Ironman advice!
Bristol newbie
Posts: 149
in General Chat
I've never done an ironman but really want the tattoo!!! I'm hoping to do an Ironman in 2009.
So......I have 4 questions for a few wise heads...
1. How many hours a week would i ideally need to dedicate to training.
2. What would would be a realistic finish time to aim for?
3. How many months prior to the event should i begin training.
4. Which IM would most suit a first timer?
I look forward to your wise words,
Thanks, Lee
So......I have 4 questions for a few wise heads...
1. How many hours a week would i ideally need to dedicate to training.
2. What would would be a realistic finish time to aim for?
3. How many months prior to the event should i begin training.
4. Which IM would most suit a first timer?
I look forward to your wise words,
Thanks, Lee
0
Comments
but just aim to keep your weekly training hours consitant.
some people do anything from 10 to 20 hours a week ( age-groupers).
don't aim for a finishing time, just enjoy it ! even professionals like Scott Neyedli don't aim for times they just do their best and see what time they get!
since you want to do one in 2009, now wouldn't hurt to start training!
the uk ironman would suit a first timer, because it's in england!
it is a bit hilly though.
but if you got money to spend austrai is flat.
1)I have a regular job and manage between 15-20 hours per week. On a heavy week it will be more like 23-25 hours a week.
2)At your first IM just aim to finish before the cut off. 16h59 still gets you the tatoo and you will learn a lot.
3)You need to have a good base in all three disciplines so no harm in training now in anticipation for your specific IM. My IM specific training is about 4 months.
4)Pick a race that is close to you to avoid high costs. getting started for IM can be pricey.
Check out Ironman.com website. They list all the races worldwide and have links to each sites address. You can normally only enter for the following years race once this years race is over.
I second the advice given,regarding your time the weather can play a big part,heat/cold/rain/wind so research you race if you don't like wind then Lanza is definately out.Austria is flat but the 08 race filled up in under 24hrs,the courses that don't fill up quick are the harder ones such as Lanza,Switzerland and the races that take abit of travelling such as NZ ,far east etc best of luck.
Hours per week? It depends on how fast you want to go. I spent approx 2 hrs in the pool, 6 on the bike and 2 running per week, although many weeks I did less than this because of injury, illness, laziness etc. That's training to "get round", which I did, but in a predictably slow time. If I wanted to go sub-12 then I would double those hours in the months leading up to the race.
You have 19 months until IMUK so you have the time to address any big issues that will affect your performance, such as weight loss, swimming technique, etc.
You've probably worked this out for yourself but make your bike training a priority. Let's face it - you could breast-stroke your way round the swim in 1:30 if you had to, and you could walk the marathon in 5 hours if you had to, but there's no hiding from the bike leg. It is a long way. And IMUK is a challenging course. And once you've got off the bike, your legs need to be fresh enough to run.
I haven't done any racing or training since IM Austria 2006, but I may join you for IMUK 2009 :-)
I'm with the rest of the poeple on here but say you should do a half distance event this year! - new forest middle distance in sept for instance..
lots of good advice but don't be too too concerned about the
'total hours per week of training' just yet...
You will build your training in a progressive way hitting
break through times where recovery takes less time...
You will be getting fit and ready to go longer...
For your first IronMan be content to get over the line within the
cut off period...and train to this end.
Many people will quote quite long and longer yet weekly training times.
Start with a base that you are more than comfortable with and build slowly...you have plenty time.
Bye the way Austria is not flat...but it is fast. If you are ready you will be able to finish any Ironman course...
Good Luck...
what is the cut off time for IMUK? is it the same for all IM?
Also.... What happens when a call of nature is required? I've heard stories about people simply weeing themselves!!!! Is this true? What happens if a number 2 is needed?[:)]
At the moment I can run 13miles, cycle 60 miles plus and swim 2miles with still a little bit left in the tank so where do i go from there?
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ISBN: 978-1844-26-469
Ha ha! Yes I agree that the clear waters of Worther See (Austria) are probably easier to swim in than the Cape!
I wasn't recommending doing breast stroke (imagine all the people you'd kick!) but just making the point that for a new Ironman the bike is the leg to worry about. [;)]
I did the UK IM 2006 and still havn't got the tatoo, but i'm gonna soon - good pose at 10K runs! Not so good at triathlons when 'proper' cyclists fly by me!
A book I used for training and recommend is 'Be Iron Fit' by Don Fink - Amazon. It has 3 training plans and it works as I followed (more or less) the advanced one and astounded myself by finishing in 12hr 33mins!
Any finish is good - I was hoping for 14hrs at best! Do the training and it all comes into place - the day wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!
All the plans in the book are 6-7 months.
IMUK is hilly bike, Austria is flat but sells out in a day, as crowds are amazing - unlike UK, I don't think it's pricked the public concience yet!
You can DEFINATELY do it, I did and i'm just normal bloke. My mate did and it was his 4th triathlon.
I agree that you need to focus on the longest discipline for your first IM and then as you discover where your strength and weaknesses are you can tailor your programme.