Okay. I’m gonna do it. No, seriously….this time I’m really gonna do it. I’ve batted around the idea of attempting to complete a triathlon for years. Ever since I started cycling 10 years ago I’ve watched the Ironman Triathlon with equal parts awe and intrigue. I hate to swim (I swim fine…I just don’t like to) and don’t run very well now that I’ve bulked up so much. The cycling leg is the only part that really appeals to me but the Libran in me is drawn to the notion of being an all around athlete. I’ve been reading the online journal of an IT geek who just finished Ironman Florida. That was enough to put me over the edge. I just think it would be cool to qualify for Ironman Hawaii. It’ll probably take me 2 years to get in shape to finish it.
Not all triathlons are Ironman distance so I’ll start with shorter ones to acclimate.
- Sprint Triathlon - Swim 0.45 miles - Bike 13.2 miles - Run 3.1 miles
- Olympic triathlon - Swim 0.9 miles - Bike 24 miles - Run 6.2 miles
- Half Ironman* - Swim 1.2 miles - Bike 56 miles - Run 13.1 miles
- Ironman - Swim 2.4 miles - Bike 112-miles - Run 26.2-miles
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- The Half Ironman is now called Ironman 70.3, which is the total distance covered. Apparently people objected to being called half men. :shrug:
I think I will need to get down to 200-205 lbs or so to be at a more ideal watts-per-lb ratio for the bike leg. Over the next year I will try to reach some smaller goals on the way to the biggie. I plan to attempt a couple of duathlons (run-bike-run), one or two century (100 mile) bike rides and work on swimming more regularly. I have done portions of a triathlon, just not in one day. I have run the Peachtree Road Race 10K in Atlanta and completed 4-5 bike rides of 75+ miles. I have never swam any great distance so I think that will be the hardest part. I know I don’t have it in me to run 24 miles and certainly not after biking 112 miles. I figure I will run halfway then walk halfway. I should be able to finish the marathon in 7 hours doing that. My bike time should be a little less than that and the swim leg should be 90-110 minutes or so. That can’t be far off the time limit but I’m not in it to win it. I just want to finish. No more heavy upper body workouts for me…just squats, leg curls, pushups and some ab work for vanity then I’ll focus on road biking, running, spinning class, elliptical/treadmill sessions…all low intensity now so I can build up my aerobic base. I just ordered another Polar HR monitor. The one I have now is a bit long in the tooth.
My long term game plan. Wish me luck!
2006 - Duathlons, Sprint Distance triathlon
2007 - Olympic Distance triathlon, Centuries
2008 - Half Ironman and more Centuries
2009 - Ironman Hawaii qualifier