If you would be interested in receiving my help I would be glad to correspond with you. I've done a race of the distance myself. Granted I'm a duathlete but I've still done the distance so I know what it takes to cross the line.

Yours in Sport
Shane Nelson
http://www.geocities.com/ksnelson1369/shane.html

Most smart Ironman competitors set their heart rate
monitors to an aerobic pace and wait until the last
hours of the race to push their pace. The half
Ironman however is a very tricky race. If you go
aerobic and play it safe you will be fine but most
likely leave too much in the tank and not get your
best time. This means that to get your best time you
will have to go anaerobic but only to a level where
you can get your nutrition right and replenish stores
to avoid energy problems like bonking. As expected
this is a difficult thing to master.

When planning your half Ironman training it is
important that you first develop your endurance with
a solid aerobic base. The speed and anaerobic
training plays a role to get you ready for race day
towards the end of the training program. However,
remember that triathlon is an endurance sport. The
most important training is your long training session.
Speed is like icing on the cake. Get your body and
your mind comfortable with the distance. You should
definitely include some sessions in training that go as
far as you will on race day.

Your ability to run off the bike is important for any
triathlon and it cannot be overlooked for the half
Ironman. Do a short run after your long bike
sessions every other week for the last three months
before your race. Start with an easy 15-minute run
initially and build this run to 30 minutes over your
training period.

Tempo runs are very important for half Ironman training
as they will allow your body to become efficient at an
effort similar to the one on race day. The tempo runs
will then lead you to the speed work where you can
go anaerobic and develop your capability to flush
lactic acid from your system. Remember that to get
your best performance during a half Ironman you
may have to race anaerobically. This is the painful part
of racing and training. Get your body used to this
feeling and see how you feel in training as it will
provide a clue as to how hard is too hard.

A good nutrition plan for race day will allow you to
race at a faster level during a half Ironman. Remember
that we only have two hours of energy in our bodies
to race at a high level. This means that the rest needs
to be provided by you during the race. Take somewhere
from 500 to 700 calories per hour. The more anaerobic
you race the more you will need. The best tip here is to
practice race nutrition in training. We are all different
and some types of foods will not agree with you. Find
out what will be provided on race day and practice
with it. Perhaps you may have to bring your own if the
food provided does not agree with your stomach.

The bike is the longest leg of a triathlon and if you
want to have a good race this is a leg that will break
your race if you do not stay relatively close to the
competition. As expected this is also the leg that will
take the most time in training. Build your long sessions
to about 130% of the time you think it will take you
to complete the bike on race day. For example if you
expect to finish the bike ride in three hours then your
longest rides should peak at about four hours.
Remember that you need to run after the bike so your
endurance needs to be such that after three hours of
riding your tank should have a lot left in it.

The bike can break your race but the run will make your race.
Build your long run until you can cover the race distance or
about 110% of the race distance. Participating in a
half marathon is a great idea. Do this about two
months before the race. Be careful during your build
up as running is also the sport that creates the most
injuries. These injuries usually come from too much or
too hard too soon. Be patient.

No good training program is complete without a
proper taper. When planning your taper start your
taper gradually. Your longest run should be five
weeks out, your longest bike four weeks out and
your longest swim three weeks out. Each sport is
different and each sport poses different stresses on
the body. If the training does not go well prior to
taper time do not make the mistake of cramming
training in at this point. It is better to arrive to the
race 10% under trained than 1% over trained.

Your taper on race week should include a couple of
days off. Definitely rest the entire day two days
before the race. Then on race day do a 15-minute
session in each sport to stretch your legs and have
a final inspection of all your race equipment. One
common mistake of race week is to buy new gear
that you think will make you faster. Please finalise
your race gear and outfit well ahead of race day.
Buying new stuff in race week will just create stress
and potentially cause trouble on race day if you are
not familiar with the new items.

The journey to your half Ironman is in the end as
important and memorable as your race. Do not forget
to have fun and enjoy your time in training. Be
patient and do not let your expectations cause
additional stress if they are not being met.

Yours in Sport
Shane Nelson

Whoa. Holy preparing. I'm very greatful with your responses. Just been havin' a tough month so have been just runnin' and relaxin' before I start up. When is the proper time to start all of this? I read a few things on here and people stating to those people it is sorta early to traine and what not. Like I said, I'm a rookie and seekin' for someone to take me under a wing so to speak.

Unless your race is in March then yes it is too early to start race specific training. However the winter is a great time to work on your weaknesses and make them into strengths. Email me for more information.