Things to think about a year before your first Ironman (part 1 of 12)

Are you ready for your first Ironman? © geronimo - Fotolia.com

Two weeks ago, Ironman Lake Placid sold out 2 hours after online registration opened. To get a slot, you have two options: either make the pilgrimage to Lake Placid to sign up in person before they open the race to online entrants, or sit by your computer at noon the day after the race and cross your fingers that the die-hards in Lake Placid don't snatch up every spot. In 2008 there were so many people in Lake Placid for in-person registration that some were turned away, and the race never even opened for online registration.  That doesn't leave much time for second thoughts.

If you are like so many other first-time Ironman competitors, once you finally got the confirmation e-mail and the panic of registration wore off, reality sunk in. Holy cow! What in heaven's name have you gotten yourself into?! A 2.4 mile swim, then a 112-mile hilly bike ride, followed by a marathon?! All in under 17 hours? How in the world are you going to turn yourself into an ironman in 363 days? A year is a long time to stay motivated for a race, even one as big and scary as an Ironman. You might think that you don't have to worry about this Ironman business yet, but there are some things that you can do right now to start getting ready. For most of them you won't even have to get up from your chair. The following are some tips to prepare for the upcoming months. While the timeline of this series is based on Lake Placid in 2010, these tips can apply to any Ironman race, whether your first race is in Arizona, Austria, or Australia.

1. Don’t put it off. Your first impulse may be hide any reminder that you’re signed up for this big, scary beast until you get closer to July 25, 2010. Resist the temptation to put off your training until four or five months out from the race. You will need a substantial base of fitness to even complete the 100-mile training rides and long runs that you’ll be doing next spring. Don’t let yourself get too out of shape in the meantime. Experts insist that consistency is the most important factor for success in endurance sport. By continuing to swim, bike, and run through the fall and winter, you can prevent any overuse injuries caused by starting out too far, too fast, too soon.
2. Schedule your year. That doesn’t mean that you need to know right now exactly what your workout is going to be on Tuesday, June 8, 2010, but come up with a general game plan for how you’re going to tackle this monster. Ironman will not forgive sloppy training like shorter races do. The winter is the perfect time to work on your weakest sport, so schedule a month to focus on that sport. For example, most of Boston's long-distance road races are over the winter to help runners prepare for the Boston Marathon. Take advantage of them to work on your running with a winter run block. If you plan on doing any warm-up half ironman races on your road to Lake Placid (a good idea), these should go on the calendar too. Ideally, these races will fall six to eight weeks before The Big Day. Also, block off your taper and any weeks that you know your training will be affected by travel or other commitments. If you don't know how to plan a season, learn more about it here, or pick up Joe Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible.
3. Talk to your family and boss. It’s possible to get through an Ironman on 10 hours per week of training. But let’s face it, even 10 hours a week is a lot of time that you're not spending with your partner, kids, or friends. And there will almost certainly be weeks when you’re training much, much more than ten hours. Make sure that your family knows that you are going to be gone a lot, and talk openly about how you can balance your training and family life. Be prepared to make sacrifices. No finisher's medal is worth breaking up your marriage. Also, your boss has a right to know about your training. There are going to be days when you come to work tired. When you get to your peak volume weeks you may even need to take some time off to train. Be open with your boss, and make sure that he or she is onboard. Be prepared to make up for lost time after the race. Don't let your job performance suffer because of your training.
4. Surround yourself with the right people. Now is the time to start finding the team of people who are going to help you along the way. Champions like Lance Armstrong and Dara Torres surround themselves with a team of experts to help them reach their goals; smart age-group athletes are no different. When you’ve got a nagging pain in your knee isn't the time to be wasting time searching for a physiotherapist you can trust. Make sure that the specialists you'll need are in your little black book before you need them. The people to include in your arsenal might include a coach, Masters swim group, cycling or triathlon club, running club, sports masseuse, chiropractor, bike mechanic, yoga instructor, nutritionist, physician who understands (and is sympathetic to) the needs of an extreme endurance athlete, and friends with Ironman experience.
5. Do your homework. Get an idea of what you’re in for by learning from the experts. Some good Ironman resources are Joe Friel and Gordon Byrn’s Going Long, the free weekly podcast IMTalk (available on iTunes or directly from their web site), or online resources like Slowtwitch. Even if you’re going to hire a coach, it's still important to learn about how ironman training works so you will understand the big picture.

Take a deep breath. With proper planning even you will get to the start line in Lake Placid well trained and ready to race 140.6 miles. In next month’s edition, we will discuss tips to stay motivated for a race that is still eleven months away. 

Read the rest of the articles in this series: 

2. Staying motivated through the winter
3. Offseason training blocks for Ironman success