~7hr flight preceded by a 2.5-3hr drive to the airport on the Wednesday following the race after Wales in 2016, wore compression calf sleeves/got up and walked/stretched every hour or so. Snagged an aisle seat so I wouldn't be disturbing anyone when I got up, and so that if I did fall asleep my neighbours would need to wake me in order to get out of their seat. Stay as hydrated as possible in the time between the race and your flight, as well as during the flight (which has the added benefit of making you need to get up and walk to the bathroom), and not with alcohol. I had planned on taking an aspirin an hour or so before the flight but forgot.

I second the water addition as well. You need rest (what better way than sitting in an airplane seat).
Walk every 20 to 30 minutes, which keeping hydrated will aid in the need to get up.
Stretch where possible. Keep limber.
Bring golf ball to roll around on muscles while in flight? Roller probably would not get past security as well as the roller sticks, I would think. :)

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

i've encountered this situation a lot of times and have done what the first couple of responders have done. but it hasn't flawlessly worked out each time, so i've swung into more of a "i'll try to do these things, but i'll swing with whatever…." attitude. when i'd really made an effort to do all the right things i found it to be more of a tension producer than reducer.
peggy

All of the above especially compression, hydration and movement.

Primary risk is formation of blood clots. Particular risk to endurance athletes following an event

Do what everyone says here and take a baby aspirin every hour or two. I have known athletes that got strokes/heart attacks on planes/cars after races while sitting still for long periods..

Do you know if you have a clotting disorder?

Most people don't know until they get blood clots. We flew from CA to Houston connected to Boston and my husband got blood clots that led to Pulmonary Embolisms in both lungs. My husband has Factor Five Leiden from one parent.

Your plan is good, but if you have a clotting disorder, the long flight after doing IM would increase your risk.

As someone that recently had blood clots from a long flight from Korea I would recommend you get an aisle seat and get up every 20 to 30 minutes to move around.

In addition to that bring a massage stick in your personal bag to roll your calfs and the back of your thighs every once in a while.

General reply to this thread. My tactic (I flew 120K to 150K for ~7 years) all around work and racing and multiple Ironmans. I flew 2 days after IM South Africa a few years ago to Frankfurt and then back to Ottawa. That was an 11 hrs flt following by another 8 hour flight with a few hours in between. I found the key is going into the galley and making friends with the fllght attendants and then they put up with you doing standing stretches and yoga around them. I've also flown 2 days after Kona to Tokyo to Shanghai. That one was 1 + 9 hrs + 3 hrs

The hardest is night flights, because you fall asleep sitting for hours on end. That's when compression is key. I like Monty's ideas of asprin and Jaretj's idea of a massage stick, although once in Hong Kong airport I got detained for interrogation cause they thought my massage stick was an assault weapen:

Here is the thread from 10 years ago:

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...20devashish#p1975735

I raced IM South Africa last year (Sunday) and flew back to Florida on Wed (arriving Thu). I wore compression socks and stretched a little, but that's about it. I'm 60 and had no problems. YMMV

Amsterdam airport security took my stick, but the man in front of me had a cane😊

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Lisa Walser-Anderson, ATC,CSCS

I'll be flying at 7:30 am the day after my first full. Luckily my flight is only 4 hours. Not sure that's long enough to matter too muh. Still have an aisle seat and trying to upgrade to business class for more stretching space. Plan is to drink water constantly at all times while awake.

You are saying racing the weekend and then long flight on Wednesday or Saturday following? I would say there are zero considerations, even in economy class.

The massage stick as a weapon did cross my mind but security at DTW and LAX on a recent flight gave it a strange look but didn't stop me from carrying it.

These are all great replies and thanks for the reassurance. Ideally from a work standpoint would be to fly on Tuesday, and that seems like it might be doable, albeit with some careful precautions. I can't sleep for s%!# on planes, so even if I did doze off, it would be 30-40 min tops.

I'll be econ+ and I always get aisle, so that's covered. Still a long way off, but if I need to deviate, it's best to let it be known ahead of time so the rest of the team is aware. I'm 40, healthy, and should finish around 11 hrs so I think my body can handle it, but I was more concerned about being miserable (well, moreso than being stuck in an aluminum tube for 14 hrs).

I'll be flying out of Charlotte on Monday after Chatt as well, to Washington state. Not looking forward to it, but don't have a choice. The only other things I've been thinking about are electrolyte tabs (or whatever you choose for recovery) in some sort of dry form to bring on the flight, ear plugs (SOP), super light clothing with comp gear, and a puffy for warmth (I'm always cold after races.)

See you at Chatt!

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JustinDoesTriathlon

Owner, FuelRodz Endurance.

Get to know the stewards on the flight. They tend to be interesting people, and they probably won't mind you stretching in the galley area.

+1 to bringing electrolyte tabs especially if you are prone to cramping. They will help you stay hydrated.

Wear your finisher shirt and hat on the plane to make sure they know why you are pacing like a caged animal during the flight. Especially since your IM tattoo will be covered by your calf sleeves.

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Oui, mais pas de femme toute de suite (yes, but I am not ready for a woman straight away) -Stephen Roche's reply when asked whether he was okay after collapsing at the finish in the La Plagne stage of the 1987 Tour

I was planning on wearing the medal too, you know, so there is no doubt.

In case any of the attendants or passengers you are sitting next to are blind make sure that you tell them that you just did an IM and what your time was. This makes sure EVERYONE knows how AWESOME you are!

Good luck with work and post race travels. See you at Chatt.

Some excellent advice in here.

Here's one that hasn't been offered: fly business or first.

I flew 13hrs the day after my first ironman...0/10, would not eat here again :/

To cherrypick the good advice: aisle seat, lots of water, lots of stretching and walking in the galley, make friends with the cabin crew.

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Eliot
blog thing - strava thing

 
Fly with United. They have some special stretches they can help you with. Like this:

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

I fly long haul for a living, plus I have a 2000 mile commute to get to/from my home base from where I live. Generally it's not too bad a day or two after an IM, but as one poster mentioned, you'll want an aisle seat so when you get restless you can get up and stretch out in the aft galley/shitter area. If you're travelling more than 3 days after an IM, you should be just fine unless you really shredded yourself! Advil helps a lot if you are achy.

Oh, and drink drink drink and drink some more water and limit the celebratory/congratulatory brewskies to just a couple when on board the airplane!

DM

We will absolutely mind. The galley is our only space away from pax. You can stretch in the aisle near the lavs. We have work to do and the airlines are taking away the space while giving us more to do...it’s nit personal, there’s just not room, maybe in certain widebodies while half the crew is on break. Since you’re flying int’l, this is likely the case.

If you want to try: Be nice, bring candy (not homemade, we won’t eat it) and explain why you need to do occasional stretching for a limited amount of time (and be aware...if it looks like they are busy setting up for service, go back to your seat). But don’t be creepy! Also keep in mind how incredibly dirty the floors are...two days ago we had a woman pass out and void her bowels on the galley floor among other medical stuff. It was cleaned, but not surgically so.

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"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5

Drink plenty of water.
Support socks.
Get up every hour. If you’re drinking this won’t be a problem—you’ll have to get up.
Repeatedly tighten your calves and thighs and move move your feet every 30-60 minutes.

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

After my first Ironman I flew from Melbourne Australia to Vegas via LA two days later for my best mates stag party with me being best man. No compression socks, or walking around and on the beers hard on the flight and the next five days. Harden up I say...