Ironman Louisville : Official Thread (Page 2)

keyone -

A few days ago I phoned the M-dot office and was told it is "about half full" ---- which is the same answer I received about three weeks ago! I was also told both times that it will likely fill by Thanksgiving. The number to phone is 813-868-5915, and the person who dispenses the information is Ann Skerkoski. While exact numbers seem hard to get hold off (Maybe I just didn't press hard enough), she is very friendly and willing to talk.

IM#1....... two weeks from Oct. 23, when you posted......would that be B2B? Best of luck!!







Edited by stevebradley 2009-10-24 7:32 AM

As for the question on training plans.......I'm not quite there yet as I haven't even signed up! My last two marathons were parts of my two irons in '04 and '05, and I'm training for Kiawah Marathon (Dec. 12) just to make sure that my 60-year-old plantar fascia and achilles, both of which have been small problems the past two seasons, can handle that volume before I plunk down $550 for Louisville.

But I think I'll be fine, and I think I'll be at Louisville, and right now I am studying a few training plan options:
(1) Training Peaks
(2) BT Silver/Gold
(3) www.multisports.com 9-week plan
(4) the plans that my then-coach had in place for me for IMLP '04 and The Canadian Iron '05

#4 makes a lot of sense, of course, but I'm also thinking that that was then and this is now, and maybe it's time for a re-vamp.

Steve - I suggest at least considering the BeIronFit 30 week plan as well. The plan is relatively light on running compared to other plans I've seen, weighing more on bike fitness. It was a good plan for me in IM WI this year (my first) and I plan to use it again for IM Lou. 

Trihusker -

Thank you, and I will check that out shortly.

The irony about the running is that when I am healthy, the run is the ace-up-my-sleeve. Many in my a.g. have drifted into 50-minute-plus olympic runs and 2-hour-plus half-iron runs, but I am still well under those. So, it behooves me to continue pushing the run, dancing the edge just this side of (yet another ) lower-lower body injury.

My bike is also fairly strong......which leaves me with guess what as my limiter?? It's been this way forever, and another irony is that even if I had a training plan that emphasized the swim, I doubt it would get me too far out of the purgatory in which my swim resides. I was right around 1:25 for both of my previous irons, and both were wetsuit-legal. Even with a swimskin at Louisville, I'm likely looking at, um, 1:40, maybe?

Alas and woe! So it goes! Glub, glub!

Again, thanks for pointing me to the IronFit 30-week plan; I'm heading there right now!

Thanks! I really want M-dot ink, which I can't really get after doing B2B! I'll let you know what I decide - and if my husband will even let me do another one. I have been so crabby lately!

As far as Training plans, I have been following the Level 3 Ironman plan from Matt Fitzgerald's book called "Triathlete Magazine's Essential Week by Week Training Guide". Ask me in two weeks how well the plan worked That book has served me well for the past two years in other race distances.

Trihusker -

Well, I took the roundabout route getting there, but made it. I went to his website first, but could only find personalized plans. I then googled BeIronFit and up came the book.....which I remembered I had....and I checked it....and there the plan was.

I think I like it! The competitive plan is very bike-heavy, but the run aspects are also demanding in places, such as the Fr/Sa/Su "hat tricks" of weeks 24-27. As for the swim part, I w found it interesting that there is very little to distinguish between all the workouts for the Intermediate and the Competitive plans. As an example, one of the just two ort hree differences overall is found in comparing workouts #15 (comp) and #47 (int), where #15 has an added 6X25@5 sec.

He also talks about having an oly at week 18 and a half-iron at week 22, and as I have mapped out my season I have Columbia (oly), which would be at week 16, and Musselman (HIM), which would be week 23. Close enough? Probably, but I could amybe also squeeze in Mooseman oly on June 5, which would be right at week 18!

Another book-plan I'm looking at is the one in "Championship Triathlon Training" (Dallam and Jonas; Human Kinetics, 2008). This si ostensibly a 12-week plan, but it also presumes that someone has just come out of the accompanying 12-week half-ironman plan. There are lots of details for just about every workout for the 12 weeks.

Still lots of time to decide about which to choose, though. 30 weeks puts us at the beginning of February, so I have a few months still to dither to my heart's content!

Thank you for pointing me to Fink's plan, as that looks very workable for me.

Hey Steve - no problem. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it - quite interesting and a nice foresight analysis. If you do decide to go with Fink's plan, I have it on an Excel all mapped out already (thanks to another BT'er who gave it to me) and I'm happy to share it. 

Trihusker -

And thank you for the Excel offer, also!

I would love to be able to utilize that - and may by some fluke be able to - but my cybertech skills are even worse than my swim skills. So, such as tool requires a huge leap of (blind) faith for me to even begin to think about conceivably using......and that region of terra igcognita is not one I readily enter!

My more savvy wife might be able to help some, so I will mention this to her and, if she doesn't laugh in my face, than I will give it a shot.

Merci!

The Gault House.  It's the host hotel and everything happens there.  However, about 2 blocks away the Marriot Courtyard is off the path and closer to the transition (which is nice for gear recovery after the race).  The hotel was full of triathletes, but the stress level of staying in the host hotel does not excists (if that makes sense).  The Gault house walk to transition is about 6 blocks and the Marriot is 3 blocks.  The Marriot is cheaper as well. 

I liked the Gault house because I could get a 2 room suite, so I could go to bed early and not make the rest of the family go to sleep.

If you pick Gault house, ask for lower floor...but only after I have checked in!  Elevator wait can be a hassel.

Steve

 

Edited by dlink 2009-10-27 1:00 PM

I just signed up for IM Louisville - it is my first and I am very excited/nervous.  I am planning on using the Ironfit program - mixing competitive with intermediate.  I am also thinking about an online coach. 

This site has been very helpful in so far as deciding on the race.  Thanks for all the help.

BC TD --

Even though I have yet to commit to the actual race, I have snagged two sets of reservations.

Downtown, not far the finish is Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott. I am reserved for four nights, Thursday through Sunday, at $139/night. The cancellation policy is 6 p.m. the day of arrival, and there is no minimum stay.

A few miles south at ext 34, is Quality Inn and Suites. I am reserved there from Friday through Sunday, at $89/night. The cancellation policy is 4p.m. the day BEFORE arrival, and there is no minimum stay. This is about 3 miles from the finish, or at most a 10-minute drive. With lots of downtown parking, it should be very workable -- even the sorest of legs can manage a 10-minute drive post-race.

I can't speak for family benefits at either, but if you are looking for a family-friendly iron, check out Cedar Point at www.rev3tri.com. It operates out of Cedar Point Amusement Park, Sandusky, Ohio, and one of the amenities is a pair of tickets to the park. The race is on Sept. 12.

Thanks for the hotel comments.
I have another question. I have never done a triathlon swim in water above 67-68. The Y where I train is closer to the recorded temps at Louisville. Would it be worth while to invest in a speed suit?

Thanks

BC TD -

For me, quasi-mediocre swimmer that I am, a swimskin for Louisville would be imperative. My two wetsuit irons were both 1:25 swims, so even with a swimskin (blueseventy pointzero3) I'm figuring to be ecstatic if I manage 1:40 at IMLOO.

I wore it last week at the pool, and felt awful. But the pool I was using was probably 82-84 degrees, which not even IMLOO will be, so that is not accurate. However, in spite of feeling awful I did benefit from faster times in it, so for me it is.will be worth it.

DeSoto has just updated its Liftfoil suit, moving it from a race-ready speedsuit to more of a swimskin. There has been a big discussion about this over at www.slowtwitch.com, and you can find it by searching the forum under "Liftfoil". The full title of the thread reads something about "shameless plug", and it was started by emilio DeSoto himself.

I would love to lay my hands on one of the '10 Liftfoils, as nobody makes better stuff than DeSoto. (www.desotosports.com)

I registered a few minutes after registration opened. This is my first Full IM and I am looking forward to it. I have two HIMs under my belt and will be using the BT 20 week program.

Steve,
I think, based on what you have said and what I have read, a speedsuit will be the way to go. When I pull the trigger, I will make a point of getting into the pool with it to get the feel. I am hoping for a breakeven swim vs my last IDT. Ocean swim complete with swells/currents managed a 1:15.
Thanks,
TD

Speedsuit is a must for IML.  Buy it this winter while prices should dip a bit.  I am not a real strong swimmer, but the speedsuit made a big difference for me.  Mentally at least. 

TD -

Anyone who can do a 1:15 with swells and current can probably do IMLOO naked and be just fine!

I was just thinking about the speedsuit thing last night. Those that have used one, what brand/model do you rec, what are current prices that you're aware of (I'll be checking for winter deals), and what time savings did you realize during your IM race? Last I looked at these I think they were around 200 - 300 bucks, and if that's correct, I'd need to be "sold" on some significant time savings over the 2.4 swim for the cost/benefit, coming from a MOP/BOP IM'er.

Husker,
Just saw an ad on this site for 50% off an Xterra Velocity.02 (above the knee) speedsuit. That would put that particular suit at $125. Looks like a great value. Those suits have gotten some pretty good results at some major events. Actually the swimmers in the suits have gotten the good results, but maybe the suits are OK?

TD

HUSKER -

The Liftfoil '10 model by DeSoto is, I think, $250. If you can find the thread at slowtwitch that I mentioned to TD, Emilio DeSoto cites the time savings that are predicted - or have been tested for - using that suit.

My rough test last week in the pool showed me doing 1000m in about a minute less than when not wearing the suit (bklueseventy pointzero3). And as I said to TD, I felt awful because the pool was too warm to be truly comfortable in that suit.

I will maybe put it to the test in a 50m pool I just discovered, which based on one swim there runs kind of cool - maybe high 70s. (Whew!)