I'm new and I needed a big goal

Hi Amanda - welcome to BT! Sounds like you have your goal all figured out - you should have plenty of time to train for the race in October, and it's great that you have a friend to train with. You should use the training logs available here on BT - they're a great tool, and they'll keep you accountable. Whenever I slack off, I know someone here will give me crap about it

Welcome Amanda.  So, you've decided that you want to do a Half IM by October.  Well, we have a good Half IM training program available on this site (see below).  II would suggest, however, that you try out either a sprint tri or an olympic tri between this summer and this coming October.  This will get you used the crazyness of the transition areas and allow you to set shorter goals to shoot for in the meantime.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=52

Edited by Machiavelo 2005-04-20 2:46 PM

Holy Smokes!!

You are doing a Half-Ironman for your first tri. You did set a big goal.

I started training Jan. I did my first du 2 weeks ago and have my first tri coming up in 1 week.

I am doing 4 sprints this summer and hopefully an olympic next summer and maybe a 1/2 IM in the next 5 years.

Good luck on the training. Remember to get some rest with 5 kids and 6 days of training.

I found a few sprints in my area over the summer - one in May, June, and August. I think there's even a few beginner clinics, which I might need to check out.

If I was starting out as full on couch potato, I think I would've set an easier goal. I think I'm in pretty good shape, and I really believe I can do a half at the end of the 6 months. I guess I would like to take on a huge challenge, even if it kills me to complete it, rather than to set a goal and know I was capable of more.

How much is too much? I mean, how often can our bodies handle that much physical exertion? I'm just wondering if this is like a once/twice year thing? Or does it matter on the distance of the triathlon? Can you do it more frequently if you're doing shorter distances? And how long should I expect it to take to build up the strength/endurance to do an IM distance?

The only thing I can think to compare it to is my dad, who is a runner. He runs shorter races monthly, and a marathon at least every couple years.

Well done- go hard! I am doing a half IM from an average base in Oct also in NZ so know/appreciate what your up against.

6 Months is a pretty short time but if you follow the 10% max increase rule and have a good base fitness and home support, why not.

Full credit for aiming high.