What I learned from my Half-Ironman Experience (Page 2)

I am glad this thread was bumped!! I have my first HIM this Saturday, and there were several good tips in here.

Thanks for the information.

I finished the Florida 70.3 in May, and learned a few things. I did the ING half mary last spring before the half iron race, and it too was a big test and huge confidence boost to finish (though I think run races are EXTREMELY boring compared to triathlons).
My big change for the Augusta 70.3 next year will be to add a lot of long bricks to my training. I think that will make my run go much much smoother. So my advice would be to ask your coach about his thoughts on long brick workouts prior to a half iron race.

Not to derail, but remember to "race your race" in the Atlanta Half Mary. Find a pace that is comfortable to you, and go with it. The good thing about pure run races is that most of them have so much stuff going on throughout the course to help take your mind off of the pain (e.g. bands, cheerleaders, etc....). Plus, they have plenty of aid stations if you need it.

Good Luck!

This is great thread. I don't really have anything to add 'cause I've only done sprints and one OLY. I am eyeballing 2 half irons next season and y'all have already been most helpful.

Love this post...

My first HIM was 70.3 Fla this past may. Looking to do it again next season as well as adding 70.3 Augusta.
Thru the late winter and spring a did a lot of easy/long treadmill runs at below 140 bpm heart rate to build a foundation.
Once spring arrived, I took that outside and did the same with my runs and rides slowly building to a max of 60 miles x 2 a week on the ride and did a progression of runs building to 14 miles twice before the HIM.
Also did the same with the swim. Plus added one "speed" session in starting in April leading into May and then a 2 week taper leading to the race.
My run progression looked something like this in miles:
6,6,6,8,6,8,8,8,10,8,10,10,10,12,10,12,12,12,14,12,14,14.
As you can see, if you do two long runs a week it will take you 10-11 weeks to build up to max distance so plan accordingly and start the progression early enough.
One of the best this I found for nutrition is Ensure. I Pro told me about it and it works great as a top off 1 hr before a ride/run and right after a workout as a recovery drink.
During the race I drank 3-4 bottles on the bike. A mixture of half water half Gatorade. Plus 2 gels and a Hammer bar.
In T2 I had a frozen Ensure tucked into my running shoe...yum. Then took one gel every 45-50 mins plus Gatorade topped off with a few sips of water at the ade stations. I dumped the rest of the water/Ice into my running hat...felt great in the African Grass Land of the Fla 70.3 run course.
The last things as I babel on is to ENJOY yourself and set a realistic goal. The first thing I wanted to do was FINISH, then if I could do it under 6hrs 30min Id be even happier.
I finished in 6hrs16min27sec.
Remember to encourage your fellow racers. There was nothing like coming into the finish and hearing people call out your name cheering for you!!!

See you next year at 70.3 Fla in May and 70.3 Augusta in Sept!!!

FM