho I have been runng 4mile trail run on mondays so im gonna do it anyways......just for fun....

When you get to much carbohydrate in your belly and not enough water, two things can happen.  In some cases the body will shunt water from the blood into the gut to get the sugar.  Thats going to lead to a dehydration like effect as blood volume decreases. Or, the central govener in the brain decides the you're dehydrated enough, then the sugar will sit in you stomach.  You might feel bloated, you might cramp, you might have something nasty happens as the sugar comes out the way it went in.  As a bonus, once the gut stops absorbing sugar, it also stops absorbing liquid. 

If you like Gatoraid try the G2 formula that has much less sugar.  Or switch to an electrolyte replacement drink that does not contain sugar.  I switched from the GU/Gatoraid mix to GU and Nuun.  Nuun is easy to digest and easy to carry in the Bento and I can refill my bottles with water and drop in a fizzy tablet.  The G2 comes in individual packets but does not seem to have the ability to prevent cramps like the nuun.  I'm still searching for the ideal concoction.

Solid food is good, but there is only so much space onboard for tasty treats.  What say you?

tstl - 2012-04-23 4:45 PM Woo boo! Here we go! T - 30 weeks! I kicked it off with a nice 22 mile run. NOT on the plan, I know, but I'm doing the Flying Pig marathon in a couple weeks. Other than that, I'll try to stick to the plan, I promise! I don't have ANY other races on the calendar between now and then, so IMAZ will be top priority. I'm kinda hoping that having this marathon (my second) under my belt will pay off in IM training. The training for this was much easier than the first time, so it should go even smoother next time, I'm hoping

Good luck at the Flying Pig marathon.  That one is on my list of "want to do".  You'll have to let us know how it goes.

That was kind of the plan, if I got in and she didn't I would roll it over to next year.  If I didn't get in, well then no sweat, and if she didn't get in I'd try again next year.  That's Murphy's Law for you, the person who really doesn't care if he gets in does get it.  That's alright though.  After IM AZ goes well for me (fingers crossed) I'll know for sure I have the NYC Marathon to schedule my next full IM around.

How is everyone doing?  I know I was happy to get back to following a plan.  The volume is lower than what I've been doing, but I have to remind myself I have a long way to go so enjoy it now.  My "long" ride Saturday didn't even make me tired enough to take a nap Saturday.  Bummer.  Won't be long until I'm crashing after those rides.  

Train safe and have fun.

Try this for inspiration. 

(IMAZ Swimstart_Small.jpg)