You can find an excellent video log of Ironman Wisconsin by searching "becoming ironman" on youtube. A gentleman and his supportive family taped the whole thing and have it broken down into 9 segments (a couple for the swim, a couple for bike, a couple for run, a pre- and post- and a thank you). It is extremely well documented and would give you a very good (but scary) look at the course and the environment. Not having participated in an iron-distance race, I don't know this for sure but it seems like 10 hours per week would not get you where you want to be. I would have to say it depends on your beginning fitness and how "smart" you worked those hours. Good luck! Xraytriguy

To answer your questions...yes... I am a certified USA Triathlon coach in Miami, Florida. I have a beginners 18 week Ironman Program that goes up to 13 hours a per week but that is only for week 11 and 12. . If I can assist you further please feel free to contact me at michelle@pinnaclemultisport.com

Happy Training,

Michelle

Knee and hip pain are the most common cycling injuries, especially in the early season. The most common cause of knee and hip pain in cyclists is iliotibial band (ITband) syndrome. The IT band is a thick fibrous band of tissue, which runs on the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee. Pain is caused
when the band becomes tight and rubs over the bony prominences of the hip (greater trochanter) and/or the knee (lateral epicondyle). Tight
inflexible lower extremity muscles may worsen the condition. Pain may also be caused by inappropriate seat position, saddle position, cleat
alignment, or by individual cyclist anatomy.

A simple seat height adjustment may ease the forces placed on the knee. If the seat is too low, too much stress is placed on the knee from the patellar and
quadriceps tendons. If the seat is too high, pain may develop behind the knee. Therefore, proper seat height is essential.

There are several different ways to determine proper seat height. The easiest way to do this is to allow one pedal to drop to the 6 o'clock position and
observe the angle of flexion in the knee joint. There should be a 25-30 degree flexion in the knee when the pedal is at the bottom most point.
Another method is to measure your inseam (in centimeters) and multiply this measurement by 0.883. This should be your distance from the top of
the seat to the center of the bottom bracket. Your hips should not rock back and forth when you pedal - that means your legs have to stretch to
far to reach the bottom of the pedal stroke. If your hips rock when pedaling, lower your saddle until you achieve a smooth pedal stroke

I hope this helps!

Hi, there:

I completed IMW in 2005 and had a great experience. It was extremely hot (95 w/humidity) and the winds were very strong on the bike, but it seemed like the entire city of Madison came out to cheer everyone on. The spectators were the best part of the race, inspiring and cheering until 12 midnight. The city of Madison is located in between two beautiful lakes with the two lap swim takes place in Lake Monona.

The bike travels through the surrounding communities outside of Madison. It's approximately 16 miles out to the two loop section of the ride. Spectators are everywhere and very enthusiastic. The course has rolling hills with long gradual climbs and false flats. The course was a bit more challenging than I anticipated. There are a few steep climbs that don't last long but will challenge you. You will have great support all the way through both laps.

The run travels through downtown Madison and the University of Wisconsin. Not sure if they are allowed anymore, but in '05 we were allowed to run around Camp Randall Stadium on the campus--which was a great experience. There is one challenging hill on campus but, again, the support and crowds are awesome.

All in all, the race was a fantastic experience even with the extremely hot weather. I know the year after ('06) it rained and was cold. I think that was a bit of a coincidence as I was told it is typically hot during September.

I think if you do train 10 hours a week, make sure to get a good coach and focus on quality bike rides, as the course is challenging. It's a great race and the overall experience was awesome. Good luck!

First I hope you got in, as registration fills up in hours. I just finished the 2007 race. You seem to be an expert swimmer, so the swim should be fine for you, the only thing you might find odd about this race are the transistions. Its a 2200 person start and they just throw you into the water, there is no smooth entry into the lake. The lake can be choppy at times, but this year it was smooth. You tread water for 15 minutes or so depending on when you decide to get in. Since you are a good swimmer they say start left of the ski jump. You will see what I'm talking about when you get there. My problem was I started left of the ski jump and I'm an ok swimmer, and I got the snot knocked out of me, of course I found this all out afterwards.

From the swim you run quite a bit. You enter a helix structure and run up the helix to the top of a parking lot, then you enter the actual building to transition. Then pop out onto the parking structure again and enter the bike where you go down another helix onto the course. TI took me 8:30 minutes I think, but I was taking my time. Another odd thing is you can't leave your shoes on the bike in this race. I always leave my shoes on the bike. I guess the only reason they do this at Wisconsin is because of the helix you have to ride down as soon as you get on your bike. They may have had some issues with people trying to get there shoes on while going down the helix and crashing. That's my only guess, but really not too big of a deal. T2 was much more straight forward.

Wisconsin is definitely all about the bike. The course is choppy. Very difficult to find a rhythm. I switched to a 12-27 cassette for this race. I usually go with a 23 or 25. There are several steep climbs and descents. And yes the smell of .. err... the farm let's say. But only in small portions of the bike you have to deal with that. I was conservative on the bike as I didn't know how these hills would leave me for the marathon. I signed up for the 2008 race and plan to do a lot of work on the bike training with wattage this winter. Probably will go back to a 25 however. There were two places in particular where you go up a 1/4 mile climb and there are people on either side of the road cheering you on like the Tour de france. They are right up in your face, it was awesome! The support here really made the difference.

The run was great actually, very scenic and well supported. Especially when you get down to state street. A lot of people are there waiting for you. Very cool. Get a hotel now if you haven't. Most of them have filled up already!

Check out this image, you can see the helix I was talking about. You actually get out of the lake to the right of this picture, so its a good haul.

Message was edited by: Anthony_All3---I removed the picture to avoid errors on the web page. I am unable to reply while the picture is posted, I did see it, great pic, thank you very much.