Ironman Triathlete

I've read that after running a marathon for the first time you are supposed to take it easy exercise-wise for a week. How long is the "resting period" after the ironman?

Asked by Sam about 13 years ago

So, I think this varies from person to person. I have heard a lot of people say it takes a month to be fully recovered from a marathon, but that is obviously quite different from just getting out and running again. I went hiking in the Swiss Alps for a week immediately after the IM, and I was really slow moving, but had great natural baths to help me recover (but I think how you feel the day after an IM varies person to person and race to race. I just got very lucky that I felt so good after mine. The best sense of recovery time I have is that I did a bike race 5 weeks after the IM and did the same race this year. Even though last year I was in MUCH better shape than this year, I was significantly faster this year (for example, about 1 minute faster in a 16 minute time trial), which goes to show that I was probably nowhere close to recovered 5 weeks after the race...

What were the most physically and mentally grueling moments in the race? Did the thought of quitting ever enter your head?

Asked by Bisquick about 13 years ago

Amazingly enough I never thought about quitting. I actually had an ideal race from a pacing and diet perspective, so it never became an issue. The worst came with about 8 miles to go in the marathon when I thought "This is awesome... but I never need to do it again." The hardest part physically was definitely switching from the bike to the run, when my legs started cramping a little bit. I averaged about 9min/mile in the run, but my first mile was over 10 minutes because I had to get used to being on my feet again.

How did you manage to train long hours while working as a full time lawyer? What was your typical day like?

Asked by cbass about 13 years ago

To be totally honest, at times it was easy and at times I struggled. I raced the ironman in the summer of 2010 and you may recall the world is in the depths of a recession in 2009. As a corporate lawyer this gave me ample time to train ;) There *were* times that is was really hard though, getting home at 10pm, going for a 15 mile run, and getting up at 6am to swim was a tough slog. I think having a goal and a solid (but flexible) training plan was key for me. Without a goal I never would have trained that much, but if my training plan was too rigid I probably would have gotten frustrated a quit. I took each day as it came and just trained as best I could!

Do you think ANYONE, even an untrained couch potato, could train for and complete an Ironman?

Asked by heart0 about 13 years ago

Anyone? No. Most people? Definitely. When I went back to my hotel a few hours after my race was over there were still a few people out on the course who were definitely going slow but fine. I think anyone who is determined enough could get off the couch and train enough to do an Ironman probably within two years.

Did you have to walk any part of the marathon or walk your bike during the, um, bike-a-thon?

Asked by tre kewl about 13 years ago

That's a great question. A lot of people do walk or start to do the "ironman shuffle" during the marathon. Thankfully I managed to avoid both those things. There were times I was going slow enough it might have looked like I was walking, but I never shuffled! I really attribute it to having trained well for the bike, so when I got off the bike I actually felt pretty good. The bike was easier - you are sitting down the whole time, so how hard can it be! I did get off my bike at one point, but that was just because I thought my breaks were rubbing. Besides that I stayed put the whole ride.

Did you check your before-and-after weight? How big was the disparity?

Asked by Rahul about 13 years ago

I actually didn't, but that would have been fascinating! I was in Switzerland, so didn't have ready access to a scale (and probably wouldn't have thought of it if I did...). I have to imagine I lost at least 5-10lbs of water weight, but the more amusing part was that in pictures over the next week I looked EXTREMELY swollen (and therefore pudgy...).

What prompted you to try an Ironman?

Asked by Talia1111 about 13 years ago

Two things. First, I had been riding my bike a lot and was looking for a new challenge. Second, I have always been very into extremes, seeing how far I could push my body (when I was in high school I rowed as far as the rowing machine would let me, just so I could have the satisfaction of having done it). When I thought about doing triathlons I knew that I wanted to do an Ironman.

Is there one of the Ironman triathlons that's considered the "grand-daddy" of them all?

Asked by anders about 13 years ago

Definitely Kona (the Hawaii Ironman), which is the world championship. You have to either place well enough in another race or win a lottery entrance to get in.

Which of the sports is it most advantageous to have a background in if you've never done the other two? In other words, is it easier for a 'natural' runner to learn biking & swimming than some other order?

Asked by oxford about 13 years ago

I am not sure about "easier", but the best sport to be good at is cycling, since cycling is about half the race and if you can finish the ride fresh, the marathon will be that much easier. Also, cycling muscles translate very well into running, but the opposite does not seem to hold true. As far as swimming goes, you definitely need to know how to swim, but it is such a small portion of the race that having a swimming background is not terribly useful (I had not trained for swimming in almost 15 years when I started this.)

Do you need a "pit crew" of your own, so to speak, to transport your various gear for the different events, or do most triathlons have personnel for that?

Asked by Marcelle about 13 years ago

Actually neither. Most triathlons have one "transition area" where you put your bike on a rack, lay your running shoes out, etc, so that when you finish the swim you come to the transition (T1) to get your bike and when you finish the bike you come back to the same transition (now called T2) to rack your bike and put on your running shoes. There are some tris that have the swim-to-bike transition (T1) at a different location than the bike-to-run transition (T2) for logistical / course reasons, but in those cases you just get up REALLY early before the race to set those up and get to the swim start in time.

Did you keep your diet squeaky clean during training too?

Asked by amosss about 13 years ago

Yes and no. I did not drink much, but because I was training so much I needed an exceptional amount of calories. I ate a lot of bacon and ice cream during this time...

Do you have any desire to do another Ironman or was it one and done for you?

Asked by runnerrunnerperfect about 13 years ago

See my answer to the question about quitting! Seriously though, I would like to do another at some point when I have more time on my hands, but for the foreseeable future Ironman Switzerland is it for me.

What % of people who start the Ironman finish? All of them?

Asked by ONETIME! about 13 years ago

I actually have no idea! Definitely not all, for a couple reasons. Obviously a number will drop out for injury, exhaustion, or lack of mental ability, but a number will also get pulled for not making time cuts. The race organizers will pull people out of the race if they do not finish each leg in a certain amount of time, so that the course is not open forever.

Is there another insane physical feat you've thought about attempting since finishing the Ironman?

Asked by Meghan about 13 years ago

Nope! But I considered (and attempted) a lot of others before doing the IM, including rowing 99,999 meters on a rowing machine (because that was the highest number you could set the machine for) and hiking the Appalachian Trail (2,609 miles) in 100 days (summer vacation). I finished the row (7hrs 58mins 43secs), but hurt myself after 10 days of doing a marathon a day hiking and had to hitchhike out of the Smoky Mountains...

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