Can I expect to do this a year from now?

I haven't even run my first sprint tri, and I am planning to do a longer one.  Well I want to do a longer one.  My goal of running a triathlon won't be complete until I get at least a 70.3 done. Here is the event I want to do. http://www.vineman.com/ironman.htm This years race is coming up, and since it is so close, I'd love the chance to try it out for next year. Can I realistically expect to be able to complete this a year from now. I know you don't know my fitness level, and I am just starting out, but would you think it possible? Does anyone have a favorite routine that would help me get to this goal?

Swim Course Details:

The Vineman Ironman 70.3 swim is staged at Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville, California. The swim takes place in the Russian River. Groups of 75-150 swimmers at a time will start in 8 minute intervals beginning at 6:30 A.M. Water temperatures should be between 72 and 74 degrees; wetsuits will be allowed as this falls within USA Triathlon guidelines.

The swim course is an out & back course which starts in front of the dam at Johnson’s Beach and proceeds upstream stream to the turn-around point. Swimmers will keep the swim buoys on their left-hand side for the entire swim. A neutral area, which is marked with buoys, where there are no swimmers will separate the swimmers on the outbound and return legs of the swim. The swim course, which averages between 4 and 7 feet in depth, will be monitored by lifeguards in kayaks. The swim course will remain open for one hour and 15 minutes after the last wave of swimmers begins. Click here for the course map.

Between the Russian River being dammed in a number of locations near Guerneville and the fact that it almost never rains in Sonoma County between June 1st and October 15th, there is very little current in the river during this time period. Under typical conditions, a 25-minute mile swimmer should expect it to take about one minute longer to make it to the turn-around point (swimming against the stream) than it would to return back to the swim finish from the turn-around (swimming with the current.)

The dam at Johnson’s Beach is a seasonal dam which is up only in the summer months. The dam is scheduled to be in place by June 20th and will remain in the river until after Labor Day.

Johnson’s Beach has been a favorite summertime spot in Sonoma County for decades. The beauty of the redwoods which line the banks of the Russian River, the serenity of the flowing river, and the down-to-earth people who run Johnson’s Beach and Resort make it a truly special place. The concession stand at Johnson’s Beach is open daily and is famous for its giant draft beers and its fresh grilled hamburgers.

Bike Course Details:

The bike portion of the Vineman Ironman 70.3 is simply a great course. It is challenging, but not too difficult. Its many rolling hills and curves are technically demanding. It has 1600 feet of climbing, a 385 foot climb on Chalk Hill, which is enough of a challenge because of the location. Its comes at 45 miles into the ride to keep you honest in your training and rave pacing. But most of all the course is extremely beautiful, passing endless miles of vineyards and dozens of wineries.

The bike begins at Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville and finishes at Windsor High School (approximately 15 miles away from its starting point). Aid stations are located at mile 13, 29, 40 and will be serving water, Gatorade Endurance Formula, and PowerBars. NOTE: Gatorade Endurance Formula contains a unique five-electrolyte blend including nearly twice the sodium (200mg) and three times the potassium (90mg) of Gatorade Thirst Quencher as well as calcium, magnesium, and chloride to help you better replace what you lose in sweat during longer and more intense active occasions.

The gently rolling hills are challenging, but not overwhelming. The roads are lightly traveled and will be intensely marshaled by USAT officials.

Air temperatures generally range from the low-to-mid 50s early in the morning to daytime highs between 80 and 95 degrees.

Bike Course Turn by Turn Description:

Vineman Ironman 70.3 Bike Course: 56 Miles (Click here for the course map).

Cyclists leave Guerneville on River Road heading east (toward Highway 101) and proceed 5 miles to Sunset Avenue - RIGHT on to Sunset & underneath River Road - RIGHT on to Westside Road - LEFT on to Kinley Road - LEFT on to Dry Creek Road - RIGHT on to Canyon Road - RIGHT on to CA 128 into Geyserville - LEFT to stay on CA 128 in Geyserville - RIGHT on to Chalk Hill Road - LEFT on to Pleasant Road which turns into Faught Road - RIGHT on to Shiloh Rd - LEFT on to Old Redwood HWY - RIGHT on to Fulton Rd - RIGHT on to Airpoort Boulevard - RIGHT on to Skylane Boulevard - LEFT on to Shiloh Road - RIGHT on to Windsor Road to Windsor High School Cyclists will TURN LEFT to enter the south parking lot at Windsor High School to finish the bike portion of the event. The transition area will be located on the grassy field behind the school.

Run Course Description and Turn by Turn:

The Vineman Ironman 70.3s 13.1 mile run course starts & finishes at Windsor High School. Aid stations are located approximately each mile on the run course and will be serving: Gatorade Endurance Formula, water, cola, PowerBar Gel, assorted fruit, & cookies

The run course starts at Windsor High School and takes athletes to the La Crema Winery on an out & back course. The run course will be open for eight hours after the last wave of swimmers begins.

Vineman Ironman 70.3 Run Course: 13.1 miles (Click here for the course map.)

This is an out and back course. The run will start behind Windsor High School and exit the school at the south entrance turning: RIGHT on Windsor Rd. RIGHT on Reiman Rd. LEFT on Starr Road LEFT on to Markwest Station Road RIGHT on to Slusser Road LEFT on to Laughlin Road which you will follow to the entrance of the La Crema Winery where you will enter the La Crema winery and complete a loop on their property. From this point the runners will follow the same course back to the High School. The finish line is located behind the school on the large grassy field.

ABSOLUTELY...

You can do anything that you set your mind to. With the right training, nutrition, and attitude you can do it.

I am planning to do a 70.3 next year as well. In order to accomplish a 70.3, I will need to concentrate on training correctly, nutrition, and most importantly attitude.

The Half Marathon I am planning on doing in October will be a step towards completing a 70.3 next year.

If you havent already, find a triathlon club to join in your area. This will give you an opportunity at some great training, and more importantly its a great way to network.

Curt

Thanks for the Input Curt. Good luck with that half marathon.   I never in my wildest dreams would have considered doing this before weight loss surgery, it would have been a pipe dream. Scott

It might take some pretty intense training between now and then, and doctor clearance of course, but I'm betting you can do it!  You know we'll be rooting for ya!

Thanks for the response and support. I think I'm going to give it my best effort. Time to buckle down and start running. Scott

Scott, I don't see why you couldn't do this!  I was actually planning on an Olympic length event this Sept, but have a wedding to go to the same day.  You know I've only done 2 so far, and they were sprints.  I am definitely planning a half iron next year.  The closest to me is Boise, but then I'm thinking the full iron in Coeur d' Alene the year after. As far as I can tell, your biggest stumbling block might be the running.  If I were you, I'd really work doing one longer run a week and getting those miles up to 10.  The marathon plan I'm working on calls for a working base of 25 miles/week - 10, 3, off, 4, 4, 4, off - for a month before you even get started on the 20 week training plan.  So far I've been able to do the 10 two weeks in a row along with the swimming and spinning I've been doing.  I have a half marathon this weekend, and after having done a couple, it seems like no sweat. Anyway, working in the swim and the bike with this base run plan, what I do is spin and weights on one of the off run days (Tues), and I do a brick on one of the 4-mile days (Thurs).  I do my long run on Sunday because it just seems to work better for me that way, and so on Saturday I do a spin class and swim.  Monday I do the 3 miles and swim, and on Wednesday, I run my 4 then either swim or lift or nothing else.  I'm trying to do more swimming, so that generally gets done 3 days and I only end up spending one on upper body strength.  I do take some Saturdays off when my body gets fatigued. So, if I were you, I would plan on entering a half marathon relatively soon and getting comfortable running - especially since that's the last leg and it's something you struggle with. I don't know if this helps, but I think you can totally do this, and I would love to see you progress!!! Linn

Thanks for the help Linn.  I guess I need to get over my historical dislike of running and buckle down.   I will deffinately start working on increasing my miles. Scott

You have plenty of time between now and then to train for the race.   I did my first 'almost a half', the TriAmerica Triathlon, just over a month ago and it really kicked my ass.  I finished.  I finished last.   Very, very difficult race and to be honest I did not respect the distance going into the race and that was what made it so hard for me.  

With that said the thing about the longer distances, at least in my experience, is the longer the distance the more the difficulty of the race increases EXPONENTIALLY as the distance increases.  Ask Sherry or AJ about it.   Sherry has done a full and AJ just did a 70.3.  The run, when you get to it, is no longer just a 13.6 mile training run you'd do by itself.   It's rediculously harder than that.  Heh, it's hard to explain the difficulty of that run until you experience getting off the bike after 40 miles and swimming 1.24 miles. 

The bottom line is if you dedicate the time, put in the training and respect the distance then you'll do fine!   You'll not only do fine, you'll PWN it!

Chad

I did my first Ironman a year after my first sprint, so YES...you can do it!

Thanks for the encouragement. How did you work up to it.   Was it all training on your own, did you do races increasing in distance to work up to it during that year? Scott