The Ironman in 2019 thread

JoeX,

On my first season of Triathlons, but must confess that I come from a MTB background and did a lots of endurances races until I had a back operation and took off 2 years. When I started up again, I focused more on running and a little bit of cycling, until I had a meniscus tear and needed a small operation. I was advised that I can keep on cycling, but must stop running, and this is how my triathlon obsession started. Changed my running style to land mainly on the forefoot and use Altra running shoes. So far all good, but has taken a year to build my body to handle all three disciplines.
My Goals was to do a 70.3 on 2nd December 18 (all went well – My time 5h18min) and on the 7 April 19 my first Ironman. Lofty goals, if you take into account, that I have never done a triathlon and my swimming is not my strongest discipline.
Started the mid volume full ironman schedule in October 18 and now on the 5th week of Build. There are days that I am totally broken, and need to skip a day or two, and today is one of those days. It is always difficult to make myself skip a session. Was meant to do Pettit this morning, but after yesterday’s disastrous Brick session, when I had no energy to complete the last 20 minutes of the run, I decided to take the morning off an recess if I’ll swim in the afternoon.
To be honest, its being an enjoyable journey, but also the most difficult sporting / training I have set my sights on. Have no previous knowledge to gage against and not too sure if I’m training too much or too little. All I know for sure is that my wife has being a superstar in supporting me, because the training schedule uses the majority of your free time. My biggest motivation is not to let her down, because she has sacrificed so much to allow me to train for this event. I definitely owe her big after the event.

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Awesome:muscle:

Welcome to The Thread and a sweet result for your first triathlon!

We all have those days! My first full iron I would get so tired cycling home in the winter I would come in, the wife would put food in front of me and I’d be falling asleep while eating! :joy:. One of the reasons I’m a TR fan now actually.

It’s important to accept when you’re tired, imo. I just had an unscheduled recovery day on Weds, back to it now though and getting through the sessions.

How are you addressing your swim?

A bit of motivation for everyone…

Last night I was sweating through the last interval of Galena watching these guys and gals, thinking wow. Look at all those Ironmen. In 2013, when this race happened, I had just asked a friend of mine to teach me how to run(!) and perhaps I was quietly dreaming to myself about doing a triathlon some day if I could at least run for one hour without stopping, maybe, just maybe…
:crossed_fingers:t3:

I might not be a KQ, yet, but a few minutes in to the video it really plucked my heart strings when I remembered that I am an Ironman now. I am one of Them.

So particularly for the first timers here - Persist. Endure. Succeed.
:muscle:t2:

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Keep it up guys!

I haven’t committed to another full yet as I’m not sure I’ll have the time with work and family. But I’ll do the Tri de Mont Blanc (half distance with a 71k bike course with 1700m climbing) and probably a flatter 70.3 later, hopefully getting my PR in the medium to low 4:40’s. Was hoping for 70.3 Rugen, but it seems they are still negotiating with the locals about the course.

I’ll start SSB1 next week, followed by SSB2, sustained power build and climbing road race, planning my run and swim workouts myself (sorry Chad!)

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Had a swim coach for the first few months that helped a lot, but he took an extended sabbatical to visit family in NZ. I then joined a gym, and used YouTube vids for stroke assistance. I have the fitness to swim the distance and hoping to swim a time of between 1h 15 and 1h 20 for the Ironman, if all goes well

Coach has arrived back from Sabbatical this month, but I’m so used to my training schedule now, that I’m not sure if I want to joining the squad before the race. I follow TrainerRoad swim, run workout, and will make slight changes dependent on how I feel on the day

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2020 was going to be the year of a proper IM. I was going to return to Outlaw because I wasn’t happy wit my time there but I think with another 18 odd months of structured training I will have any ftp between 300 hopefully (Its at 242 now after only a few months of structured training) and I will have the fitness to really smash by tragic Outlaw time.

Just on week 5 of base for the half IM plan, first week picking this up after leaving my coach due to change in family circumstance. I’ve been doing base with him for a while but no VO2 work so that was a real shock to the system and the 3 20 SS didn’t seem all that bad.

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Brother if you need an FTP of 300 to get a non-tragic time then my Outlaw this year will probably cause the pop group Steps to appear and perform their 1998 hit Tragedy at the finish line :rofl:

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:rofl:

I’m going to remember that line in my next Ironman Death March*

*Another phrase which gets me giggling despite my tendons and joints falling apart.

Any middle or long, full or half counts here - we’re not branding snobs, it’s the suffering that’s critical.

Its great to set a time or qualify, but finishing is all that’s required. I’m more likely to raise an eyebrow if you told me you finished your last Ironman in Kona with a 2:41:32 marathon like it was an easy jog, set a new WC record and then, because the day hasn’t been special enough, proposed to you girlfriend who accepted…maybe an eyebrow isn’t enough, that could possibly even earn a slap. But no one would do that, would they? :wink:

(I’m just jealous, Patrick)

Another friend of pain, welcome in to the fold!

I’m looking for easier courses, not harder!

Entered Lanza yet? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

:sweat_smile:

:shushing_face:

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How are you dealing with the fatigue?
Since two weeks I‘m tired all day. Workouts are going great, but before and after the workouts I‘m feeling like I should go to bed and sleep (although I‘m sleeping 8-10h each night).
The volume is not that high (~6 weeks into low volume), but I never did sprints in Running…

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I guess I am feeling it now that I’m back into full weeks 10-11hrs I think the last couple.

If I can, I sleep after a session. It’s the 90min+ bikes that get me napping. 20mins, at weekends it might be two hours.

But I can’t sleep 8-10h, I had a heavy day yesterday and still only slept at 00:34 until 7:30 and pretty tired this morning but out and about with my son.

Keeping up with nutrition will help, I’m drinking a solid amount but pretty sure I’m still mostly dehydrated.

Dehydration is surely a huge topic. I sweat A LOT and the Trainer-Rides are just because of the loss of water and minerals taxing to my body, not to mention the TSS.

Is mid Volume “only” 10-11 hrs? I am doing that already in low volume!

Well, I’m not sure, I’ve got a spreadsheet somewhere but it’s better - for me anyway - to think of it in TSS and number of sessions. There’s ~50% more stress on the bike alone between Low and Mid (Full Base) plans. If you’re tired now… :wink:

Can someone reassure me a little, looking at the half ironman plan in up and coming weeks there are very few longer rides, I am aiming for a better than 2.45 bike split this year and would have always done bikes of 3 hours plus in recent years. There is nothing in the build or speciality over 105 minutes.

The idea with TR is that the consistent power output in a turbo ride is much more efficient than a real ride. So 2hrs trainer might equal 3+ outside.

I think there’s a 2.5h ride in mid vol base.

I’ll ‘only’ be going up to 5h in the Full plan.

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I have a half distance in June and just signed back up to TR to get a full 6 months dedicated training block in.
Possibly silly question, but what are people’s thoughts on Sweet Spot Base vs Half Distance Triathlon Base? I’d be doing low volume on either due to work/family time restrictions.

I only ask as I have seen for myself the benefits of sweet spot work and even in the description it says best for 99% of cyclists… but possibly not triathletes?

Cheers

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