No HIM rehearsal?

Last year I was lucky enough to do the DIY HIM in preparation for Outlaw. This year my VLM club place takes precedence (sorry, SA) - I loved that last year, partly for getting to meet some lovely pirates, and partly to tick a box on the Fink plan.

I've been looking at HIM events as preparation for Outlaw 2014, and haven't been inspired - either too late, too far away (Bala, Marshman, Enduroman), or they haven't been given much of a thumbs up ...

Would a DIY of my own do the trick - swim, bike, run on the same day? - do I really need to spend all that money to practice race day 'things'? 

Comments

  • planning my own like you to be honest, wont be as effective due to the logisitcs of open water swimming but figure if i can swim 2 miles early on, then do 75 miles on the bike in a day and then a 20 mile the next, then thats pretty close to where i need to be.

    that said i am doing the outlaw half as well

  • Bri - there are some people here whose first Tri was an IM so I would say a HIM is not necessary.

    Also,  you already have an IM under your belt, To me, that adds more weight to the fact that you don't NEED to do a HIM

    I think there was a discussion on the Bala thread about the merits of a HIM before an IM, but I can't say for sure

    Anyways, thats my tuppence worth, not based on experience but what I have read here.  No doubt others older (Meldy) and wiser (FB) will be along soon to either endorse or otherwise what I have said image

  • there's no reason why you can't do your own thing - many of us do these things and it's not unknown for me and P to do a home based triathlon using the garage for transition.   an event of course, gives you the competitive edge that's difficult to replicate at home, but they are by no means essential.

  • i think the major advantage of a half is to give yourself transistion practise under race conditions........

    also to guage fitness so that you have more idea on the speed to attempt on teh full.....

    but as all courses are so different and you have done a full then I wouldn't worry about missing a half.......

  • you can do transition practice under race conditions from home - you just have to create the right condition and do it as there's too much of a danger to sack off for a cuppa.....image

    having someone else to do it with helps as that will give both of you a bit of an edge - me and P are always having transition battles in races we do together so have the same from home ones

  • Some of us spend enough time in transition in race conditions to have a cuppa anyway FB image
    One of my fave training sessions is Double brick from home to try and get used to swift transitions also but you can't beat a race to put yourself under that pressure to do so.

  • Hope it works as I'm doing Outlaw half before IM Bolton.

     

    malc

  • Agree with KK.

    If you are 'racing' then a HIM is damn good racing practise. One of the training systems has both an Oly and HIM in the build up for racing practice. Some have the odd run race option as well.

    If you are just completing then it doesn't have a massive impact. You can model one yourself. I don't even think it needs all three elements. A swim/bike and a bike/run are probably good enough sessions if done at race intensity.

    What about a sportif done TT style not chatting style and run as soon as you are finished and can throw the bike in car. You lose transition speed dismantling the bike but don't have the long run through some transitions so you probably can be runnign quite quickly after the bike effort.

     

     

     

  • In my view a half is good for anyone who hasn't gone long distance before - it gives valuable experience for nutrition, what kit, bike comfort etc and the feel for going long. However, you have ticked that box, so you gave to ask what training benefit it will give.

    In my view the impact of a half race can be negative if you taper. I would also suggest that if you treat the race as just a training session, then a 100miles on the bike with a 10min run is a better return for a long days training than doing a half - and much cheaper!. That said I do find a Friel(?) 'long day' training session  -1 hour swim, 1 hour rest, 4+ bike, 1 hour rest, 1.5hr run a really useful indicator of how training is progressing.

    However, if you want to do a half and it's a fun race then do it - it's all supposed to be for fun anyhow!

    RD

  • A half IM is nice 4 weeks out - gives practice of transitions, open water, riding 3 hrs on the drops, running off the bike.  Its fun chasing people

    however

    its just one of a range of things you can do in the last 10 weeks.  A big day, (hour swim, 5 hr ride, 1hr run) spaced out over the day is a nice alternative that is probably of more use.  Do a couple of those 3 weeks apart..??

  • I did an early season HIM and a late season IM.
    What I learned on the HIM: putting a close fitting dry top onto a wet body was almost impossible when shaking with cold. You start the bike cold. You can power your way through 56 miles of biking. I go very stiff from the bike. The run portion was great for 8 miles and crap for the remainder.

    How it translated: Wearing the Pirate Monaco underneath the wettie meant that that changing was uneventful, even if still cold. You start the bike cold (I've not got that bit right yet). You can't translate HIM racing power onto IM bike distance. Treat it like a solo ton ride. Stopping for a pee allowed me to stretch, but I clearly over-hydrated on the IM.
    The "run" was an entirely different animal. I guess that it was just about OK for 8 miles and crap for the remainder.

    Yes, you can learn lessons. But as most of us are in it to complete, not compete, it's about survival. Slow is the new fast.

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