Ironman 2009

T2 Bags at Florida Ironman 2008
I don’t believe I’ve made an official announcement about something that’s going to have a serious impact on my life(s) in the next twelve months. I’ve talked about it. I’ve mentioned it. I’ve alluded to it, but I’ve never made it official. Well, just to be up front:

On November 7, 2009, I will race in the Florida Ironman

I’m officially insane.

This is going to mean some relatively serious changes to my lifestyle over the next 12 months. You may recall that my training for the Nike Women’s Marathon wasn’t up to where it should have been. This was something I brushed off with the “I’m not going to do as well as I’d like, but I’ll still finish” line. Unfortunately I won’t be able to get away with that for an ironman.

To remind everyone, an Ironman distance triathlon consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and ends with a marathon (26.2 miles of running). That’s a lot. In order to be prepared for that, I’m aiming at 600 hours of training for the next twelve months. Training began last Sunday.

In case you’re interested, I took most of my training setup from Joe Friel’s Triathlete’s Training Bible. This book is not recommended for the casual athlete (or even the casual tri-athlete) but if you’re serious about developing an annual training plan this is a good resource. Keep in mind that it’s got some flaws but I understand the most recent edition has fixed some of those.

Anyway. I’m training for an Ironman. Go me. November 7, 2009 is the date. Panama City Beach, Florida is the place. Don’t ask me how much this will cost by the end of the year.

Comments

11 responses to “Ironman 2009”

  1. Chris Avatar

    Yes, you are insane… but in an extremely fit, bucking the national average sort-of way.

    Good luck and remember to have fun!!

  2. James Cronen Avatar

    What Chris said. I think we only say you’re insane because on some level we’re jealous of your abilities and your hard work.

    Train hard, be safe, and have fun.

  3. […] Episode 26 is roughed and needs to be vetted and recorded. Further Update: Ironman training is kicking my butt. There’s not much time left in the evenings for anything besides spending time with my wife […]

  4. Iron Bob Avatar
    Iron Bob

    If you are a swimmer, you can take note of Iron Bob’s training program that will get you to the finish line. It consists of BIKING on Sunday, one or two 3 to 6 mile runs during the week and one swim during the whole training period. (That is a 2 mile swim in your wetsuit)

    It is all about the bike. If you can get off the bike and walk, you can finish. I am proof, in IMAZ April 08. Plus the chances of injury leading up to race day are less.

    December: Bike 30 miles on Sundays
    Jan: Bike 40 miles on Sundays
    Feb: Bike 50 miles on Sundays
    Mar: Bike 60 miles on Sundays
    April: Bike 70 miles on Sundays
    May: Bike 80 miles on Sundays
    June: Bike 90 miles on Sundays
    July: Bike 100 miles on Sundays
    August: Bike 100 miles on Sundays
    Sept: Bike 80 miles followed by 3 to 4 mile run on Sundays
    Oct: Bike 50 miles on Sundays followed by 3 to 5 mile run
    Nov: Enjoy the race

    If you aspirations are higher than getting to the finish line, use another program.

  5. Tom Udell Avatar
    Tom Udell

    You are crazy! Engineers are supposed to be fat sedentary nerds, not endurance athletes. funny thing, my friend Steve Kester (EE GA Tech) won the IM Fla 08 45-50 age group. I myself am looking to step up to an Olympic distance this year. Good luck with the training!

  6. […] What I am is someone who has committed to swimming 2.4 miles in open water with 750 of my closest friends next November. […]

  7. […] reason for today’s anatomy lesson is simple: This is my first official injury of ironman training! As injuries go it’s pretty minor, but it caused me to alter the training plan. Therefore it […]

  8. […] assurances by myself to the contrary back when I signed up for the Florida Ironman, I bought myself a triathlon-specific bike a few weeks ago. It is a Felt S32 with Shimano Dura […]

  9. […] I admit that I was not fully committed to this race when I showed up. I’ve got the Florida Ironman in seven weeks so I was avoiding (what I considered) unnecessary mileage on my legs, especially […]

  10. […] only 34 days until the race as of me typing this. Two weeks of that will be a training taper which means I’m 20 days away […]

  11. […] at my desk (except when I’m taking pictures of the desk) contemplating 28 days left until the race. Today is a light training day as I’m in a rest week of my periodization plan. Two more […]

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