IM Wisconsin '06
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 3 years ago.
Hey xt4 - Basically in the same situation as you - did 3 1/2IM this year to prep myself to go for the full IM in 2006! Also third year of my overall plan.
And BrianMc - get the hotel right away - They are also booking up - my first choice was already sold out - I got my reservations in. I was looking for one that had the distance listed in walking distance. Most seem to want a 3 day stay. So have to really drain the tri budget. But it'll be worth it. And a big thumbs up onthe tattoo!
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
1012
Member
1204 days
PJT posted 3 years ago.
Hi xt4. Great idea for the thread. I also just finished my second season of tris and did my first 1/2 ironman on Saturday (in Lake Geneva, WI). I'll be going out to ride the bike course in Madison at least a couple of times next spring/summer, so one thing we could do is post here beforehand to see if anyone wants to ride together and/or post afterwards to report on road conditions, etc .
Also, the ironman wisconsin website has now removed the notice about the race being closed. So if anyone reading this is still interested in signing up, it may be worth a try. Go to ironmanwisconsin.com
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 3 years ago.
Hey PJT - I did The Lake Geneva 1/2 this past weekend as well. That is a fairly tough course to do your first 1/2 IM on. Lots of good hills. Hope you had a good race - I had some stomach issues, but did okay.
Great idea on doing some training rides this year. I'd be interested in that as well. Rode it once this year - did the Verona loop 3 times (120 mi) - Actually Kona_expat set it up.
Anyway, lots of rolling hills - nothing bad - just makes it a little difficult to get a good rhythm going. Can get pretty windy on course too.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
.jpg "rjkowski's picture")
134
Member
1367 days
rjkowski posted 3 years ago.
I would recommend booking a hotel ASAP. Last year we waited a day or two and ended up getting a hotel that wasn't as close as we had hoped.
If you cannot get the hotel you want, I would recommend checking back with the lodging website periodically. We noticed that several more rooms opened up in August and we able to switch to the Best Western Inn on the Park.
If you haven't seen the post about where to stay for IM WI, that is where I would recommend. The hotel is about a 3 minute walk from the Monona Terrace (which serves as the transition area). In They also collect the special needs bags right in front of the hotel. So Sunday morning my wife and I left the hotel and dropped off our bags right there. It was very convenient.
Bob
58
Member
1244 days
Ryan posted 3 years ago.
Hello All,
Well I have a slot for the 2006 race (I can't wait untill next year?) I also loged in this morning and found that my fist two choices of Hotels were gone already, so i chose the Clarion which says it's only a 7 Min walk. Is this a record for how fast and Ironman has sold out, i thought in the past it usually takes a day or so.? This will be my first Ironman, and i can't believe how fast you need to register for both the hotels and race a year in advance. But i'm IN, so that is the important thing. I am looking forward to chating with you all about the race. Now i will have to train hard throughout this Michigan winter comming up. Yuck....
Forza Nerazzurri
32
Member
1249 days
lindab posted 3 years ago.
hey all
i def want to be in on this thread as i want to be as informed about the race course as much as possible.
i hve not been to wisconsin nor do i see myself getting there before IMWI 2006 so any descriptions etc would be great.
i booked best western immediately after i got into IMWI as i knew they would fill up quick.
hoping location wise that was a good choice.
should be fun year of training and sharing info
linda b
417
Member
1230 days
BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
Does everyone have specific goals for the race? I just feel like if I tell people mine it will make me push harder to get to them. For IMWI 2006 I really have 3 goals:
#1: Its my first Ironman, finishing is going to be big for me.
#2: If everything goes well, I train smart, and really work on my marathon over the winter, I feel I could go under 11hrs.
#3: Have an awesome time and with a select group of people.
Obviously all 3 require different levels of work and commitment, and I'm not sure how realistic #2 is. Then again, you don't have to always reach your goals first time right. They should be possible, but challenging, and thats what I think it is.
How about you guys? Any ideas on what you would like to accomplish?
Brian
67
Member
1217 days
xt4 posted 3 years ago.
I'm in Minneapolis, and have family in the Madison area, so my hope is to maybe spend a week a month next summer living with them and training on the course (I have my own business, so I'm pretty portable - all fortunate circumstances). I'd love the opportunity to connect on some training rides, so let's keep each other informed. It's flat and fast out here where I train, so it'll be important for me to get some hill training in - I did the Wisconsin Triterium this year and felt like I was in the freaking Alps.
BrianMC, as far as goals I guess the first one, obviously, is to finish. Beyond that, I don't have so much of a time goal at this point, but I want to feel strong. I did my first half this weekend - hot, humid and windy, just like the IM conditions - and I was thrilled to have finished, but ran into some hydration and nutrition issues that REALLY slowed me down on the run. I want to be well enough prepared where I'm not responding so much to issues like that, but can execute the countless hours of training. But you're right - setting up an ambitious time goal (11 hours would be awesome! I don't know if a hack like me to could make that work...) gives you a tangible goal to work towards. Maybe I'll give that some thought...
Where is everybody from? And if anybody has blogs, etc. with race reports or whatever, I'm interested. I hope to set up my own website for IM prep (my family would get a kick out of it) soon.
3
Member
1253 days
shoffins posted 3 years ago.
I'm in the IMWI 06 as well... it will be my first IM distance... I'm an experienced marathoner and decent cyclist, but really need to work on my swim... I live in the Milwaukee area, looking forward to this thread.
417
Member
1230 days
BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
I'm from New Brunswick, Canada, bu I am going to school in Kingston, Ontario. I'd love to ride the course beforehand but I don't know when I will have the chance. I will be in the area in February, so I can probably drive it. I assume it would be way to cold to ride it. Still looking for a hotel to stay in. My student budget cannot afford to spend $600 on hotel rooms for the 4 nights I want to stay there, so I may have to be about a 15 minute drive away (unless I can convince my parents to come watch, and then they can pay for a room and I can stay in it :D
I know the feeling about nutrition and hydration, and will add pacing to my list of things. In my Half IM this year, I went out way to hard on the bike, and was actually sitting in about 10th overall after the bike, before plummeting during the run. I had to walk probably about 4km of the 20km and it didn't feel good. Lots of things to learn.
Brian
27
Member
1924 days
K2pooh posted 3 years ago.
Last year filled up a bit faster, but still that's 2100 slots going within 7 hours. And that is after knowing the results and conditions of this past race. I was a volunteer at the finish line catching from the 13 hour mark to the 17 hour. I must say it was the most inspiring thing I've EVER whitnessed, but still not enough to get me out there for an IM, yet. This year, 19.6% of the field DNF...that is the largest DNF EVER out of any Ironman. The head of Ironman North America said that Sunday "is in the top 3 as far a worst conditions, even worse than Kona".... So with that being said...try to prepare for the weather as much as possible. I want to catch all of you at the finish line :D
Good luck
k2pooh
134
Member
1367 days
rjkowski posted 3 years ago.
Hey xt4,
Are you right in the city of minneapolis or someplace near by? I live in Big Lake (which is 2 miles north of Monticello; about 45 minutes from Minneapolis if that helps).
I've got family in Madison too. In fact my younger bro lives there and signed up to do IM WI too. So I'll be visiting him there next year on a few training rides.
Bob
67
Member
1217 days
xt4 posted 3 years ago.
Hey Bob - I'm actually in Coon Rapids - about 20 minutes or so from Big Lake. Where do you ride out there? Any hills??? All the country roads around me are flat and windy...
134
Member
1367 days
rjkowski posted 3 years ago.
My wife and I put in quite few miles on highway 39. We got in Monticello and rode out to Annandale. The road doesn't have huge hlls, but there are enough rollers to get the legs going. Plus, there is a VERY nice shoulder for most of the ride so you don't have to worry about traffic.
67
Member
1217 days
xt4 posted 3 years ago.
Just thought I'd bump this back up a bit, in case we have any newcomers interested in shouting out hello! :)
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 3 years ago.
Hey massageman90 - This link is about IMWI 2006 - RV
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
140
Member
1369 days
watrbg2 posted 3 years ago.
xt4 wrote:
Just thought I'd bump this back up a bit, in case we have any newcomers interested in shouting out hello! :)
Hello! IMWI 06 will be my first Ironman, too. I'm a bit afraid of the swim but overall thrilled and excited to be doing it. My goal is to finish and not be one of the racers falling and crawling down the finish chute (I don't need the 15 minutes of fame). Oh yeah, I also need to lose 10 pounds - I also don't need to be dragging that along for 140.6 miles.
'In a world that tries its hardest to separate us from what matters, the Ironman helps us to reconnect with the pulse of our lives." - Scott Tinley
417
Member
1230 days
BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
See ya there watrbg2. I'm sure you won't have to resort to crawling....but if you do maybe you can get a gatorade commercial.
Brian
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 3 years ago.
Hey watrbg2 welcome to the ranks of IMWI newbies. I think we get our 15 minutes of fame no matter how we all cross that line.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
478
Member
1475 days
kona_expat posted 3 years ago.
I'm not doing IMWI in 06, but I will be training up there at least once a month during the summer, sometimes twice to ride. Also, a key "it hurts so much it makes the Ironman seem easy" ride to do is Horribly Hilly on 6/17/06, http:/www.horriblyhilly.com. Registration is not yet open. I've done the 200K 2 years straight, it makes me cry, but I finish the darn thing. Only a small portion of it is on the IMWI course, and it's WAY HARDER than the IM WI bike course, but it does give you perspective. If you're not confident about 200K with 10,000 feet of climbing, then just do the 100K which is still way worse than your average century ride.
Last summer I also organized the first annual Triple Bypass up in Madison--we rode 2.5 hours on Friday, 100-120 miles on Saturday (3 loops of the IMWI course) and 2.5 hours on Sunday. A nice, high mileage weekend with friends. Will probably do it again next year. We did this in August 5 weeks before race weekend.
My coach is hosting a training camp 7/7-7/9 on the course as well, http://cruciblefitness.com. Worth it for any first-timers, and I will probably show up as an alumnus, and will most likely be escorting people around the course.
I've ridden the IMWI course over 25 times, know some good places to eat in Madison, and other assorted factoids. Feel free to email me with any questions. My email address is on my profile.
24
Member
1416 days
massageman90 posted 3 years ago.
Hey RV thank for letting me know about this thread.
let me intro myself( sounds like 12 step start) My name is mike I live in the western "burbs of Chicago
Doin' my 1st IM wis in 2006. Thats a good start. I have run over 10 marathons and 4 ultra's . Started Tri"s
on the not so serious side 4 years ago.I like the 1/2 im distance..... Looking forward to this journey...
24
Member
1416 days
24
Member
1416 days
massageman90 posted 3 years ago.
Day late and a dollar poorer booked at holiday inn on the east side of madison
all the close hotel went faster then you know what!!!!
see you all in madison in 2006
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 3 years ago.
Cool. We should have a good group there.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
140
Member
1369 days
watrbg2 posted 3 years ago.
I'm wondering what training program everyone is following. There are a lot of different ones out there, how do you pick the one that is right for you?
Thanks!
'In a world that tries its hardest to separate us from what matters, the Ironman helps us to reconnect with the pulse of our lives." - Scott Tinley
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 3 years ago.
I will be following an IM training plan from TrainingPeaks.
Am tweaking it now to customize it a bit to make it a better fit for my goals.
I went with TrainingPeaks mainly because I had heard good things about them and they were very helpful and responsive to my questions.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
21
Member
1148 days
ironscot posted 3 years ago.
Yep, count me in. This will be my first Ironman and I am anxious and nervous already!
Looking forward to hearing how everyone's training progresses :)
417
Member
1230 days
BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
Finally booked my hotel, and thanks to mom and dad, I didn't have to pay for it :D
I'll be staying at the Radisson on Grand Canyon Drive in West Madison. About a 10 minute drive from the race site. Gonna hame my support crew there to (aka my mom and dad), so now I can;t wait till September 7th, when I roll into Madison.
Brian
67
Member
1217 days
xt4 posted 3 years ago.
Hey everybody - cold and snowy here in Minnesota, and feeling a jones for the dog days of evening rides and hot sweaty runs (they always sound more fun in the wintertime...) - thought I'd give this thread a bump to make IMWI seem real these 10+ months away, something for some encouragement in the long winter offseason months.
Question: I've used trainingpeaks my whole career (all 2 + years of it), and have always found it really great, but I think I've about hit a ceiling with how much I can accomplish strictly on my own. I had a rewarding but tough Half IM last summer, and a rewarding but GRUELING marathon in October. I need to get some nutrition squared away, some productive offseason training, and some really outstanding training come spring when it's time to get serious. Plus, I want to lose about 3 pounds a month between now and September (putting me in the 170ish range - my normal fighting weight is upper 180's - lower 190's...) so ANYWAY, thinking about a coach. Anybody have any experience with trainright.com or cruciblefitness? Pros and cons? Worth the money? Difference between your performance "self coaching" and with a coach? I'm not out to win any races, but I'd like to have a season free of meltdowns if I can. The time for learning experiences and trial and error will quickly give way to needing to know as exactly as possible what to expect for IM. Please help!
Stay warm!
x
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
Anyone actually able to get to the IMWI website? http://www.ironmanwisconsin.com/
I just get this: :19638/webhost/rollout">--> :confused:
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
417
Member
1230 days
3
Member
1253 days
shoffins posted 2 years ago.
Has anyone heard how the 38 week training program on this site stacks up against others out there ??? I'd hate to get to far into a program and realize it wasn't the best one available.... BTW, we are in week 1 !!!
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
shoffins wrote:
Has anyone heard how the 38 week training program on this site stacks up against others out there ??? I'd hate to get to far into a program and realize it wasn't the best one available.... BTW, we are in week 1 !!!
I am using a plan from TrainingPeaks - I did just go and take a look at the IM training plan on this site. It doesn't look too bad. Saw that it has some various bricks scheduled in. Looks like it would do the job. Yup 267 days to go... :eek: :D
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
417
Member
1230 days
BrianMc posted 2 years ago.
Hmmm, didn't know there was one on the site. I'll have to check it out.
Only 38 weeks eh?
Cool.
21
Member
1148 days
ironscot posted 2 years ago.
Hi RV,
I too am looking at training plans by Training Peaks. I only came across two IM plans though, one being a 24 week program and the other a 16 week. it sounds like your plan is more than 24 weeks. Did I miss other IM training program on Training Peaks website?
Thanks for your help!
Ironscot
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
ironscot wrote:
Hi RV,I too am looking at training plans by Training Peaks. I only came across two IM plans though, one being a 24 week program and the other a 16 week. it sounds like your plan is more than 24 weeks. Did I miss other IM training program on Training Peaks website?
Thanks for your help!
Ironscot
Hey Ironscot - I picked up the IMWI specific training plan by Rich Strauss. It is listed on TrainingPeaks - but linked with Cruciblefitness.com. That plan actually will start in March - Up until then I also got the Off-Season training plans (actually 2 of them) to build a strong base. I am finishing up week 4 of the first Off-Season plan that will complete in Jan. Then the next one bumps it up some more and that will take me to the start of the IM training plan in March. Right now lots of form and areobic work - as you would expect.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
21
Member
1148 days
ironscot posted 2 years ago.
RV wrote:
Hey Ironscot - I picked up the IMWI specific training plan by Rich Strauss. It is listed on TrainingPeaks - but linked with Cruciblefitness.com. That plan actually will start in March - Up until then I also got the Off-Season training plans (actually 2 of them) to build a strong base. I am finishing up week 4 of the first Off-Season plan that will complete in Jan. Then the next one bumps it up some more and that will take me to the start of the IM training plan in March. Right now lots of form and areobic work - as you would expect.
Thanks RV for your feedback! Yep, the training plan that I am going to use is the 24 week IMWI plan by Rich Strauss. Very smart in regards to the Off-Season training plans.
Thanks again!
Ironscot
417
Member
1230 days
BrianMc posted 2 years ago.
I'm using the training plan from "Ironman Training: Start to Finish" by Paul Huddle and Roch Frey. Its a 24 week plan, so I will be starting that up in the spring.
RIght now, I am focusing on my marathon training for a race in March. Lots of spin class to keep my bike strength up and working on technique in the pool.
Brian
134
Member
1367 days
rjkowski posted 2 years ago.
BrianMc,
I used that plan for IMWI last year too and I liked it a lot. I am going to be using the plan again this year for IMWI.
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
Noticed that we are under 200 days out now!
Only 4 1/2 weeks left in my base build II - Then starting IM specific training. So far all is on schedule. Have several weeks of travel coming up for work. Did find some good health clubs w/ pools in the area where I'll be, so hopefully won't screw up the training too much, tho it will be at altitude so that should be interesting.
Getting excited all over again. :D :eek:
Just wanted to see how everyones prep was going.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
417
Member
1230 days
BrianMc posted 2 years ago.
Under 200 eh?
Sounds like we are on a similar plan RV, thats the same day I start my IM specific training. Hopefully it will have warmed up enough by then that I can be biking outside for every ride.
I'm planning on coming down to Madison in May for a bike around the course. Not sure exactly when, but if anyone is interested I would be happy to have some company.
Brian
140
Member
1369 days
watrbg2 posted 2 years ago.
I can't believe it's under 200 days... I thought I just signed up!
I have been talking to tri friends who have completed IMWI and their training advice comes down to hill repeats on the bike - lots of hill repeats.
I am hoping to ride the course in May or June and for the last big ride/run before the taper starts.
Stay healthy!
'In a world that tries its hardest to separate us from what matters, the Ironman helps us to reconnect with the pulse of our lives." - Scott Tinley
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
BrianMc wrote:
Under 200 eh?Sounds like we are on a similar plan RV, thats the same day I start my IM specific training. Hopefully it will have warmed up enough by then that I can be biking outside for every ride.
I'm planning on coming down to Madison in May for a bike around the course. Not sure exactly when, but if anyone is interested I would be happy to have some company.
Brian
Definitely plan on riding the course several times in training.
I'd be interested in joinging up for a ride.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
67
Member
1217 days
xt4 posted 2 years ago.
It's starting to really pick up - got my Triathlete mag last week with all the Ironman race coverage, and got me pretty fired up. Once the snow melts up here it will start to really feel real!
The end is in sight with base training, and I've been especially focused on running this off-season, as I had three significant meltdowns last year in an Olympic, Half IM, and Marathon. Definitely my weakness, and I can't get to mile 15 in Madison and start falling apart. So my mental strategy so far has been to approach this season like a runner (which I naturally am not) who's doing triathlons (I'm not naturally anything, come to think of it. I have to work pretty hard for any success in any of the three disciplines!) So far it seems to be paying off - my run has really improved, and I'm at a stage right now that I'm usually not at until midsummer.
I'll be using Strauss's plan as well, especially liking that it has IMWI in mind. And thanks for the Crucible tip on the mini-camp - I may look into that as well.
Finally, headed to Madison this weekend for my first recon. I have family there, so I'm visiting them, getting a fitting on my bike at Cronometro, shooting some video of the course(s), and finally doing my 9 mile run on the run course on Sunday. Can't wait! Starting in May I'll spend a week a month living and training there (I have my own business - a real plus) as well.
x
417
Member
1230 days
BrianMc posted 2 years ago.
xt4, I have been going with a similar off season plan as you. I have been trying to take away the stigma of the marathon that has always scared me, and I think I have done it. My long runs on the weekend have been up to 35km, so now I am confident I won't blow up on the run. Doing a marathon in May, just as a training run.
Unfortunately I can't make it out to Madison to ride the course a bunch of times, but I hope to come out for 5 days or so in May and maybe ride it 3 times or so. Sounds like I will have some company, so I'll let you guys know closer to the date and we'll see if we can meet up.
24
Member
1416 days
massageman90 posted 2 years ago.
200 days !!!!! holy s.... my training is going.. so far ..so good. Swimming with a masters program at Lifetime fitness and on my own, got a good coach the workouts are now getting more intense. I do plan on going up to verona about twice a month staring in late april/may. I train with a number of Ironmoo finishers... I am getting a little nervous have not felt this way ( as for racing ) since my 1st ultramarathon...
134
Member
1367 days
rjkowski posted 2 years ago.
Last Sunday I got out on the IM WI bike course for the first time this year. It was a nice day out and it felt good to get back on the course. The last time I rode the course was during the IM and it was blistering hot and windy!! Let's hope this year's IM has some milder weather.
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
Hoping to get out there in the next couple weeks for the first of several rides on course this year.
Since we have only 148 days: 14 hours and 51 minutes to go! :eek:
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
1012
Member
1204 days
PJT posted 2 years ago.
I would just like to point out that we are exactly 4 months away from race day.
Everyone's training on track? Staying calm?
3354
Member
1413 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
Wow - 4 months! That really means that the brunt of the training will be done in 3-3.5 months as we get into taper.
Right on track with my training plan - must admit a bit anxious at times. But it really helps to focus the workouts.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
Hi all - there's a great thread recapping this year's race, but thought I'd start a new one, maybe someplace for all the IMWIers out there to connect for the next year. I got in bright and early this morning - this will be my first IM. I'm an age group hack who started tri 2 years ago with Ironman the pinnacle goal of a 3-year plan. I finished my first Half this weekend and am really excited for IMWI. Hoping to connect with some others running in Madison next September. Good luck everybody!
x