nice timing. after reading about the nyc tri back in july i decided to give it a serious go next summer. so i started training and have already lost about 15 lbs in bout 7 weeks.
the nyc tri is an olympic distance tri and i would seriously suggest that you increment your load over time to work up to an ironman. beyond ironman and olympic distance there are triathlon events at various distances being held all the time all over the world. as a precursor to the nyc tri i am working up towards a half-olympic distance as a first test of my abilities (or lack thereof).
also, not to be forgotten is diet! along with swim, bike, run, weights you can not forget the diet. rule number one? stop drinking soda. rule number two? stop eating crap with high fructose corn syrup.
Congratulations!! When is your next Ironman? (I have many friends who do Ironman triathlons and it is scary how fit they are and how important training is part of their lifestyle).
For those who don't know about Ironman training, the volume of Ironman training (15hr/week) etc. - the whole purpose of those hundreds of hours of training is so that the athlete does not go anaerobic during the race (lactic acid). Once you go anaerobic, your chances of completing the race diminish greatly.
Next season I'll
1. do the half-Ironman, goal is to improve my PB of 5:30 to 5:00ish and
2. run a marathon, anything lower than 3:30 would kick ass. (I've never ran "just" a marathon.)
I plan to return to the Ironman in 2 years and improve my time to sub-12:00. That should be pretty simple since I would've finished 12:30ish this year were it not for the fact that all season I ran on a rubber track and my feet couldn't take the asphalt at the race (last 10km went out the window).
It's almost counter-intuitive, but I was a lot more exhausted after the half-Ironman than after the Ironman. I pushed myself a lot harder during the swim and especially the bike leg at the half-distance race. At the full race I was more easy-going, making sure I'd finish.
Congrats on such an amazing accomplishment. I have triathlon on my list of goals for the next couple years, with the eventual goal of doing the Ironman. Definitely looking forward to getting to that level.
Thanks. Good plans =) Start training and see how you like it. Also, once you invest in a nice triathlon bike, you pretty much have to take it out every weekend anyway.
the ironman-class tri is at the extreme end of the spectrum of athletic accomplishments. as a regular marathoner, i recommend starting small before taking on such a goal. 10k runs, 30 minute swims...you'll be happier and less likely to be injured. gradually increase what you take on.
the nyc tri is an olympic distance tri and i would seriously suggest that you increment your load over time to work up to an ironman. beyond ironman and olympic distance there are triathlon events at various distances being held all the time all over the world. as a precursor to the nyc tri i am working up towards a half-olympic distance as a first test of my abilities (or lack thereof).
also, not to be forgotten is diet! along with swim, bike, run, weights you can not forget the diet. rule number one? stop drinking soda. rule number two? stop eating crap with high fructose corn syrup.