What should I know before doing my Half-Ironman distance triathlon?
August 12, 2013 12:01 PM Subscribe
I am doing my first Half-Ironman distance triathlon in two weeks. (Gulp). What should I know?
I've been training, training, training and feel relatively confident that I can at least finish the race, though I have no expectations of being competitive.
I've done some Sprint distance tris and one Olympic distance tri, so I am used to the format of the race. However, this is the longest race I've ever done (other than one very slow marathon). I would appreciate any insights about preparation, how to stay comfortable, stay hydrated/nourished, or deal with any other issues which I have not even considered.
I'd especially love any advice about ways to make the bike leg more comfortable - my tri shorts leave much to be desired, and I also find my feet and hands get numb after around 30 miles.
If it matters - I am a 45 year old woman, in good shape, comfortable with all the legs of the race, and I've done fairly well in 4 out of 5 of the triathlons that I've done.
Thank you!
I've been training, training, training and feel relatively confident that I can at least finish the race, though I have no expectations of being competitive.
I've done some Sprint distance tris and one Olympic distance tri, so I am used to the format of the race. However, this is the longest race I've ever done (other than one very slow marathon). I would appreciate any insights about preparation, how to stay comfortable, stay hydrated/nourished, or deal with any other issues which I have not even considered.
I'd especially love any advice about ways to make the bike leg more comfortable - my tri shorts leave much to be desired, and I also find my feet and hands get numb after around 30 miles.
If it matters - I am a 45 year old woman, in good shape, comfortable with all the legs of the race, and I've done fairly well in 4 out of 5 of the triathlons that I've done.
Thank you!
Good for you!
A few little things I wish I had known:
* practice your transitions
* Know where your bike is (I've seen people put balloons or really bright towels on)
* If possible, go over the course
* Put your socks in your shoes!! And have your straps all ready to go on your helmet.
* Hydrate. Sports drinks are your friend.
* My hands used to get numb, too. Maybe try some new gloves with a lot of padding in the palms. But I have to get out of the crouch position sometime to ease up on my hands. Slower time, but no tinglies.
* You may want to look into new shoes. Your feet shouldn't be getting numb after 30 miles. Also check your foot position on the pedals.
If you have the time in the few weeks beforehand, analyze what food gives you the absolute best fuel. Everyone's different. My best triathlons were all after I had a pint of ice cream the night before.
And relax...this is an amazing thing you're doing.
posted by kinetic at 12:16 PM on August 12, 2013
A few little things I wish I had known:
* practice your transitions
* Know where your bike is (I've seen people put balloons or really bright towels on)
* If possible, go over the course
* Put your socks in your shoes!! And have your straps all ready to go on your helmet.
* Hydrate. Sports drinks are your friend.
* My hands used to get numb, too. Maybe try some new gloves with a lot of padding in the palms. But I have to get out of the crouch position sometime to ease up on my hands. Slower time, but no tinglies.
* You may want to look into new shoes. Your feet shouldn't be getting numb after 30 miles. Also check your foot position on the pedals.
If you have the time in the few weeks beforehand, analyze what food gives you the absolute best fuel. Everyone's different. My best triathlons were all after I had a pint of ice cream the night before.
And relax...this is an amazing thing you're doing.
posted by kinetic at 12:16 PM on August 12, 2013
Friends that have dropped out of Iron/half-iron were due to inability to digest what they've been eating. They were taking in water/calories/sports drinks, but it was sitting in the stomach and not passing through, causing plenty pain and weakness (since body wasn't refueling). Not sure how one trains/prepares for that.
posted by k5.user at 12:23 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by k5.user at 12:23 PM on August 12, 2013
Slather on the sunscreen during each transition even if you don't think you need more.
I was more tired than I realized during my first half that I didn't think to reapply before heading out on the run. Worst. Sunburn. Ever.
If you can have a bucket of water at your bike, rinse your feet before putting on your bike shoes. It's quicker and more effective than just wiping the grit off with a towel.
Don't stay static on the bike - flex and extend your back, rotate your wrists, look from side to side to stretch your neck, wiggle your toes, stand up in the peddles while you coast downhill.
Be willing to pee in the bushes if you have to. When you gotta go, you gotta go.
But mostly, have fun. I see so many fellow middle-of-pack people killing themselves like they're trying to win the whole thing and looking absolutely miserable. Be comfortable with your abilities, run your own race, and enjoy the satisfaction of doing something really hard.
Afterwards, I treat a big event much like surgery: I don't operate heavy machinery or make important decisions for at least 24 hours. Sometimes the mental drain hits harder and lasts longer than the physical.
posted by the_shrike at 12:50 PM on August 12, 2013
I was more tired than I realized during my first half that I didn't think to reapply before heading out on the run. Worst. Sunburn. Ever.
If you can have a bucket of water at your bike, rinse your feet before putting on your bike shoes. It's quicker and more effective than just wiping the grit off with a towel.
Don't stay static on the bike - flex and extend your back, rotate your wrists, look from side to side to stretch your neck, wiggle your toes, stand up in the peddles while you coast downhill.
Be willing to pee in the bushes if you have to. When you gotta go, you gotta go.
But mostly, have fun. I see so many fellow middle-of-pack people killing themselves like they're trying to win the whole thing and looking absolutely miserable. Be comfortable with your abilities, run your own race, and enjoy the satisfaction of doing something really hard.
Afterwards, I treat a big event much like surgery: I don't operate heavy machinery or make important decisions for at least 24 hours. Sometimes the mental drain hits harder and lasts longer than the physical.
posted by the_shrike at 12:50 PM on August 12, 2013
Best answer: suki: "my tri shorts leave much to be desired"
what does this mean?
I did a 70.3 last October. I started training in June with no previous tri experience, but had run 2 marathons.
I assume you use aero bars like GuyZero says. I don't drop in them very much, only when I feel a lot of wind resistance, but they are nice to mix up your saddle position. In my 70.3, the bike was an out-and-back, and the out was a headwind so they helped a lot. But 2 weeks is not much time to get used to them.
Do you have clipless pedals and the shoes (those are men's, sorry)? The tri specific shoes are nice because they don't require socks (although I use socks anyway) and they drain better. Plus, they velcro the other way so you don't get the strap caught in your chain if you attach them to the pedals early and then put your feet in as you ride (something the advanced riders do). The nice thing about the clips is you can change how you pedal, from pushing down to pulling up, which helps on hills and uses different muscles.
As far as generic advice, I have a few things
1) Nutrition is important. If you can't eat on the bike and run, you will run out of energy. It's not too late to work on that. Have a plan. Calculate your energy needs (my Garmin watch tells how many calories burned, so I went off my longest training brick) and target that much.
2) Don't sweat transitions. Sprint tris usually have 1-2 min transitions, but 5-8 min is common for 70.3, and 10+ common for full iron, but longer is ok. I've known people who took 15 min for each of their 140.6 transitions. My 70.3 I ate a whole pb&j in t1 and another in t2, plus a bottle of water during each. I think I took 6 min each. But in a 5+ hour race, a few extra min in transition is not a big deal.
3) Buy throw-away sports drink bottles for your bike. On the ride they will have a hydration stop, you can grab bottles of their drink and toss your old bottles into a net. Obviously you don't want to use your good bottles for this.
4) I use gels on the run, but I like shot bloks on the bike. I open the package and put them in a baggie then eat them as needed. If you use gels on the bike, the way most people do is tape them to your crossbar by the top part, so that you can pull the bottom and it opens (leaving the top still taped to the bike). Does that make sense?
5) Do you have a wetsuit, and is it legal in your race? The extra buoyancy helps. If you get one, practice taking it off in transition.
5a) Bodyglide is your friend.
6) Have you done a swim in race conditions? I know a lot of people who only swam pools and then panic in the race in the open water. Ocean swims are way different, you are more buoyant in the saltwater, but the waves can be jarring, and lake and river swims are different still (but usually not as bad). Try to get at least one swim in race conditions.
7) Have you every drafted in the swim? It's legal, and it helps. You can draft on the run too.
8) Speaking of which, know the rules for your tri, read them first. Specifically the ones on drafting and passing. Olympics allows drafting on the bike, but Ironman races do not. There are specific rules for passing and distance between bikes.
If you have specific questions, feel free to post them or memail me.
Good luck in your race!
posted by I am the Walrus at 1:57 PM on August 12, 2013
what does this mean?
I did a 70.3 last October. I started training in June with no previous tri experience, but had run 2 marathons.
I assume you use aero bars like GuyZero says. I don't drop in them very much, only when I feel a lot of wind resistance, but they are nice to mix up your saddle position. In my 70.3, the bike was an out-and-back, and the out was a headwind so they helped a lot. But 2 weeks is not much time to get used to them.
Do you have clipless pedals and the shoes (those are men's, sorry)? The tri specific shoes are nice because they don't require socks (although I use socks anyway) and they drain better. Plus, they velcro the other way so you don't get the strap caught in your chain if you attach them to the pedals early and then put your feet in as you ride (something the advanced riders do). The nice thing about the clips is you can change how you pedal, from pushing down to pulling up, which helps on hills and uses different muscles.
As far as generic advice, I have a few things
1) Nutrition is important. If you can't eat on the bike and run, you will run out of energy. It's not too late to work on that. Have a plan. Calculate your energy needs (my Garmin watch tells how many calories burned, so I went off my longest training brick) and target that much.
2) Don't sweat transitions. Sprint tris usually have 1-2 min transitions, but 5-8 min is common for 70.3, and 10+ common for full iron, but longer is ok. I've known people who took 15 min for each of their 140.6 transitions. My 70.3 I ate a whole pb&j in t1 and another in t2, plus a bottle of water during each. I think I took 6 min each. But in a 5+ hour race, a few extra min in transition is not a big deal.
3) Buy throw-away sports drink bottles for your bike. On the ride they will have a hydration stop, you can grab bottles of their drink and toss your old bottles into a net. Obviously you don't want to use your good bottles for this.
4) I use gels on the run, but I like shot bloks on the bike. I open the package and put them in a baggie then eat them as needed. If you use gels on the bike, the way most people do is tape them to your crossbar by the top part, so that you can pull the bottom and it opens (leaving the top still taped to the bike). Does that make sense?
5) Do you have a wetsuit, and is it legal in your race? The extra buoyancy helps. If you get one, practice taking it off in transition.
5a) Bodyglide is your friend.
6) Have you done a swim in race conditions? I know a lot of people who only swam pools and then panic in the race in the open water. Ocean swims are way different, you are more buoyant in the saltwater, but the waves can be jarring, and lake and river swims are different still (but usually not as bad). Try to get at least one swim in race conditions.
7) Have you every drafted in the swim? It's legal, and it helps. You can draft on the run too.
8) Speaking of which, know the rules for your tri, read them first. Specifically the ones on drafting and passing. Olympics allows drafting on the bike, but Ironman races do not. There are specific rules for passing and distance between bikes.
If you have specific questions, feel free to post them or memail me.
Good luck in your race!
posted by I am the Walrus at 1:57 PM on August 12, 2013
Practice with what types of food and water you're going to drink, if you haven't already. Gels like Gu and Hammer are good for races but you should definitely try them on some of your longer runs and bikes to make sure your stomach is okay with them. When I did my half-Ironman, I had done a similar amount of shorter races beforehand and never really ate anything during them and I went through a ton of gels in the race. There should be good places to get water, gels and food (bananas, granola bars, etc), especially during the run, but carry a few with you too. Pick a couple times during the bike (every x miles, on the long downhill, etc) to eat even if you don't feel hungry, so you don't have a suger-low before you realize it. Drink water when you eat to help digest it. On the bike, it's good to have water bottles you don't like, so you can throw them away at the rest places (they'll get picked up) and grab a gatorade bottle or something instead.
Wetsuits are great, but make sure to practice in them ahead of time. If you don't have one, there are a lot of places you can rent one and I think it's worth it.
For the bike, you might consider going to a bike shop and asking for a fitting on your bike. They might be able to adjust it.
I'm happy to answer more questions, if you have them.
posted by raeka at 2:07 PM on August 12, 2013
Wetsuits are great, but make sure to practice in them ahead of time. If you don't have one, there are a lot of places you can rent one and I think it's worth it.
For the bike, you might consider going to a bike shop and asking for a fitting on your bike. They might be able to adjust it.
I'm happy to answer more questions, if you have them.
posted by raeka at 2:07 PM on August 12, 2013
Best answer: Lots of great advice here but I'll weigh in with my own experience.
Now is the time to get really dialed in on your nutrition - so important for longer races. Also bear in mind the weather, if it's very hot you might want all your calories from liquid if it's less warm you might want to substitute some liquid calories for gels (and you know not to try anything new on race day I'm sure!). I have a holder for two bottles on the seat post of my bike (4 bottles total) so I try to be self sufficient as relying on aid stations can backfire (I did a half in May where the aid stations ran out of water on a day in the high 80s, fun times).
Use your watch/HRM to time your drinking times, it's easy to get caught up in the race and end up behind on calories or dehydrated. On the bike I drink every 10 mins, on the run I drink water from a handheld bottle and take little bits from a gel as I stagger along.
You've possibly just enough time to get a bike fit that might help with your numbness - but fwiw my feet get numb on the bike and do come back to life during the run. A new stem can make the world of difference but be sure to ride it a bit afterwards just to get used to the new position.
Tri shorts suck - that's a fact - they don't give much protection for the ladyflower. I usually suck it up for racing although for my IM I did a complete change for both the bike and the run. I just see it as one of the perils of racing. In fact, I raced yesterday and The Area is certainly feeling it today.
Re peeing - because it's mentioned upthread - check the race rules because for some peeing on the course will earn you a DQ.
Finally - always save it for the run. Gain 10 mins on the bike, lose 20 mins on the run. As a middle of the pack athlete I make getting to the last 6 miles in reasonable shape a priority. Not overdoing it on the bike and keeping on track with my nutrition is the main thing.
Those are my pearls of wisdom, such as they are, but you're welcome to memail me if you have other questions. Always happy to help a fellow athlete out. Enjoy your race! It's an experience and an achievement.
posted by poissonrouge at 6:26 PM on August 12, 2013
Now is the time to get really dialed in on your nutrition - so important for longer races. Also bear in mind the weather, if it's very hot you might want all your calories from liquid if it's less warm you might want to substitute some liquid calories for gels (and you know not to try anything new on race day I'm sure!). I have a holder for two bottles on the seat post of my bike (4 bottles total) so I try to be self sufficient as relying on aid stations can backfire (I did a half in May where the aid stations ran out of water on a day in the high 80s, fun times).
Use your watch/HRM to time your drinking times, it's easy to get caught up in the race and end up behind on calories or dehydrated. On the bike I drink every 10 mins, on the run I drink water from a handheld bottle and take little bits from a gel as I stagger along.
You've possibly just enough time to get a bike fit that might help with your numbness - but fwiw my feet get numb on the bike and do come back to life during the run. A new stem can make the world of difference but be sure to ride it a bit afterwards just to get used to the new position.
Tri shorts suck - that's a fact - they don't give much protection for the ladyflower. I usually suck it up for racing although for my IM I did a complete change for both the bike and the run. I just see it as one of the perils of racing. In fact, I raced yesterday and The Area is certainly feeling it today.
Re peeing - because it's mentioned upthread - check the race rules because for some peeing on the course will earn you a DQ.
Finally - always save it for the run. Gain 10 mins on the bike, lose 20 mins on the run. As a middle of the pack athlete I make getting to the last 6 miles in reasonable shape a priority. Not overdoing it on the bike and keeping on track with my nutrition is the main thing.
Those are my pearls of wisdom, such as they are, but you're welcome to memail me if you have other questions. Always happy to help a fellow athlete out. Enjoy your race! It's an experience and an achievement.
posted by poissonrouge at 6:26 PM on August 12, 2013
Best answer: First, a reaction to some of the advice you've already gotten. The cardinal rule of racing is not to try anything new on race day. The most important part of your question is that you have two weeks until race day, so I'm assuming one more weekend to get ready and you've already done whatever you are going to do for a long brick? For that reason, I would ignore any of the advice above related to switching up your gear, the fit of your bike, or changing your nutrition -- just not enough time left to verify it is going to work for you.
Second, the thing I originally dropped in to say is "nutrition." At the sprint distance, you don't need anything, and at the Oly distance, you don't need much (I only need one or two gels during an Oly distance race), but at half IM, you are going to be on the course for, say, six or seven hours, which is long enough that you need to take in some calories and also long enough for things to go wrong. Under my "don't change anything on race day" rule, I don't count on getting anything but water from the race organizers. Even if they have tables or handups with heed or gels or whatever, you don't know what is going to happen if they didn't mix the sports drink to the concentration you are used to or give you a weird flavored gel or something. So come prepared to supply all of your own calories and make sure it is stuff that you know your stomach can handle (e.g. the same products you trained with).
You've already done five triathlons and you've trained for this. The main thing is, race your race and don't second guess yourself -- you'll do fine. Good luck!
posted by kovacs at 6:48 PM on August 12, 2013
Second, the thing I originally dropped in to say is "nutrition." At the sprint distance, you don't need anything, and at the Oly distance, you don't need much (I only need one or two gels during an Oly distance race), but at half IM, you are going to be on the course for, say, six or seven hours, which is long enough that you need to take in some calories and also long enough for things to go wrong. Under my "don't change anything on race day" rule, I don't count on getting anything but water from the race organizers. Even if they have tables or handups with heed or gels or whatever, you don't know what is going to happen if they didn't mix the sports drink to the concentration you are used to or give you a weird flavored gel or something. So come prepared to supply all of your own calories and make sure it is stuff that you know your stomach can handle (e.g. the same products you trained with).
You've already done five triathlons and you've trained for this. The main thing is, race your race and don't second guess yourself -- you'll do fine. Good luck!
posted by kovacs at 6:48 PM on August 12, 2013
Obey your fueling plan throughout the bike no matter how not hungry you feel. Really. You can really screw your race by thinking you'll make up for it later.
Note the difference between "not hungry" and "pukey", though. There's a time to go off your fueling plan, e.g. your stomach is sloshing around towards the end of the run, or you feel a bonk coming on.
Also, another vote for no equipment changes from here on out. There are a few things you can try down the road, but now is absolutely the worst time. You know what works for you, you know you have to stretch after 25 miles, etc.
posted by disconnect at 7:02 PM on August 12, 2013
Note the difference between "not hungry" and "pukey", though. There's a time to go off your fueling plan, e.g. your stomach is sloshing around towards the end of the run, or you feel a bonk coming on.
Also, another vote for no equipment changes from here on out. There are a few things you can try down the road, but now is absolutely the worst time. You know what works for you, you know you have to stretch after 25 miles, etc.
posted by disconnect at 7:02 PM on August 12, 2013
Response by poster: Thank you everyone - there is some great advice here - a lot of things that I had not even considered!
I will doing the the Rev3 in Maine. Last year I did the Olympic Distance and it was a blast. They do a great job and I highly recommend checking out their races.
posted by suki at 12:41 PM on August 13, 2013
I will doing the the Rev3 in Maine. Last year I did the Olympic Distance and it was a blast. They do a great job and I highly recommend checking out their races.
posted by suki at 12:41 PM on August 13, 2013
« Older Introductory sailing lessons in Bar Harbor, Maine? | Retransmission fees - shouldn't it be the other... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
If your feet are numb it may be tight shoes as opposed to the saddle - sometimes loosening your shoes near the toes helps. Or see if you can tweak your cleat position. A mm or two forward or back can make a difference in where you're putting the pressure on your foot. I had to move one cleat back a couple mm and it made a huge difference. you want the clear right under the balls of your feet, not towards the toes.
Good luck on the race!
posted by GuyZero at 12:14 PM on August 12, 2013