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Anyone doing IM France 09?

AgnessAgness Posts: 27
Anyone thinking of or doing IM France next year? If so have you worked out a plan of attack?

I havent entered yet, however am hoping to go cycle touring round Nice in october to check the course out. Ps does anyone know how soon this event will sell out?

Comments

  • I've entered, no training plan as yet.

    Its my first year of triathlons and I'm doing a half IM in sept,

    after a couple of week off then I can think about Nice 09.

    Just need to get through my half IM first.

    I've heard that it takes a while to sell out, because it so tough.

    I hope not because I'm all paid up and not backing out now[:@]
  • AgnessAgness Posts: 27
    Thanx for replying. This is my first year of triathlon also!. Have booked flights out to nice for mid oct. Unfortunately im gonna be cycle touring on my faithful mountain bike fitted with panniers and tri bars! (Wot a sight). Will be wild camping to keep cost down (am stone broke following thailand adventure). Plan to camp for the ironman.

    Hoping to do whole route so have an idea of how bad its gonna be.

    As for training ive got joe friels going long book. Any suggestions would be very wellcome. My boyfriend thinks im nuts, he is also gonna do it, coz 'he wouldent forgive himself if anything happened'.

    keep me informed of how your doing[:D]



  • pacmanpacman Posts: 109
    Hey Aggie and Red,



    Good luck with this event - it really is a fantastic race - I did it this year and it was a real challenge, tougher than IMUK. Just a few thoughts, the bike is a serious uphill slog followed by some hairpin corner descents. Don't be too concerned by thoughts of coming down, you get into a rhythm of gliding around the corners and I certainly ended up with a huge grin on my face as we literally flew down the mountain.



    Off the bike the real challenge hit in. I was in great form coming off the bike and I started the marathon looking forward to do a sub 4 hour. After the first of 4 laps on the run I was down to a shuffle. The heat was just intense 33c and there is no shade on the run.



    Nice is a fantastic place for the race though. It is not like IMUK with camping adjacent to the course but there are plenty of reasonable 2 and 3 star hotels within a couple of hundred meters of the sart.



    Enjoy the training and good luck

    Patrick
  • bathtubbathtub Posts: 280
    I have entered Ironman France 2009.



    The Going Long book is great for training advice, but for a first timer like Agness I would recommend Don Finks "Be Iron Fit"

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1592282393/ref=s9sips_c1_at1-3095_p-rfc_p?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1GR10GY4FPMCXW145AHD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=166622091&pf_rd_i=468294

    This book gives you 3 specific 30 week training plans for Novice, Intermediate and Competetive athlete.

    Good Luck with your training.
  • AgnessAgness Posts: 27
    Thanks for the replys! Have sent off for Don Finks book, hoping it should arrive today. Can't wait to start training
  • totally agree with bathtub re Don Fink. I followed it to the letter for my first IM back in May in Lanza and it worked. Best £7 I've ever spent!



    I have been tempted to do Nice next year. I am doing coeur D' Alene in the states the week before but have 2 friends doing Nice, one of which is trying to talk me into flying from there to do Nice.

    2 in 2 weeks would be a great challenge or would it be totally crazy, not to mention expensive idea?
  • AgnessAgness Posts: 27
    Just got back from Nice a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic bike route! Hilly but not as steep as the struggle. So ive entered and have started the Don Finks training plan.



    Quite worrying that the initial 10weeks of training is substantially less hours training than im used to! Boyfriend not happy that hes lost a training partner!



    would love to hear from anyone else whos entered or has done it!



    Im more worried about practicallities such as will there be parking on the morning?



    When do you set up your transition? is it the night before or on the day?



    thanx



  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    Maybe you should check if you can camp close to transition; no traffic jams, all your stuff close to transition, no parking trouble, not expensive, ......

    Just a thought, if you're into this camping thing or not!?
  • I have entered. I am most worried about not getting sick from sunburn. I have fair skin and I hate sunscreen.



    That is not an ideal combination.



    Does anyone have good suggestions on clothing that is light and offers protection from the sun?



    I notice most tri-tops are sleeveless, I was thinking of some under armor heat gear long sleeved shirt.





    Any suggestions appreciated,



    Penguin





  • AgnessAgness Posts: 27
    I use banana boat sweat resistant sunscreen. it works & doesn't sting yer eyes. Im also gonna sew some material onto the back of my baseball cap to protect my ears & back of neck.



    I may camp but thought bout staying in a hotel that may have air con. Im not keen on the heat either.





  • I did IMFRA 07, think they've changed the bike course now though



    Camping I don't think is an option as far as I'm aware of, we stayed in a cheapish hotel, 10mins walk away which was fine.



    Atmosphere before the start was awesome, the stones/pebbles are a bit sharp - other people had old flip flops on which was a good idea. Swim, lovely swim course. The getting out halfway is quite refreshing and gives you something else to think about. Apart from the the diver with camera who scared the cr** out of me at the turn. The petrol smell/taste was a bit gross but I got used to it. The sea was very rough when we first arrived in Nice but it was like that every afternoon. It is very calm in the mornings so don't panic..



    Bike - abs stunning but now I know why my bike was one of few TT set ups. All the french guys had standard road bike and clip on aero's. This was where my IM finished as it comp broke me. I had tonsilitis at the time but as this was my 10th IM I thought what the hell. Big mistake (see next).



    Run (or should I say long walk), was horrendous. Managed to run about 100m then had to walk for 5mins, repeat many times. I wasn't fit enough and had the worst stomach cramps. Limped home in 13hrs with v sore sun burn. My factor 15 apply once a day stuff didn't work. Since use factor 45 that I got last year doing IMWA and it works.



    Top tips, never race if you are ill. Nutrition, make sure it works in the hills where it is v hot and dry. I think this is why I bonked. Having to crawl a marathon after bonking is not pleasant. Make sure you take in liquid (pref gatorade etc) at every stop, I missed one cos I thought I'd be ok and this probably added to my problems. Its better to have it and not use it rather than the above. Hills, go and find as many as you can and keep repeating them. As far as the descents are concerned, be careful. It makes the IMUK one look like a pussycat. There were a couple of horrendous accidents, for what, maybe 1min less??



    The ladies on the beach didn't even help take my mind of the pain!



    The fireworks at the finish were awesome, so was the McDonalds.



    I've done another 3 since this one so the pain couldn't have been that bad though...



    Enjoy and good luck [8D]

  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    Great race report and info, PiT! [image]http://forum.220magazine.com/micons/m6.gif[/image]
  • [color=#810081]www.accorhotels.com[/color] tend to be OK and have various prices and locations - one is opposite start/finish. I have stayed at Etap Hotel (@5km from start/finish) when previously on bike reccie.



    I stayed at [color=#810081]http://www.apartment-in-old-nice.com/accommodation.html[/color] in 2007. Also, this [color=#810081]http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/france/FR1293.htm[/color] looks OK and is 5 mins from start. Danger with Old Town is that it can get "lively" - I am a good sleeper!!!
  • pacmanpacman Posts: 109
    As I said I did this race this year and loved the course. The bike is a serious but entertaining course and made for people who love a bit of challenge followed by the thrill of the downhill. The sun is a factor though. I had factor 30 in my swim to bike transition bag and slathered it on very liberally. But by half way round the cycle i was frying. If not for a kindly fellow competitior who was carrying a small tube of factor I would have ended up in trouble.



    On the run i had to get factor from my supporters or again i would have been in trouble. I wrote to IMFR orgainisation subsequently to suggest that the aid stations on the run provide suncream (which they didn't this year). Most of the people I saw struggling on the run were suffering from the heat.



    I agree with PIT this is not a course to take lightly, if you're going in with an injury or illness it will be a difficult day. If you get sunburn on the day it makes all the more difficult. My recommedndation is to carry a small tube of high factor for mid way through the bike, suncream at transition and again half way through the run.



    For accommodation I stayed at Hotel Rossevelt. It's a nice hotel, quiet and close to the start. Because the start is close to the centre of town all camping is going to be a bit away.



    Anyway guys good luck with the trainign - it's a great race.
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