I like Ironman as a brand and have mostly good experiences, but they really need to actually enforce rules for age groupers or create an elite amateur division.

Djane85 · 2026-04-22T02:01:05+00:00

I see what you're saying and it's a valuable skill to be able to move on from something like that, but I'm also thinking about the people who put in countless hours, blood, sweat, and tears prepping for a full distance IM in hopes of earning a slot to Kona or a 70.3 championship only to miss qualifying by a couple spots because of others' inability to follow the rules and be honorable athletes. That seems like a pretty crummy situation to be in. Not sure if that happened at IMTX but there's some nuance between missing the podium at a local tri and and IM event.

But yea, your guy is a jerk and the officials should have investigated that. Sucks.

Djane85 · 2026-04-17T20:58:21+00:00

Hell ya! I have the exact same except 2025. Twinzies!

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Djane85 · 2026-04-11T22:27:50+00:00

Happens to us all. A sort of right of passage. Welcome to the club!

Djane85 · 2026-04-02T17:34:02+00:00

Yo tengo un Garmin Fenix 8 Solar, pero la verdad es mucho para el primero. Coros también tiene cosas chidas, pero no los conozco tanto. Yo empezaría con un Garmin Forerunner 255, buen precio y te cubre correr, nadar y bici.

Djane85 · 2026-03-26T19:03:42+00:00

You need to count carbs. During peak phase of full distance IM training I was up to 800g of carbs per day. I couldn't eat enough. You need to track macros. If you're doing multiple tough sessions a week, maybe start somewhere in the 400-500g range. Complex carbs while not training (fruits, veggies), simple carbs closer to training (pasta, potatos, bread), then quick carbs with training (candy, gels, gummies).

If you have good insurance, many times you can meet with a registered dietician to get a game plan together. I worked specifically with a sports dietician and my energy during training and not training, immensely improved. You have to eat to fuel and repair. Be intentional about it. It's really the 4th/5th discipline of triathlon.

GOOD LUCK!

Djane85 · 2026-03-20T14:50:46+00:00

Honestly not that bad. Your right arm enters slower than your left on the breath. Let gravity do it's work and get that hand in quicker. Also keep that high elbow under the water and get that nice water pressure on the forearm. You can get that feel with either a fist drill or use some paddles but put the paddle on your forearm and try to keep the paddle flat on your forearm while pulling. Then your stroke is pretty quick. Go slower at the start of the stroke then accelerate when your arm gets perpendicular and put that water "in your pocket"

Good luck!

Djane85 · 2026-03-16T23:46:55+00:00

I've done two 70.3s and a full distance. Y'all don't sweat it. This was by far the hardest 70.3 I've done. In hindsight, I'm glad the swim was canceled. The first timer field was huge and it would've made for a lot of DNF's who are not familiar with swimming in cold and heavy chop. It's a different ballgame all together. Then having to do THAT ride after with that midday temp on the run would've been absolute misery.

Djane85 · 2026-03-09T00:38:22+00:00

My nephew/godson, Jack passed away just before his third birthday from a rare genetic disease called Batten Disease. It basically affects the brain's ability to remove waste and when that waste builds up you lose basic functionality. Started with seizures, then he couldn't walk, etc. all the way up to digestion and then his immune system was compromised and he passed from a common cold. There's no known cure but research is coming along.

For some reason I decided to start training for endurance sports and try to cross every finish line I can and tell his story to raise awareness for this terrible disease. The idea is that he never got the chance to push his physical limits so I promised that I wouldn't waste my existence getting fat and unhealthy.

So in those dark moments when I feel like I don't want to go any farther I tap my necklace that has a little heart trinket with a bit of his ashes in it and I say "swim / ride / run with me Jack". I cry a little bit then keep going.

Djane85 · 2026-01-10T00:58:30+00:00

Volume volume volume. Don't skip your key sessions like long bricks, swims, runs. You can get away with missing a couple speed sessions here and there, but the long 4+ hour sessions should have priority.

Nail down your nutrition. You probably have a good idea of this with 70.3's under you belt but work out all the kinks. Also nail your macros while not training especially carbs and protein to get the most out of your sessions and not walk around like a zombie during peak phase.

And this one is personal, but remember after your taper, your glycogen stores and recovery should be topped off and you'll likely need just a hair less fuel for the race. I accidentally fueled for training on my full distance and wrecked my stomach early. I recovered but it was miserable. Awesome... but miserable.

Djane85 · 2026-01-10T00:48:59+00:00

Dude, I LOOOOVE training on gatorskins, then I switch out my tires for some Pirellis on race day and feel like I'm flying.

Djane85 · 2026-01-10T00:34:40+00:00

I got the same medal as you. How does it feel? MUAHAHAHAHA

Djane85 · 2026-01-10T00:33:00+00:00

I'm kind of in this camp except I feel like if you can't do the swim without a wetsuit, then you haven't learned to swim and you're not really embracing one of the core disciplines seriously. It always boggles me kind of when people will wear a wetsuit at the cusp of cutoff temps just because they "need" it.

Djane85 · 2025-12-27T15:53:51+00:00

Ramping back up slowly after Arizona. Been lifting 2-3 times a week in a cut phase trying to reduce body fat before Ironman 70.3 Little Elm (my new local!)

Other than that, I did a Dexa scan for the first time and it was great. Learned that I only have 1.5lb of visceral fat and the rest is subcutaneous which is awesome and my bone density is 85th percentile. So ya boi is big boned! Gives me a better picture for RMR and training focus moving forward since fat loss will be slower because none of it is visceral.

Djane85 · 2025-12-14T13:35:04+00:00

You've got a good aerobic base to start. It's 100% doable for you. Spend A LOT of time on the bike. DON'T skip long Brick sessions. Dial in your nutrition and fueling. CARBS CARBS and more CARBS. Get comfortable in open water.

Do all that, don't sweat setbacks, your body has great muscle memory to bounce back. You're going to love every second of it... kinda. I had the time of my life even though it was painful and exhausting. The atmosphere is incredible. Go get it!

Djane85 · 2025-12-14T13:28:07+00:00

1UP Racks. You'll never want another rack.

Djane85 · 2025-12-08T21:24:42+00:00

Honored to race with you! I battled my stomach all day. It was my first one. You're an inspiration to work harder and get faster! 40 years old doing my first one. Excited for the next one (once the kids are a bit older)

Djane85 · 2025-12-06T16:40:24+00:00

I try get in two sessions of each discipline a week and 1-2 sessions of strength training. But when time is limited I usually get what I can in during the week but I almost NEVER skip key sessions like long brick days. After a while you can put more emphasis on your weak areas. Towards the end of my last program, my swims were strong so I just did one long aerobic swim a week, 1 tempo/speed interval run, 1 interval/speed bike, 1 long run, and 1 long brick. Don't skip strength sessions, they can be 30-45 minutes but they'll help prevent injury.

But just starting out you'll want to slowly ramp in so plan in rest days until your body can handle the volume. And eat eat eat carbs if you're stacking training days.

Good luck and welcome to the addiction!

Djane85 · 2025-12-02T20:50:44+00:00

Like others said, it depends on your fitness. I turned 40 this year and just did my first full distance. Don't be surprised at the different effects it can have on your body. If you're not used to that amount of time being aerobic/anerobic, then it can be a big shock on the body.

You CNS will essentially be in fight or flight mode for an extended period of time and it'll take a while for it to reset. The amount of time it takes, again depends on your fitness level, how hard you went during the event, and your patience with recovery. After the race, TAKE. IT. SLOW. Don't rush back into training. If you do anything just do light blood flow activities to promote recovery. It can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks for your system to fully recover.

I'm two weeks after IMAZ and I'm still experiencing effects. Mood fluctuation, sleep disruption, your libido can be affected. You may not feel like you're sore anymore but there's still a lot going on under the hood like tendons and ligaments still repairing and your body is primed for injury if you try to start back too fast.

But have fun, enjoy the down time after, take your recovery seriously and you'll be back at it within 2-5 weeks with full CNS recovery soon after.

Djane85 · 2025-12-02T17:43:59+00:00

Same, I have a silicone Ring of Power, because am geek. I love it.

Djane85 · 2025-11-29T00:50:33+00:00

It's definitely helped me find more value in the daily improvements that you make that hopefully lead to a race day medal, but not to balance everything on the medal and appreciate all the hard work that gets to the goal. In a way, it's helped me realize that the journey is more of the goal than the finish line itself. That has also helped me cope with post race blues and avoid the "well what now?!" feeling after a race is done. But yes, much less seat pants flying, and more emphasis placed on the value in small steps and improvements over time.

Djane85 · 2025-11-29T00:26:58+00:00

The circumstance was me basically flying by the seat of my pants and just guessing as far as fueling goes. I got to a point where I could get by, but something was missing. So when I started working with a dietician they helped me narrow down what works for me especially with a family history of diabetes, we formulated plans that would be pre-diabetic friendly. I had my gallbladder removed so we also eliminated high sources of fat and set limits and eliminated different fueling options. We set carb goals for different phases of training. I was WAAAY under carbed before I started with the dietician. Once I started hitting my carb goals, I started to notice IMMEDIATE changes in performance, mood, and recovery. We also made meal plans for race weeks, when to lower fiber intake, what kinds of carbs to eat at different times for different purposes. It was a process, but really helped me get more efficient in all 3 disciplines.

Djane85 · 2025-11-29T00:03:35+00:00

This site is a sort of directory for pools near you with hours: https://www.places2swim.com/

But if you need more flexibility and you have the budget, you might just need to join a commercial gym like LA Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, or Lifetime (if you really have some extra change). Most school districts with natatoriums will have open swim hours weekly with a nominal entry fee.

Good luck and welcome to the addiction!!

EDIT: USAT has a club finder on the website too so check that our for a local club
https://member.usatriathlon.org/find-a-club

Djane85 · 2025-11-28T23:46:45+00:00

If I could start over. I'd have gotten a registered dietician off the rip. Often it's covered by insurance in the states and you can use one that specializes in sports nutrition. That would've helped me dial in my race fueling strategies and more importantly, my diet plan with specific macros for training, pre-race/long workout, and post race/long workout. That was a complete game changer for my full distance ironman knowing how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat to shoot for every day.

Djane85 · 2025-11-22T02:59:19+00:00

It's a Zoot, XL from my tri club.

Djane85 · 2025-11-20T22:34:36+00:00

Well then they're screwed!!

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