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Wicked Pixie's Quest to become an IronMom


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IronMan ATX November 8, 2015


 


Fitness & Diet goals:


  1. Research Ironman training plan and IMPLEMENT!
  2. RUN - 40 miles per week (part of my 2015 miles in 2015)
  3. Bike- not sure how much yet- will edit 
  4. STRENGTH TRAIN - 3x per week - will post workouts completed to be accountable
  5. DRINK MOAR WATER - minimum of 1 gal per day. (sub goal - drink LESS alcohol- empty calories make for a fluffy sleepy pixie!)

Side Quest


  1. UPDATE BLOG - 2x per week - more =bonus points
  2. Keep up with Challenge thread
  3. Write Sponsorship request letters and distribute. IronMan training and entry is freakin' expensive!
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Looks like you have got some amazing goals! I salute anyone who's shooting to complete an Ironman!

 

I've done a couple of marathons and know a few ironfolks so I'll help with any questions or at least point you in a direction of answers.  Other scouts have iron(wo)manned so they might have good tip too :)

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Half-Ork Scout Leader
Running PRs : 5K 24m16s | 10K 53m32s | 15K 1h18m09s | Half Marathon 2h1m44s | Marathon 4h42m2s 
Past Challenges #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13  #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22
                               #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38 #39 #40
Current Challenge :  TBD

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Looks like you have got some amazing goals! I salute anyone who's shooting to complete an Ironman!

 

I've done a couple of marathons and know a few ironfolks so I'll help with any questions or at least point you in a direction of answers.  Other scouts have iron(wo)manned so they might have good tip too :)

I appreciate the help! 

With 4 marathons, a treadmill ultra and heaven knows how many short runs- I feel pretty good about the running part- 

Hubby bought me a new hybrid bike for my birthday and with a few customizations *should* be sufficient,

and well, right now my swimming ability sits comfortably at a level "I won't drown, maybe"

 

I'm clueless about transitions, and fueling, but I'm just at the beginning stages training so I'm certain I will gain loads of info to freak out about!

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I'm clueless about transitions, and fueling, but I'm just at the beginning stages training so I'm certain I will gain loads of info to freak out about!

Brick workouts (bike+run/run+bike) are your friends and might be worth it to do a sprint tri to see how things go

 

Fuel I'm not sure on ... as my marathon fueling was gels and such.

Half-Ork Scout Leader
Running PRs : 5K 24m16s | 10K 53m32s | 15K 1h18m09s | Half Marathon 2h1m44s | Marathon 4h42m2s 
Past Challenges #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13  #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22
                               #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38 #39 #40
Current Challenge :  TBD

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Triathlon Training Advice from a Lifeguard on the Swim Portion: 

 

Swim as much as you can -- preferably not just in the pool (great start) but where you will be racing.

 

Swimming uses your biggest muscle groups and your core a lot but in a slightly different way than with running and biking, so it takes some getting used to.

 

Worst thing about swimming is comfort -- you have to be extremely comfortable in the water to be a good swimmer. If you are terrified of drowning, it is a huge emotional and mental block. Maybe instead of thinking "I might not drown," change your perspective to "I can totally make it to the other end of the pool." As a start.

 

Remember to start small and take lots of breaks when you start practicing. 25 yards/meters is nothing walking or running it, but water drags on you 4 to 42x (depending on your mass) as much as when you are on the ground surrounded by air. Do not let yourself get discouraged by the people around you. Most swimmers take months to become decent because we are primates, and we really are not good at the whole swimming thing.

 

To help you out if you have a strong bike and running regime, rather than thinking about the swim as "I must be the fastest," think about it in terms of "I must have the best stroke." Stroke refinement lets you focus on something while you are swimming laps, and the better your stroke, the faster, more efficiently you will move through the water.

 

Also -- practice taking bearings early and often. Swimming is more efficient with your head in the water, but in open water, you have no line on the bottom to guide you back to shore. Adjusting your stroke by having a rhythm count is really helpful to get into the habit of both breathing and taking your bearings. It is also helpful to not just swim freestyle. By changing up your stroke, such as practicing recovery strokes like breaststroke and backstroke, you can learn vital self rescue techniques as well as give your shoulders a break from the endless freestyle you will be doing in an Ironman. Breaststroke is also an excellent stroke to help with taking bearings.

 

Sorry if all of this is old hat to you, you just seemed a little anxious about the swim portion in your introductory post.

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STRENGTH (0) | DEXTERITY (-1) | CONSTITUTION (1) | WISDOM (3) | INTELLIGENCE (3) | CHARISMA (2)

Syren  -- Chaotic Good -- Human Druish Ranger -- Current Challenge -- Battle Log

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Triathlon Training Advice from a Lifeguard on the Swim Portion: 

 

 

Sorry if all of this is old hat to you, you just seemed a little anxious about the swim portion in your introductory post.

This is GREAT advice! Unfortunately I can not swim at the race location, that's a 2.5 hour drive hahaha! But all the tips are great.

My first 'training' swim was 1200 meters in our lap pool, super challenging but it's a start. 

I have been terrified of open water since I was a little girl - my dad took us deep sea fishing and our boat took on water and we had to be rescued by the Coast Guard-

So this is one of those "overcoming my fears" and "slaying dragons" things

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This is GREAT advice! Unfortunately I can not swim at the race location, that's a 2.5 hour drive hahaha! But all the tips are great.

My first 'training' swim was 1200 meters in our lap pool, super challenging but it's a start. 

I have been terrified of open water since I was a little girl - my dad took us deep sea fishing and our boat took on water and we had to be rescued by the Coast Guard-

So this is one of those "overcoming my fears" and "slaying dragons" things

 

That sounds like a traumatic memory. Is there an open water area where you might be able to practice in addition to your pool work?

STRENGTH (0) | DEXTERITY (-1) | CONSTITUTION (1) | WISDOM (3) | INTELLIGENCE (3) | CHARISMA (2)

Syren  -- Chaotic Good -- Human Druish Ranger -- Current Challenge -- Battle Log

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So I've been thinking. If the Ironman is off the table, I need to readjust all zee goals here-

 

To keep on track to reach  miles for the year, I need to average nearly 50 miles a week. That's going to be tricky since starting Monday I go to 10 hour days M-Th (10 miles a day F-Su, then 5 a day on M-W???) 

 

Also, 10hour days are going to make squeezing strength training in very challenging. I am going to have to figure out a schedule for ALL aspects of life- down to dishes and laundry. 

 

Water...keep chugging..

Blog..maybe a copy paste version of challenge updates with a few new content posts to keep the affiliates happy???

 

I really don't know how I'm going to manage, but I will just keep plugging along!

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Most often a full Ironman training cycle will take a full-year or more ramp up your volumes to the point where you can do the race and not die...too much.  Also, most training cycles will have you do test races at the sprint/Olympic/halfIM level to give you exposure to race conditions etc.  Why not alter the goal distance to Olympic or extend your timeline?

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Most often a full Ironman training cycle will take a full-year or more ramp up your volumes to the point where you can do the race and not die...too much.  Also, most training cycles will have you do test races at the sprint/Olympic/halfIM level to give you exposure to race conditions etc.  Why not alter the goal distance to Olympic or extend your timeline?

I was looking at the half. Finances are the determining factor- if the "other" opportunity is viable I'll only be able to afford one or the other- and the other is what I really really really want. I will still do an ironman, it just might not be this one :D

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Happy first day y'all!

 

I didn't spend anytime trying to adjust goals over the weekend. I did however spend a TON of time in the sun and pool. I'm a toasty pixie now for sure!

I've got my meals planned and I'm feeling really good about that. 

 

The girls are at their advanced swim practice and I feel good that I insisted that they join the practice that includes cross training! Yay for active kids, even if it is by force lol! Truth is, they'll probably ask me to go to the pool when I get home!

 

I'm going to bring my desk cycle back to work and figure out how to get situated so I don't crash my knees. I've got to get some kind of a calorie burn going during the day. The days are going to be long, so running may be limited to very minimal running miles. I plan on playing catch up during my week off next week.

 

That's all for now folks- 

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