70.3
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Member
1679 days
Tamara posted 17 weeks ago.
Welcome to Trifuel.
Going from Olympic to HIM is going from short-course to long-course, which to me means your head needs to be even more in the game. You can't just grab water when you feel like it -- you need to have a conscious plan for hydrating/nutrition. You can't go all-out on the bike and convince yourself that a 10K only takes you 30-60min so you can tough out the run.
The half distance is long. You have to think about your own strategy for pacing and practice that throughout your training.
That being said, I love longer distances. I'm slow and it's painful, but I personally get more satisfaction and sense of achievement when I cross that line after 70.3 miles. (and hopefully one day after 140.6!)
134
Member
515 days
RunMDC posted 17 weeks ago.
I made the transition from Oly to HIM last year and the one thing that humbled me was that your times do not translate to long distance. I thought that because I can run a 40 minute 10k during an Olympic Tri that I could just use that pace to judge my HIM times. Not even close. That goes for nutrition as well. In an Oly you can almost drink when you feel thirsty and you will be OK but at the HIM distance you have to anticipate your nutritional needs and drink or eat even when you don't want to or at specific times because you know your body will need it later. Also, as Tamara suggests, mentally the 70.3 distance is completely different. Strategy is much more important than at the short course. You have to train using that specific strategy.
A triathlete friend of mine likes to say that short course triathlons are a sharp intense pain while long course triathlons are a long dull ache. It all comes down to what type of pain you prefer to endure.
345
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593 days
SueR posted 17 weeks ago.
I did one oly before I went to HIM for a couple of seasons and now I have gone back to Oly for a season. Nutrition is key for sure, as is doing longer workouts at the intensity you will race at. You need to know the pace you can handle for that distance and have a plan that you stick to. You can't get carried away and chase people because you have a long time to go and a lot of potential for self destruction. Get a good program and start your longer bricks early in the season ( I start in January) so that you feel ready and you body is used to how you fuel. Personally I like the mental side of it as it is more sensible and controlled, whereas oly and sprint are head down hammerfests that hurt. Alot.
Good luck and welcome aboard!
Hi Im looking at competing in my first 70.3 . Can anyone offer thier experiences going from Olympic to 70.3?