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First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea?
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 2007-12-10 11:25 PM |
Member  15 Lawrence, Kansas |  Subject: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea?I'm new to triathlons but have been running for quite some time. When I saw the advertisement for IM 70.3 Kansas I became very interested. I have always had an Ironman as my ultimate goal and I also live in lawrence. Would it be stupid of me to do this as my first triathlon? Even if it isn't the smartest thing would it be possible for me to get ready for it in 6 months and possibly do some sprint and olympic triathlons during my training schedule for the 1/2 IM? I was looking at some of the plans available here and saw that there was a 20 week (5 month) plan that was for people who can swim 40 min and run 60 min and bike 90 min at a time. The running and biking part I know I can do but not so sure about the swimming. Would it be possible for me to get up to that point in swimming in a month? I'm a 20 year old male who is not overweight at all and am quite strong pound for pound. Sorry if my post layout is confusing and thanks for any help that you can give. |
| 2007-12-10 11:43 PM in reply to: #1094230 |
Regular 114 Louisville, KY | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? My first triathlon was the Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 last year so I don't think it is so crazy. I was 23 when I did it and it wasn't too bad (being young is a big advantage to jumping in so quickly). I say go for it though, but expect that first one to be a system shock. My second triathlon was the Louisville Ironman this year so I'm all for going straight for distances. Especially if you can't afford the entry fees for a bunch of races early in the season. |
| 2007-12-11 12:04 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
Champion 9430   No excuses! | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? Go for it if you want. I have the same background and had the same goals of doing IM so last year was my first and I did an olympic then 2 HIM's then Redman Iron Distance. |
| 2007-12-11 12:18 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
Member 15 Lawrence, Kansas | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? Wow thank you guys for your responses. It is very encouraging to hear you two have gone through the same thing that I am about to. I know it won't be easy but I believe it will be the best thing I have ever invested my time in. |
| 2007-12-11 12:42 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
| Champion 9430 No excuses! | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? I had the idea of maybe one IM and then get out but I am hooked. It is so complex and just so much to learn and do that i absolutely love it. |
| 2007-12-11 12:51 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
Master 2406 Bellevue, WA | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? Snoogaloo - 2007-12-10 9:25 PM I was looking at some of the plans available here and saw that there was a 20 week (5 month) plan that was for people who can swim 40 min and run 60 min and bike 90 min at a time. The running and biking part I know I can do but not so sure about the swimming. Would it be possible for me to get up to that point in swimming in a month? IM 70.3 Kansas is in June. That's plenty of time to turn a runner into a triathlete. What are your swimming, biking, and running abilities right now? How far / how fast / how often do you swim / bike / run? |
| 2007-12-11 5:25 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
Member 125 Kansas City | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? Thats funny, the kansas 70.3 is the first triathlon that I've signed up for. I'm hoping to get some sprints in before that though. Looks like we're in the same boat  |
| 2007-12-11 7:07 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
| Extreme Veteran 390 | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? If you could follow the training for the 1/2 IM, then go for it. But, I would do one or two shorter tris along the way. They would be good practice for hydration and race day prep and will give you some race experience that I'm sure will only make the day of the 1/2 IM that much better b/c you'll have that peace of mind. Plus, this stuff is fun, so if you have the chance to do a shorter race before the 1/2, you should do it. Don't deprive yourself of the chance to meet more great people and experience more tris, life is too short. |
| 2007-12-11 8:37 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
Champion 5575 Butler | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? It is definately doable but I would highly suggest at least a sprint somewhere in your training. It will help with the OW mass start and transitions although I think it can be done without. |
| 2007-12-11 10:30 AM in reply to: #1094601 |
Master 3127 Sunny Southern Cal | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? kproudfoot - 2007-12-11 6:37 AM It is definately doable but I would highly suggest at least a sprint somewhere in your training. It will help with the OW mass start and transitions although I think it can be done without. x2. Race experience in another shorter tri will be helpful. I've only done one tri (an oly), and my next scheduled race is a HIM in March. You'll learn some things that will make your race go smoother the second time around. Not necessary, but you could just consider it part of your training. I'm sure when I do my HIM, I'll wish I had a couple more oly's under my belt. Have fun and good luck. |
| 2007-12-11 10:50 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
Pro 3906 Libertyville, IL | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? While the whole training aspect and where you are at in the disciplines is important, I would read as much as I can on nutrition and get ideas of what works for you ASAP cuz that makes a huge difference at this distance. You should get a mentor maybe in the Jan mentor thread!  |
| 2007-12-11 11:02 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? For someone with a background in endurance sport, I don't think a HIM in the first season is an unrealistic goal. However, there are definitely somethings to keep in mind as you plan your season: 1) Train your weakness(es) and maintain your strength(s) - you've mentioned swimming as something that you have less confidence/experience in so invest time here - you need time in the pool and, depending on your background, coaching. 2) Nutrition - this is key as for the majority of athletes, a HIM will take longer to complete than a marathon and in addition to having the endurance to go the distance, you need to fuel to go the distance. Especially if your longest races to date have lasted under two hours, getting your nutrition nailed down and dialed in is crucial to an enjoyable race. 3) Race shorter distances first - while if your training is sufficient you should be able to handle the race distances, you probably want to experience the flow of a triathlon before your key race; how transition works, getting out of a wetsuit, running off the bike, etc; all things that you want to know before the big day. Best of luck, Shane |
| 2007-12-11 12:00 PM in reply to: #1094230 |
| Expert 1233 | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? Read this thread and the article. http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp... There is an emotional aspect to the challenge of distance racing. While you can probably do the HIM as your first Tri, the question is why? You're young, get caught up in the excitement of training and doing a triathlon, sprint distance, then carry that enthusiasm and 'experience' with you into the half. |
| 2007-12-11 12:30 PM in reply to: #1094230 |
Veteran 201 Chilliwack B.C | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? LOL I signed up for a 1/2 Ironman on Jan 1st as a new years resolution. I think I was still drunk and felt very cocky. Jan 2nd I panicked. I had almost exactly 6 months to train. I went from nothing to 1/2 iron, and finished in 6 and 1/2 hours. Turned out to be the national campionships and one of the hardest bike courses in Canada. So I would say if I can do it anyone can. |
| 2007-12-11 12:30 PM in reply to: #1094230 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? I missed in the original post that you are still quite young - not that this is going to preclude you from finishing a HIM, but IMO it changes things slightly. For someone starting the sport at your age, you are likely to find the greatest gains following a slightly different route. I would use the next couple of years to focus on training and racing short course; this will build your aerobic engine and be able to race fast over the sprint and olympic distance. As your fitness increases, you should be able to make a successful transition to HIM and race fast at that distance as well. Very few athletes join the sport at your age and as a result, if you remain in this sport for several years, you have the opportunity to be successful for a long time. For now, your AG will typically be fairly small and if you build from short course to long course, by the time you get into the big age groups, 30-49, you will already have ten years of training and racing experience. Anyway, something to think about, depending on your goals within the sport Good luck, Shane |
| 2007-12-11 12:40 PM in reply to: #1094230 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? Well, everyone has given great advice... so I'll just say this... it seems that the swim is the portion that most people struggle with. Swimming is ALL ABOUT FORM and TECHNIQUE. It's also a little un-nerving to some to have a limited amount of air to work from. If you want to be able to swim 40 minutes straight within a month's time, I strongly encourage you to get a coach. Especially since you come from a running background and you are probably pretty lean. A lot of lean people have an issue with their legs sinking when they swim. Now, mind you, I haven't seen you swim... but unless you were a competitive swimmer at some point, you will probably need a coach to get up to speed on the swimming quickly (aka: in one month). Good luck! |
| 2007-12-11 7:08 PM in reply to: #1095208 |
Member 15 Lawrence, Kansas | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? Thank all of you very much for your feedback. All of this information is very helpful and greatly appreciated. vonschnapps - 2007-12-11 12:00 PM Read this thread and the article. http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp... There is an emotional aspect to the challenge of distance racing. While you can probably do the HIM as your first Tri, the question is why? You're young, get caught up in the excitement of training and doing a triathlon, sprint distance, then carry that enthusiasm and 'experience' with you into the half. Thank you for directing me to this article. After reading it I'm going to make sure I do some spring and olympic tri's before attempting the 1/2 IM. It also took away some self pressure I had and made me think that maybe the 1/2 IM could be better done next year. That being said I'm still keeping it on my list but it is not more of "if i'm confident and ready" sort of thing. |
| 2007-12-12 7:56 AM in reply to: #1096322 |
Veteran 239 Grand Rapids MI | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? My very 1st triathalon was going to be a 1\2 - but the plans just didn't work out and I'm very glad that I waited. I think it's very possiible to do it and get in the kind of condition to do it well, but I believe you miss out on the bigger picture. There's so much to learn in this sport. I've got a couple dozen races under my belt now with the longest being a 1\2, and I continue to learn from those who are better and more experienced. I learn something at every event. Every distance has a different plan and different "feel" and I enjoy them all - I am doing Lake Placid this year as my 1st Ironman and I know it will be a place to learn and grow into this sport some more. I look forward to the learning process. Take you time and ENJOY this great sport !!! ........but most of all do what is right for you. Scott Edited by slider 2007-12-12 7:57 AM |
| 2007-12-20 7:15 AM in reply to: #1094230 |
Regular 52 Tallinn, Estonia | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? My first tri was a HIM and my background was 8 years of absolutely no exercise. Time to train was 11 month. Given enough determination and will, it can be accomplished. I can tell you so much that in the mid way of the bike portion I really asked myself if that was such a smart idea to do a HIM as a first tri, but after finishing it, I had no doubt that it was the right step. If you have this dream: do it. Just focus, do your training and go for it. It is going to be hard, much harder than you imagine now, but you will learn to respect the distance and you will learn to adore the sport. I lost 20 pounds in my journey and I learned to believe in myself. A lot of people said there is no way I could accomplish that, I had to take jokes of me drowning, carried away in an ambulance and so on, but the feeling of proving them all wrong, aaah... Trust me, you can do it and you should do it. Just take my word for it, if it would be easy, everybody would do it. |
| 2007-12-21 1:42 PM in reply to: #1094230 |
| Iron Donkey 38643 , Wisconsin | Subject: RE: First triathlon a 1/2 IM. Bad idea? I'm 42, 6' 2-1/2" and weigh 162 lbs, and the very first race I did this year after training for about 4 months (but not very seriously) was my first marathon in May, then my first tri was a 1/2 Ironman in July, and then I did IM Moo this year. Those were quite the accomplishments in such very short time, but I worked hard, but was told that I should have had MORE training. There are a lot of factors involved, but I digress. Regarding you, it will depend on your dedication, time allowance, work ethic, training, and very importantly, nutrition! When you get up to the 1/2 Ironman league, you seriously need to put in some time and distance, along with monitoring the nutrition. Coming from a not-a-very-good swimmer's perspective, I wouldn't treat the swim as a cakewalk. Consider putting in the time. You won't regret it. From what you wrote, I see you as myself, but 20 years younger. If you have a plan, follow that plan. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but do a search through the threads because I'm sure some of the questions that you may ask may have already been asked and answered. Good luck. |
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