Your First 70.3

Barryc · Joined: 21 May 2018 Posts: 6

Stepping up to 70.3 this year more specifically the lakesman half. How did you all find your first half?

What plan did you follow? Did you actually follow it or complete 70% of it
What do you wish you knew before starting training that you know now?
Did you have a time goal or just to finish?
Did you have a race day plan? Did it work
Did you have a nutrition stagedgy did it work, what would you do different now?
Overall what’s the single best advice you could have given to yourself at any point during your journey to completing your first 70.3?

Sorry for all the questions but I find people on here will give a much better idea of what to expect than the typical tri mag write ups

Thanks

Muriel · Joined: 27 May 2010 Posts: 448 Location: Eeeeeeeeeesher

PCP · Joined: 13 Oct 2012 Posts: 2005 Location: Manchester

Bala middle was my 1st. Things I would change - bike less hard, drink more.

mattsurf · Joined: 28 Sep 2016 Posts: 852 Location: Zug, Switzerland

I did my first 70.3 at the end of my first season, age 44

I started the season with sprints, and moved onto Olympic distance, probably did something like 3 sprints and 5 ODs

I did not follow a training program, however, I was a member of a local tri club and swam twice a week, ran once a week and cycled once a week with them. I also tried to get a few bike rides and runs in on my own. I was training about 7 hours per week

My biggest mistake was to try to smash every session, as a result, often suffered from running injuries. I also think that I did too many events

When I did my first 70.3 I had not run a half marathon for 20 years, this was probably not the best preparation

Advice... at this time of year focus on Swim Technique and building a solid running base. doing some structured workouts on the Turbo Trainer with a focus on increasing your ftp, Zwift is fun, but you need to follow some of the structured workouts rather than just ride/race

I did have a target of 5h45m which I did beat by 5 mins - I took my OD time, doubled it and added 45 mins, strangely the equation still holds true for me as I am double my OD plus 40 mins

Chrace · Joined: 28 Apr 2010 Posts: 2910 Location: Eating a Yorkie

Advise would depend on your background really. If you're already fit(-ish) then more specific race thinking, otherwise just get some base. And then some more base.

Any hills on the Lakesman? Even small bumps? If so it depends on where you live and whether you can train in similar conditions.

Best things I did:
- Some training, in the priority of nutrition/bike/run/swim
- Drive the route in a car seeing how hilly it was
- Have complete ignorance of what I was getting in to
- Have complete focus on the finish line and not my position

Worst things I did:
- Not enough long (80k+) bike rides
- Drive the route in a car the day before noting how f*&%£ing hilly it was

I think I made my own training plan fitting around my holidays and family life.

Biggest difference between Oly and Half is that you must eat. Some kind of calorie intake is required. Start using whatever you plan to use on race day even on smaller runs and bikes. Your body needs to get used to working on food and effort, and you need to know how it feels to do so.
_________________
Where the mind goes the body follows.

mattsurf · Joined: 28 Sep 2016 Posts: 852 Location: Zug, Switzerland

Poet. · Joined: 06 Aug 2013 Posts: 390

What plan did you follow? Did you actually follow it or complete 70% of it
Beginner Triathlete here:
https://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/training-plans-view.asp?planid=16&memberlevel=1

It was far too prescriptive for what I knew of training at the time. I invariably swapped sessions to fit, leading to not recovering well enough, plus missed sessions.

What do you wish you knew before starting training that you know now?
There are no shortcuts. When the plans say you should have 1-3 years of triathlon experience/endurance training behind you, they ain't kidding.
Follow the cookie cutter plan if starting from nothing:

Year 1/2: 5km, 10km, sprint tri, half marathon
Year 2/3: 10km, sprint tri, 25TT, Oly tri
Year 3/4: half marathon, 50TT, 70.3

Or something like that

Did you have a time goal or just to finish?
Time goal, under 5:30. Hit it.

Did you have a race day plan? Did it work
Yes. and yes. It was well practised and I knew what I needed to do.

Did you have a nutrition stagedgy did it work, what would you do different now?
Yes and yes.
Once I'd done a few, I realised I could get by on far less calories;
A gel 20 mins before the swim
A gel after the swim in T1
1.5l of something on the bike - High5/SiS
Probably throw in a bar after an hour on the bike, solely to alleviate the boredom
Run - swig something every 15-20 minutes, gel at start of run and after 40 minutes

Overall, what’s the *single* best advice you could have given to yourself at any point during your journey to completing your first 70.3?
Find a plan that works for you and make sure that it's dynamic.

tin pot · Joined: 08 Jul 2013 Posts: 2592 Location: Bromley

How did you all find your first half?

Super

What plan did you follow? Did you actually follow it or complete 70% of it

I analysed all free plans and forum advice and created a plan that fitted my life/work

What do you wish you knew before starting training that you know now?

That you could burn out doing a half before a full

Did you have a time goal or just to finish?

Goal was 6:30-7:00. Result was 5:57.

Did you have a race day plan? Did it work

Yes, but nothing complex: Find feet, eat well, pace as for ironman not half.

Did you have a nutrition stagedgy did it work, what would you do different now?

No, I couldn’t catch the drink or food on the bike so I went without until the final station - this had no perceivable negative effect.

Overall what’s the single best advice you could have given to yourself at any point during your journey to completing your first 70.3?

Train for a full distance, the fear will get you there for a half easily.
_________________
Iron ‘17 16h11, '16 14h30
Half Iron ‘18 DNF, '17 7h39, 6h28 '16 5h53
Olympic '16 3h18 '15 3h33, '13 3h36
Sprint '16 1h17, '14 1h40, '13 2h01
Half Mara '16 2h04, '14 2h07
10K ‘18 50:31 '16 54:01 '13 54:46

Doca · Joined: 27 Feb 2014 Posts: 256

How did you all find your first half?
Outlaw half, loved it. The run hurt a lot and cam in just under 5 hours.

What plan did you follow? Did you actually follow it or complete 70% of it
I've never followed a plan for triathlon. I think it is better to establish a routine that works around your life. In general terms more is better. What are your weaknesses, work more on those.

What do you wish you knew before starting training that you know now?
Ha, that this would take over my life.

Did you have a time goal or just to finish?
Your first half you will be purely guessing at a time. Finish knowing you did yourself justice.

Did you have a race day plan? Did it work
Mostly. I wasn't prepared for the last 10km of the run though.

Did you have a nutrition stagedgy did it work, what would you do different now?
I ate energy bars on the bike 60g/carbs/hour. Now I have only liquid nutrition that has a lot of salt.

Overall what’s the single best advice you could have given to yourself at any point during your journey to completing your first 70.3?
Run a lot more in training. Use liquid nutrition.

mw22 · Joined: 18 Apr 2008 Posts: 115 Location: Nottingham

How did you all find your first half? Brutally painful after smashing the bike and cramping within first mile on run
What plan did you follow? None, only signed up a month after first Oly. Crammed some longer rides (but had ok level of fitness)
What do you wish you knew before starting training that you know now? Pace the bike. Eat and drink before you need to
Did you have a time goal or just to finish? Finish was plan A, but had times I hoped to acheive.
Did you have a race day plan? No, winged it. No, 13 miles of run cramps!
Did you have a nutrition stagedgy did it work, what would you do different now? Eat and drink regular. Speedfil bottle with a straw shoved in my face so I don't forget
Overall what’s the single best advice you could have given to yourself at any point during your journey to completing your first 70.3? Don't race other people - find your own pace

Chrace · Joined: 28 Apr 2010 Posts: 2910 Location: Eating a Yorkie

Poet. · Joined: 06 Aug 2013 Posts: 390

Chrace · Joined: 28 Apr 2010 Posts: 2910 Location: Eating a Yorkie

Poet. · Joined: 06 Aug 2013 Posts: 390

Jgav · Joined: 06 Dec 2016 Posts: 281

How did you all find your first half?
OK but harder than expected. I picked a hilly and tough course it was also one of the hottest days of the year - lots of DNFs.

What plan did you follow? Did you actually follow it or complete 70% of it
No specific plan other than build up distance and do some long brick sessions. I did a metric brick of 54k and 13k.

What do you wish you knew before starting training that you know now?
Long distance training counts for a lot at 70.3 - there are no shortcuts and intensity isn't a suitable substitute.

Did you have a time goal or just to finish?
Mostly just to finish but I also had a time goal - no I didn't make it.

Did you have a race day plan? Did it work
Mostly - the final 10k was hell.

Did you have a nutrition strategy did it work, what would you do different now?
Gel before swim - gel every 20 mins on the bike - bottle every hour - drink/eat as much as possible on the run. Race was so hot that it wasn't enough salt - cramped in final 5k

Overall what’s the single best advice you could have given to yourself at any point during your journey to completing your first 70.3?
Do some even longer days - learn to take in more salt.