Ironman Triathlete

During your training, were there any times you thought about backing out of the race?

Asked by smith about 13 years ago

Not really. The training was hard, but I had the time and the desire to do it. Plus, I was incredibly excited to race in Switzerland and then have a nice vacation after (I might have been more excited to be done with the race than to actually "do" the race!)

Prior to training, what was your background in each of the three sports?

Asked by shimm about 13 years ago

I swam competitively when I was younger, but stopped around age 13. I was a cross-country runner throughout high school and had done a number of half-marathons starting around age 13. I had the least amount of background in cycling, but had done a couple triathlons / duathlons when I was younger, and had been doing long recreational rides with friends for about 8 months before I decided to train for and race my Ironman.

What's the first thing you ate after finishing?

Asked by dumpling about 13 years ago

Some sort of rice / noodle dish that was in the post-race cafeteria. I ate a little, showered, got more food and ate it sitting in line for a massage!

What happens when you need to "relieve yourself?" Do they have port-o-potties or do you just have to let nature run its course?

Asked by deathbydisco about 13 years ago

Well, they DO have port-o-potties, but they probably aren't used all that much! At the start of the swim a lot of people like to go in their wetsuit as a way to warm up the body in what is usually very cold water. Then on the bike, most folks have mastered the "pee on the bike" routine! For the run you're probably stopping at a port-o-potty :)

I can't run for more than 13 miles without completely messing up my joints. Do you ever come across joint problems with all the running? If so, how do you overcome them?

Asked by hurting knees over 11 years ago

I had a lot of issues as well.  If you can *never* run more than 13 miles without messing up your joints you might have a hard time making it to 26.2, but if it's more of a total volume thing you might able to overcome it.  The way I did it (after messing up my calf doing 18 mile runs once a week) was to do a day of hill repeats (fairly short hard intervals) once a week and a brick (56 mile ride + 13 mile run) once a week.  That way I didn't overdo it on the running, but was able to improve little by little.  I gained most of my fitness through biking and swimming.  Hope this helps!

I AM A LONG DISTANCE CYCLIST.HIKER.HUNTER.WEIGHT LIFTER.MOUNTAIN CLIMBER.I PLAY HOCKEY AND FOOTBALL.WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE PROTEIN SHAKE I CAN MAKE AT HOME. GIVE ME POINTERS ON A SOLID DIET. OH YEAH I AM A CONSTRUCTION WORKER.

Asked by alexnan@bell.net almost 10 years ago