Triathlons

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
Had x-rays done yesterday (precautionary mostly), and saw the chiro. She had my lie on my side, planted her elbow on some of the muscles in my hip, then had me pull my knee up to my chest. Repeatedly.

That is the first time I've ever called a woman a five letter word that rhymes with witch, but begins with a b. Probably the most painful thing I have ever experienced. BUT, my hip is better today. Not good, but better. And she didn't seem to mind much.

Foam rolling... eh... Not enough. But then I haven't had a decent run for close to a month now.

During your training, what was the furthest distance you ran?
 

The Imp

5-14-6-1
Jul 8, 2003
3,891
22
Copenhagen, Denmark
half marathon. I'm woefully under-prepared for the run on Sunday, I know. Good thing I already signed up to do the full distance in 2016 in Copenhagen, then :) !
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
half marathon. I'm woefully under-prepared for the run on Sunday, I know. Good thing I already signed up to do the full distance in 2016 in Copenhagen, then :) !

Wow, that's it eh? Sounds like you're more than strong enough on the bike and in the water to have more than enough time buy yourself to walk long stretches if it came down to that.

The one thing I don't like a ton about the plan I'm following is that instead of saying bike/run X distance, it's always doing stuff for time. Like today was an hour long flat ride and 45 minute flat run... Although trying to find something flat out here is virtually impossible, so take that for what it's worth. I think the longest I'll run in my training is a 2 hour flat run.
 

The Imp

5-14-6-1
Jul 8, 2003
3,891
22
Copenhagen, Denmark
I will have about 8 hours for the marathon before the cut-off, so I can walk all of it, if it comes to that. I don't want to do that, but I might have to.

I bought the start no for next year to take the pressure off a bit. Make sure I enjoy this year's race, like.

Went swimming tonight - 1,2 km in 23 minutes - that's quicker than 2 min/100m pace. I had figured at 1.25-1.30 for the swim, but now I'm thinking I might go a bit faster than that.
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
I will have about 8 hours for the marathon before the cut-off, so I can walk all of it, if it comes to that. I don't want to do that, but I might have to.

I bought the start no for next year to take the pressure off a bit. Make sure I enjoy this year's race, like.

Went swimming tonight - 1,2 km in 23 minutes - that's quicker than 2 min/100m pace. I had figured at 1.25-1.30 for the swim, but now I'm thinking I might go a bit faster than that.

Plenty of time.

You bought what?

I had a really, really good swim yesterday too. I'm just swimming laps in a pool for the time being... But I'm swimming the race day distance in about 45 minutes, via laps 25 yards at a time. Come race day the swim portion is all down stream, so I'm really hoping to have a much better swim time than I anticipated before I started swimming but a good 20 or so minutes. I still don't like swimming, though. Well swimming laps that is. If I could open water swim on a regular basis I'd be cool with that, but swimming laps is boring as ****.
 

The Imp

5-14-6-1
Jul 8, 2003
3,891
22
Copenhagen, Denmark
I bought a start number - a spot - in Ironman Copenhagen again, for 2016.

Went and picked up the starter package, backpack, etc. today. Sooo psyched to get going.
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
Ahhhh, gotcha. That's what I thought you were saying, but wanted to make sure I understood correctly. I'm eyeing down Boulder, CO for the full thing come fall of 2016. Only thing that worries me is having to trade in the summer in Atlanta. The heat just ****s you up, and with my schedule, I can't train early in the morning. Afternoons are my ideal time, the hottest damn time of the day.

I've seen a few people with those backpacks before... and assumed they just bought them. Was yours included in your race entry fee?
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
Today is your big day, Imp!

You're probably already done at this point, but best of luck out there today! Hope that hip holds up!
 

The Imp

5-14-6-1
Jul 8, 2003
3,891
22
Copenhagen, Denmark
I am an IronMan. :banana:

The emotions of crossing that finish line, of acheiving a goal that has been worked on dilligently for quite a while are... intense.

Weather report: Sunny but windy, about 16 degrees celcius at the swim start. During the day it stayed sunny and a bit windy, and the temps climbed to 24-25 degrees.

The swim was about as expected, at 1:27. Not fast, but I had a nice relaxed swim, where I didn't hit the red zone at any time.

After an uneventful T1, I hit the bike, and began overtaking. A lot. The course was a two-looper, and on the first loop I overtook people like constantly. On the 2nd lap I began struggling a bit - I had gone too deep on the 1st loop, but I managed to keep it under five hours on the bike. Very satisfied with that. (4:59:44).

T2 was again uneventful. The run was... tough. I had run no further than about 700 meters - and that in significant pain - in the month leading up to the race. Yesterday, though... my hip held up! I had deliberately overpaced myself on the bike, thinking I might have to walk the marathon due to my hip anyway, so the fact that it held up was a nice surprise, but also a bit frustrating. I felt like I had it in me to go faster, but I just couldn't. I alternated between walking and running, and made it in about 5:17, for a total of 11:55.

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/ev...nhagen/results.aspx?rd=20150823#axzz3jk8CXjQs

(if the direct link does not work, make sure you're in the 2015 results, then look up bib no 1207.

All in all, it was an amazing experience. There were plenty of friends and family along the run route, and that makes a substantial difference. It helped my to break the run into little bits, so I didn't run there thinking about there being 25 k to go.

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RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
That's awesome Imp, congrats!!! :handclap: :cheers: :yo:


And that is quite the impressive bike time there to boot. What kind of elevation did the bike portion have for you?
 
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RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
Just messing around with the results a bit... and if you sort it to where all the DNF/DNS show up before the results of actual finishers start to show up... and you have 26 full pages of DNF/DNS. Assuming each page has 20 athletes per page, that's 520+ athletes that DNF/DNS, out of 2,762 that registered.

Wish there was a way to separate DNF vs DNS to see the break down between those two but don't see a way to do that without manually counting each and viewing 26 pages of results. Although just in skimming it, there are a ton more DNS than what I would have guessed.
 

The Imp

5-14-6-1
Jul 8, 2003
3,891
22
Copenhagen, Denmark
Yeah, they said that there were 3200 participants, but there were a lot of relay teams, too.

I don't really know about those stats, but... Windy and warm is a less than ideal combination. I have a club mate that raced it for the 3rd time, and he said it was easily the toughest edition he'd raced.
 

Caeldan

Whippet Whisperer
Jun 21, 2008
15,459
1,046
Nice job on the ironman completion!
I need to learn to swim efficiently I think to ever have a real hope of doing any sort of triathlon.
I do well enough not to drown in a lake, but I don't know that I could swim for 1.5h unbroken in open water... Doing 10 lengths of front stroke in a pool (the occasional time I get into one) tends to leave me winded.
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
A guy I know who is doing the Augusta 70.3 with me, who has been training for months, just found out he has a blood clot and it has to be operated on... And there is 0% chance he'll be cleared to participate in the race about 30 days away. Feel terrible for the guy.

Nice job on the ironman completion!
I need to learn to swim efficiently I think to ever have a real hope of doing any sort of triathlon.
I do well enough not to drown in a lake, but I don't know that I could swim for 1.5h unbroken in open water... Doing 10 lengths of front stroke in a pool (the occasional time I get into one) tends to leave me winded.

Just keep getting in the water and keep plugging along. When I first started swimming laps a few years ago I never thought I'd ever be able to swim more than 10 consecutive minutes. It took me a while to learn how to pace myself, but just a few months later I was able to swim 30-45 minutes non-stop for the most part without any major issues. You just gotta keep at it, and consistently at that. If I took even just 4-5 days off, my next day in the pool would be pretty rough. I'd try and swim as much as possible from the get go, if your schedule allows.
 

The Imp

5-14-6-1
Jul 8, 2003
3,891
22
Copenhagen, Denmark
It's horrible, but you really don't want to participate in something like this if you're not 100 % ready.

Permanent health > triathlon
Temporary health issues < triathlon

Case in point, I'm definitely losing a toenail or two due to the IM. And that's fine.
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
It's horrible, but you really don't want to participate in something like this if you're not 100 % ready.

Permanent health > triathlon
Temporary health issues < triathlon

Case in point, I'm definitely losing a toenail or two due to the IM. And that's fine.

Yeah, it's a no-brainer decision. Luckily for him the clot itself is nothing to worry about, at least from a long-term perspective. But it does have to be operated on, and soon, and he won't be nearly recovered in time to compete. Really feel for him, he started training back in April for this.


Imp, you eyeing down any other triathlons other than the full you're already signed up for next year?


I was planning on Boulder, CO for my full... but on second thought I might pass on that one if there are increased elevations similar to say Denver, that I wouldn't be able to train for. So I'm thinking of looking at the one that is near Montreal within a week or so of that one.
 

The Imp

5-14-6-1
Jul 8, 2003
3,891
22
Copenhagen, Denmark
I'm presently putting together my raceplan for next year...

Berlin half marathon (late March)
(possibility 1): Half Ironman in Mallorca (early May)
(possibility 2): Half Ironman in Copenhagen (mid-June)
La Marmotte (early July)
Ironman Copenhagen (Late August)

I'm with my club in Mallorca for training camp anyway... Downside is that it's so early I won't have done any open water swimming that early in the year, and there's a risk that it's a non-wetsuit swim (BIIIIG issue).

A bit stuck on chosing between 1 and 2, tbh.

Full race report from Sunday:

So... It's Wednesday, three days after a really, really good day.

I got up relatively late, at 5 am and had breakfast. Off to the lagoon in short order, but of course the Metro had issues with all the people (athletes, spectators, and people headed home after a night out on the town, so I arrived at the start area very late, at 6.30, and my jump off was at 7.20. Anyway, I quickly inflated the bike tires, filled my bottles, got into my wetsuit, and headed for the start line. It was such a rush that I didn't really have a chance to get nervous, so maybe being a bit late was a good thing. Didn't have time to warm up either though. Greeted a few people at the line, and pretty soon we were off. I found a nice steady rhythm right away, and had a very relaxed swim, all told. Pretty slow, but steady, and with good navigation.

I exited the water and T1 was a bit of a rush. I had a fusion speed top in my bike bag that I decided against wearing, and I also left behind the banana I had packed, due to sound advice from my doctor.

Getting the bike to the mount line was a breeze, and soon enough I was at the roundabout, and off onto the course, having greeted a huge number of Kvik and personal supporters. I was so happy to have the swim over with, and be underway on my best discipline. I dropped into the aerobars asap, and found a really good rhythm. The first loop of the bike was a bit of a whirlwind, in that I went hard, but felt really good. I didn't get quite as much fluid as I had planned on, but things seemed fine. I was well on track for a bike split of about 4:50. However, after precisely 102 km, I began fading a bit. I had gone a bit too deep in the first loop, and the 'punch' was gone from my legs. I decided to back off a bit on the second half of the second loop.

As many of you know, I crashed on my race bike a month ago, and I have had issues with my hip ever since. The furthest I had run in the month leading up to the IM was 700 meters, and that in significant pain. I didn't know how my hip would react at all, so my plan was to ride hard on the bike, and then walk the marathon, if that was necessary.

I finished the bike with a split of 4:59:44 ��, and handed it off at T2. The left pedal had felt a bit funny, and indeed the cleat under my shoe was loose. The dismount went ok though, and I headed into the change tent, where I met Dennis from my club, who was very focused on his change :). That got me going, too, and I set off on the run.

The beginning of the run is always tough, but I had the added complexity of trying to figure out if my hip would hold up, so I set off at an easy pace. The hip didn't give me much bother at all, but I quickly realized that a month of no running is poor preparation for a marathon. The marathon became a game of running when I felt like I could, and walking when I couldn't. I'd guess it was a 50/50 split in terms of time. The crowd really helped there, as the next Kvik team member, friend, or family member was always right around the corner. Eventually I made that wonderful turn-off toward the finish line. And then proceeded to trip over an errant cobblestone, and scab my knee and palms. I bounced back up, and made it across the line in 11 hours 55 minutes.

Considering the hip/running issues, that is just fine.
 

Caeldan

Whippet Whisperer
Jun 21, 2008
15,459
1,046
A guy I know who is doing the Augusta 70.3 with me, who has been training for months, just found out he has a blood clot and it has to be operated on... And there is 0% chance he'll be cleared to participate in the race about 30 days away. Feel terrible for the guy.



Just keep getting in the water and keep plugging along. When I first started swimming laps a few years ago I never thought I'd ever be able to swim more than 10 consecutive minutes. It took me a while to learn how to pace myself, but just a few months later I was able to swim 30-45 minutes non-stop for the most part without any major issues. You just gotta keep at it, and consistently at that. If I took even just 4-5 days off, my next day in the pool would be pretty rough. I'd try and swim as much as possible from the get go, if your schedule allows.

Yeah, I think I need to figure out a schedule that's compatible with lane times... there's a community centre pool not 5 minutes walk from me but I've never used it.

To say that you'd be prepared for a triathlon swim, what do you think the target time to swim in the pool would be?
The running and biking is easier to plan for because I have plenty of other activities that regularly train the muscles used, but swimming is a bit unique in how it uses everything I find. Rowing machines are maybe the closest dry test?
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
Yeah, I think I need to figure out a schedule that's compatible with lane times... there's a community centre pool not 5 minutes walk from me but I've never used it.

To say that you'd be prepared for a triathlon swim, what do you think the target time to swim in the pool would be?
The running and biking is easier to plan for because I have plenty of other activities that regularly train the muscles used, but swimming is a bit unique in how it uses everything I find. Rowing machines are maybe the closest dry test?

That was something I was a bit intimidated when I first started, but I have a really flexible work schedule so it was easy for me to go between the morning and lunch rush, and between the lunch and out of work rush. But there were a few times I'd have someone ask to split my lane with me, and it was never an issue. I just have some anxiety that would probably stop me, at least at the time, from asking someone to share their lane with me.

Nah, there are no comparables whatsoever. You just gotta get in the pool and do it. I'm a big fan of rowing, but I wouldn't even put it in the same breath as swimming. Swimming is to unique to try and find a replacement for it from a training perspective.

Have you ever tried biking and then immediately running, or just done each on their own? I really underestimated how difficult the transition would be. I thought to myself that "Hell, I've ran multiple marathons... so if all I have to do is gut out a half marathon after a long bike ride, how hard could it be?"

Well, very hard is the answer to that. :laugh: Especially that first 10-15 minutes of running, man has that been really tough for me. It's getting better and easier, but still far more difficult than I ever anticipated it to be, especially having been a runner for years.
 

Caeldan

Whippet Whisperer
Jun 21, 2008
15,459
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That was something I was a bit intimidated when I first started, but I have a really flexible work schedule so it was easy for me to go between the morning and lunch rush, and between the lunch and out of work rush. But there were a few times I'd have someone ask to split my lane with me, and it was never an issue. I just have some anxiety that would probably stop me, at least at the time, from asking someone to share their lane with me.

Nah, there are no comparables whatsoever. You just gotta get in the pool and do it. I'm a big fan of rowing, but I wouldn't even put it in the same breath as swimming. Swimming is to unique to try and find a replacement for it from a training perspective.

Have you ever tried biking and then immediately running, or just done each on their own? I really underestimated how difficult the transition would be. I thought to myself that "Hell, I've ran multiple marathons... so if all I have to do is gut out a half marathon after a long bike ride, how hard could it be?"

Well, very hard is the answer to that. :laugh: Especially that first 10-15 minutes of running, man has that been really tough for me. It's getting better and easier, but still far more difficult than I ever anticipated it to be, especially having been a runner for years.

I've heard that the transitions are rough, definitely be something I'd actually practice if I got into serious training.
Going back to the rowing thing, guessing it's basically like there where the worst exercise ever is whatever you're doing immediately after getting off a hard row. (Cleans especially terrible since I find my entire timing is off)
 

Chairman Mallard

Registered User
Mar 9, 2007
16,785
101
Santa Rosa
Do you think a year of training is enough to complete a 70.3 if you've never done a triathlon before?

I'm curious as to if I could complete one by the end of 2016 but I want to be realistic in my goals as well. I just finished a 13.1 run for the first time in 2 hours so that's basically where I'm at now. I'm still carrying probably at least 25 lbs I still need to lose as well. I'll be an absolute beginner swimming and as far as bike/run brick workouts go the only ones I've done so far are of the sprint distances, so obviously I do have a ways to go so I figured I'd ask the guys here who have already completed one or are about to complete one.
 
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RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
Absolutely, Chairman. For someone of your level you could definitely find a beginner program to start with. Some plans will be as short as 16 weeks. I would however suggest a longer plan or to give yourself a good month or so to work on your swimming technique as well as getting a feel for the bike to run transition before you'd start any actual training.
 

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