May 11, 2015 12:31 PM GMT
Deep in training for doing my first Full Ironman in Boulder this summer. Anybody else on here doing it?
Ironman Boulder
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May 11, 2015 12:31 PM GMT -
May 12, 2015 1:34 AM GMTGood luck to you on that and let us know how you make out with it... -
May 12, 2015 2:31 AM GMTGood luck with your training and first full Ironman. The heat and altitude are the two biggest factors to deal with on that course. My partner (Ironman4u) and I were there last year and it was 85-90 degree's race day. The Bike course is tricky because it doesn't seem that bad and you may want to go hard but there is enough climbing and wind to zap you for your run if you don't pace properly. Dehydration and sun exposure on the run seemed to be the biggest challenge for most. Some of the guys who smashed the bike ended up blowing up on the run 10 -12 miles in. If you can get to Boulder early to adjust to the altitude that would be ideal. -
May 12, 2015 1:50 PM GMTCongrats on preparing for your first IM. As mentioned, tough course...but that's part of the reason you do this "crazy" stuff. I did the race last year. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. -
May 13, 2015 1:56 AM GMTHey Ironman4U (and mrk100)! That's awesome you did the race last year Ironman4U!! My partner and I were there also - we volunteered for the race, and rode 100 miles of the bike course the Thursday before the race to try ourselves out at altitude before registering, then registered the Monday morning afterward and headed home to start thinking about what we had done. lol :-) (My partner is doing the race as well - we thought it would be fun to both do our first full together).
They surprised us with a complete redo of the bike course for this year. It's now 2 smaller loops, plus an extra add-on to get the distance right. It now has about 5200' elevation gain, but is supposed to roll pretty fast and a coach up there says there is literally 12-15 miles of downhill coasting throughout.
We are headed up there in a few weeks to do a training camp (June 3-7), so we'll know the course well and how we will perform at altitude.
My warmup race last weekend was out in east Texas (Tyler) and it is quite hilly out there. The 62 mile bike had 3600' elevation gain, with 3 big hills that were over 10% grade. I made it through the bike fine, and then was VERY happy with being able to run a 1:51 Half Mary coming off the tough bike course, so I feel like my training is looking really good headed into the meat of the long distance training over the next couple months. Only time will tell...
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May 13, 2015 12:02 PM GMTSounds like you're training is going well. Just know that unless you're training in altitude and heat, the combination is going to be tough. Nothing you can't handle; you just need to be prepared. There are things you can do in advance to adjust to the altitude (from going out early to taking some supplements to increase red blood cells and oxygen in your blood. Of course, hydration is the key with any warm course as you probably know from racing in Texas. I'm a tri coach, so if you have questions, I'm happy to answer them.
It's a great race and Boulder is such a cool town; as you know from volunteering last year. Enjoy! -
May 13, 2015 1:05 PM GMTIronman4U saidSounds like you're training is going well. Just know that unless you're training in altitude and heat, the combination is going to be tough. Nothing you can't handle; you just need to be prepared. There are things you can do in advance to adjust to the altitude (from going out early to taking some supplements to increase red blood cells and oxygen in your blood. Of course, hydration is the key with any warm course as you probably know from racing in Texas. I'm a tri coach, so if you have questions, I'm happy to answer them.
I am really surprised that both you and mrk100 are not in this triathlon again this year. You both could compare your race performance between this year and 2014. Both of you look more than ready to take on and conquer this mountainous race course with its extreme temperatures.
It's a great race and Boulder is such a cool town; as you know from volunteering last year. Enjoy!
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Aug 24, 2015 2:07 PM GMTJust realized that I hadn't reported back here after Boulder. So I successfully completed my first Ironman and I LOVED it! Unquestionably my favorite sporting event I've ever done! I love the whole strategy side of endurance events and having to pace yourself, and an Ironman is the ultimate of that, so not surprised I enjoyed it so much.
Looking back, I probably took it a little too easy on the 2nd half of the bike and the 2nd half of the run, but since it was my first I was being conservative to make sure I made it to the finish line.
In the end, I swam a 1:38 (no wetsuit), biked 6:23, and ran a 4:38 marathon. Took my time in transitions (25 minutes total transition time), resulting in a 13:05 total time. I'll definitely take it for my first!!
Now I'm trying to choose IM #2 for next year. Top contenders at this point are Lake Placid, Mont-Tremblant or Canada (Whistler). All have harder bike courses than Boulder, but don't have the altitude to deal with and I should be stronger next year (plus prepared to push it a bit more since I've been through it once now).
Oh - and my main profile pic is my finish line photo. First decent finish line pic I've ever had in any event. Guess I picked the right time to nail one :-)
