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Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation
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I've done a half and after the race, it wasn't that difficult since you are finished early afternoon. We drove home that day, and that was that.

I'll be doing my first full at Ironman Texas. We are looking at doing a vacation afterwards. Originally planned to leave around 6 days later, but my wife just found out she has an event at work during that time. So the only other option is to leave the day after the race. I live in The Woodlands, so that aspect makes it easier. But we'd basically have to hop on flight at 7:30 the next morning to Miami. We could be packed and ready to go before the race. I am shooting to finish in ~12 hours.

Is it advisable to plan a vacation like that? Say a good case scenario, I cross the finish line by at least 9 pm. Am I able to collect my stuff, get out of there and get to bed for an early flight the next day? Or does it take forever to get your stuff checked out of transition for a race that size? I'd rather not be crawling into bed at midnight after doing an Ironman just to wake up in 4 or 5 hours.

Am I just going to be miserable on the plane and first few days of a cruise. It's a Disney cruise and we will be chasing a 3 year old around. I realize each person's recovery is individual. I had no issues getting out and doing anything directly after the half. But know this is a different animal. Am I stupid for trying to do a relaxing time this close to the event?

Major problem is that after those two weeks, we are looking at end of the year before we are available again. This really threw a curveball, so we are trying to squeeze it in.
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds like a great plan. Getting stuff out of transition is easy, usually under 10 minutes. You can even have somebody else get your bike for you, so all you need to do is change and grab your gear bags.

Make sure you get up and walk around on the flight and stay hydrated. The cruise should be a piece of cake. I am not typically sore after an IM, but more just an overall muscle fatigue (YMMV).

Enjoy the race and know that you can push hard because you have a nice break coming up.

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
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [Vincible] [ In reply to ]
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You don't even need to grab your gear bags. At IM Texas my wife would get all of my stuff from transition. I could basically go from the finish line to my hotel room, car or wherever I needed to be.
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds like a perfect plan.

My best vacations in the last decade have been 2 weeks long with an Ironman on day 3.
The fatigue forces me to relax and enjoy the next 10 days.
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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It's doable. You're going to be miserable on the plane and miserable the first few days of the cruise. Schedule a massage on the ship on the second day, and take advantage of hot tubs and all that. Yea, and eat like a motherfucker once aboard the ship. :-)

You also need to think of what if scenarios. What if something goes wrong and you end up in the hospital? Nobody plans on it but it happens to a few people each race. I had an overnight stay in a hospital after a 70.3 in 2010. If something like this happens there's no way you're making your cruise the next day and you'll be out a shit ton of money. I just went on a cruise so I'm well versed in how much they cost and Disney cruises are extra expensive. So my fallback plan advice for you would be to buy vacation insurance the cruise line offers just in case.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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I think a lot of it depends on your fitness and how well the race goes.
I have had races that where a trip the next morning would be fine, other races where I really had a difficult time walking. Blisters, sore feet, and all kinds of pain.
Think about compression wear for the flight. DVT's can be a possibility.

Team Zoot So Cal
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [Karl] [ In reply to ]
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I think you'll be fine. I did Louisville 2016, my first full, finished a little under 12 hours, drove home the next morning (Louisville to Kansas City). The drive wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Stopped midway through to have lunch.
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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Prepare for unexpected. I was expecting 11-12 hours one time, but crossed the finish line at 11:30 PM instead. Completely killed our plans. The car I parked at the race site, for one thing, was a loaner from family. It was past their bed time. Luckily my SO was there waiting at the finish line and she helped me pick up my stuff and carry it all to the car. Family didn't mind not getting the car back. I could barely walk after! Was pretty knackered up day after the race. As luck would have it we were travelling back two days after the race and not the day after.

IM pro tip: drop a cheap jacket into run special needs bag.
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
Prepare for unexpected. I was expecting 11-12 hours one time, but crossed the finish line at 11:30 PM instead. Completely killed our plans.

This is my biggest fear. But worst case scenario I'm thinking of (as long as there's no medical emergency), is finishing at midnight, getting back to the car by 1 am, and back home by 1:15. Zombie mode the next day as I shuffle through the airport and such. Probably a huge pain for my wife as well.

I'm kind of a baby when it comes to pushing myself hard though, haha. I typically don't push to the point of hurting myself (in terms of just being wiped out and can't walk the next day) and don't plan to here. But again, this is a totally different animal than anything I've done.

Getting in an accident or having a major medical is obviously a risk. But I can crash my bike the day before vacation outside of the race. And if that's the cause, I think it would suck, but we'd have different things on our mind.
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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KG6 wrote:
I've done a half and after the race, it wasn't that difficult since you are finished early afternoon. We drove home that day, and that was that.

I'll be doing my first full at Ironman Texas. We are looking at doing a vacation afterwards. Originally planned to leave around 6 days later, but my wife just found out she has an event at work during that time. So the only other option is to leave the day after the race. I live in The Woodlands, so that aspect makes it easier. But we'd basically have to hop on flight at 7:30 the next morning to Miami. We could be packed and ready to go before the race. I am shooting to finish in ~12 hours.

Is it advisable to plan a vacation like that? Say a good case scenario, I cross the finish line by at least 9 pm. Am I able to collect my stuff, get out of there and get to bed for an early flight the next day? Or does it take forever to get your stuff checked out of transition for a race that size? I'd rather not be crawling into bed at midnight after doing an Ironman just to wake up in 4 or 5 hours.

Am I just going to be miserable on the plane and first few days of a cruise. It's a Disney cruise and we will be chasing a 3 year old around. I realize each person's recovery is individual. I had no issues getting out and doing anything directly after the half. But know this is a different animal. Am I stupid for trying to do a relaxing time this close to the event?

Major problem is that after those two weeks, we are looking at end of the year before we are available again. This really threw a curveball, so we are trying to squeeze it in.

As has been mentioned, depends on your fitness and how you Will feel after the race, but imo you should je fine.

This summer I did a full IM - then went straight on vacation with the family the next morning, wife+3kids. Went fine!
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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Done 3 IMs and took a week vacation the next week each time. Arizona driving to Sedona/Grand Canyon, Canada driving up through BC interior, whitewater rafting etc and then Cozumel diving.

You'll be sore, but you'll be fine. Hydrate well and move around on the plane but not a long flight.

Personally, I prefer to take the next day off and start the fun the day after,but you gotta do what you gotta do
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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you can do it. i got into barcelona the day before the race (long story) for my first Ironman and had a bad day, but got the bike out of transition and back to the room easily that night and went right to bed. if you're packed and someone is there to drive for you, no reason you wouldn't have time and ability to move your physical body onto the plane the next morning. you'll be tired anyway, whether you get a full nights sleep or 4 or 5 hours, but it sounds doable.
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [KG6] [ In reply to ]
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Totally doable, assuming no major issues during the race.

Just to reiterate, hydrate and move around on the plane; compression sleeves not a bad idea as well-- that combo of the Ironman/dehydration/sitting on a flight can put you at risk for blood clots/pulmonary embolus.

Get travel insurance that covers flights, medical, etc, unless you can eat the nonrefundable things if anything goes wrong (we almost always get coverage for cruises).

Then enjoy! We're cruising DCL out of Miami in January-- can't wait! Enjoy the spa, hot tubs, relaxing at Castaway Cay (if you're going there-- can do a shakeout cruiser bike ride).
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [The GMAN] [ In reply to ]
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The GMAN wrote:
You also need to think of what if scenarios. What if something goes wrong and you end up in the hospital? Nobody plans on it but it happens to a few people each race. I had an overnight stay in a hospital after a 70.3 in 2010. If something like this happens there's no way you're making your cruise the next day and you'll be out a shit ton of money. I just went on a cruise so I'm well versed in how much they cost and Disney cruises are extra expensive. So my fallback plan advice for you would be to buy vacation insurance the cruise line offers just in case.
.

Do not do this, overpriced and does not offer near the benefits of private insurance. Start at insuremytrip.com and go from there. You can probably get better insurance for 1/2 the cost.
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Re: Ironman- Day after logistics in regards to taking a vacation [djhuff7] [ In reply to ]
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djhuff7 wrote:
The GMAN wrote:

You also need to think of what if scenarios. What if something goes wrong and you end up in the hospital? Nobody plans on it but it happens to a few people each race. I had an overnight stay in a hospital after a 70.3 in 2010. If something like this happens there's no way you're making your cruise the next day and you'll be out a shit ton of money. I just went on a cruise so I'm well versed in how much they cost and Disney cruises are extra expensive. So my fallback plan advice for you would be to buy vacation insurance the cruise line offers just in case.
.

Do not do this, overpriced and does not offer near the benefits of private insurance. Start at insuremytrip.com and go from there. You can probably get better insurance for 1/2 the cost.

Concur with djhuff--- unless you got airfare and hotel through DCL, get your travel insurance elsewhere so your entire trip can be covered, and less expensive.
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