Those responsible for the news letter at the company where I work recently asked me to share my experience of competing in a IronMan triathlon. In June 2012 I completed an IronMan in Coeur d’Alene (CDA) Idaho which was an awesome place to do a triathlon. The community was very welcoming; the spectators were enthusiastic, the volunteers were outstanding and it was a first class event hosted in a very beautiful city.

I heard you recently completed an IronMan triathlon.  What is an IronMan exactly?
IronMan is a full distance triathlon.  There are many different distances of triathlon which all include swimming, cycling and running, in that order.  A full length IronMan consists of a 3.8 km swim, followed by 180 kms of cycling, and then finishes off with a full distance marathon of 42 kms.

END OF A LONG DAY

Do you complete all three of those things in one day?  How long does it usually take?
Yes.  A person’s time will depend on many factors such as ability, fitness, nutrition, weather etc.  There is a time limit of 17 hours and many people don’t complete the race for various reasons.  I did a lot of training leading up to the race, so was able to complete my race in 11 hours and 58 minutes which placed me in the top 20% of competitors.

You mentioned that you did a lot of training.  How many hours of training per week?
Training for IronMan was a long journey considering I began a structured training plan in back in November; I guess it took me about 7 months to prepare.  Training consisted of an average of 9 workouts per week (3 swims, 3 bike rides, 3 runs).  It started with about 10 hours per week back in November and eventually peaked to 17- 20 hours per week in April and May. Click here to read more.. »