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First Half Ironman

Hello all this is my first posting. I want to do my first Half Ironman next year. Can anyone suggest what a good first time event would be?
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  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    HI Tim ... welcome to the 220 !!!!!!! - am in the same positon as yourself - this being my first season in tri having a few races under my belt and looking towards longer events. Definately a half earlier in the year and maybe a full IM in the autumn. Sub 7 would appear to be a respectable time for 70.3 but i figure finishing will be a PB first time round but will aim for as close to that as possible. I did similar with my Oly and managed under. Dunno what your expereince / training is like ?



    phil
  • pacrfishpacrfish Posts: 266
    Hi Tim.



    Depends on your basic level of fitness, and where you live or can travel to. In the Midlands, the Half at Trentham Gardens is a relatively easy course, Vitruvian at Rutland Water is tougher, then there's the Beaver which was last week. Haven't heard any reports yet but the course looked good.



    I did the 70.3 at Exmoor as my first 'half' - which given my level of fitness was a major challenge. Can't wait to get back next year and do it properly! I know a lot of it is hype and marketing but there is something special about the 'Ironman' brand. If you want a challenge, we'll see you at the 70.3 next year - isn't that right, madnurse!!



    Whatever you choose, enjoy it ...
  • CenzoCenzo Posts: 91
    Tim,



    Time is course, condition & training relative, I was planning for around 6:15 at 70.3 this year, got injured 10 days before the event & ended up with 7:04, which i was still delighted with, it's an achievment.

    I can't reccomend Wimbleball highly enough, forget the £140 entry, it's worth every penny, and truly is a monster of a course, but on the up-side, you have 11 months to prepare!

  • Tim RulesTim Rules Posts: 9
    Hello all,



    Thanks for all of your responses. This is my first season in the sport. I have only undertaken the Blenheim Triathlon (Super Sprint) and have London (Sprint) coming up (5th Aug Aaarrgghhh). However I have caught the bug and am totally hooked. Having read a number of books on the subject of Ironman recently (Not Normal Behaviour by Stuart Staples and Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event) I hope to build up to a couple of half’s in 2007 then a full Ironman in 2008.



    However the only problem is I tend to work long hours and also have to have dialysis three times a week as my kidneys no longer work. The later is also very time consuming. I hope to look into getting a coach in the near future so I can really benefit from training in a tight time frame.



    I live in Essex, but in terms if traveling if the competition looks good I’m prepared to travel anywhere, including worldwide. Having had a look at the official Ironman website I must say your suggestion of entering one or a number of the ‘official’ races does look very appealing.

  • JasonBJasonB Posts: 303
    My plans were to do an half iron man also. But I was thinking Olpympics next year, then half ironman in 2008.



    Is it feasible to attempt a half ironman next year. Considering I have only done a few sprints. Although I am definately built for distance rather than speed.



    Does anybody know of any good training schedules?





  • pacrfishpacrfish Posts: 266
    Hi Tim - in your situation it makes sense to get a coach who understands the additional problems you face. I also have very limited training time (4-6 hours a week) so I have to make every minute count. I get training plans made up for me by a local trainer, and once a month he comes and takes me through a session. He can get me to do much more than I think I can do, and he corrects things like position on the bike and open water swimming technique.



    The plans cost me £40 a month, but without them I'd never have got through the 70.3.



    Good luck



  • BonusBBonusB Posts: 279
    Pat



    Did you just get a programme or do you get personal coaching as well?
  • pacrfishpacrfish Posts: 266
    Depends what I want to pay for! I do have personal coaching as well. After my dismal failure to get up the hills at Exmoor on my first visit I had a bike session that concentrated just on out of the saddle hill climbing techniques. You probably take all that for granted, but my only previous experience was cycling to school in the early seventies! That one session transformed my performance on hills.



    I use Richard Moyle from 4Life Ltd based in Nottingham. He's a triathlete, he has both formal training and practical experience and he's easily young enough to be my son, but he's from Yorkshire and very straight-talking!





  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    JasonB,



    I used the book '12 week triathlete' by Tom Holland to train for my first triathlon, a sprint distance. The authors real experience is at Ironman and the book includes training plans to cover all distances of triathlon. Obviously the longer the distance the fitter you need to be at the start but the plans are well laid out and fairly easy to stick to.



    Wella
  • I did my first sprint tri last Sept and I've just done the Ironman 70.3 (half IM) in Exmoor! If you put the training in then Tim and Jason you can do it. I didn't know if I could do it but was over the moon when I finished. It was however the hardest thing I've ever done :)



    There is a good 20 week half ironman training plan on www.beginnertriathlon.com this is free.



    Pacrfish - I've PM'd you! I have similar plans for 2007 and 2008 if yours are the same, send me an email if you get chance.
  • JasonBJasonB Posts: 303
    Thats brilliant. I will use that info, and think I will enter a half ironman next year. I hear WimbleBall is an easy one to start with lol
  • pacrfishpacrfish Posts: 266
    "A walk in the park" was an expression madnurse used for the 70.3. We'll remind him of that next year!
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    pat...think madnurse might have ment "he'll be walking [up hills] in the [exmoor national] park"....





  • pacrfishpacrfish Posts: 266
    But with all of us there too, he's not going to dare walk up the hills, is he????
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    nah we call all cycle behind goading him on
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    wot a sense of "team spirit " [:)] ... now i know you are all behind me ... "goading me on"

    the tribe goes from strength to strength



    huh !!!!



    madnurse

  • CenzoCenzo Posts: 91
    Nurse,

    You're going to love it, especially those two 14% hills, maybe a walk in a very hilly park!

    I think my Litespseed may be fitted with a 2 stroke motor by next June!
  • RobRob Posts: 209
    Tim Rules, whereabouts in the country are you? Beacon Leisure are doing a middle distance in Sept in the New Forest, which I guess they will repeat next year about the same time(?). That's an 'undulating' bike course rather than Exmoor type hills. Check it out:



    http://www.beaconleisure.co.uk/events.php?pid=1021
  • BonusBBonusB Posts: 279
    Next season is my target for a half iron man. The swim and bike doesn't have me to phased. The run however [:-]
  • CenzoCenzo Posts: 91
    Get some 1/2 marathons in first!

    I did & it helped, but nothing could quite prepare for that run at Wimbleball. I'll be planning some monster bricks next year!
  • peterparkypeterparky Posts: 59
    Hi Guys

    anyone interested follow http://half.ironmanuk.com/default.asp?PageID=2930&view=item&offset=1 to register.

    See you there - only 11 months trainintg ahead.



    Ian
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    the more the merrrier .... [:D]
  • IronMarkIronMark Posts: 8
    Hello all... my first post.... :)



    I also want to do a hf ironman next year and have been looking at Wimbleball. I've done a few hf marathons in about 1.40, can swim a mile in a pool with no issues, but the biking (at that distance) would be new.



    I would love the training, and am very much up for the preparation, training, reading etc, but want to make sure I can get a place in the race. Is it like London or NY marathons where getting a place actually seems harder than running the race?!



    If so, any good alternatives to Wimbleball?



    Thanks all
  • RobRob Posts: 209
    IronMark, I did it this year & there were still entries available right up until the day (in reality I think they may close the entries a week or so before). But it wasn't a full field. I think the max no. allowed was 1500 & there were around 1000(?).
  • CenzoCenzo Posts: 91
    Mark,



    You should be ok with getting in as Rob said the field wasn't full, although I think it may be more popular next year.

    It's a great course a real tester to say the least, but well worth the experience.
  • Hi all, I did Weymouth 2 weeks before the HIMUK and found that to be great preparation for Wimbleball. It was an easier and faster course also, howeer the event wasn't the best in terms of organisation so I would spend the extra pennies and register for 70.3. Just as Rob says they'll take entries right up till the last minute, although I get the feeling it'll be popular this year with all us pain hungry nutters wanting more hills![:)]
  • nickjaywnickjayw Posts: 33
    Hi guys,



    I'm doing my first Half Ironman the weekend after next (6th) in the Emberton Country Park - near Milton Keynes. Its organised by Big-Cow and they have amusingly called it the Cow Man!



    I did a recy ride a few weeks back and the bike course is undulating, but hasn't any major hills. The half marathon is then done over 4 laps around the park, which again is fairly flat.



    Next year I'll apply for a Full Ironman, subject to surviving the Half.



    Good luck all.

    Nick
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    good luck with milking the cow .. let us know how you do... i've just done a training wknd for helvellyn - now that had a hill in it !!!! .... looking for races beyond olympic for next (& maybe even this season) so anyone who going longer or even higher let me know how it went as i need to plan my diary for ways to amuse ...



    madnrse (phil)
  • IronMarkIronMark Posts: 8
    Thanks for your replies - that's really encouraging. I have done the pre-registration at their website, so it sounds like I have a really good chance of a place. Blimey, that means I'll actually have to do it now! Will surely be here for various bits of advice as training progresses, but at least I have a year to get in trim....



    Good luck with the forthcoming, Nickjw



    M
  • nickjaywnickjayw Posts: 33
    Thank you Iron Mark,



    The stress now is ensuring that I get to the start line without getting ill (or more likely sunstroke!). All the training is done, just a few gentle swims/cycles/jogs to remember what it feels like and then try to get to the start successfully. After that, the training all kicks in, so it should be OK.



    I'm aiming for 5h 45m +/- 15 mins, which is quite a bit of leaway, as I've never done nearly 4 hours of exercise before starting a half marathon [:)]
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