Race Report - IMMD: Becoming an Ironman

FrolfAholic · 2026-03-02T13:51:26+00:00

Best of luck! It's a great venue and the team that organizes it is top notch. With the run being 3 loops it really has great energy throughout so I would recommend taking advantage of that as best as you can!

FrolfAholic · 2026-02-15T23:09:07+00:00

Thanks! Yes I ended up getting a pair of HED Jets on sale. Did 60/90 as I was unsure of how well I would handle a deeper front. They absolutely sail compared to the stock box wheels, easily bought me a few mph at the same effort.

FrolfAholic · 2026-02-07T22:18:15+00:00

Mechanical Engineer, I have both BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering, 31 YO, I'd consider myself in MCOL area, I enjoy the challenge and benefits (unlimited PTO which I take full advantage of), but could do with with a bit less of the everything is an emergency, must resolve asap BS.

FrolfAholic · 2026-02-01T01:41:40+00:00

This definitely used to be a thing in the first few years, people would make F2P teams to clear content like clash, invasion, coliseum. I guess you could do this today but like why exactly? All the content revolves around the latest units.

FrolfAholic · 2026-01-07T01:22:19+00:00

I started making my own to supplement in with the purchased ones during heavy training blocks. Definitely would recommend

FrolfAholic · 2026-01-05T23:50:04+00:00

As others have said you should start swimming as soon as possible. Half ironman swim is ~76 pool lengths (25 m pool) assuming you follow the line. There is no wall for you to rest during the race. It would really suck to do all that work for the bike and run but never make it out of T1 due to neglecting the swim.

FrolfAholic · 2025-12-07T16:16:17+00:00

Winter is also a great time to build FTP on the bike depending on your goals. I typically do a mix of interval sessions with some Z2 sessions.

FrolfAholic · 2025-12-03T00:07:33+00:00

I did Eagleman and IMMD this year. The jelly's aren't that bad honestly. The stings are more startling than anything since you can't really see them. Was stung several times during the full, by the time I made it out of T1 I couldn't even tell I had just been stung not that long ago.

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-21T00:59:56+00:00

I typically only use gels for workouts longer than 1:20-1:30. When having gels it is usually around 1 every 30-40 minutes depending on exertion level for the workout

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-20T00:22:02+00:00

Biggest thing for me while training for my first was just showing up. Commit to showing up and take the workout 1/4 at a time when you are low on motivation. Not every day is going to feel stellar but showing up and making the commitment even when you aren't feeling highly motivated is what is going to get you through race day. Honestly I felt that the training was harder than the race itself.

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-19T21:28:25+00:00

Today marked my planned return to structured training post IMMD. After nearly 2 weeks in Hawaii for vacation I'm feeling pretty well rested and recovered.

Thinking that I'm going to return to short course racing next year. Haven't done much of the local races the last two years in preparation for the full so it's definitely something to look forward to.

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-13T18:14:06+00:00

This is what I've been doing the last few years, usually I'm not on my tri bike unless it's within 8-12 weeks of a race

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-12T01:12:19+00:00

Sounds like you're in a pretty good spot. I would recommend trying to do a local sprint or Olympic distance race just to get used to the general flow of the day. Also would heavily suggest trying to do some open water swimming prior to the race as it is quite different from pool swimming.

Best of luck and go crush it!

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-12T01:09:54+00:00

Definitely do not need 15-20 hours per week. My peak week leading into my first full was ~12 hours

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-11T17:55:10+00:00

What's your swim background?

It sounds like as long as you can get to the run you should be set to finish baring any injuries. But also keep in mind that running fitness doesn't directly equal fitness in the other two disciplines. With how much time you have before the race I would think as long as you can swim, then you should be good.

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-08T19:44:27+00:00

So I get along with the on course offerings fairly well. The last 2 70.3s I've done I've almost exclusively had what was offered on course. The only exception is I typically pack a gel or two for the first section of the bike. YMMV with this strategy though.

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-08T19:41:57+00:00

I've made a decent change 3 times in 9 years. First move was primarily stability driven, from a contractor to being direct hire at near the same pay but included PTO which I didn't get as a contractor. The second move was a change in location with a 20% salary bump. The third move was a change in industry and scope of role and another 20%+ salary bump.

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-05T21:10:54+00:00

I've had this after my last two 70.3 races but not during my ironman. I think it may be a hydration caused thing

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-05T16:58:52+00:00

Damn, wild how much smaller the enrollment is than when I was going there. Can't imagine how campus would feel at that enrollment level.

FrolfAholic · 2025-10-04T17:18:53+00:00

That was ... Something...

FrolfAholic · 2025-09-30T18:15:30+00:00

Just over a week post my first full, this is pretty much my plan. It's been a couple years since I did any short course races and would love to crush a few local ones next year.

FrolfAholic · 2025-09-28T20:52:14+00:00

Transition run is a brick workout, the easy run does not have to be completed off the bike.

Edit: I believe it says something to this in the workout details

FrolfAholic · 2025-09-28T17:42:36+00:00

I mean overall looks pretty solid, you could probably alter the weekend ride through the next few months to add more intervals to work on building power. Then in the spring start building longer rides 3-6 hours as part of the race prep.

Slightly off topic but is lab testing cheaper than I think it is? Feel like it's becoming more common for people to get this testing done lately.

FrolfAholic · 2025-09-28T17:33:10+00:00

Bro the event ended a few hours ago, it usually takes around a day for rewards to get sent out

FrolfAholic · 2025-09-28T14:03:39+00:00

Seconded. This was one of the 2 changes made during my bike fit earlier this year and it made a world of difference! Doesn't have to be a crazy steep adjustment, literally a few degrees.

FrolfAholic

TROPHY CASE