Ironman Veterans - questions

1. Don't under estimate the swim. You should feel like you just warmed up afterwards. Not that 2.4 miles can be an after thought, but the real work is on the bike and the run.

2. Stupid proof your nutrition. Race day is all about time management and managing the obstacles you come across. Take nutrition out of the equation by practicing it religously.

3. Get a coach!!!

4. Get a professional bike fit...

5. Always have a plan B...And C...And D!

6. Mistakes in training are learning moments...Mistakes on race day can mean the difference between a time after your name or DNF!

7. Make a plan of your race week and day. Use checklists for everything from transition bags to the morning of the race. At IMWI this year, I had ZERO setup stress as I just went down my list and checked everything off. You really have more you need to focus on than filling fuel bottles, and stuffing your Transition bags.

8. If you are doing an "out of town" race, bring bad weather gear no matter what the forecast. You couldn't find a pair of arm warmers in Madison this year cuz they all sold out.

The most important thing...

The journey is the destination. Becoming an Ironman is not only about 1 day...It is about the time spent sacrificing and pushing yourself. Race day is just a long training day!

Enjoy the time...it will go fast.
Enjoy the race...it will go faster.
Enjoy the memories...they will last forever!

More when I have time...I've done just about everything wrong in preparing for my 3 IM attempts. This year, it all came together!

1.  What bit of knowledge do you wish you had known during your first IM?  I didn't need to train as much as I thought. Ended up a little overtrained. This time I was probably a little undertrained and it made a big difference.

2. What equipment/gear do you wish you would have had during your first IM?Don't rely 100% on your special needs bag. They couldn't find mine on the bike and I had to improvise the rest of the way. Nutrition is more important than anything else. I learned I need to take salt with me during the race.


3. Any other advice for first time IM'ers? Almost without fail, none of the problems that you prepared for will happen. You will run into issues out there that never showed up in training. So be prepared to shoot from the hip.

4. Nutrition

5. Nutrition

6. Nutrition

Don't get hung up on time goals.  Enjoy the first one and just focus on finishing then will be plenty of IM's in the future that you can go fast and blow up in.

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HAVE FUN, HAVE FUN, HAVE FUN. Take it the moment. Don't let the day go by without enjoying the crowds, the volunteers, the course. You work too hard for 8-12 months to not "enjoy" the day. You will have most likely done the training, so you will be ready. DON'T SECOND GUESS YOURSELF. It is not about time (for most people, especially the first time). Master your nutrition. This is just as important on the 7 hour bike rides, as the bike ride itself... GOOD LUCK

This might seem like a very minor issue, but I would try to get my packet pickup done on Thursday before the race so you can avoid the crowds and energy-draining insanity of packet pickup on Friday. That's my plan for IM WI '07. Good luck.

1. Your running shoes go in your Run special needs bag, which you check in the day before. So, if you're used to wearing your shoes to the event, you're barefoot on race morning. Remember to bring extra shoes. Or extremely cheap flip flops.

2. Oxygen tank. Or Landis' steroids. On a more serious note, a distinctive, brightly colored jersey. I blended in with everyone for my first. Stood out for my 2nd. Ugly, sure, but who's pretty doing one of these?

3. Pick a spot the day before the race to meet your wife. Saying you'll find her at the finish line is just inane. And give her an idea of your segment times. The first race I winged it, and I never, ever, saw her except for 1 time starting the bike ride, and then again about 45 minutes after I finished. For the second race, I gave her a prediction of my swim, T1, bike, T2, and run times. I hit it pretty close, and I saw her a lot. And my family could follow along on the internet. After all, if you're going to take wife/family with you, don't you want them to see you cross the finish line? Remember, its a long day for them, too, and they're just standing there in the sun, rain, etc hoping to see you among the 2000 others that zoom by. At least you get to do something.

This is a double-edged sword if your day goes South. Both IMWI 04 and 05, I did a q-sheet for my wife. When I didn't hit my times, she got very worried and caused for a very long day for her. Especially on the bike at IMWI, you only see racers once every 42 miles unless you drive around the course past verona. Imagine your loved ones are waiting for you to show up at a certain time. 15 minutes...30minutes...1hr...no show. What do you think is going through there mind? Did you get hit by a car? Is he/she OK? Are they laying in a ditch?? May sound funny, but last year many people were laying in ditches!!! Especially, the last two years at IMWI w/ the weather, anything could happen...

This year, I provided no time predictions for anybody but myself and it worked out great. On the run, most courses allow you to see them multiple times.

I'm not telling you not to use this...Personally, i think it is great for everyone to know where you might be. However, make sure you know the audience and how not hitting the schedule will impact them. i recommend doing a best-case and worst-case. But again, if you totally miss your worse case, you are setting your loved ones up for a long day. Trust me...The first two IMWI (04/05) races were harder on my wife than on me because of the unknown.

Mike

Once you get to a certain point, the long rides and runs are for your head and not for your legs. This is where a bunch of people miss the boat. They start doubting themselves a little and decide they need another long ride or a longer run or more bricks (which by the way I do about 3 bricks per YEAR, but that's another thread). The legs can get it done as long as you feed them and hydrate them properly. It's your head that will screw it all up. Be confident and show up race day with fresh legs.

Running shoes go in your bike to run TRANSITION bag, which you check in the day before. Run SPECIAL NEEDS BAGs are checked in on race morning and contain things you would get at the halfway point of the run leg. Don't think you want to put your running shoes in that bag.

how to pee on the bike.

it's very possible that you'll overhydrate in cooler weather and then will turn into the proverbial racehorse. if you need to stop everytime then either your run the risk of a penalty or a disqual - or your bladder may burst. there are never enough porta potties on the course.

Yep, same thing happened to me on IMWI. I had two flats (actually, same flat twice) which slowed me down considerably from my already pretty slow planned bike pace. My wife gave up waiting for me in Verona and was a wreck until she saw me come out of T2 for the run. So, my other advice: practing changing flats! I didn't get one during training rides (many of which were on the course).

There is a book called mental training for Triathletes... Great great book.

I have done three Ironman events this year and am doing Florida. Have done others in the past. Was signed up for IMWI this year but had to bail (wife was sick) and do the Survival of the Shawongunks race near my house. The absolute best race in the world. Bike 30 miles up a mountain then run-swim-run-swim-run-swim-run a total of 19 miles of running and 2.3 miles of swimming with 1000's of feet of elevation gain. Lake are ice cold and you have to carry everything with you the whole race so no wet suits. I consider it a 3/4 Ironman plus.

http://www.ulster.net/~sosnyta/

Creator is a multi-time Hawaii athelete who used the course as his training ground for Hawaii until so many friends started training with him he made it a race, which is in it's 23rd year.


A friend of mine once told me...

They say posession is 9/10's of the law. I say, Training accuracy and
an effective plan is 9/10th's of the law for Ironman fitness.

I was referencing the need to prepare for Ironman many months and years in advance. Any short term advice won't be of much value. I find many people looking for quick answers to complex questions. Doing Ironman relatively fast and injury free requires a depth of knowledge of sacrifice, realism, nutritional habits, restoration, physiology, training systems and experience. A problem many triathletes have is very poor planning and execution. They are riddled with injuries, frustration, metabolic deficiences and health problems. Ironman is very taxing on the body-moreso than most realize. Injuries hide and incrementally develop through repetitive stress. It's a serious game with real consequences but is beautiful if well prepared.



Edited by HammerheadNY 2006-10-05 12:18 AM