While walking every aid station(or at least 25 of them) and “runnning” all the rest of the time how fast can you go?
My 1st loop in Placid was 1:50 with 13 walking aid stations and one short port-a-potty stop.
Here is what I do at aid stations all while walking. Combine cola with ice. Add water or gatorade. Consume. Yummy! Acquire sponge, use liberally.
Using the walking all aid stations technique has anybody had a better than 3:40 run?
If you had a better run, but by some other technique please describe what you did differently.
Some general points: My second loop as 2:00:15, but I am discounting that as the technique was exactly the same, but obviously I need more run endurance training. I am a very, very sloppy running drinker. I hit every aid station except the last before the finish. I do not believe I did anything but sponge on the second to last, but I still walked the entire aid station. I have thought about running while sponging, but that would work only if the sponge was last. The aid stations seem to be in random order especially the sponges and the ice. I do not often eat at aid stations and everytime I do I feel nauseous and tell myself never again. Tips need not be Placid specific as I am making my own irontour. I was very, very, very happy with this run.
I just want to know whether I have reached the limits and have to make technique changes to improve.
I went 3:32 at IMF in 2001 using the same technique. My runs usually stay in the 3:40-3:50 range. I find that on the second loop I have to force myself to drink faster and get moving again. It’s real easy to sip and walk almost the entire length of the aid station. Water and coke, mainly, at every station.
I won’t say anything about running fast in an ironman as clearly it is something that I am still incapable of. However, there is no reason to walk at aid stations. I ran 3:42 and I can always take in an entire coke or gatorade with no spillage while running.
I walked the aid stations at IMFL in 2003 (3:12 run), Kona in 2004 (3:15 run) and IMLP last summer (3:23 run with a massive bonk on the second lap). My walks are no more than 10-15 seconds so that I make sure that I get all of the fluid in the cup into me instead of on me. My IM marathons that I didn’t walk the aid stations were 3:29 and 3:18 but these were my first two and my level of fitness way no where near what it was for 2003/2004 and even last year when I had problems (mechanical issues made me ride the entire LP bike course in the big chain ring which can wreak havoc on your run split!).
(mechanical issues made me ride the entire LP bike course in the big chain ring which can wreak havoc on your run split!).
Don’t say stuff like that. I had no mechanical problems and rode all of LP in the big chainring(53). I never use the small chainring(39) and many people comment on that, but I just feel uncomfortable spinning.
You are way fast as my open mary PR is 3:26 – No Boston ;-(
Based on your experiences it appears I can get more time out of my run without changing my technique other than working on precision(no waste) and general run speed/fitness.
…well it now sounds like the technique to improve your Ironman run has nothing to do with aid stations but everthing to do with that unused small chain ring. Hey, I came off the bike in the top 50, and I was using my 34x23 riding at 15 kph (9 mph) up the hill from the out and back and passing front of pack dudes on loop 2. I was barely going at 80 RPM on these climbs. If you were in your 53x23 on the same climb at the same speed, you must have been cranking lower than 50 RPM…this cannot possibly be good for your run split!!!