Training for an ironman is a full-time job!

I think my casual posts about doing an ironman may lead one to believe that it is a simple proposition. Just train and ultimately you’ll get to the distance. I had purposedly kept my weblog separate, because the technical details would be to hard to read if the reader doesn’t already have an interest.

But just to show you how crazy it gets, here is the link to my weblog:

http://quicksilver-ironmankona.blogspot.com/

I’m getting there but the work continues. I really only have one more month to get ready and it is race time. Wish me luck!

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I’m going to Ford Ironman Kona !

Had to keep it under wraps until the slot was validated.

I’m officially going to Kona on October 12. I won a lottery slot in early April and have been training for Kona ever since.  Just received confirmation today that my slot was validated by my half-ironman result.

Kona is a long race — 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile ride, and 26.2 mile run.  The time limits are: 2:20 for the swim, 10:30 for the bike after race start, and 17 hours (or midnight) for the whole thing.

I’m excited !

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A Half-Ironman in Ohio

So I finally did the deed. My first triathlon and a half-ironman at that. Not a sprint or olympic distance.

My swim was so-so; I stayed on the outside the entire time, so I may have added to my total distance by forming a bigger rectangle than the 1000 meter course. The swim was in a reservoir, and the water was green. It was hard to sight off something so foreign such as green water. Did 1.2 miles (?) in 1 hour? It must have been 1.5 miles easily.

Did a superb bike ride, averaging 18mph on a rolling course. Had some hills where my speed went down to 5mph, so this wasn’t a beginner-friendly course. The reason why I went fast is that they had a 1PM cutoff, and I barely made it in. I had 3:15 to play with because of the very late swim start (30 minutes late at 8:45), and I got in somewhere around 3:10.

The 13.1 mile run was a struggle. I was told a couple of times to feed on the bike for the run. Guess I got too pre-occupied with the wall time that I didn’t do it. So the first 30 minutes of the run was a struggle. It didn’t help that this part of Ohio had a temp of 86 degrees with 50% humidity. Just learned that anything above 49% humidity will prevent your sweat from evaporating. It was really hot. So I made do with 2:25.

I think my overall time is around 6:43 or so. Not bad. My coach was happy with it. Anyway, he said that if I had feed properly I could have come in in the low 6 or so.

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Rivet Cyclesport Bike-Top

Modeling my new bike-top. Cool colours–the black is unusual. Okay–got to get back to packing.

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Packing for a triathlon 3000 miles away

First off, the bike has to be disassembled for transit. Our bike mechanic is lending me his carrier and will walk me through how he packs my bike and then eventually how I’ll have to re-pack it for the return trip home. He recommends I have it assembled and checked at a bike shop when I get there. This will be interesting.

I have the following items in my carry-on:

Swim–wetsuit, goggles

Bike–helmet, bike shoes, four larabars (just in case I get the munchies)

Run–visor, GPS (wear GPS and HR monitor out from T1)

I’ll have to pack rubber bands, sunblock, transition area towels (big and small), and also a transition area bag. Need to get two GU gel packs for the run. I’m wearing my running shoes on the plane.

That’s it. Keep it as simple as possible. Same “Have race will travel” philosophy as before. This will be a fun weekend!!!!

Arriving two days prior to the event.  Spend the first day making sure the bike is assembled and in great working order.  The only thing to do on Saturday is to attend the expo.  I’ll also drive the bike route either Friday or Saturday.  It is a 28-mile route, so it won’t take that long to navigate.

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Ever had an ice cream cone after an ocean swim?

The seawater sure was salty.  I passed by an ice cream truck like in the picture.  I got an ice cream cone, with chocolate and nuts.  It was so good!  Something about the extremes in taste (salty to sweet) made the ice cream cone just about the perfect pick-me-up after a serious swim!

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OMG — I can run fast!

He he.  What a fun thing to discover.

We did a long track session today, and I averaged about 6:20 per mile pace.  For sprints, I got about 5:00 per mile pace.

I don’t know if this will translate well to faster times beyond 20K.  Will probably find out soon!

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