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Could I really do it?
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Ok time to be honest here. You guys and gals that do these Ironmen things. Well as I've said before I am in awe. Now I know that the piratey way is to say that anyone can do this. Just a bit of training. But I know that I simply do not have or am willing to put the time in to do the training. This is not because I am a lazy lard ass! Nor are my legs in a fit enough state to get me through the marathon at the end.
Now, I do take on board that it is all about life choices. If I really wanted to do an Ironman then somehow I would make the time would I not? The sacrifices that are involved are not ones I am willing to take - just now. That is my choice. I'm not prepared to sacrifice time spent supporting my teen who is doing a2's and pondering over future life choices, for example. I feel the need ( and this is my needs) to be able to adapt to her needs just now, so that she can feel supported through some difficult times ahead. This is prob due to the fact that I may be a bit over the top due to having a chaotic lifestyle as a child myself. Whatever I don't care. i will be there for her so training takes the back seat.
And so I move on, as I do enjoy my training. I have these dreams about doing Bala. I mean - for me - to do Bala would be such a fab acheivement.
So I am wondering. Could I do Bala. i work full time. I often don't leave till gone 6. I will support my children and everything else will get ditched if needs be - without a doubt. By the time I have dealt with son - georgeous, mind numbing frustrating, demanding but adorable, teenage daughter - growing and oh so important to support just now - hubby - permanently injured and actually not that bothered about training and wishing I wasn't too - could I do it? And if so how??????????????
Admission - I once said that triathlon was a substitute for running. I said my true love was running as I can't be doing with the faffing of tri, I now feel a traitor! Gosh what hindsight can bring! Ok my running speed has decreased. But hey, now much fitter I feel mixing up training. How much healthier my body feels! And how much more interesting and fun tri is!
So could I do Bala and if so can someone please help me as to when I could fit the training in?
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Comments
can you swim ok?
2 bikes, including 1 long one of 3 hours or so, 1 shorter one of 60-90 mins
2 runs, including 1 long of 10 miles or so, 1 shorter one of 6 miles
+swimming, which if you can do ok, then a swim a fortnight would probably do. I reckon that should get someone round, depending on their athletic ability. for a beginner, this is probably what you could get away withto get round ok.
Not sure about suggestions for fitting things in, do you have a turbo? if not get one as it is a good use of time and slightly less of a faff than going outside, especially if you dont like the wind and rain and dark.
You could have a look at the beginners half ironman training plan on http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/ look at the training load... tot up the hours and work out how much free time you have, having deducted the various things you don't want to compromise on.
When Seren did Bala she'd only just started training, had only just learned to swim, only just got her bike... she also has kids & hubby.... she'd just run London so she had a good base there... but she is a gutsy girl and not everyone could do that.
Hi
I don't do Ironman. But may I wish you luck when (Scooby Doo) do Bala, Scooby Snax.
Sorry guys I am referring to the half! I did london oly this August and I seem to have found that I have become addicted, I mean wooooweee! However as I was running the 10k I was thinking.....
Ok - bu**er - why can I not tell lies?????????? I'd love to say I was thinking ''Bala will be a doddle as I am feeling so stong''!
Ok I was actually thinking oh bu**er me and holy malony - I am totally knacked now and there was me thinking I may attempt Bala! '' What a crap and lazy and unfit person I am. i mean me?? Do Bala? You are havin a laugh! Crikey those peeps that do IM's?? < I am now huffin and a puffin> Well says me as I am staggering along - BIG respect to them as I know how I am feeling! <that was gremlin - grr> Then along comes a what I call '' f*** off gremlin, and this says <ahem Gremlin, Scoobs knew that the running part would be tough due to achilles nightmare, and so she gave it her all and stonked it on the bike, so f** off and let her be, thank you very much - over and out>
i wouldnt bother looking at the training plans, i dont think they are a good use of time if time is what you are short of and your aim is just to get round. all this, do 17 mins at level 3 and 13 mins at level 2 bollox is almost pointless unless you are "racing it"
all you've got to do to get round is to get your body to cope with the idea of 3 hours on a bike followed buy a 2 hour (or longer if you're rubbish like me) run, preceded by a swim obviously!
i think a lot of the training plans are at best, aimed for faster competitors or at worst, there solely to make things more confusing so that you have to buy their plans or books. a bit like diet books and plans, how do you string out "consume less than you expend" to 10million diet books?
btw - did london in 3:06 in the end. 37 mins on swim - dire and disappointed with this. 6 something in transition 1, again dire, I simply forgot I was supposed to be racing and spent far too much time jumping up and down in elated fashion at having done swim - sorry embarrassing I know but no point in waffle, bike 1.22 elated with as better than hoped - trans 2 - forgot but pretty dammed quick due to cydling in running shoes - yey - run 58 mins - happy with as no walking and just go back to 10k due to achilles mightmare - Scoobs forum = we all need to kill achilles - thing!
thanks Kanga - all I want is to do it. If I felt I could do it, then I would want to try to best of my abiility. with the Oly I could kind of work out what was required. I did 5 bricks in prep but much less running distance and then did solo runs of full distance. But with a half the equation becomes much harder to envisage. On top of that I have hubby to work on to slowly adjust to idea as he thinks I'm totally balmy already!
So 3 hours on bike and 2 hour run and blag the swim? I struggle with motivation with swim! But I could do it I reckon! at mo I swim prob once per week but only a mile or 1500m, would I need to up that?
3 hours on bike not a prob I reckon as I am a snail and often am near to that anyway on weekends!. although 3 hours bike here would not cover distance. Would that be a prob? thing is it sis so flippen hilly here! On my hybrid I average 12 to 13 mph. The tri club averange 14 mph. You'll get an idea of racing equivalent due to fairly flat route from London as a comparison I think I did 17 - 18 mph at London with a headwind.
TBH it is the flippen running that is giving me doubts. Could I do 13 mile or so off the back of achilles nightmare. Not the race, but can I get through the training?
Having already done an oly, OW swim, you have a bike and already do 3 hour rides etc I can't see why this would be a problem considering the race is next June.... I thought you were coming to this new... i.e. just learned to swim, just got a bike etc.
In terms of your achilles only you can judge how well your injury is healing, but 10 months is a long time.
Did you see Oxy talk some sense at the start of this thread
Scooby I reckon you could get round this now..................the hills where you are make you strong on the bike when it matters and I think you would really like the Bala bike, the run, well you would get round it and as long as you can do that without causing more damage then I think that would be the best you could do? I reckon I will walk a fair bit of the run at the Vit and my achilles is fine, I will just be knackered!
The swim, well its just the bit you have to get through, I am actually going on a days course soon as I am so fed up with being rubbish at it. I will let you know how I get on.
Scooby - you could definitely do this and wouldn't need as much training as you might think. I started bike training in late April after doing FLM and did about 4 long bike rides building up from 20 to 45 miles. It was a long day out but not as hard as I had expected. The swim and bike are long but not as hard on the body as running - of course when you get to the run you're so relieved to be off the bike that feels great too. it was a boiling hot day and lots of us walked big chunks of the run - it's fine to do that and makes the whole thing really do-able.
If you have a good base of fitness and can train about 3-4 hours each week, on average, for about 6 weeks - you would be fine.
Have you read the reports on this years thread and on the PSOF website?
Scooby, you can totally do it. Absolutely, 100% there is no shred of doubt in my mind. All you need to make sure is that your achilles holds up through the training - and you know how to look after it, since its not a new problem is it?! So, I would say, your priorites for training are the bike, and then the swim - better to be slightly undertrained on the run, (worst case scenario you can walk a bit of it, no shame there) than to exacerbate the achilles too much in training. So just fit in what you can, when you can, as it works for you with your family.
Also, I think if you found an open water swim venue to go to regularly (a nice, calm, clean lake) you'd like swimming much more.
A half swim is 1900m, which is only 400m further than you did at London. You'll barely notice the difference. A mile once a week will suffice.
If you're already close to 3 hours in one go you're just about there already! A few 50 mile rides in the spring will sort you out if you've been able to keep some sort of cycling base over the winter. As Mel said, turbos are handy if time is a big issue.
As you know by now, the answer is yes you can. You can probably cut down the run training if you're doing more cycling & swimming, you don't need absolute speed anyway, just the ability to get round 13 miles. 10 mile runs will sort that out for you, but they don't need to be every week.
I can't possibly guess what your family commitments are going to be, but I don't think you'd need to set aside major hours each week if you've already done an Oly. As long as you don't leave it until six weeks before, you do a decent build up on the bike with some weeks skipped if there was a need for you to be looking after the A2 teen.
Of course - the folowing year A2 teen will be off at uni and that leaves you free to do an IM
Can't really comment on the achilles - but I reckon you've got time to get that sorted as well
Hi all
Steady now Bear me and the I - M word do not go together, but a half one - well I would be so pleased to acheive that.
Thank you all so much for your responses and encouragement. You piratey folks are simply adorable and lovely., so I am sending you all big fat kisses. XXXXXXX
Ok looks like I shall give it a go then. I lack confidence - you're probably sussed that one! But to do Bala would give me the motivation to keep up with the training with a view to upping it a bit in the new year.
So how about if I continue to try and get out on my bike once a week for a 30-35 mile ride, continue with my once a week mile swim, do my stationary bike stint at the gym for an hour (this is really hard, it is def the hardest session I do in the week) and run a bit as and when I can? I do have a turbo - Meliisa P's old one but I haven't really used it on account of Mr Scoobs and I trying to spend some sort of time together, so we go to the gym together. It keeps him retaining some fitness and I can use the stationary bike anyway.
I thought I would have to follow some sort of training schedule to do this sort of distance. I detest schedules. They work really well for lots of people but they are not for me as I like to break rules and know I would not stick to one.
What I really love about tri is actually the variation in the training. I can mix it all up as and when. So I could swim instead of bike but then I would bike when I was going to swim - if that makes any sense.
AJH - what is this swimming thing you are going to do? I am so slow at swimming. I can do it without sinking but it takes me ages! Yes please to keeping me up to date with how you get on.
You know the bike bit? Well do you have to wear those god awful clippy things? I had some but got fed up as kept falling off. I thought it was supposed to get easier. I did get used to unclipping in time for traffic lights and junctions, but I seem to attract unexpected eventualities, like a dog running in front of the bike and then stopping, mis-negotiating some bollards - ouchy ouchy on my knee and lots of blood - yuk!, turning right when I meant to turn left - oops and over we go. Slowely Sliding down the side of a van - that was interesting as was right in the middle of Padstow. Into the hedge trying to avoid the Tesco delivery van when cycling in the narrow lanes - he laughed at me - grr! In the end I was not enjoying my cycling as felt insecure and like I was going to fall off all the time so I took them off. But for 56 miles? Would I need them or could I cycle in my running shoes?
Thank you all again - I am now one very excited Scoobs!
If the swim was only 500m we would all be laughing!
Scoobs the swim thing is a days coaching by some guys called T3 performance, a small group so hopefully will get lots of attention and there is a mix of classroom stuff and in the pool stuff.
I reckon it can only do me good, and I can improve out of it it will be 95 quid well spent.