What was your first HIM finish time?

4:44!?!?

I'm almost (almost) ashamed to say mine was 6 hours flat.  Did virtually no speed work, and made many, many rookie mistakes.

Had a knee injury 2 weeks before, so I did nothing for 2 weeks before the race, and I felt very uncomfortable throughout the bike, and my knee killed through the whole run, making it my slowest EVER 13 miles.  Definately would have been around the 5:30-40 range or lower (again, excuses, excuses).

Mine first was 6:10:25 at the Racing for Recovery HIM.  I didn't worry about what was respectable - it's about setting realistic goals for yourself.  Had a blast!  It was a great experience, and I'm using it as a building block for an Ironman some day.  Doing two HIMs this year and a marathon.  Go for it!

Terrible (for me) time of 5:58.  Horrible swim set-up a mediocre bike where I didn't realize I had a rear brake rubbing until almost the 50 mile mark.  Ended up walking the last 4 miles of the run because my legs locked up from dehydration and nutritional defficiences.

Hence the reason I've been concentrating on the swim so much.  It's all connected ........

5:45:59 -- Harvest Moon Long Course.  Learned alot about myself and my goals. 

Remember, what's done is done,  race in the moment.

Respectable is in your own eyes...and for me, respectable is giving my best effort.  Too many things can get in the way of a number goal...mechanicals, lousy weather, GI issues, life getting in the way of training, family, etc.  But that's for you to decide, for you.

My first HIM was 5:31 and change at Steelhead, August '06.  My story is a classic...strong swim, strong bike, died on the run, exactly as I had trained for it.  An incredible learning experience, as many posters have noted.  My list of to-do's to improve is pretty long. But I did give my best effort.

6:24:54 at the Delaware Diamondman last year. I had under-trained for the bike, but still had planned to finish faster than this. I had a great swim and an average bike, but it all came crashing down on the run. The food was gone, the announcer had left and almost no one but my wife and kids were left at the finish line. But I still had an awesome time.

Don't worry about what might be perceived as respectable. That is a different number for everyone.

Any race that you have fun doing and finish before the time cutoff is a success!!!  We are talking iron distance here.  Finishing is a feat in and of itself!

My goal time was 6:00 and I made it in 5:57:51.  I was stoked!  I did the same thing as rkreuser:    strong swim, strong bike, died on the run.  Also just like rkreuser, this is just what I trained for! This year I am shooting for 5:30.

SOMA HIM in 2005: 8 hr 29 min.

I've never been so beat down before in my life. I was so scared of the distance on race day that I was way too conservative. On the run I was paranoid and frightened that they were going to pull me off of the course. But I finished.

When people asked me how my race went, I'd just say "I finished." I really didn't want to tell people my time. I had people at work telling me about 70 year old men that finished faster than I did. My 53 year old father-in-law expected me to finish well before his best HIM time of his 30's of 5:20. For awhile after that I never wanted to do a tri again.

The following year I did two HIM's, both an hour faster than this one, and signed up for IMAZ. I never do the "take your HIM time and add an hour" thing because I'd never have the courage to do IMAZ if I did. And I know of too many things that have happened to people during IM to affect their time (illness, 5 flats on the bike, etc).

People probably look at my HIM times and figure I have no business doing an IM. But that first HIM made me feel what it's like to be out on a course for a long time, by yourself and mentally beat down. I figure it was mental training for IM. I've already been down the road that many are going to go down in their head the first time on IM race day.

In the end it's just a time. What you learn from the experience will mean much more.

Here is my race report from Diamondman: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=54775.

This page has links to several other people's reports from that day: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/directory/link-detail.asp?linkid=6838

Hopefully this helps. I tend to put way too much detail into mine. PM me if you want more info.

Bill