triathlete since 4 years - thinking ahead

When I signed up for the IM Switzerland for next year, one of the fields to fill out was: "Triathlete since XX years". I was surprised, that I already compete since 4 years in triathlons. It feels I only started last year or maybe two years ago - but 4 years.

Interestingly I was not yet able to improve my results. So Getting ready for next year I definitely want to make a step ahead. Originally I thought I even could participate in Hawaii in 2010 - hahahaha . Three leverages I see to improve:
1. my weight
2. go to trainings of my tri-club
3. start now for 2010

let's see how that will work out

3 days to go

Link to the 70.3 Switzerland website

I am quite excited about next weekend, although I had only little time to train the last 10 days due to a cold. However, the race track in Rappersil is just awesome. It promises to be fun!

Fotos IM Zurich 2008

 

This week's training

Absolutely no time to write something here....
....only training counts right now.


Swimming:
- I started to train in a group: http://www.godfrey.ch/

Biking:
- use a bandanna to avoid neck pains from the wind
- mind the heat!

Running:
- training on hard ground is cruel

2nd Half Ironman done, but 0.5 + 0.5 ≠ 1 IM

Yesterdays 70.3 Switzerland IM was my hardest and best triathlon ever. Right from the beginning I had problems to breath during the swim, so my heartrate raised the first time above 174 bpm. I had to swim on the back to have enough air and to control the pulse. On the bike I became very hungry, so I ate too much too fast. The result were stomach cramps, I couldn't speed properly and had problems at the hills. The run was just a mental fight not to give up. I was awful slow, but endured. I am very happy to have experienced how hard it can get and I am right now more determined than ever to go for the Ironman in 6 weeks. I want to finish the Ironman to encourage and cheer up my family.

Lessons learned:
* It's 70% mental and 30% physical
* An old man at the strecke said: "einfach locker durchlaufen" (something like: "just run relaxed up to the end") to cheer me up. That really helped. I repeated that in my mind over and over again - until the end.
* Don't eat too fast on the bike! Start with "Gel". Have a proper food strategy.
* Train more in the lake!
* Really loose these extra-pounds!!!! Light weight saves you so much energy during the race!

Happy racing!

My first Ironman

These days I am wavering back and forth concerning the Ironman distance. One day I feel strong and the next day I feel quite frightened. Can I do it? should I better quitt? Am I really prepared?

For now I am focussing on "superior biking fitness", which one of an Ironman-guy suggested. He said, that regardless how fit you are on your feet, you first have to cover the biking distance.
I read an interesting article on First Ironman? The Ten Most Common Mistakes - By Ray Fauteux .
He mentioned:
(1) OVERTRAINING: rest vs. performance vs. untrained muscles
(2) POOR DIET: supplements vs. balance vs. energy
(3) IMPROPER FINAL WEEK PREPARATION: Plan, relax & eat normal food
(4) IMPROPER PRE-RACE HYDRATION: clear urine the week before racing
(5) IMPROPER RACE-EVE PREPARATION: Rest is the order of the day.
(6) POOR SWIM STRATEGY: Avoid the crush.
(7) MISTAKES IN TRANSITION: Take your time.
(8) GOING OUT WAAAAY TOO FAST ON THE BIKE: Relax!! Don't eat or drink for twenty minutes or so.
(9) ABSOLUTELY NO RUN PLAN: Do long run-walks in training.
(10) ABSOLUTELY NO EATING-DRINKING PLAN FOR THE RUN: have a plan that you've thought out long before race day

There were some new hints for me, e.g. doing run-walks in train.
Maybe I just have to do it.
Happy training, T-IM

Datasport

One really good thing in Switzerland is the central database of sport results. Datasport helps to keep track of all the races you may forget: http://www.datasport.com/myds/?tim-scheffmann

Cheers, the one_free_radical

PS: I hardly have any pains from the marathon yesterday anymore. Unbelievable.

Zuerich Marthon Done

In 04:44 h I ran the Zuerich marathon yesterday. This was 14 minutes slower than my first marathon in Berlin. However, right now I am feeling much better as after the Berlin marathon. Things I learned:

* Don't push too hard at the beginning; it will be hard later. I started with 12 kmh (in the group to finish 04:00 h), later I couldn't keep up the speed.
* Better preparation pays off: This time I had no 30 km run - only 24km. Next time I will plan at least for one 30 km run.
* Too much weight is a barrier to speed. I am still above 90 kgs, which is at least 5 kgs too much for the Ironman in July!
* The "booster" - stabilisation socks were great. http://www.bvsport.ch/
* The nutrition was perfect: Iso-star in between. The last two stations I took coca-cola.
* Invite friends, they will push you through. I was surprised to see two friends together with Irina - my wife - standing at the race course; so I simply couldn't quitt.

Here my polar data:

Ironman motivation

why humans are they doing an ironman?


I like the first seconds of this video: EAT SLEEP SWIM BIKE RUN EAT SLEEP ...


"unfinished business" for a tough one leg woman

2 days to marathon

today I fly to Berlin. tomorrow I will get registered. the day after tomorrow I will run 42.195 km or a bit more... ;- >
yesterday and today I feel strong. My muscles are waiting for the race. Hopefully the stretching I did was enough to prepare my sinews (Sehnen).
Lost my cap the last week and I have to by a new one first.

The results can be seen at: http://www.real-berlin-marathon.com/events/berlin_marathon/2007/ergebnisse.php

The weatherforecast for Berlin on sunday: 17 °C max 10 °C min. Sun and rain.

If ain't raining, I ain't training.
Cheers, Tim

"Sempacher Olympic Triathlon"

Long time no blog-entry. That actually discribes my training situation very good. No time, headaches, no real training at all during the last 2 weeks.

After this "break" I made today my 2nd olympic triathlon nearly without preparation. The Sempacher Olympic Triathlon belongs to the VW Curcuit and is located in the middle of Switzerland between Zürich and Bern. http://www.sempacherseetri.ch/



The race was intense and very fast!

Swim-1.5k: The guys hit the waves like sharks. I was left behind with 5 other guys and needed like 500m to find my swim rythm. Otherwise it was a nice swimcourse in the Sempacher Lake.

Bike-42k: Actually the whole time I saw just one other guy overtaking me. Fair enough. Little hilly course, nice views on the Alps.

Run-10k: It hurt and for 400m I had tummy-pains in the 2nd of the 4 rounds. I thought 10k is not so much. But still the whole distance was still work. In the 3rd loop I had a really nice conservation with someone, who lost 30 kilo and quitted smoking (20 cigarettes a day). Very impressive.

A great motivation was a very nice finisher shirt:



















On top the whole event was at a medical center and the people in wheelchairs cheered at the athletes. Very motivating.

Back at home, I watched the Ironman-European Championships in Frankfurt via www.ironmanlive.com. Faschinating Race! Great Finish of Nicole Leder and Andrea Brede (woman - place one and two)!

more Fotos of the 70.3 event / 1 hr swim.

Here are more fotos from the event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scheffti/sets/72157600330729856/
best viewed as slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scheffti/sets/72157600330729856/show/

Great stuff. Thanks again family and friends!


Today again 1 hr swimming.

I did it!!!!! - first 70.3 Ironman in Switzerland = 6:13 hrs

Yesssss! Today I finished my first 70.3 Ironman in Switzerland with 6:13 hrs. Thanks to all the supporters: Irina, Mum, Dad, Sandra, Joel, Jan, Sven, Regine, Hanna, Lisa, Holger, the guy playing the bagpipe at the sea, the musicans at the course and the great supporter-croud of FreeRadicals! Great, without you, I would never have been able to finish!

The Race
After a pretty good swim - for which I trained a lot the last half year - I tried to keep up the pace, but was brutally overtaken by "hundreds of bikers" - specially at the steep hills. Even at the running, still people went by. After all I made around place 145 out of 176 in the M30 category and around place 775 overall (out of 1200). Here is the link to the official results: http://services.datasport.com/2007/tri/ims703/RANG103.HTM

Great stuff!

Limmat - Swimming 45 mins against the current

That's great! I have the largest endless-pool in the world directly in front of my appartment! The Limmat river has at the "Werdinsel" a very nice current to swim against. I got also used to the cold water after 10 minutes. I found also a trick: to spare some air to breathe it out of the nose. I don't know why, but after the 5th stroke I paniced sometimes. Now, breathing out of the nose takes this panic away. Great stuff! I want to be an Ironman.

I was also looking at the race course. Pretty steep bike course. The mountains in Bogor/Indonesia look like speed bumpers compared to that!

By the way: profound Ironman information you may also find at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon. There you can read also a list of all the Hawaii-Ironman winners and their times down to 1978.

Transition Training

IRONMAN 70.3 SWITZERLAND, Rapperswil-Jona, Start + Ziel / Start Area + Finish Area

I never thought about to train the transition. However, in the literature I found several advices to train transitions. One reference stated even to train 8 transitions at a time. Today I just could make two "mini"-triathlons with all the transitions in between. It is quite exhausting.

webster says about "tran·si·tion": Etymology: Latin from transire = go over

a : passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another : CHANGE

b : a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another

Lessons learned:

* prepare for rain (bike shoes, cloths, etc.)

* pre-roll socks already to slip in more easily

* train to slip in the bike-shoes

* get better shoe-lifts for the bike shoes

* use socks for the running shoes!

New next race in Wellington (New Zealand)

In 1 month is the next race - Sat 31st Mar 2007 - Standard Distance National Champs. I was registered for an Olympic Distance Race in Wellington- New Zealand. :-> I need to get rid of this back pain.