General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Want to do my 1st Ironman Rss Feed  
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2013-12-18 11:03 AM


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Subject: Want to do my 1st Ironman
I am a newbie to world or Triathlons. I got my first sprint this past year after I dropped 65 lbs cycling and running from January to August. Now I want train for my first ever Ironman in Louisville in August.

My background is I was a college swimmer and am a college swimming coach. That portion I know, but the training for cycling, for running and the planning in general is completely foreign to me. I need a much help as possible with this. My training time is limited because as college coach, during the school year, I'm committed 12-13 hours a day with my job and I'm a husband and a father.

I'm looking to any suggestions, ideas, coaching, etc as possible.

Thank you


2013-12-18 11:52 AM
in reply to: Emskelly3

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman

Why the rush to ironman?

2013-12-18 2:34 PM
in reply to: Emskelly3

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
what are your goals ? just to finish ?

what time slots do you plan on having to train ?

sprints for beginners are simple, the training is minimal and the effects of the race is not traumatic.
Ironman OTOH is a massive whap in the butt. IMO if you don't have a good plan up front, don't think about it until you do.
2013-12-18 4:16 PM
in reply to: Emskelly3

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
Originally posted by Emskelly3

" My background is I was a college swimmer and am a college swimming coach".



Lucky Guy!!
2013-12-18 4:41 PM
in reply to: dmiller5

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman

Originally posted by dmiller5

Why the rush to ironman?

 

x2

2013-12-18 5:17 PM
in reply to: #4915068


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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
I've done a lot of open water racing and I've run 10k's over the years. It fell off about 6 years ago and I got into cycling recently to try something new.

Call it part of my Bucket List but I'm doing some sprints and Olympics along the way. I've just never truely trained for one before and I was hoping for some ideas on training.


2013-12-18 6:48 PM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
I would say take a look at some plans, there is a beginner one available on BT, and think about the training that is required. Could you do the first couple of weeks without much problem, or would you need to build to that point? As noted above, the training required for Ironman is pretty significant, even for just a goal of completing it. Having the time, especially for the bike, is important.

Edit to add: congratulations on dropping the weight. That is a great accomplishment in and of itself.

Edited by kmac1346 2013-12-18 6:49 PM
2013-12-18 8:19 PM
in reply to: Emskelly3


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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman

There is an allure to the iron distance. I'll be honest, its what brought me to the sport. I think its fairly common amongst people who start doing triathlon to be initially drawn by the idea of training themselves to swim 2.4 miles in the open water, ride 112 miles on the bike, and THEN run 26.2 miles. For me, I knew of someone who had done it, and thought, wow, I'd like to be able to do that someday.

In some ways, you are starting off much better than I did, as I was one of those people who had to stop to catch my breath after 25 yards in the pool. You clearly will not have that issue, and that is often the main challenge for new triathletes. That said, I was not new to endurance sports. I had been a runner on and off since I was 12, and had run my first half marathon at 14 years old. It was very on and off, but I still had year of base running under my belt before I started considering triathlon, and had just come off running a marathon. Also, I had a friend of mine whose daughter had cancer as a toddler, he rode the Livestrong challenge century every year, and I was riding to be able to do that with him. There are people who go "couch to ironman," but that is NOT the easiest, or in my opinion, the most fun way to do it.

My first advice would be to do shorter races, and see if you like it. Ease in, if for the only reason that it is not a cheap sport. If you keep reading training books, information on this forum, reading articles, talking to other triathletes etc.., before your race you will want a time trial bike, racing wheels, a powermeter with a nice bike computer to go with it, wetsuit, GPS watch....I'll stop myself there as I could go on and on, and on....and that is not even getting into the race fees.

I did some shorter distance races, and 2 x 70.3 before my full, and those races really helped me get a better understanding of the sport. And frankly, after those races, I still wanted to do a full, but just the idea of being able to do one was far from my only motivation. I found out doing triathlon was FUN!!!

My second piece of advice would be for you to assess what your goals are for the race, and realize with the actual time commitment is going to be more than 12-13 hours per week.

Assume that is your actual training time only, you still have to consider getting ready (eating a pre workout snack, getting dressed, getting bike ready, and showering afterwards etc..,) and that time tends to add up. And that said, 12 to 13 hours a week of training time is on the low side. Towards the end of your training, you will have single session rides of 5 to 6 hours, and perhaps even with a run tacked on the end of that.

It is not an absolute, you can finish or even compete on 12 to 13 hours per week, but most people who do have a very solid base, and very focused training. Going into it as brand new, I probably would advocate allocating more training time. It's a long race, and you need to put in long hours to get though it, there are really no shortcuts (unless you have some amazing genetics, or decide to facilitate your training with substances...). That said, 12 to 13 hours per week will probably get you across the finish line before midnight, but it won't be easy.

If you have a family (spouse/kids/people to whom you want and need to commit time to), make sure you have their buy in. Your training will have some impact them. You can to some extent limit the interference of training, but you better be a morning person (like a 4 am morning person), or not mind training past midnight. And also be aware of things that could come up. You have to be sure going into it, that you are committed and will put in the time, if you think things could come up during your training that will result in missing significant time, put it off until you know you wont have anything come up.

As for the actual training, many "cookie cutter" plans will have you doing 3 to 4 swim sessions, 3 to 4 cycling sessions, and 4 to 5 running sessions each week. Some of these are put together as "brick" workouts, where you will get off the bike and head out for a run. There is always room for modification, and personalization, and there are ALOT of plans out there. This site has a lot of good plans and resources. Also, Don Fink, Matt Fitzgerald, and Joe Friel all have popular training plans that you can find in books or online. Depending on your resources, you could even get a coach to do all the thinking for you. You would just need to show up for your workouts and go.

To sum up: First, ease in. I wouldn't pull the trigger on paying race fees for a full until I had some experience (IM branded races can run 600-700 USD and above). Second, be honest with yourself, understand what it will actually take to meet your goals and make sure you are prepared for that. Third, learn about the sport, read and talk to people. And lastly, and most importantly, if you do start down this road, just have fun.

2013-12-19 7:50 AM
in reply to: #4915068


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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
I missed the husband and father part on the first read of your post, so again, make sure your family is on board.
2013-12-19 1:24 PM
in reply to: ImSore

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
I agree with what others have said about not rushing into IM but you are an adult and will do what you want to do. I am sure your swim base is sufficient but look into a plan for the bike and run and make sure you get some training races under your belt.

I do not know where you live but make sure you try and get out and ride/run in the heat ALOT aince Louisville is always an extremely hot race

I am doing my FIrst IM this year and I am using Don Finks "Be Iron Fit" training plan. I would suggest you pick up his book and give it a read and take a look at the training plans. Part of his training plan is teaching you how to adjust your training to fit into your schedule and he uses examples of former athletes he coached who are fathers, husbands and work 60+ hours a week. I think it would be beneficial to you. Good luck
2013-12-19 4:46 PM
in reply to: Emskelly3

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman

Originally posted by Emskelly3 I am a newbie to world or Triathlons. I got my first sprint this past year after I dropped 65 lbs cycling and running from January to August. Now I want train for my first ever Ironman in Louisville in August. My background is I was a college swimmer and am a college swimming coach. That portion I know, but the training for cycling, for running and the planning in general is completely foreign to me. I need a much help as possible with this. My training time is limited because as college coach, during the school year, I'm committed 12-13 hours a day with my job and I'm a husband and a father. I'm looking to any suggestions, ideas, coaching, etc as possible. Thank you

There are plenty of free IM training plans on the internet, my first advice would be to take a look at those and start base training to get yourself to the starting line of a training plan. Most plans are 12-20 weeks long, with the high volume stuff coming in the 6-8 weeks before taper. The good news here is that you alluded that you will have more time in the summer... perfect for a late August race.

There are also a number of training books you can purchase, some have been mentioned already. One of my favorites is Matt Fitzgerald's Essential Week-by-Week training guide. It has 10 levels of training plans for each distance of triathlon. Good stuff.

Over-communicate with your family - don't let there be any surprises. Lay out your planned training on a calendar, negotiate family responsibilities and events, etc. as early as you can. Life will happen and you'll have to be flexible, but the more they know what's going on the better off you'll be. Show your appreciation by being "present" after training sessions or other appropriate ways for your family (helping with homework, chores, bills, shopping, whatever). Sometimes the drain of high-volume training takes an unexpected toll on the family if you're "away" training, and then also "not present" when you ARE home. There have been lots of threads on the challenge of balancing IM training and family life. 

Last, stay on top of your laundry. It's worth it 



2013-12-22 6:53 PM
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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
As some others have said, the biggest question you need to answer for yourself is what are your expectations for the race? Do you want to just finish or do you have some time in your head? Once you answer that, then the road to the race becomes much more clear and straight.

Finishing an Ironman is not hard especially for someone who has an athletic background like yourself. That is assuming of course you are not really overweight or have some sort of injury. If you are an active person in general and reasonable athletic you could easily finish an Ironman on 8 hours of training per week and that might even be high.

Edited by rcntly4298 2013-12-22 6:57 PM
2013-12-23 5:07 AM
in reply to: Emskelly3

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
Originally posted by Emskelly3

I am a newbie to world or Triathlons. I got my first sprint this past year after I dropped 65 lbs cycling and running from January to August. Now I want train for my first ever Ironman in Louisville in August.

My background is I was a college swimmer and am a college swimming coach. That portion I know, but the training for cycling, for running and the planning in general is completely foreign to me. I need a much help as possible with this. My training time is limited because as college coach, during the school year, I'm committed 12-13 hours a day with my job and I'm a husband and a father.

I'm looking to any suggestions, ideas, coaching, etc as possible.

Thank you


I liked don finks "be iron fit" plan. I think even using the competitive plan it didnt get much longer than 2hrs during the week days, and that was toward the end (when i would assume school was done???)...and you're not going to have to swim train anywhere near what a "normal" person does.
2013-12-24 12:33 PM
in reply to: TheCuse

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman

I also followed Don Fink's "Be Iron Fit" plan. Worked well for me, especially in the early weeks when I liked the structure, and establishing a routine.

So far as the "allure of Ironman". The guy next to me in line at the start of IMLOU had never taken part in a triathlon before, of any distance. He was an avid cyclist, with very limited OWS experience. BUT, he decided he wanted the challenge, and signed up. I made a note of his number and checked his times afterwards, he did well given his very limited experience.

Bottom line: it can be done. With sufficient discipline, and determination, it can be done well.
Good luck!

2013-12-24 12:37 PM
in reply to: #4915068


3

Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
Thank you to everyone for the advice. A former swimmer of mine who has done a few half and full IM recommended Be Iron Fit and I'm in the process of implementing it. I will post again when I have more questions.
2013-12-28 9:07 AM
in reply to: Emskelly3

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
Originally posted by Emskelly3

I am a newbie to world or Triathlons. I got my first sprint this past year after I dropped 65 lbs cycling and running from January to August. Now I want train for my first ever Ironman in Louisville in August.

My background is I was a college swimmer and am a college swimming coach. That portion I know, but the training for cycling, for running and the planning in general is completely foreign to me. I need a much help as possible with this. My training time is limited because as college coach, during the school year, I'm committed 12-13 hours a day with my job and I'm a husband and a father.

I'm looking to any suggestions, ideas, coaching, etc as possible.

Thank you


Hey Eric, Welcome to BT!

Making that jump to an Ironman is definitely a serious commitment. Others gave some great info and recommendations. A person as busy as yourself finding the proper balance in family, work and training will be a big key. What college do you coach for, if you don’t mind me asking?

Ironman Louisville is still open and seams to be the slowest to fill up. You live in KY so you know what the heat and humidity is like in August. Keep that in your mindset when you are training for the run. Start building some base now in the bike and run if your training has slowed for the winter. The plan you choose will do, just having a plan is the key.

I wish you all the success. It is a great feeling crossing that line knowing all your hard work has paid off.



BrotherTri’s - Triathlon Training Support Group


2014-01-06 7:03 AM
in reply to: Emskelly3

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Subject: RE: Want to do my 1st Ironman
Do you work 12-13 hour days year round, or just during the season?

To do an IM, you'll need to carve out 8-15 hours per week for your training. You can do it on less, but this is shoes-on, sweat pouring, training and doesn't include the time to change clothes, shower, commute, etc. You'll need to find at least a few blocks of time to do 2-3 hour runs and 5-6 hour rides.

Without much background in cycling or running, build slowly and pay attention to recovery to minimize injury. Otherwise, no reason you cannot do an IM your first year. There is also no reason you "have to" do a sprint-OLY-HIM before an IM. Doing a sprint tri isn't going to provide much insight into how an IM day might go, they're dramatically different races.
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