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Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?
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It's not possible to reach Ironman level in that time frame.
It will take 25+ hours per week training
It will take 20-24 hours per week
It will take 15-19 hours per week
It will take 10-14 hours per week
It will take 5-9 hours per week
Under 5 hours per week is sufficient
No training is required

2015-07-02 10:25 AM
in reply to: JohnnyKay

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?
Originally posted by JohnnyKay

Originally posted by trisuppo I think most of the comments were honest about the fact that he was a danger to himself and other competitors. Why do the race isn't you aren't going to respect it?

I don't understand why people assume the OP was a danger to himself and others for attempting this.  Foolish?  Probably.  But a danger? Dangerous would be climbing a mountain unprepared where you risk your life and may put others at risk who are pressed to try to help you.  Doing a supported IM when you have the ability to swim and ride a bike don't seem to come close to being especially dangerous in any material way.

I don't think the OP deserves any special respect for attempting something crazy with inadequate preparation.  But I find some of the derision to be at least somewhat misplaced.  Who's to say he didn't respect the race.  He clearly understood there was a good chance he wasn't going to finish.  He understood he faced an uphill climb (pun intended).  He decided to see if he could get through it anyway.  Probably foolish, but he doesn't seem to have any regrets and would like to try it again better prepared.




Ill prepared for the open water swim in the Med - risk to himself, participants and those there to safe his a$$ if he had a problem.

Lack of time on a bike on the actual road - huge risk to himself and others as he descended down Alps.

He clearly didn't respect the race. How many hours per week was he training?


2015-07-02 10:52 AM
in reply to: trisuppo

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?
Originally posted by trisuppo
Originally posted by JohnnyKay

Originally posted by trisuppo I think most of the comments were honest about the fact that he was a danger to himself and other competitors. Why do the race isn't you aren't going to respect it?

I don't understand why people assume the OP was a danger to himself and others for attempting this.  Foolish?  Probably.  But a danger? Dangerous would be climbing a mountain unprepared where you risk your life and may put others at risk who are pressed to try to help you.  Doing a supported IM when you have the ability to swim and ride a bike don't seem to come close to being especially dangerous in any material way.

I don't think the OP deserves any special respect for attempting something crazy with inadequate preparation.  But I find some of the derision to be at least somewhat misplaced.  Who's to say he didn't respect the race.  He clearly understood there was a good chance he wasn't going to finish.  He understood he faced an uphill climb (pun intended).  He decided to see if he could get through it anyway.  Probably foolish, but he doesn't seem to have any regrets and would like to try it again better prepared.

Ill prepared for the open water swim in the Med - risk to himself, participants and those there to safe his a$$ if he had a problem.Lack of time on a bike on the actual road - huge risk to himself and others as he descended down Alps.He clearly didn't respect the race. How many hours per week was he training?
How can you say he was a risk during the swim? I would bet there were plenty there less prepared for the swim then he was. And I don't think he was all that I'll prepared. As for the bike he recognized the difficulty of the decents and planned to be cautious.
2015-07-02 1:41 PM
in reply to: trisuppo

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?

Originally posted by trisuppo
Originally posted by JohnnyKay

Originally posted by trisuppo I think most of the comments were honest about the fact that he was a danger to himself and other competitors. Why do the race isn't you aren't going to respect it?

I don't understand why people assume the OP was a danger to himself and others for attempting this.  Foolish?  Probably.  But a danger? Dangerous would be climbing a mountain unprepared where you risk your life and may put others at risk who are pressed to try to help you.  Doing a supported IM when you have the ability to swim and ride a bike don't seem to come close to being especially dangerous in any material way.

I don't think the OP deserves any special respect for attempting something crazy with inadequate preparation.  But I find some of the derision to be at least somewhat misplaced.  Who's to say he didn't respect the race.  He clearly understood there was a good chance he wasn't going to finish.  He understood he faced an uphill climb (pun intended).  He decided to see if he could get through it anyway.  Probably foolish, but he doesn't seem to have any regrets and would like to try it again better prepared.

Ill prepared for the open water swim in the Med - risk to himself, participants and those there to safe his a$$ if he had a problem. Lack of time on a bike on the actual road - huge risk to himself and others as he descended down Alps. He clearly didn't respect the race. How many hours per week was he training?

You seem to know a lot about the OPs ability to swim & bike.  And with how to define 'respect'.  How many hours of training are required to respect the race?  Do you have to be able to finish it to show it respect?

 

2015-07-02 2:34 PM
in reply to: JohnnyKay

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?
Originally posted by JohnnyKay

Originally posted by trisuppo
Originally posted by JohnnyKay

Originally posted by trisuppo I think most of the comments were honest about the fact that he was a danger to himself and other competitors. Why do the race isn't you aren't going to respect it?

I don't understand why people assume the OP was a danger to himself and others for attempting this.  Foolish?  Probably.  But a danger? Dangerous would be climbing a mountain unprepared where you risk your life and may put others at risk who are pressed to try to help you.  Doing a supported IM when you have the ability to swim and ride a bike don't seem to come close to being especially dangerous in any material way.

I don't think the OP deserves any special respect for attempting something crazy with inadequate preparation.  But I find some of the derision to be at least somewhat misplaced.  Who's to say he didn't respect the race.  He clearly understood there was a good chance he wasn't going to finish.  He understood he faced an uphill climb (pun intended).  He decided to see if he could get through it anyway.  Probably foolish, but he doesn't seem to have any regrets and would like to try it again better prepared.

Ill prepared for the open water swim in the Med - risk to himself, participants and those there to safe his a$$ if he had a problem. Lack of time on a bike on the actual road - huge risk to himself and others as he descended down Alps. He clearly didn't respect the race. How many hours per week was he training?

You seem to know a lot about the OPs ability to swim & bike.  And with how to define 'respect'.  How many hours of training are required to respect the race?  Do you have to be able to finish it to show it respect?

 




I know nothing but what he told me in his posts. From his first two posts on page 1 of this thread:

"Hi all,

I am new to triathlon, in fact endurance racing in general. I have no base fitness nor much previous experience of cycling or swimming. I did a 10km fun run a few years ago though. I decided wanted to do a triathlon, so I signed up for the Nice Ironman.

The timeframe to get from nowhere to Ironman is 10 months (just over 2 months to go now). My friends and everyone I have spoken to who have competed Ironman events think I am doomed to failure. A few of the more optimistic ones believe it is possible with 15-20 hours of training per week.

I wanted to gain a bit more of consensus on the feasibility of me completing in the 16 hour time limit Nice has. The bike course is tough but the marathon is flat. Also what sort of training hours are required per week over the 10 months.

Just to clarify, I signed up for it 8 months ago. 2 months to go.

My training thus far has average just under 3 hours per week. Quite a bit under the amount I'm supposed to be doing. I am hoping to bring that average up to around 5 per week over the 10 months (still lacking).

Two weeks ago I did my first triathlon as a build up training. It was an Olympic distance at 3h 10min. Last weekend I completed my first ever marathon, a pretty pedestrian 4:52 although the course was super hilly. This weekend its going to be a 100mile cycle, my first cycling event. My goal is merely to survive.

Two weekends from now, I am going to do my second triathlon, at half Ironman distance. It's going to be brutal but also a good indicator of just how doomed I am.

I have managed the full swim distance in a pool, but yet to try swimming open water nor swim in a wetsuit.
My training is extremely HIIT biased with very little long training. Except all these events I am doing now!"

He explained in further posts that almost all of his riding was on a gym bike and no real open water swims and no opportunity to get time in the ocean.

Swimming in a flat lake is very different than swimming in the Med with real waves.

Averaging less than 3 hours per week of training for a 140.6 demonstrates to me that the individual doesn't respect the distance. The outcome would substantiate that assertion.
2015-07-02 2:56 PM
in reply to: trisuppo

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?

He demonstrated he could swim (did several OWS prior) and ride a bike (completed other tris, including an HIM).  Being 'safe' in an IM doesn't require much more than that.  Maybe you disagree.

My definition of respect doesn't align with yours.  Difference of opinion.  That said, I have no real knowledge of whether he 'respected' it or not.  Just don't put much stock in those judging him for the reasons they presented--yours included.

2015-07-02 3:02 PM
in reply to: JohnnyKay

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?
Originally posted by JohnnyKay

He demonstrated he could swim (did several OWS prior) and ride a bike (completed other tris, including an HIM).  Being 'safe' in an IM doesn't require much more than that.  Maybe you disagree.

My definition of respect doesn't align with yours.  Difference of opinion.  That said, I have no real knowledge of whether he 'respected' it or not.  Just don't put much stock in those judging him for the reasons they presented--yours included.




We can always agree to disagree.

My feeling here wouldn't necessarily be the same if it was a different course.

Nice is listed in the top three for difficulty of swim and bike.

Again, swimming in a calm lake and riding a bike on flat ground is alot different than the conditions in Nice. My 5 year old can swim in a pool quite well and is adept at riding a bike. I guess she'd be safe at Ironman Nice? It was irresponsible to prepare as he did for a course as challenging as Nice. I don't put much stock in those giving him a pass for the reasons they present - yours included.


2015-07-02 3:14 PM
in reply to: #5125374

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?
Fair enough. Although "giving him a pass" isn't quite how I look at my view. I never thought he would finish. I just don't think he was taking unusually high risks for the safety of himself and others. I do think he was crazy for trying on so little prep. But I think most people are crazy for doing IMs no matter how much they prep. So that's really just a matter of degrees.
2015-07-02 3:22 PM
in reply to: JohnnyKay

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?
Originally posted by JohnnyKay

Fair enough. Although "giving him a pass" isn't quite how I look at my view. I never thought he would finish. I just don't think he was taking unusually high risks for the safety of himself and others. I do think he was crazy for trying on so little prep. But I think most people are crazy for doing IMs no matter how much they prep. So that's really just a matter of degrees.


I'm fine with that. Just a matter of difference on safety. Have a great weekend!
2015-07-06 6:40 PM
in reply to: trisuppo

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Subject: RE: Ooops, I signed up for an Ironman. Am I Doomed?
To the OP. Sorry you didn't finish but glad you are okay with everything.

As to this thread, I've checked in from time to time and found it all kind of crazy, with all due Respect. That was the theme here, Respect, right? Whether the OP Respects the distance and all the work others have done to get there, and whether fellow triathletes Respect what he has or hasn't done? Who cares? if you consider swimming then biking then running a noble pursuit, then that's cool, I like it too. But as far as I read, the OP didn't post seeking Respect but some advice on what may have been an ill conceived plan already in motion. He got a little bit of that which I hope he paid attention to, with a big helping of judgement, which I hope he ignored.
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