I Think I Can

T

tsilcyc

0
About Me:

41yo, Male, 5'8", 150#, Happily Married

I got into triathlon a little over 10 years ago when a co-worker and I convinced 11 others in our company to join us at the Tri for Fun, a local sprint triathlon. With only a background in mountain biking and running, I set out on my first triathlon and was immediately drawn into the sport. It wasn't long after completing that first sprint when I became fascinated by Ironman. Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. Some people look at that and say: "That's crazy!" I call it summer vacation. :)
 
yeah! and so? what of it all goofy boy. Go on, do tell us something more. hahahhaaha
 
Stats for last week:



I'm entering the final two weeks of Build with 6 weeks left until race day. Monday is my rest day but I did 15 minutes of core in the morning.

Today I did 15 minutes of core, ran (intervals) for 6 miles, and swam for 2 miles.
 
I am a bit affraid of a few things. Like hour 10, 11, and 12. I realize I will be in the run at that time, it will be dark, and running is my strongest discipline of the 3.

Can you share your thoughts prior to your first 140.6?


I see now that this is your journal- cool man!
 
flyinfree said:
I am a bit affraid of a few things. Like hour 10, 11, and 12. I realize I will be in the run at that time, it will be dark, and running is my strongest discipline of the 3.

Can you share your thoughts prior to your first 140.6?

I see now that this is your journal- cool man!
Click to expand...

I can tell you from making this mistake several times that you don't want to push hard on the bike. You will be excited, people will start passing you, the day will get long, the end will draw near, and in every instance you will want to push a little harder. Don't.

Ironman is about the run. And really, it's about the last 13 miles. When you start out on the run, you will probably feel great. Stick to whatever pace you have determined despite how well you feel. At the halfway point, if you still feel like you want to increase the pace, do it slowly all the way back to the finish. You still have T H I R T E E N miles to go. At this point in the race, you're only going to shave off a couple of minutes at best. It's better to finish running that to fall apart.

In a situation where things didn't go exactly as planned, you can try to use a run-walk strategy. Run from aid station to aid station but walk through the aid stations while hydrating and fueling. These micro-breaks have enabled many people to get through the event.

The truth is, you don't really know what's going to happen until you do one. No matter what happens good or bad, I guarantee you will never forget the experience! I'm excited for you!! I anticipate your race report will have a ton of typos... from all of the excitement of course. :)
 
Tsi, your trying is phenomenal and you are definitely out of my league. Your training is similar to a guy I know on another forum, cardiacathletes.org, Kevin, who has done 7 140.6s including IMWI last month.

I hope to build up to a small fraction of your volume of training in a couple of years and take a shot at a 140.6 in 2010. Flyinfree and I are gonna do a 70.3 in April in Florida. That will be my first 70.3. I'm gonna look for an Oly length before that.
 
Last edited:
Wednesday, October 1st --

Another multi brick workout consisting of:

- 5 mile run @ 8:25 pace
- 35 mile bike with 3-5 min sustained climbs @ IM pace
- 5 mile run @ 8:15 pace
- 20 mile bike on flats @ a fast pace

About 5 hours including transition times.

I started off a little sluggish but found my motivation and strength waiting for me about the start of run2. After that it was a cakewalk.

It's starting to get dark early around here... like 7:30pm. People were having a hard time seeing me as the sun set and I was nearly run down several times. I need to put a light on my bike so they can try to run me down and at least I'll know their intentions.

I have an easy day today:

20 minutes of core & and 2 mile swim.
 
oh boy! here you are telling me to keep control of myself :sport: you think I need to hear that or sumpin? huh! do ya!!! :yelrotflmao:

great advice, thanks man. I plan to run 10's. My comfort pace is about a 9. But I am fiuguring on letting my heart rate get down low enough to absorb soem water for the first 13. The bike is probably going to be baking hot, and the bike is hard for me.

the event G8r and I are doing is called "The Gator" on April 5th, central FL. They give out trophies!!!! to all finishers. you know you want one.
 
- Completed

It looks like it was a light week but it sure didn't feel that way. I'm now in a recovery week which is a good thing since my legs feel hammered after the race, , yesterday.

5 weeks until race day. :)
 
Monday is my off day.
Today I had a mini-brick workout consisting of a 15 mile ride done at an easy pace with a 3 mile run which I did with my dog since it was also at an easy pace. I followed that up with 15 minutes of core while watching an old Clint Eastwood movie. :)

The mornings are starting to get cool around here so I had to wear arm warmers, leg warmers, a skull cap, and gloves (which I hardly ever wear). Even then I was still pretty chilly on the descents.

Ah... the run... what can I say... my legs are still hammered from Sunday and it's good to get the blood flowing through my sore muscles but there definitely wasn't any zip in them. A whopping 3 miles done at an 8:37 pace.
 
TSI, how old are you and how long have you been doing this? I want a goal to aim for when I grow up (I'm 49).:)
 
g8r80 said:
TSI, how old are you and how long have you been doing this? I want a goal to aim for when I grow up (I'm 49).:)
Click to expand...

I'm 41. I've been doing triathlon off and on for a little over 10 years. I took a break a few years back and got into rock climbing (trad) but a fellow friend/competitor sucked me back in when his times started to improve.

In hindsight, I wish I would've remained in the sport because I'd probably be faster but who knows... I might've just wound up injured. Plus, I LOVE climbing and I would'nt have wanted to miss out on all that fun. In general, I think I just need something to obsess about.

And like you, one day I also hope to grow up and become an adult. But for now... I'll just keep living the dream. :)
 
i_love_muscle said:
Growing old chronologically is mandatory; acting your age is optional ;)

Thank God there are people who never grow up :)
Click to expand...

I raise my hand........very high........OH, OH!!!!!!

This is me! He, he!

I liiiiiiiike being high on not growing up......This ROCKS.

:action12:

LOL

Best wishes to all on the forum

Chillen
 
Ok, finished up the day with a 2 mile swim in open water. Did I mention I hate swimming? I think I'd rather have root canal. Off to eat.
 
It must be groundhog day because today is an exact repeat of Tuesday but faster.

15 mile bike @ 18mph followed by a 3 mile run with the dog done at an 8:15 pace.

I have another 2 mile open water swim planned for this afternoon. The weather looks nice but the water is cold and I'll need the wetsuit.

I feel 95% recovered from Sunday and look forward to a long bike and long run this weekend.
 
Hi T

I just finished reading some more of your blogging. Your last post was of interest since I struggle with the same thoughts and cookie cutter mentality of many out there. I don't share their ideas, but rather agree more with you and your pro friend.

I have come to the same conclusion on my own and executed it this past off/on season. Last winter while all the other triathletes decided to take time off and get fat and lazy I stayed in the game merely doing maintenance work with the 3 disciplines (2 each one, each week) as well as added heavier weights. I attribute a really solid season to the method I took in the off season. I felt stronger than ever (heavy weights), was leaner than I would have been ( better weight to power ratio) and had set the stage to increase endurance as the season approached, which came much more naturally than the year before when I did take some weeks off.

I also avoided exercise induced injury this year which didn't happen last year. Last year I dealt with a wicked case of shin splints that kept me at sub-par level the entire season.

Anyway, a good read and I think you're right on. Good luck with CIM!
 
tsilcyc said:
I'm 41. I've been doing triathlon off and on for a little over 10 years. I took a break a few years back and got into rock climbing (trad) but a fellow friend/competitor sucked me back in when his times started to improve.

In hindsight, I wish I would've remained in the sport because I'd probably be faster but who knows... I might've just wound up injured. Plus, I LOVE climbing and I would'nt have wanted to miss out on all that fun. In general, I think I just need something to obsess about.

And like you, one day I also hope to grow up and become an adult. But for now... I'll just keep living the dream. :)
Click to expand...

I feel a little better knowing that you've been doing this for years. I just can't maintain your volume of training not necessarily because of my age but because I haven't built up to that level (haven't paid my dues, so to speak).

I am looking forward to moving into a new age group next year, 50-54, and the competition dipping a little, but there are still a lot of fast guys in that age group.

As for swimming, I have only been swimming properly for less than a year and still need a wetsuit or have to stay in salt water, but I am actually beginning to enjoy it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top