What is the attraction of the half ironman?
I know what it was for me as an athlete... you could enter an event somewhere in the world, travel to the race, see the local area and then have a holiday. Your holiday would either be local to the race or perhaps a little but further away.
Another thing half ironman race allowed was to race against the elites. It was a challenge... without having to bank ironman style training of long rides and runs.
Times have changed a bit now. We have staggered starts, either waves or rolling starts. The events are bigger and often more commercialised than ever before. Entry fees continue to rise. So some of the attraction is fading. There are many more events now which means lots of options on where to race and have that holiday.
Many athletes that I have coached, simply want to complete the event. And that is brilliant. For some finishing a half ironman is a major achievement... for others though, they want more...
- A personal best half ironman time
- A world qualification spot... the bigger the race, the harder that challenge.
- To beat a mate
- Or to simply enjoy the event and execute a good race.
Whatever your attraction or goal it is unlikely you can just rock up at a half ironman and smash it! You need to do some sort of training plan to help you get the most out of your travels... and still be able to walk during that holiday!
You can buy beginner training plans
Off the shelf plans are good, heck, I wrote this one! However, they are generic, they are limited in adaptation to the individual and they will help you get round... but if you really want to beat your mate, or achieve a personal best then you need something more.
Every athlete is different. Every athlete has different goals, strengths, weaknesses, commitments and lifestyles. This is why I will always recommend a coached program rather than an off the shelf plan.
Check out the F4L Triathlon Coaching options here
Paul Jones is a British Triathlon Federation Level 3 Coach and a Triathlon Australia Performance Coach.
He is also an IRONMAN Certified Coach and a Level 2 Training Peaks Coach. F4L Triathlon Coaching offers triathletes and other endurance athletes a full coaching and training service that caters to all levels of triathletes. F4L offers professional triathlon and endurance coaching and the reliability triathletes and endurance athletes require. Each athlete is an individual, every athlete has different needs.
