Ironman Wales 2013

purpletrilady wrote (see)

SA - Have you got any plans for this year yet ?

Saving money, have just found out how much our little jaunt to IM Florida is going to cost for travel + accom, so its not a lot of racing for me this year, will keep it ticking over and have Mrs SA to coach and have got 2 guys to mentor this year.

Don't even know about the year after at the moment, still fancy the double but enjoyed IM Wales so much want to to do that again but there are so many different Ironman races out there to do

I've booked an entry on IMW!

I pondered a while as I'm on the waiting list for the Outlaw and they're supposed to be offering places in the near future but I decided that IMW looks ace and opted for Tenby. I also want to be an Ironman, I know it's only a logo but it did influence my decision. I had to justify the expense of the whole thing to myself but decided this morning that you only live once, life's too short, life's a journey not a destination, blah blah blah.

I'm very excited.

http://chasethepotato.wordpress.com/

a few of us are doing outlaw as a  warm up for wales

Does IM Wales normally fillup or are places available later in the season?

I think there are more entry places for IMW this year and it hasn't sold out previously but both Outlaw and IMUK sold out super-quickly for 2013, so you never know.

http://chasethepotato.wordpress.com/

Foggy. I don't think it will sell out..unless Henley falls through.........I doubt that will happen but i know they are still having problems in some areas sorting out the bike course...........if in the remotess chance that does happen..i imagine IMW will fill up very quickly as its the same date so people will what an ironman distance race to do.......

Seren/ CTpotato

Ill probably get Lanza out of the way first and then see what situation is.  Thanks .

Can I ask what people do about swimming training?  I started going to my tri club’s swimming sessions in December.  Now that the training programme is about to start I’ve been wondering about the club’s swim sessions vs the training plan.  Do you just do the swim sessions and trust in those, or do you drop the club’s swim sessions when your programme starts and stick to that?  The early bit of the plan probably has a similar number of total lengths to the sessions we are doing now, but will not be enough within a couple of months.  I was thinking largely doing my own thing but also conscious that people talk about the importance of joining a club for the swim help. Thanks....

For my first ironman, i tried to stick to the Fink plan and bombed out, In the hour i would get about half of what was required. I swam 1.28 that year.

Last year i did my own thing, spent more time in the pool rather then rushing to finish a set and spent a lot longer in open water and got the swim down to 1.11.

I don't have the option of swim/tri club with my job, so will again do my own thing this year.

Leah - I've always gone the other way and dropped the plan (I too used Fink) in favour of 2 x club sessions a week plus 1 x long swim.

I only got my swim down to 1.17 though.

i always do my own thing, PL, but only because I'm a lazy, gutless, coward of a swimmer. If I grew a pair, I'd go to my club's organised sessions and get thrashed.

My advice.... stick with the club swims and once the warm bit of spring comes, drop one of them for a long, easy, open water session.

Posably a marketing trick but it turned out to be true for IMUK, but they just tweeted that IMW is nearly full, So if your still thinking about entering, get them skates on.

i agree wit the above - club swim sessions are more motivating.

also I did no sea swimming until the day before the race.  If you leave it late then they do a couple of orientation swims on the peceding days - these are recommended

Finally got my arse into gear and entered. I am in

I've got to re-stock my stash of gels, energy bars and drinks soon and figured I may as well get used to using the same ones that are given out at feed stations during IMW.

Does anyone know which ones are used? I know the drink is Gatorade but which one? Same for the bars and gels; I think these are Powerbar but which ones?

http://chasethepotato.wordpress.com/

On the run aid stations in 2012 it was:

Drinks

- Water

- Gatorade Lemon Thirst Quench (mixed from powder)

- Pepsi (flat)

- Power Horse

Gels:

- Powerbar various (with and without ceffeine(

Other:

- Banana

- Ritz crackers

Bike, can't help sorry, only worked on a run station

Bike was water or Gatorade lemon as well.

I remember making sure that the last feed station I ditched everything and got 2 waters because they came in the Ironman Bottles, the Gatorade was in the standard green gatorade bottles (yes, I am that shallow)

They also gave powerbar bars and I think bananas

Worry not Silent, I did exaclty the same in 2011.