General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Finished IMMD and Am Thanking You Rss Feed  
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2014-09-22 4:34 PM

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Subject: Finished IMMD and Am Thanking You
Hello all. This weekend I finished Ironman Maryland, my first Ironman. The advice I received here was invaluable, especially pertaining to my fears about making the bike cutoff in time. Between reading through the various threads, as well as your responses to my posts, I was able to make adjustments in training that made all the difference. I was just hoping to finish but got to a 13:2x, which included a bike time of about 6:35, some two hours faster than I would have believed was possible just a few months ago. Below is a tribute to those of you who made it possible.

KathyG – “I do think you would be better served if IM is a priority to ditch the upcoming Marathon and do more cycling. Even though you have done lots of Marys, I don't know any Ironman athletes or coaches that would suggest running a Marathon within last 6 weeks to an athletes first IM or any IM. Add in you worry about making bike cut off, seriously a very bad idea to do the Marathon next weekend. Instead ride more”. (This was the best advice I received. It was definitely echoed by others, and it totally changed my mindset. I had to treat biking like I used to treat running, and basically bike all of the time. I did, and it worked.)

FELTGood – “My only concern is that though you are an experienced runner why are you doing a marathon 1 month for the race? Though many will do a 20 mile run is 26 really worth the recovery toll on your body?” (Again, avoiding this marathon was key because it allowed me to bike more, and doing less running did allow me to do more biking and swimming because of the reduced recovery time from not dong long runs all the time).

Midwesttrimom – “I made myself bike all winter indoors just to build up the mental toughness. Now, I do a 3-4:30 ride every week (will be increasing very soon due to peak training) and I actually ENJOY it.” (I never though I’d enjoy biking, but eventually I did, maybe because I was actually getting better at it, for once!).

AdventureBear – ”On a serious note, I have friends that promote & race 100 mile gravel off road races on cross bikes. No reason you cant do a tri on a cross bike with road tires.” (I had considered getting a tri bike a month before the race, but this put my fears of riding a cross bike in an Ironman at ease).

Gsmacleod – “While a cyclo-cross bike will not be the fastest bike, if you are well positioned and comfortable on it, you are likely not giving up very much and would possibly be faster on your bike than swapping at the last minute.” (This also put my fears of riding a cross bike at ease, and the comfort level can't be understated. Having a proper bike fit before the race was crucial because I was able to maintain comfort while increasing volume and miles).

PGAMike – “Please don't push through the wind on race day. It is a hill in disguise that can go on for miles. Be patient, focus on steady effort and figure out how to take in your nutrition without slowing or dismounting the bike.” (There was some wind, but dropping gears helped save energy, even if it meant sacrificing a few miles per hour. Fighting the wind would have meant disaster).

Turtlegirl – “I think you are doing fine--keep up with the 5-6 hour rides and do a preride of the course if you can.” (I ended up doing 4 rides of at least 5 hours in the month before the Ironman).

Mike761 – “Relax, enjoy your taper, and just execute the plan next week.” (I was worried about the wind on the bike, but this was good advice – basically, to focus and stop worrying about what’s out of your control on race day).

To all of you, thanks so much!


2014-09-22 9:45 PM
in reply to: niceguy542006

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Subject: RE: Finished IMMD and Am Thanking You
Congrats on your finish! That's awesome.

I really like all these nuggets of wisdom. Esp this: “Please don't push through the wind on race day. It is a hill in disguise that can go on for miles. "
2014-09-22 10:51 PM
in reply to: niceguy542006

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Subject: RE: Finished IMMD and Am Thanking You

well. done.  sir.

2014-09-23 7:55 AM
in reply to: niceguy542006

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Subject: RE: Finished IMMD and Am Thanking You

Well done and congratulations!

I knew you were going to be faster on the bike than you thought.

Your change in training method and focus made the difference. I'm honored to hear what I shared here on BT helped you accomplish your goal.

Enjoy the post Ironman glow so many feel.

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