So i’m debating whether or not to target '11 for my first IM. i got into triathlons in '09. did a couple sprints and an oly last year, did two 70.3s, a sprint, and an oly this year. times are reasonable but probably nothing by ST standards…most recent 70.3 time is in the 5hr 30min range in the midst of some awful IT band issues which severely limited my run training. I work in an office 12-13 hrs per day so once you factor in commuting my time for training is relatively limited. I try to train 1-1.5 hrs/day mon-thur and 2-4 hours per day on the weekend. Winter i slack off a bit as i spend maybe 1/2 the weekends out in the rockies snowboarding.
So…is doing my first IM next year an unreasonable goal? Also, which race might you recommend for a noob such as myself? Logistically IMWI is ideal, but the super flat IMFL sounds pretty appealing for a 1st timer as well. thoughts?
You can totally do it. Just know that you’ll have to start getting serious about 3-4 months out. If your goal is to just finish then you’ll be fine. If you want to win your AG then that’s a different story. Florida is pretty good for a first timer. Louisville isnt bad either if you can deal ok with the weather. WI is a tough course for even the most experienced. Honestly Rev3 Cedar Point I think would be your best choice. It’s a great course and not overly difficult for a first timer. Just depends on if you want to be an “Ironman” or just and ironman.
yeah, I dont have any delusions of winning my AG. i’m just hoping to finish with a respectable time…somewhere in the 10-12 hour range and hopefully see continued improvement from then on.
I think for my first 140.6 i’d prefer to do an IM branded event so i can get the “experience”…after that it probably doesn’t really matter much.
Be as consistent as you can and be creative with your “spare” time. I always have some run stuff in my truck. So if I get a hour I can take advantage of it. I also run on the way home a lot. I get an hour in and then do more after dinner if I can.
I can get an automatic 5 hours a week with this approach plan most weeks.
Do this for 8 months and increase it the last 4 months and I think you can complete it easy.