i feel as though i'm going to look back at this post and see it as the start of something. so here we are, not for the first time, starting something.
this time we're goal assessing. the delay in Monaco half ironman race entries opening has left me wondering what i'm looking to get out of next year. how am i going to feel after a HIM? after training hard for seven months, am i going to feel the Ahhhh of achievement? to be honest, i don't think so. but doing a full IM? now that's something i'd looooove to do!
so the IM i'm looking at is IM France, which gives me seven months to prepare. enough? who knows? i'm not too worried about the swim; 3.8km is totally achieveable. the bike, 180km, is hilly, so will be tough, but again, achieveable. the run, now that my friends, is a totally different story. crikey. one whole marathon. a whole 42km. ouch doesn't even begin to describe it. i've never run that far before. never even got close. and that's not after a 180km cycle. over mountains. in france. in summer.
massive decision to make; and i've pretty much decided but hesitiation is creeping in. that marathon is like a big red flag of CANYOUREALLYDOTHIS? i almost died after the half marathon; but then i'm a lot fitter now than i was back then... but a whole big whole massive long 42km of marathon...? eeeek!
in aid of my possible new training direction; i've changed my weekly totals. this time, instead of clocking my time, i'll be focused on distance. i'm still not sure how FAR i need to go each week for IM training, there's a whole lot to learn. but here's what i got up to this week;
sunday> 3.5km run, 16km cycle, 3.5km run
monday> 1.6km swim
tuesday> 1.5km run (hill session)
wednesday> 5.5km run, 45mins bike and swim weights
thursday> 35km cycle
friday> 5km run, 1km swim
saturday> rest
totals: this week i ran 19kms, swam 2.6km, cycled 41km
so it's public, it's on the table. i haven't booked yet, but my finger is itchy. i want an achievement, i'm a black and white kind of girl. HIM seems too grey. but IM is going to be the biggest thing i've ever done in my life. and that's a big button to push even with an itchy finger :)
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11 comments:
I'd say not to rush things. An Ironman is the apex of the sport and the race that deserves the most respect. With that said, it's the type of race you really need to work your way up to. Sprint, Olympic, Half Marathon, Half Ironman, Marathon, Ironman. My advice is to just focus on HIM's and marathons in 2010 and that'll be a good gauge for 2011. Any seasoned triathlete (and doctor) will tell you that doing too much too fast is a sure way to get yourself injured and potentially knock yourself out of the sport for a while.
But don't let me rain on your dreams. Whatever you decide, just be careful. :)
If you really want to do it, and have the time to dedicate to training, I say do it! You could totally get ready in time. I didn't officially start training for my IM until January 22. http://fasterthanpete.blogspot.com/2009/01/in-training.html
I didn't do a half before I did a full. I'll be doing a half this year, and I'm so excited to try it out. I did do a marathon, though, and it was waaaaaay more sucky than my IM!
It's true that you can't just suddenly say, "I"m going to do an Ironman!" without anything leading up to it, but you've been training a lot and I don't think it would be bad for you to do it. Just be careful and listen to your body.
As far as Ironman being the apex of the sport, this is true in a way, but for me it's also gotten me more excited for next year to see what I can accomplish.
Short answer: If you want to do it, just do it! :) It will be an awesome accomplishment, and if I could do it, you can do it for sure!
I believe that you can.
The Dad and I think you can now do anything.:)
SO impressed :D GO FOR IT haha love that you have made yourself accountable for your goal. Posting it on here, makes it a lot easier for you to push yourself, now everyone knows and is behind you ;)
You can do an IM. I would suggest working a marathon into your training schedule, even if you do it slowly and not for time. There is a lot to learn about fueling and just getting yourself mentally adjusted to such a long run. You can do it though. You are very talented and will do great. Seven months is plenty of time to train for the IM and do a marathon along the way. Very exciting!
Be an Ironwoman. You can do it. You already have the determination. According to a guy in my tri club - who incidentally did a double Ironman on the same day/night just to see if it could be done, and this year will do 10 Ironmans on ten days straight!Anyway, I'm digressing, he says that the hardest part is making the decision. So do it!
Of course you should do it! You've got it all: strength, determination, focus, training savvy, and a little pinch of madness. :-) You're so fit already! And don't forget that i'll be there with the ginger glucose lollies if needed. Yes you can!!
to IM or not IM. I would give the following advice;
> Be prepared for 6 months of fatigue, needing more sleep and a life revolving around training (Not that this is a bad thing)
Going form 6h of sleep a night to 8h+ of sleep for me has been the biggest adjustment. Add on 1.5h of training each day during the week and this equates to 3.5h less a day for other stuff.
> Would strongly advise doing a half (or middle distance as called in the UK) before going to an IM. You learn a lot by being out there racing for that distance that you can apply
> No need to run a marathon in the 6 months before a IM. In fact it is counter intuitive. the recovery time is much better used training.
> The bike is the key. The fitter you are on the bike the easier the run (and sometimes walk) will be
So the question still lies with you, you can definitely do it I have no doubt. Its just comes down to what you want to achieve on race day;
1. Finish
2. Finish and race closer to you potential with a view to getting faster over future efforts?
If the answer is 2 I would nearly recommend making 2010 the year of the Half and getting fast at that and the Olympic distance. This would give you the base to attack the IM distance in 2011.
Regardless anything is possible and with 6.5 months to go anything is achievable.
I went from close to 0 training and IMC 2008 in 11 months including learning how to swim more than 50m so I can not really "preach" the go slow process (had a bit of an endurance background though)
Good luck with the decision and feel free shoot us an email if you have any questions
jeremy dot hopwood at gmail dot com
Good ideas in the responses. You have enough time to train well & wisely. Be careful on the run training, that's where you're most likely to get injured. I agree, you don't have to race a marathon pre-IM, it's nice mentally to do one, but a marathon doesn't compare to an IM marathon. Joe Friel has some posts on that too.
I've seen athletes/friends cross their first ironman finish line & not have "that moment" of wow. No matter the distance, I think the power of the finish comes down to what you put into training & racing emotionally & physcially.
Best to you!
Do it, it will change you, it will change your life. You will see new possibilities as a result.
Whether you think you can or you can't you're right. Henry ford.
I think you can!
Rob. Wheelworx
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