Lessons Learned at Ironman Louisville
1. Be flexible. The swim course was changed (for the better) three days before the race. Also, instead of a mass start the athletes went in the water every second.
2. Spend time in training practicing transitions. You can lose a lot of time there. Even if your goal is just to finish under the time limit (an admirable goal for the Ironman), it's better to have the time to spend on the course, not in transition.
3. Bike, bike and bike some more. Bike hilly courses or do repeats up and down hills. The average Ironperson is going to be on the bike for 5-8 hours. Be ready for this. If you can improve your bike speed by just .5 mph it saves you an incredible amount of time. Averaging 16mph vs. 15.5 will save about 15 minutes on the course. This could become invaluable if it's a hot day or you need extra time for the marathon.
4. How much you spend on your bike isn't the determining factor. I saw many, many people on $3-5,000 bikes get passed by athletes on much less expensive bikes. A good, solid, bike in the $1,000-2,000 range will get you through the race, without problems, if you train. Spending an extra grand or two might make for good conversation or something to brag about, but isn't always necessary for the average Ironperson. Feel free to comment and disagree.
5. Learn to race-walk, or at least walk fast. Probably 70% of the athletes at Louisville walked for all of, or most, of the first two miles. A higher percentage walked at some point during the marathon. But most runners, including myself, don't know how to walk fast. We reach a certain point of exhaustion and just stroll along losing incredible time and becoming more frustrated. It may be better to have a definite plan before the race of running and walking fast and being trained to do so. If you maintain a 15 minute pace in the marathon, you finish it in 6:33. That is good enough to beat the 17 hour time limit.
2. Spend time in training practicing transitions. You can lose a lot of time there. Even if your goal is just to finish under the time limit (an admirable goal for the Ironman), it's better to have the time to spend on the course, not in transition.
3. Bike, bike and bike some more. Bike hilly courses or do repeats up and down hills. The average Ironperson is going to be on the bike for 5-8 hours. Be ready for this. If you can improve your bike speed by just .5 mph it saves you an incredible amount of time. Averaging 16mph vs. 15.5 will save about 15 minutes on the course. This could become invaluable if it's a hot day or you need extra time for the marathon.
4. How much you spend on your bike isn't the determining factor. I saw many, many people on $3-5,000 bikes get passed by athletes on much less expensive bikes. A good, solid, bike in the $1,000-2,000 range will get you through the race, without problems, if you train. Spending an extra grand or two might make for good conversation or something to brag about, but isn't always necessary for the average Ironperson. Feel free to comment and disagree.
5. Learn to race-walk, or at least walk fast. Probably 70% of the athletes at Louisville walked for all of, or most, of the first two miles. A higher percentage walked at some point during the marathon. But most runners, including myself, don't know how to walk fast. We reach a certain point of exhaustion and just stroll along losing incredible time and becoming more frustrated. It may be better to have a definite plan before the race of running and walking fast and being trained to do so. If you maintain a 15 minute pace in the marathon, you finish it in 6:33. That is good enough to beat the 17 hour time limit.
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