Whats the best advice you can give, or have heard, about training for an Ironman?
buy your wife some flowers - a massage every now and then don’t hurt, either (for her, not you).
Regardless of technique, or training plans, etc., mine was /is always “Make sure you can cover the distance”. Great boost psychologically and will insure you’ll at least have fun.
Racing the distance is another story.
“Don’t do it.”
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Screw training, you got 17 hours right? Just dont worry about it.
Screw training, you got 17 hours right? Just dont worry about it.
Best advice ever.
Seriously though, if you want good advice, don’t ask a forum. Get a coach.
“Don’t do it.”
already received this
we must be more stronger than him ;).
Train for the marathon you are going to do during an IM not your BAA pace. Too many people do not know how to run a marathon below their optimal pace, so end up defeated on the run.
Start learning about your nutritional needs, try to develop a plan that is simple (uses the course) and test it before race day.
For me and others have used this too: 5 cals per pound per hour are used and you need to replace 30% of them.
Keep your life simple and that includes your training plan.
Smart (mentally prepared) and fit beats obsessed to Ironman on race day.
Have fun!!!
I’ll offer 2 observations based on my experience:
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It’s a constant balancing act trying to keep pushing yourself without overdoing it, struggling with the feeling you’re somehow always doing too little yet too much at the same time… You definitely want to mix in some intensity and variety, but when push comes to shove and you’re feeling tired & lousy, my mantra became “You don’t have to go fast, you just have to keep going.” Some might warn against “garbage” miles, but I guess it depends on what your starting point or background is. For me, having a decent background at shorter stuff, it was telling myself it’s OK to go slow and build volume without feeling like I’ve gotta go out and kill every workout. My alternate mantra (also related to the same concept) I borrowed from Pulp Fiction: “I’m not a hero, I’m just a coffee shop manager!” Translation: Pace yourself, whether it’s referring to an individual race/workout, or your daily/weekly training progression.
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It’s natural to keep focusing on The Big Race coming up and gearing everything towards that, but as you go through it all, it starts to become more about the process… Looking back and reflecting post-race only re-inforced that feeling; I wouldn’t go quite so far as to say the race itself was anti-climactic, but almost. Really, it’s about embracing the process of getting better, building yourself physically and mentally day by day, week after week. If you can do that, the end result and feeling of accomplishment will be icing on the cake.
- It’s natural to keep focusing on The Big Race coming up and gearing everything towards that, but as you go through it all, it starts to become more about the process… Looking back and reflecting post-race only re-inforced that feeling; I wouldn’t go quite so far as to say the race itself was anti-climactic, but almost. Really, it’s about embracing the process of getting better, building yourself physically and mentally day by day, week after week. If you can do that, the end result and feeling of accomplishment will be icing on the cake.
Very well put – and this would apply beyond Ironman training, I think.
BTW, brilliant forum – I just discovered it.
Nuno H Luz
“Don’t do it.”
agree, unless you live biking (like the night before your long ride you feel like a kid the night before xmas), love running, and can um, tolerate swimming, dont do it
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Ride hard in training. Quit fucking around in zone 1/2.