It helps if you pick a good course, yes there could be some assistance on the busy ones but it depends on how you race it.
It also helps if you either have one very good discipline and can gain enough time to cover for losses, or just be consistent on all 3.
It can be done on 70 minute swims but it does put pressure on you.
I had hoped I might have a shout at Hamburg but not sure now, the bike is long and I’ve probably missed too much running so I think I’ll be somewhere between 10:15-10:30 on current form if I don’t get problems.
Nutrition is also key, and a power meter can stop you overcooking the first 25 miles on the bike.
They are the splits.
The swim will always be what it will be. You’re not going to magically find five minutes there.
Get the bike time off BBS.
Run = half marathon season best, to Jack Daniels’s marathon formula, then add 40 minutes.
The run was where it fell apart for me each year at Outlaw. 3:40, 3:45, 3:50 run splits
Combination of overcooking the bike, not enough long training rides and also giving up when I knew 10 hours had gone
Like @jeffb says, power meter is the best thing you can buy! Then a wetsuit that fits. That one hour from 6am…do you want to spend the rest of the day feeling like you’ve wrestled a bear???
I think that scrapes me in
I always seem to take an age getting the wet suit off!
My best splits (not all at once) are
1:10 - at the HOT Outlaw, best swimming shape I have ever been in.
5:32 - on a road bike at the HOT Outlaw and the 3 seconds different the following year on TT bike without any long rides
3:19 - This was the second Outlaw I did, so not the hot one. I was comfortably running near 7 min/mile until 20 miles until I slowed, but could still run. However I am 10 minutes faster in a normal marathon now.
So the times are feasible
I am still pondering a return, but it never gets beyond a ponder at the moment
Two sub 10s on my ledger, 9:58 and 9:55 both earned on the bike with 4:56 and 4:58 bikes. Swims around 1:05, runs low 3:4x. Courses were Barcelona and Florida. Both hot but not scorching.
Barca was harder because your own pacing is messed around by surges and soft pedalling to avoid draft packs.
Gets me 9:55. I’ve been nursing a torn meniscus in my knee (got an op planned in September), been getting by but it’s gone tits up & I can’t run this week after a big training weekend. Fingers crossed it eases up with some rest but is is obviously not ideal.
I suppose my strength is a lack of any weaknesses, but I’m not a stud in any of the disciplines. My 3x 10:0* were:
60:08/5:23:59/3:30:00 plus transitions (seconds off) IMReg
60:14/5:25/3:34:** (10:07) IMA
60:35/5:29:59/3:33:** (10:09) Roth
All honest rolling courses; the weather was terrible for Roth (wet/windy), wet for Reg & pretty good for IMA second time around. Have a string of other 10:**s. Last Full was Outlaw 2 years ago 61/5:22/3:59 (fell apart second half of run).
My issue is I’ve never gotten the bike strength to give me some breathing space, and to allow me to run to potential. Hamburg on paper is a very fast course now, but I have stopped fixating on the sub-10 thing as it takes the enjoyment out of the whole thing tbh; too much pressure on the day. So I won’t be spending too much time here, again fixating.
It’s only enjoyable in a big event with plenty of atmosphere and people-watching opportunities on the bike. It also helps mentally if you’ve not ridden or run the whole course before in my experience…ignorance can be bliss.
Yes - I’d agree with that…up to a point.
The regatta lake is calling my name
I meant more the training rides.
A five hour ride for me can include;
Cat and Fiddle
Winnats Pass
Bakewell
They’re my faves, but there’s loads more options I have to avoid whilst on the TT rig.
Mainly due to the descents.
Oh yeah, the 5h training rides on a TT bike are the worst thing about IM training. I dread them; mainly because it’s the same old turf when you’ve lived somewhere for a few years and trained for 5 IMs there previously.
The latter was certainly how I managed it. Not particularly strong in anything, but am also not overly weak in anything either. I’m jealous of people who have a real strength. It’s at least part of the day that you can really enjoy and know you’re excelling in.
Definitely think an event with short transitions helps too, as ultimately that’s just dead time in terms of the “official 140.6” distance, yet still obviously counts to overall time.
My one and only broke down as:
1:01 / 0:03 / 5:18 / 0:03 / 3:26 for 9:51 overall
Biking for me is the best part of the sport, I’m part of a good/fast cycling club & I don’t view cycling as training more like fun/sociable time out with the lads. I don’t worry about structure I just ride & it works pretty well for me, mid week balls out chain gangs then all day Saturday club rides. I ride my TT bike only in races or on the turbo\Zwift in winter.
Cycling is the worst for me
I rarely enjoy it.
In order to enjoy it, you need to spend more time on the bike. Which you need to enjoy to do.
Going out on the bike for 2+ hours is ultimately a very selfish thing to be doing. I often think whilst on the bike that I’d rather be at home, with my family, than out on this.
I live opposite a pool and a 15 minute drive from a lake, so an hour swim is easy.
Running is awesome, as runs over 2hrs are rare.
I can also take the dog with me and that’s him done for the day
)
this is only my 5th branded Ironman.
