Just curious, I am an average (for New Mexico) AGer who is entertaining the idea of doing IM AZ 2006. Is it possible to do a year+ of training to get from a position of being comfortable doing Sprints towards doing an Ironman?
I’m 26, work full-time, and have done a marathon in the past, and am willing to invest the time required from the Training Bible for Multsport Athletes. In fact, I am pretty interested because they have a 27 week training plan for an Oly that dovetails nicely with the 3 month training program for a Half-IM (SOMA in PHX) on Halloween, which then fits in nicely with another 6 month program for the Ironman (late April '06).
Will I be burnt out?
My motivation for thinking this far ahead is basically revolving around life planning. My wife and I toy around with the idea of starting a family next year so this might be my last time to be able devote a good portion of my time to such an adventure. My goal would be to finish comfortably, not “just to finish.”
I have yet to do a century, btw.
So has anyone jumped the level of distances like this in such short notice?
For a few seasons I had only done sprints. Then I picked an my first oly for the first race of the season and a HIM 2 weeks later. I used the same training plan book with good results, finishing the HIM within a couple of minutes of what I predicted as my best possible time.
I never did a triathlon of any distance in my life. Just a runner and weight lifter. A few years ago I got a hold of Mark Allen’s 18week IM training program and followed it each day. I did an 11:15 IM within four months. I couldn’t swim four laps when I started and never rode a road bike seriously. Of course you can do it. Email me at r_jbrandt@msn.com if you want me to email the Mark Allen program.
I am going from two years of sprints into doing an ironman this season. I’ve done a number of half marathons and a full one a year ago. I’m a bit older, (OK, a lot) so it should be tougher, right? I come from a sub-zero base. I will have had 10 months to get into shape by the time I do it, and the program has included doing a half IM, which I recommend, without competing in an Oly along the way. So far so good, I’ve got six weeks of solid training to go, and then two weeks taper. Its certainly doable, it won’t be pretty and I won’t break any records, but like you, I can find the time to do it this year and I may not be able to find the time in the future.
I am far from an expert on this topic, but without a strong training base, your schedule might leave you overtrained - even pros have a decent off-season! That said, I fully believe that you can go from sprint triathlons to doing an ironman the next year. Read Kara Douglass Thom’s “Becoming an Ironman” for numerous examples of this. Just be careful because it seems as if your schedule will have you going non-stop for over a year. You might want some time off in between. By the way, I did SOMA last year (my first HIM) and it was AWESOME!
I did my first Olympic last May and am signed up for Placid this July so I have to think you can do it!
If you can run a marathon then you can do an Ironman.
I did sprints for my first year with an olympic at the end.
My second year I did 3 olympics, 2 sprints, 1 half and IMFL.
In hindsight I would have waited untill I’d done a marathon first. I came from cycling so the bike was no problem. Just remember to eat as much as you can on the bike.
SOMA was great! I did the quarterman which I found fairly affordable considering the events going on. It’s the main reason I am targeting the SOMA HIM and then IM AZ the following year.
As far as off-season being non-existant: That is my main concern. I need to figure out how to spend a couple of weeks off once or twice. With my work that shouldn’t be a problem as long as I don’t let it become a habit.
“The thing you have going is the marathon base, which IMO is the toughest part. Good luck and have fun.”
The bad thing is that the marathon was about 2.5 years ago. However I know I am a stronger runner at this point, just maybe not at the over-13 mile point (yet).
Get in a lot of bike training time. If you have never done a century try to do one before the race. It will be a good training day and give you a slight idea of your nutritional needs. If you train smart you should have no problem. The best advice i received before my first IM was dont worry about your finish time, just finish. Half way through the bike these words of wisdom helped a lot. Try the spinervals tough love video.
Well I have been putting in a decent amount of time on the trainer since my hours keep from getting on the roads for enough time in the day. Thanks for your input.
Yes, in my 2nd full year of Triathlon I completed IMFLA Sub 11. If you invest in the time and do the work you can do it. My only advice is this…dont set a time goal and dont race the first Ironman. Just enjoy the day. If you love it let loose on the second race.