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Ironman?
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 2016-10-10 3:26 PM |
 1 |  Subject: Ironman?Hello. I am 35. Just ran a sub 3 marathon (have run 7 marathons total and have been running for a good 10 years - many half marathons). I have a Trek 2.1 roadbike that I ride from time to time -- did several 60 mile rides last summer, but I'm not on it a lot. I have done 2 duathlons - both at the Olympic distance, in the last couple years. I would like to try to finish a full ironman triathlon in about a year. I have no swimming background - I know how to swim, but not really well. If my goal is to simply finish, that is something that could be done with a years training and using my current bike, yes? What should my goal be for the next 8 months or so? Swim and bike as much as possible?  Thanks |
| 2016-10-10 3:41 PM in reply to: 0 |
701  | Subject: RE: Ironman? Originally posted by waterbottle What should my goal be for the next 8 months or so? Swim and bike as much as possible? Yes. j/k sorta I'm no expert and can't speak to specifics. Although I came from a similar position as you in swimming. I knew how. But did I know how to do it for 2+ miles? Nope. But, I think of all of them, it's the one you can make the fastest relative advances in. Me before putting effort into swimming (beyond "swimming some laps" 1-3 times a year) -swim 200 yards, look around for awhile, breast stroke for 10-30 seconds, swim another 200 yards, maybe even roll over on my back for 10-20 seconds half way through -finish middle-ish pack in the swim. there's always TONS of not-so-accomplished swimmers, especially in the more local races Me after swimming 3 times a week for ~3 months: -swimming statistically is my best leg against my age group, top third? top quarter? -I can put my head down and swim until it's time to get out Now I'm actually working on 'swimming faster' Also, you'll want to really try swimming in open water at some point. And, ideally as part of a race...and not just an open water swim. It's not different, and at the same time...it is. Not any kind of dealbreaker, or anything. Just I'd hate for the first time to swim open water in close proximity to lots of other people, in water that's maybe colder than you regularly experience.....to be at the start of my first Ironman. Edited by jhaack39 2016-10-10 3:42 PM |
| 2016-10-10 7:06 PM in reply to: waterbottle |
Member 622 Franklin, TN | Subject: RE: Ironman? What sets up a good Ironman run (or any triathlon run for that matter) is coming off the bike fresh enough to tackle the run at your goal pace. How do you do that? Well, you have to pace the swim & bike correctly. How do you do that? You have to gain enough fitness and training experience to know what pacing you can sustain for a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike. You'll probably be swimming in the neighborhood of 1.5 hours (give or take 15 minutes) before you get on the bike. You need some good swim fitness to knock that out without it fatiguing you much. Your best bet would be to start out with some good swim instruction, work on proper swim technique and then put in the yards/meters. Joining a masters group would help but you can certainly do your swim training on your own. For the bike, you need to just ride (a lot). I've only done a couple of HIMs but I rode several 60+ mile efforts on the weekend to prepare (plus additional indoor/outdoor rides during the week). It would help if you had a heart rate monitor to use to gather data from your rides. The heart rate monitor can be use to control your efforts during a race so you don't blow up. Remember, that sub 3 talent will do you no good if you come off the bike totally exhausted.
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| 2016-10-10 7:40 PM in reply to: JoelO |
Extreme Veteran 1332  | Subject: RE: Ironman? Absolutely a realistic goal, as long as your 60 mile rides aren't super super slow, and even at that, it's relatively trainable. Getting in the pool and preferably in a master's swim program to help with technique is key, miss the swim cut-off and your day is over, though the cut-off is quite generous. The bike is the biggest portion of the race, so getting strong there is going to make the biggest difference. The stronger your bike, then the easier effort-wise you can go, and the more you can take advantage of that run ability you have. |
| 2016-10-11 8:30 AM in reply to: waterbottle |
| 22 | Subject: RE: Ironman? Originally posted by waterbottle What should my goal be for the next 8 months or so? Swim and bike as much as possible? Yes. I was in the same boat as you, as a 7x marathoner (much slower than you) with no swimming and some biking. I signed up for an Ironman last October and completed it this past August (12:07). Swimming is hard for the first few months. Lessons and masters workouts help. You need to spend a lot of time in the pool so the swim doesn't destroy you. I was swimming five days some weeks. Lots and lots and lots of swimming. I was swimming a >3:00 pool pace when I started and got the IM swim down to 1:30. Being a strong runner will serve you well. Some of the run fitness will carry over to the bike, but you do need to start riding more. 112 miles is a long way to go. There are plenty of three hour marathoners that bomb the Ironman run because they did not train enough on the bike. So, totally doable if you put the work in. With your running, you've got a good head start on what many people struggle with. |
| 2016-10-11 9:50 AM in reply to: waterbottle |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: Ironman? Yes, it's possible. I know several people who learned to swim and completed an Ironman within 12-18 months of making the decision. Some of it depends on the specifics of your swimming because it will most likely take the most work to go from swimming to swimming 2.4 miles with 2000 of your closest friends. Don't get hung up on the bike equipment. It's the easiest place to spend a lot of money on for the race but people do Ironman races on very simple bikes all the time. I would find a swim coach and plan to swim 4 times a week between now and race day. Good luck! |
| 2016-10-11 10:07 AM in reply to: miamiamy |
Master 4118 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: Ironman? Originally posted by miamiamy Yes, it's possible. I know several people who learned to swim and completed an Ironman within 12-18 months of making the decision. Some of it depends on the specifics of your swimming because it will most likely take the most work to go from swimming to swimming 2.4 miles with 2000 of your closest friends. Don't get hung up on the bike equipment. It's the easiest place to spend a lot of money on for the race but people do Ironman races on very simple bikes all the time. I would find a swim coach and plan to swim 4 times a week between now and race day. Good luck! And be very sure to do some open water practice and shorter races before you do the IM - swimming in a pool is very different from swimming outside - and then swimming in a race is very different from swimming with just a few people casually in open water. I didn't know how to swim and came from a running background. But it was really the panic that kept me from progressing too quickly. The first season i raced I ended up DNF'ing a sprint because i just couldn't calm down. I did do a half ironman in the second season and while still slow i was able to do that quite calmly. But it was a lot of pool time, an open water swim most weekends of the summer and more short races to get me used it. It's a big commitment to get the swim under control. I did the full distance in my 4th season. Best of luck! Congrats on your speedy marathon, too! |
| 2016-10-11 11:53 AM in reply to: juniperjen |
Master 3888 Overland Park, KS | Subject: RE: Ironman? Yes it's possible in a year time but that depends on how much work you put into it. The good part is that you have a good running base and very few injuries come out of biking and swimming. I'd start the swim training right away and start riding the bike. If you have a cold winter coming where you can't ride outdoors I'd look into an indoor trainer. Then do 3-4 rides a week focusing on improving your cycling power (raise what it called your FTP = Functional Threshold Power). Then when spring comes start doing some long rides. There's a free Ironman training program on this site, look at that you'll see what's in store. If you dilly-dally, lose focus, have excuses etc. it will be difficult to reach your goal. Also, non-fitness related get buy-in from you S.O. and let friends, family etc. know your goal and how much time it will take out of schedules etc. Let them know way ahead of time. This helps remove barriers and conflicts along the way. |
| 2016-10-11 11:56 AM in reply to: juniperjen |
Master 5557 , California | Subject: RE: Ironman? Being a strong runner will serve you well. Some of the run fitness will carry over to the bike, but you do need to start riding more. 112 miles is a long way to go. There are plenty of three hour marathoners that bomb the Ironman run because they did not train enough on the bike. Also, sometimes I think runners are not prepared for *how much* time cyclists ride their bikes. So to the OP: 1) Since you lack swimming background, EARLY on, get some 1-on-1 lessons from a swim coach. Carry that instruction into masters swimming and you'll avoid building bad habits. 2) Bike bike bike. Don't miss your swim days, but you are now a cyclist for the next year. My ideal would be 3 weekday interval sessions and a longer group ride with people that push you on the weekend. But any additional biking you can do is also good (commuting, whatever). 3) Accept that you will lose some running speed. Many people still manage decent run volume during IM training. But it will probably be less than you're used to, and less aggressive pacing. And that's ok.
Those are just my general recommendations. Find a good plan - Don Fink's Be Iron Fit is decent. And then a key thing -- make minor adjustments to the schedule to fit your daily life better. You want the workouts to be automatic, not something you struggle to do. |
| 2016-10-11 3:14 PM in reply to: waterbottle |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: Ironman? being a strong runner will carry over to the bike well. With a sub 3 marathon I assume you run at least 30 to 40 miles a week just to keep your base going. I would keep this going all winter. On top of that spend the next 6 months working on your swim. Try to get some lessons or join a masters program to work on technique. try to swim 3 days a week. In 6 months you should be in reasonable shape for swimming, at this point start putting some base miles on the bike and find yourself an ironman plan. Most plans are about 20 weeks. Also sign up for some sprint or oly tri in the early part of the season, so you get some experience with transition and swimming in open water with other people banging into you. |
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