I’ve just completed my second half IM with a time of 5:59 and I have run 3 marathons. I really want to complete a full IM, but I don’t really want to join a club or get a coach. My goal is just to finish and enjoy the journey. I am very committed to training and have just bought friel’s book “Going Long” to see if that will give me that basic info I need. I live in WI and so IM Madison is the most convenient. I’ve heard it is a challenging course, so am I being unrealistic to think about that venue? Are there any good free training programs available online?? Any other advice would be appreciated.
Here’s one I’m using for reference to build my own with the races I want to do before IMWI.
It’s very good IMO.
http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/ironman-workouts/
There’s lots of free training plans online or available cheaply. Check out beginnertriathlete.com, training peaks, even your local bookstore. A lot of the tri magazines will carry the occasional IM plan. The problem is that, particularly in triathlon, the program that is successful for me will likely not be successful for you. Therefore, as newbs we need someone to help us modify or tailor such plans to fit our circumstances. Such things as one’s available training times, relative strengths and weaknesses, available training locations, etc., affect our individual training dramatically. The relationships and mentorship I’ve received from tri/cycling/running clubs has been invaluable for me. Plus, some of the best friends I have came from those places. And there’s nothing like someone to share your training with to keep you accountable.
I’ve heard great things about IMWI. If I do another one, that’s one of the first I’ll consider. Heads up, you’ll probably need to volunteer one year to insure your ability to get a participant spot the following year. Good luck!
I have been told that volunteering the year prior is a fairly successful tactic to gain entry but I know several people who got lucky by just signing up too…I am considering going down this year to volunteer, but I have a century ride the same day as IM WI so I may just have to skip that. I agree with your comments about support groups but that would mean even more time away from family on top of training and I don’t think I can manage that. The nearest tri club is about a 45 minute drive from where I live. But again, these are all the aspects I need to really consider to make the journey successful. My hope is that my husband who has also completed 2 half IM 's with a best time of 5:44 will commit to a full, but he is not there yet and may never be. I’m getting sick of waiting and just want to go for it at this point.
Thanks for the info!
Here’s one I’m using for reference to build my own with the races I want to do before IMWI.
It’s very good IMO.
http://www.trifuel.com/...on/ironman-workouts/]
x2. I used this plan for both of my IM. I especially like idea of using it “for reference”. No “canned” plan is perfect for everybody but Mike Llerandi, the author, offers a wealth of info. Your swim will definatley improve. As Mike was, and still is, a fish.
Good luck
My nearest tri club is also about an hour away. Locally, I have a strong running club and good cycling group, though. I probably only train once a month (if that) with my tri club, but by being plugged in with them (through emails, phone calls, facebook, texts, etc.) we can share the training and they are always there to help with any questions I have. This forum is great for that, too. Person-to-person relationships, though, are irreplaceable.
Unless you don’t have children, or they’re a little older, it can be impossible for both parents to train for IM anyway, so I wouldn’t wait for your husband. If you’re ready to put in the time, go at it. Support from your spouse, though, is required. This thing pulls too much from family and work to not have their support.
You are in a similar situation that I was in last year. I was a bit slower on the HIM and have completed a few more marathons. I am tackling IMWI this year (my first). I am using an Endurance Nation IM plan and it has been going really well. I recommend it (despite what some other folks on ST say).
One piece of advice is to watch your warning signs for injuries. My IT band has started to bother me now that the volume has really increased. It is nothing that will stop me (hopefully), but it has reduced my power output on the bike. It was totally avoidable if I had listened to my body.
Also, get a power meter for your bike. Train with power on the bike if you aren’t already.
Cheers and good luck!
-Tropic
You can buy the be ironfit book off amazon for about ten dollars. It has some good plans for cheap.
I did not consider that aspect…i envisioned that I would need to commit to a club more often and then I would start resenting it, but the networking would be very helpful in the way you explain it. I do work full time as a teacher so during the school year grading is very time consuming, but my last child is leaving to go off to college, so that I why I am considering it at this point on top of the fact that I feel I am in the groove mentally and I feel very hungry for the full IM challenge. My husband is prepared to train with me, but he is not as supportive as I would like and that is what is holding me back at this point, because I understand the support is critical for success.
Your time in the half is a good measure. Pick an event 7-months out and train up. You’ll do great.
I just finished IM CdA and had roughly the same experience and speed going in to it that you have now. I used Matt’s Fitzgerald’s training book “Essential Week by Week Training Guide” and it was great. The book had a structured plan with detailed daily workouts for all race distances and all levels. I followed the Ironman Level 3 plan and would call it a success. Would have liked to been faster, but I won’t blame the training plan. It was more me missing workouts due to work life balance than anything.
The book doesn’t provide much background on why you do certain workouts or how your body will adapt, but you have Friel’s Ironfit for that already if you want to learn why you are doing the workouts.
Given your HIM time id suggest the run/walk method for the IM marathon. Do long runs/long bricks with a 6-10 minute run, 1 minute walk. It’ll create a faster marathon if you plan to walk every mile of the run as opposed to running 13-18 miles and then the last miles are almost all walking. It’s convenient that most IMs have their aid stations at every mile so you can plan to walk those.