First Half Ironman - can anyone share some stories / experiences?

[MsMoneypenny]

hi, I'm just new to the forum today. I joined the forum as I set a goal for 2013 to do a half ironman and registered for Cairns (Australia) in june 2013.

As part of my training program I signed up for a few sprint tri's with my first one yesterday and after completing it I'm nervous that I've overcommitted myself, so I was looking for some feedback from anyone else who has gone through 6 months of training for a half ironman and whether I've been realistic or not!!

just to give a bit of background on my fitness - I used to participate in triathalons about 15 years ago so I'm not new to the sport as such - just a bit rusty!. Relatively strong swimmer and can already swim 1.4km (of the 1.8km for the race) relatively comfortably - the swim is my strongest leg. My second strongest leg is the ride which I can comfortably ride about 40k at the moment (of the 90k), though not at a very fast pace. The run is my weakest legy by far. I completed a half marathon last year in about 2hrs, however I probably could run about 10-12k (of the 21k) at the moment comfortably.

What concerned me the most was getting off the bike yesterday and on to the run, my legs felt like lead and the run was only 5k so I'm really worried about my ability to get to a level of fitness to transition off the bike and into a 21k run.

As I mentioned above I was just looking to find / hear any other stories about first time half's and perhaps I can guage if I've overcommitted myself.

Cheers,

 

[maydog]

What are your goals for the half, do you want just finish or do you have a time in mind?

To me it sounds like you should have no problem finishing. I haven't done a half myself, want to, but concerns over the run have kept me from trying ( I have an arthritic knee).

Good luck

 

[MsMoneypenny]

Hi Maydog,

thanks for your response. Just finishing will be enough for me! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

[maddogbubba]

sure sounds like you should be able to finish with no problem . plenty of time to accomplish where you need to be for this half iron .stay consistent on all disciplines but most important - consistency on your runs . I have my own issues with my runs and graduating to longer distances above the 9 mile mark , but what helps me along is to break up my runs into different type of training exercises and make sure you have some type of training / recovery schedule to follow . Recovery and consistency is key to improving your run .Only you know how close you can group together your runs ( everybody is different ) I personally need 3 days between runs and approach it like this .

run # 1 - short run , 5 k - maybe a bit more . good pace , approx 85 % to 90 % effort .
run # 2 - sprinting workout day . At the park or better yet at the local track . 2 to 5 miles total .Sprinting 400 meters / walking 400 meters (sprinting the straights and walking the curves ) . The more you do this the longer your sprinting capabilities become and also your overall distance running times will be getting quicker.
run # 3 - distance run - 10 k + . Always listen to your body - some days you can run for ever and some days you cant .

This kind of running schedule keeps me looking forward to the next run and I can see the improvement monthly .
Dont forget to do some FST ( functional strength training ) during this whole process as this will help you maintain and even build strength in the correct places to assist not just your running but the other disciplines as well . Try some FST moves that focus on hamstrings and glutes and jumping rope keeps you lite on you feet .
hope this helps develop strength for your bike to run transition and keep up the sprint triathlons as they are key workouts .Keep us posted on your improvements.

good luck , mdb

 

[vspa]

Hi Maydog, thanks for your response. Just finishing will be enough for me!

i did once the short distance event with finishing in mind, i did, but it wasn't all that fun, the best way to do it is to actually compete, at your personal best level, i can say this from the experience that i acquired afterwards from cycling road racing, if you train right you will be fit for june, good luck

 

[jaretj]

You are going to have to be comfortable for the swim, ride within yourself for the bike and survive the run.

It appears that you already know how to swim so if you were to put 2K in the pool 3 days a week and be comfortable swimming open water you should be OK there.

The bike is the most important part of the event and you need to ride within your ability. Look at what you can do in an Oly triathlon and ride 80 to 90% of that speed in the Half. It will feel easy but don't ride to feel until you get ~45 miles into the ride. In training build up your bike volume as much as you can with long rides in the 60 mile range and 2 to 3 other 1 hour rides a week.

The run is a product of your bike fitness and execution on race day. You will probably be able to run near what you would be able to do in a marathon at best. If you over-ride the bike then you will most likely be walking at some time during the run provided you are able to run that far.

To have a fun race and finish with a smile don't over-ride the bike portion and start easy on the run. If you want more specifics let me know, I've done about 20+ Half Ironmans.

jaretj

 

[maddogbubba]

some really good advice from JaretJ . I know that I can use this info .