I always jump into things head first with little thought.
But this time, I have scared myself shitless. I just entered my first Iron man which will be just under one year from now.
Time to learn how to swim! 
Ahh, what is the best links and or training advice for my next 11 months of training. I know it is easily possible, but I have a long way to go.
Good on you! Fear has always been, and always will be, a great motivator.
I’m sure there better qualified folks lurking around here to give you advice but you may want to begin with some simple forum searches.
Good luck.
Thanks 
I am definitely scared and knowing that I had to pay 800 dollars to enter, I can’t pull out, I actually have to go through with it (in comparison to a 50 dollar entry for a small tri)
I’ve been lurking here a lot, I was going to start with this plan:
http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2013/05/six-months-to-ironman-a-basic-training-program.aspx#axzz2xb4Jafr9
And then work on getting myself able to open water swim 4km which will be the hardest part for me.
All while trolling the search feature!
I would be working on your swim 4-5x a week.
That plan is fine, too simple for my taste but it gives you some structure. Like people have said use the search function, say focused, consistent, stay injury free.
Get the SWIM IN… the earlier you have a program to follow the better. The easier the swim gets for you the better your day will end up. Don’t cram the training in, start now and Good luck.
It says 6 months on the plan, but I am definitely starting now! More training time haha
I’m sure there are more detailed plans but I am happy to start with something and change it as I find my abilities
It says 6 months on the plan, but I am definitely starting now! More training time haha
I’m sure there are more detailed plans but I am happy to start with something and change it as I find my abilities
Mate, welcome to the world of IM ( regardless of what brand )
find a weekly schedule that fits in with your life, do the weekly workouts this week.
Next week, repeat, the week after that, repeat, etc etc
you’ll get fitter, faster, leaner and eventually grumpier.
don’t overthink it, stay happy,remember why you’ve entered and one day someone will say,
" you are an Ironman!"
Thanks
It does sound like a really hard slog to get there, all about consitency.
What do you guys use to keep track of your training?
I have been a lurker here for the past year or so but thought I would chime in since you sound like you are in the same position I was a year ago. The swim was my weakness too (i.e. I couldn’t swim to save myself) and I also had only one month of road biking experience when I signed up so was definitely throwing myself in at the deep end. I was lucky in that my partner had done several IM events before we met so he gave me a lot of advice but I was still pretty much starting from scratch.
My advice would be to get a swim coach if you can and do this now. When I first started I really underestimated how hard the swimming would be and having a coach to help me learn some semblance of decent technique was invaluable. I made it out of the water on the day in 1:26, which isn’t fast at all I know, but I actually enjoyed the swim and didn’t feel wiped out by it mentally or physically which was a big achievement for me. When I was training I had a couple of people question the time I put into swimming because it’s the shortest part of the day but I really think it was worth it. I was swimming at least three times a week, once with my coach for the first 4 months and then in his squad after that once I could actually swim and keep up with others. Do open water swims when you can. I was terrified of this at first but the more I did it, the more comfortable I was.
Not sure what your biking background is but make sure you bike lots. I didn’t ride enough until the last couple of months and I was pretty weak on the bike as a result. I did do quite a few long rides but these were a huge step up for me and several were particularly slow and painful. I was only biking once or twice a week until the final three months before the event and looking back my rides were pretty leisurely - I didn’t know how to push myself on the bike. I was also terrified of riding on aerobars (pretty irrational looking back) and didn’t start doing this until two months prior to the event. Get a bike fit early on and focus on those skills if this stuff is as new to you as it was to me.
Think about nutrition early on and try different things out to see what works for you. This was all a bit haphazard for me and I learned from it big time in the second half of the run. That wasn’t so much fun. There’s no one right answer - try out different things so you can find out what works for your body.
Enjoy the process and respect the challenge you are taking on. Remember that you are doing this because you want to. Enjoy the training and keep focused on your goal. I had the most amazing day at the event and was basically in a state of excitement and disbelief all day that I was actually doing it because it had seemed like such an impossible goal the year before. It was a real challenge and there was obviously pain but I hardly stopped smiling the entire day. I’m definitely going to do it again next year. There were some really low points in training but (sounds cheesy I know) I learned a lot about myself and I enjoyed the process of overcoming challenges and conquering little goals along the way. I kept a training diary throughout, recording what training I did, and how I felt etc. That was really helpful and it’s also really cool to look back on it so recommend doing that too. I just used an excel spreadsheet, so nothing flash.
So that is my totally non-expert advice and is just based on my own experience as a novice coming into this. I did a LOT of searching on this forum and reading articles and blogs etc, along with talking to my partner and friends I met through training. Hope some of this is helpful and you have a great experience. Good luck and enjoy!
Work mostly on your weakness(s). It’s a long day but very doable. 1000’s of all shapes and sizes seem to manage to get it done. There’s a big difference between the work required to finish and the work required to KQ or to go fast (for your age group). If it’s just the former it’s not like climbing Everest. If it’s the later, you need lots and lots of work OR a strong background in one or more of the three legs OR a big endurance engine from some other sport AND most likely the right parents.
This. Just having a plan (any plan) is better than winging it. And know on race day that every athlete toeing the line wished they’d trained harder, longer, and more frequently, so don’t let that worry you. Just do what you do when you do and you’ll be fine. Every time (8 IM, 22 HIM, etc…) I wished I’d done more, and it’s always turned out fine. Enjoy the journey, that’s the key point. Your only goal is to get to Mike Reilly and hear those words…everything else is gravy!
And then work on getting myself able to open water swim 4km which will be the hardest part for me.
Don’t worry, mate!! It is only 3.8k!!!
ETA: Did I miss which race you have entered?
Good luck. I’m doing my first in 158 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes. (Yes I have a countdown app on my phone).
I bounce between being A) a little cocky and over confident… convinced I’m going to kill it, and B) oh shit, what have I gotten myself into and why the hell am I putting myself through this. I could have been satisfied with going for a solid 70.3 and Olympic PR with a lot less training.
For an added bonus, throw in the personal commitment/challenge to KQ, not just finish.
I choose to keep myself occupied with plenty of racing the last 90 days.
When that countdown say about 50 days, that’s when it really means business.
If you can, sign up for some adult swim lessons to learn proper form and also to get more comfortable in the water. As someone else mentioned above, spend these first few months getting to the pool 4-5x per week so that way when you start the official training plan you’ll have something of a base in place. As you get close to your race date, get some open water swims in so that you can learn how to sight and get used to not seeing the lane line underneath you; also make sure that you are doing this with other people so that you get get used to being bumped and having someone swimming right next to you. Contact in the water can be scary if you having experienced it before.
Hope this helps, good luck!
I am a marathoner who rode weekly. Then I migrated into IMs.
The running is important but likely the least critical to finishing. Even the good marathoners I know who have done it struggle to have a decent pace. It is hard to do so much first … and have a lot left. It turns into a survival run.
The bike has a huge impact because it takes the most time. You need to put the butt time on the bike. Doing 80 to 100 miles takes too long and is tough … but you have to do it.
You can’t practice swimming enough. Get help. Train often. And you need to get plenty of Open Water Swims in. They are so freaking different than pool swims. The first couple of times I did them … my body didn’t recognize the feelings and went into panic mode. My mind knew I was going to be OK … but that did nothing to settle my body and the ensuing panic. You get a couple hundred meters away from shore and suddenly you realize that … if you get in trouble there is no one there to help. Panic is next. It is something you just have to train past. Then there is the inability to stand up in OW when you need to … there are no lines to follow and it is amazingly hard to swim in a straight line … plus you can’t really see much under the water even when it is fairly clear … and that damn sighting crap. *&^%$ At first, everytime you try to sight you will almost stop. And if you don’t sight then you will find that you are going 90 degrees in the wrong direction. Much harder than I expected.
Good luck.
Probably didn’t mention, but the Melbourne Iron Man in March
Wow thanks everyone for the inspiration
Why are triathletes so motivational? haha
The swim will definitely be my weakest and I need to work 5 days a week on it. When I can swim 2 hours straight in open water regardless of distance I will feel ready.
The bike should be fine, I work hard on tweaking my fit and have no problem riding 100+km regularly. But I am looking forward to the bike training, I have a friend who will be right with me every bike training no matter what distance or speed.
The panic situation in open water is so true, my first open water swim was my first race just over 2 weeks ago. I paniced and couldn’t breathe properly, so I had to stop and really just make my way to shore any way possible, second time was better but lots of practice in waves to go.
I guess my real aim is to finish, but I definitely want to finish sub 13 for my first which should be possible with 11 months of training.
The issue I will have is getting myself out of my warm soft bed in the morning 
Anyone in Melbourne who needs a training partner? haha I know however that my local gym houses a tri club and they regularly training so I will go and meet them this week.
Good luck - I would pick a plan about 24 weeks out - until then build aerobic fitness - swim bike and run 3-4 times per week each - do a solid weight training session too to build your core. At the point when you are 20 weeks out you should be able to swim 3000 yards easily, bike 75 miles without stopping and run 10 miles in 90 mins. I’m no expert by a long long way but from that point you can do a good IM in 20 weeks of specific training.
Best of luck!
It is definitely going to be a volume of training for a while, I do weights 3 days a week atm as well so I’m always working on strength and core.
One thing I wasn’t sure about, should I sign up for HIM’s that are upcoming in about 6-7 months? Obviously a great experience and good training, but worth it the scheme of an iron man?