IMUK 2013 Bonkers!

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  • Some good mileage in there from everyone. I came down in distance and did the Liverpool Olympic over the weekend, being from Wigan it's almost on my doorstep so thought I'd give it a go.

    I got 2.40:01 which I was over the moon with image but then looked at the results and found I was 34th out of 41 in my age group image - I'll stick to the longer distance, no speed for this short stuff, although I have to say really enjoyed it.

    One more long bike, middle distance run then taper.

    Enjoy the sun ...

  • Great going on Liverpool SS, bet you well chuffed image

    Yeah, i like the distance stuff better, shame my body doesnt sometimes though!

    Did an 18mile run saturday morning..lovely!   Did one of our grand prix races Saturday night 'Cockington Summer Caper', 10k and hilly!  Came 18th and 5th home for the club...legs burning but great fun!

    Then my 65mile South Hams adventure, Garmins stuffed up on the elevation for some reason thogh so i could see hills onn the dashboard thingy after...but rest assured there were some beasts!  but great views!

    Todays menu....REST...REST...REST!!

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  • Day of REST today so what have i done this evening ......had a read through a load of our old posts on this forum, makes you realise what an amazing journey we've all been on.

    A...M...A....Z...I....N...G!!

    and full of.........

    imageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimage

  • Did a lido swim this morning, usually there are only about 20 of us there, it was packed at 6.45am!!!!. Whats going on, I couldnt even get in a lane!!!.

    I did a steady 750m in a non laned section. My chest didnt hurt that much, but I was aware of it and would say the pain was a 4 out of 10. So to conclude, rest swimming until the day, pain killers, man up and get on with it. I shall need to re adjust my swim time, but its the lesser part of the 3 so Im not going to panic. Too late to start worrying now.

     

    Maybe it will benefit me by saving energy for the trundle on the bike and the jog at the endimage.

    By boss came to London for the day and sat next to me in work and has just stated that she has never seen someone eat continually all day, what does she mean!!. Im sure we are all the same, arnt we?

  • Managed 22.5 hours in my mini home-based training camp last week.

    Starting to get nerves kicking in now it's only 2 weeks on Sunday. image

    Has anyone else started packing transition bags ready yet? Or just me?? image

  • Just you Tim!! image I struggled on my Open Water swim on Monday, felt crap all yesterday and nearly died on my run today, hay fever .. brilliant 3 weeks out and I get this, struggling for breathe but the tablets are kicking in.

     

  • My swim worries me more than bike and run, although my race swims through the year have been solid so that's probably taper madness kicking in.  What are everyone's aims?

    Minimum for me is Sub-17 hour finish.  I'm pretty confident of this.  I know can get through the swim, and barring a mechanical or injury I'll get through the bike by cutoff, and I'll be able to power walk the marathon in that time.

    What I'd like is a Sub-15 finish and to finish before sunset at 9pm and I'd be really pleased with that.

    Anything substantially faster than that would be a fantastic result, but 15 hours is my main target.

  • joddlyjoddly ✭✭✭

    Morning all!

    I think it probably is just you packing your transition bags, Timmy! Starting to have serious worries about the wetsuit at the moment - anyone know what the temperature is in Pennington Flash? The thought of attempting the swim without a wettie absolutely terrifies me.

    I haven't really got time targets. I can't use Wales last year as a base as the swim there is short/current assisted, the bike is proabably a bit hillier, and the run was massively short. If I start setting time targets and then end up being too much over 1.30 for the swim, that could mess my head up for the day!

    I've had some really ropey training sessions in the past week. I think I probably should have left another day or two to recover from my cold. I couldn't bring myself to miss the long weekend sessions, though. Struggling with the heat as well seemed to wipe myself out for another few days, and sleep is still rubbish from coughing. Having said that, this morning I'm feeling a lot better and have a long-ish run planned for later, so we'll see.

    Bones - if you're certain it's "just" a pulled muscle, then even with some training load, hopefully you should be a lot better by the end of the month. Your name suggests you may know about things musculoskeletal, so presumably you are sure that's the problem?

    Know what you mean about eating all the time, though this week's lurgy and the heat seem to be having the opposite effect.

    Happy training, all image.

  • Pennington is about 19 degrees, that is an issue for me, wet suit swim please! Hay fever is settling down and I had a cracking bike ride yesterday, only short but took 15 minutes off a timed loop I do

  • joddlyjoddly ✭✭✭

    Great riding, Chris - 15 minutes off a short loop has to be pretty impressive!

    Also, 19 degrees sounds v reassuring. If it's only got to that now, it surely won't reach 22 or whatever in 2 more weeks...?

  • No packing yet image

    2.5 mile swim Tuesday 1:25

    5 mile race last night feeling very tired, from stepping up my training, 1 min down from last month.

    I'm suffering with hay fever and like you joddly not sleeping well with a weird cough not been ill with it but just coughing.

    I managed 12:30 in my first. 12:04 in the second but it was short and 13 last year but it was hot, I didn’t drink or eat enough on the bike so suffered on the last bike lap and at the start of the run.

    This year I would be happy with 12:30 but would like to crack sub 12.

    I wasn't aware about wetsuit and water temperature. We won't look half as cool lining up at the start without the wettie keeping in the wobbly bits!

  • There's another thread about wetsuit being compulsory/forbidden.  They've said the rules are:

    Swim Length   Forbidden Above   Mandatory Below

    1500m              22°C                    14°C

    1501-3000m      23°C                    15°C

    3001-4000m      24°C                    16°C

    So it needs to be 24 or above for it to be compulsory non-wetsuit, although that may differ for WTC, though IMUK this year is running under BTF rules I think.

    I'd be pretty nervous if it was non-wetsuit, but it wouldn't stop me going for it!!

    I had a great ride last night 1 hour full gas in the sun.  Looking forward to the bike segment at least image

  • No packing for me yet, still not quite sunk in how long left.  Think that will hit me proper after this last hard week.

    image

    I thought wetsuits were compulsory?

  • I'll start taking a bag of ice to Pennington when I swim, I'll drop a bag in twice a week and see if it works...

     

  • I wouldn't worry too much about the wetsuit issue. The temperatures are set to drop up north prior to the day, so I can't see the the water temp getting near to or exceeding 24 C.



    As it is the UK, I think that everyone will have trained for a wetsuite swim and I think the organisers will take that into account. At 06.00 hrs the ambient temperature will be cool despite the warm weather and I would hope that they will take that in to consideration also. I'm going to the flash tonight I will ask what the water temp is.



    I have been in a bit of a dilemma as to which bike to use on the day. I completed a 20 mile loop on my road bike last week, av HR 135 BPM. At the time I had a head cold hanging over me.



    Did the same loop this morning on my TT bike with like for like weather conditions, av HR 145 BPM and over 2 mins slower than the previous week and I have fully recovered from my cold.



    I think I have just answered my own question, roads bike it is. My road bike is about 9 llbs lighter than my TT bike and feels more comfortable.



    Regarding a time I am aiming for sub 13 hrs.



    Although a little apprehensive, I am feeling really positive at the moment and strong mentally and physically. I hope that I am peaking just at the right time.



    I think at this stage the key is to try to relax as much as possible and enjoy the build up. All the training, preparation and hard work is in the the bag now, it's done apart from the taper period.
  • like the ice cube plan chris, good thinking!

    image

    I'm deffo road bike, but do I leave the pump attached for he race or just have gas?  I am very much a pencil, plus a spare pencil and maybe a pen just in case kinda guy!  Is the extra weight of the pump worth worrying about or am I worrying about too small an issue whilst ignoring packing and far more important stuff!

    image

    And how come I don't seem to get notifications anymore from this forum??! (something I've done no doubt!)

    image

     

  • Thanks for posting the swim temps info.  The warming water and possibility of non wetsuit has been worrying me a lot.  From the above am I right to read that it needs to exceed 24c?  That is, up to an including 24c it can be wetsuit, but beyond 24c they are banned?

    May have to be a mass ice cube raid a few days before the event!!  I have also heard that weather is set to break at end of next week, although who knows really.  

    Given how cold the start of the season was who'd have thought we'd be posting about the water being too warm!

  • I remember my first swim in May in the flash, 14 degrees, well it was supoosed to be that...400 metres and run out quickly, sodding freezing and the breathing was hard work.

     

    I have found this, no idea if it is still current though

     

    http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/04/news/ironman-announces-changes-in-swimwearwetsuit-rules-for-2011-season_8244

  • Yeah, know what you mean chris,

     it seemed to go Freezing.....freezing.... Freezing.....slightly warmer.....now too warm for wetsuits! 

  • I've been going out in the Flaswithout my wetsuit for the last couple of weeks and it is a whole other sport. It is easy to forget how much the wetsuit helps, especially on the longer swims, that said it give a better workout for training purposesimage

    i'm glad it's not just me slowing down. I know that fatigue is setting in and the taper will deal with that, but my run speeds Mohave dropped significantly over the past 3 weeks, not had any illnesses to speak of. It must be my body fighting the weather!

    regarding times, I was hoping for 1:10 / 6:45 / 3:45 + 20mins for transition = 12hrs.

    but I think I'll just take what the weather throws at me, try and eat as much as I can on the bike and try and run all the way (stopping at drink stations of course).

    last this sessions for me this weekend! Anyone got any final blow-outs planned?

    gonna do my 1-&-only 100 miler on the bike (2x IM loops) with an 8-mile run off it on Saturday morning, then a 2.5hr slow run on Sunday evening

  • MC 3 - A mate of mine contacted IMUK yesterday over the water temp and they said if it is over 24.5 C it will be non wetsuite. If it is non wetsuite they will allow buoyancy shorts, which I am told do help. Unless this heatwave continues over the next 2 weeks, which it isn't forecast to do, then I am sure it won't reach 24.5 C.



    SR - Sat - Swim 4 km followed by a couple of loops of IMUK and a short 30 min run off the bike.



    Sun - 1 hr bike and 2 hr run. I was thinking of doing a longer run but I am not sure that it will be of any value at this stage.



    Tyler - They are not cool, but a good old fashioned pump every time for me mate.
  • I know what you mean with the long run, but i'm just a bit worried that my legs need reminding what it feels like one more time as I've been so worried about the swim & bike for last 2 months, I've neglected the run training. That said, I've always run so it should be ok. 

    These last minute nerves are a killer.

    are you going out with the peloton from the flash on sat After the swim? Saw them a couple of weeks back on my way back in, looked 30+ strong. I like to get out at 5 to miss the traffic on the course that can build up Saturday afternoons. Also, so I can have a sleep on the sofa in the afternoonimage.

  • Cheers for that.  May as well just set up a standing order to Wiggle at this rate.  Buoyancy shorts shopping incoming.  I am just hopeful that if the temp is currently 21c ish then it won't hit 24.5.  Although saw north west is hotter than over here in the east.

    There are storms forecast next week so maybe rain will help cool things.  

     

  • Bouyancy shorts ordered. To be fair they look like a good thing to help me just have a go at open water without wetsuit which I would like to try.  Just not on first IM or in any long swim!!!

  • If the water goes over 24 degrees, let's hope there are 1700 pairs of  buoyancy shorts in stock around the country image

  • I get the impression that buoyancy shorts are like wearing nappies (should come in handy!!image)

  • I think the weather is set to stay for a while..........I bet the shops at the expo will all have buoyancy shorts for sale if it is a non wetsuit swim.......

    if they let buoyancty shorts then they might as well allow pullbuoysimage

     

     Its getting closer for you lot isn't itimageimageimageimageimageimageimage

     

     

  • If they keep my sinky legs afloat they can look like a nappy for all I care!

  • can we do it in a dingy instead, if we all hire one and take turns rowing im sure no one will notice!image

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