I turned 41 yesterday. I'm looking for a goal and had the inspiration to push for an ironman. About 4 mos ago, I started a C25k. I crossfit so it was more of an organized plan than a real struggle. I can avg about 9:00 to 9:30 on my runs. I could probably go faster, but it's hard alone.

1. What's the chance that I could do a full iron man within the year?

2. I don't want to blow the cash on pool access and a bike yet, so I was thinking about working up to a 10k, then half and then full marathon before moving into the swim training.

Thoughts?

Tia

Yeah...I was a pretty good swimmer.

To some extent it may depend on how much time you can throw at it. I'm 37 and signed up for my first full next summer, and have 2 HIMs, 3 Olympic/X50s, and training for my 3rd full marathon. That's probably more experience than I might have needed if I were single and had a coach or team to train with, but as mom of 2 young kids and owner of my own business I felt more comfortable building up incrementally as I knew I could accommodate the time needed and that I could solo train. For me putting either my long run or ride in the middle of the week helped a lot so I didn't feel like I was leaving the kids with hubby all weekend to train. If I'd done this 10 years ago it would have been a lot easier, but in some ways having a tight schedule to work with is good because I know I can't postpone a workout and do it later.

I'd give it another year. Maybe train for a him.

I started 1.5 years ago swimmimg for my first time....25 m was impossible, or so it seemed. My triathlon distance is controlled by my swim skills...especially in open water. Ive done 3 sprints, hoping to do an olympic next year. Im taking it slow, working through strange injuries that happen to a 38 yr old and not a 25 yr old!

Two years ago my wife did IMFL. Her longest race prior was a sprint tri. Her friend did it with her having never done a tri. They were both in decent shape but it was a huge stretch for both of them.

I think their success came from a coach with a training plan. It was a 6 month plan. They did pretty much every workout and went into the race fully prepared. That was the year the swim was cancelled so they turned around and both did IM Cozumel 29 days later.

Yes you can do it. You'll cross the finish line. Along the way you should be able to dial in your expectations for the day. Figure out your nutrition plan as you train and you're golden.

Can you finish? Probably but it's going to suck and your chance of injury will be high compared to a slow build. I would recommend getting a good coach to make sure you don't build up too much fatigue.

My suggestion is if you are starting from scratch without much of a background I would recommend training for 3 years before doing an ironman. That way you can enjoy the day and not have to worry about beating the time deadline.

I'm starting today. Going to work to get up to a half marathon by Christmas (or earlier without getting injured).

i think a lot of it depends on your fitness level over the past decade or so. You just did a C25K, but that doesn't mean you weren't doing other stuff. If you've been active playing sports, lifting, etc you probably don't need to build as slowly as someone who just did a C25K program who was sitting on the couch eating cheetos the past decade and is 40 lbs overweight.

once you have a baseline of running/cycling/swimming, think seriously about getting a coach to guide you through the IM training.

quote:

---

i think a lot of it depends on your fitness level over the past decade or so. You just did a C25K, but that doesn't mean you weren't doing other stuff. If you've been active playing sports, lifting, etc you probably don't need to build as slowly as someone who just did a C25K program who was sitting on the couch eating cheetos the past decade and is 40 lbs overweight.

once you have a baseline of running/cycling/swimming, think seriously about getting a coach to guide you through the IM training.

---

Yeah, I've been pretty active between backpacking, crossfit, judo, soccer, etc. The c25k was to put me on a structured plan.

I'd recommend getting a road bike and putting some miles in. Do a century or two. Even if you end up deciding not to do an ironman, it will be good cross training for your marathon training.

3 miles in the books

Can anyone rec an innernets plan and a diet plan?

There is no diet plan, eat healthy foods and find out what works best for you. There are a lot of plans out there but I already gave my recommendation, get a coach. You are just starting off and if you are serious about doing a full it will be worth the money.

Any recs on coaches in BCS?

Contact ZenTri, not sure if he coaches but he can tell you of a few coaches in the area.

seems overly ambitious to me. just my opinion

I know, right? But I'll check in.

It's good to have an ambitious goal but at the same time realize that it's a ton of activity.

I do. The more I research, the more likely it looks like it won't be this year.

quote:

---

I do. The more I research, the more likely it looks like it won't be this year.

---

A HIM is still a huge undertaking and a more attainable goal.

Update:

I bought an HR monitor a few weeks ago. Got my bike. I've been swimming. I still haven't gotten on a training plan yet, still getting into shape a bit.

I ran 6 miles yesterday. I haven't run that far since I was 19. It wasn't hard as far cardio goes...my feet hurt and it was a bit hard on my legs.

As you build miles, don't worry about your time. Run slow on your long run days. BeginnerTriathlete.com has a pretty good training plan. I am actually utilizing it as I train for my first ironman (doing a full in January).

If you're not familiar with TrainingPeaks it's a pretty decent app. There are training plans in there for I want to say $150 that will take you through the full process. I used one recently by Mike Ricci and had decent luck with it.

I agree with others that a coach is best but a solid plan is a strong second option.

$150 just for a training plan? Online only, no coach right? Is that the going rate?

It seems pretty high, at least according to my uneducated opinion.

There are books with training plans in them as well. Go to the library.

tamuags08 said:

---

$150 just for a training plan? Online only, no coach right? Is that the going rate?

It seems pretty high, at least according to my uneducated opinion.

---

I think they start under $100. I like the TP route simply because at the end of the week I can look at the calendar and see visually (red / yellow / green) whether I hit the distance / duration of each workout and my weekly totals. If you're more hands on you could do the same with a book and Excel.

The online plans do go into a fair amount of detail on workouts as well. I think one of the details that benefited me the most this last round was prescribed rest intervals on swim workouts. It's the small details that can make a difference over time.

Even at $150 for a 24 week plan you're talking less than $10 a week for someone to walk you through not hurting yourself while taking on a pretty incredible task.

2 years ago I did my second half marathon, and decided to start doing triathlons. I was (I thought) a decent swimmer as a kid, but I was never on the swim team or anything. I couldn't make it halfway down a 25 yard pool. I've hit the swimming hard. I did a bunch of sprint triathlons 2 years ago and an olympic at the end of the 2015 season. I did more olympics this year. I MAY do a IM 70.3 in April. 2 years ago (before I really got started in tris) I thought I'd do an IM 70.3 that first summer. I don't know that I could've pulled it off.

Here's what I'd suggest:
1. start swimming 3 or 4 times a week for an hour. 2000 M at least each session. You'll probably have to work up to this. It took me probably 6 months to get to that spot.
2. Do a sprint triathlon.
3. Do an olympic triathlon.
4. Do an IM 70.3. That is probably a year away if you are aggressive.
5. Do a 100+ mile bike ride.
6. Do a full 26.2 marathon.
7. Think about whether you want to do a full IM.
8. If yes, TRAIN YOUR ASS OFF for a year and do it. Well.

Thanks man. I've been swimming and running. I'm up to about 750 meters swimming and 6 miles running. I got my bike yesterday and did about 13 miles today. I'm shooting for some sprints and maybe an Olympic in 2017. 2018 70.3s and 2019 a full. I think time is against me since I'm already 41

I'm really just trying to get into shape in the different disciplines before hitting a real training plan.

I my tri progression looks similar to others; it began in 2011 at age 37. Here's what it looked like.

2011 First sprint
2012 First OLY
2013 First 70.3
2014 First 140.6

Honestly I feel like I wasted all four of those years. My races in 2015 were the first I was happy with. Much of it came down to learning how to train and race properly. That was the first year I paid attention to HR, the first year I had any real volume, the first year I had a clue what my training zones were, the first year I had an actual training plan. I was far more efficient in my training than in the four years prior.

That's what a good coach (or possibly training plan) will do for you. You're like me, you're starting later in life, so it's all about being efficient at this point. You need a structured plan of some point or progress will be slow. Don't just go out to log time / mile / laps / etc, Craig Alexander said "every workout has a purpose". Those workouts fit into the bigger picture. It's fine to start with a single sport, just have a plan and a goal.

Just giving you my experience. The good news is I'm now 42 and still setting PR's each year. The 40-44 AG is possibly the most competitive AG out there. We're far from over the hill.

Everybody keeps saying "get a coach"...where do I get one?

Awesome! My favorite thing about tri is it never gets old. There's always a ton of stuff on which to focus / improve.

Re swimming, IMPRESSVE you're already up to 750. That took me a while. If there's a masters swim group in your area (Dallas aquatic Masters here), I'd highly recommend at least trying a few practices with them. (Actually I'd reccomend joining and swimming w them 3-4 times a week.). My swimming improved fast doing that.

For those still reading this thread, what kind of training should I do if I want to try my first sprint next year? Ive been running a decent amount for me (25-30 miles a week) and have been doing a few races, including my first half last month.

I feel I could handle the bike portion now without a lot of problems, but honestly haven't swam for exercise in well...ever.

Spend a couple of days a week swimming at your local pool. Work on slowing down your stroke/breathing and build up to being able to swim 1000 meters or more continuously. If the sprint you want to do is in a lake or in the ocean, practice in that environment as well once you get your stroke down.

You're obviously good on the run. The bike for a sprint isn't much, but I'd spend a couple of days a week riding 20-30 miles.

Throw in a couple of runs immediately following a ride so you get a feel for that as well.